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COPD Videos From About.com
2007-09-26 20:56:00
I don't usually get too excited about videos but in my newsletter from About.com this week, they have some very good ones made by Blausen Medical.Definitely worth the watch!How Lungs FunctionAbout COPDAbout EmphysemaAbout Brochiectasis About Congestive Heart Failure About Bronchodilator Medications About Using Inhalers
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Living Well With COPD
2007-09-26 00:09:00
For most people, living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not easy. It’s a serious illness that can greatly affect your entire way of life. But, it doesn’t have to mean the end of enjoying your life. Together with your doctor, you can learn ways to improve your breathing and fitness and prevent acute worsening of your disease. It takes a commitment to improve your health, and it takes effort to use your medicines and therapies correctly. You can live well with COPD. It’s up to YOU to take control.That's the first paragraph of a free, easy to understand 44 page book available from The American College of Chest Physicians. The book contains this information:Living Well With COPD - Table of Contents What is COPD? Inside Your Lungs How COPD Affects the Body Causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Symptoms of COPD Making the Diagnosis Important Steps for Better Living With COPD Step 1: Quit Smoking Other Airway Irritants Step 2: Flu (Influenza) an...

Pass Children's Health Insurance, Increase Federal Cigarette Tax - It's A W
2007-09-24 23:45:00
This week, the U.S. Congress will vote on legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by increasing the federal tax on cigarettes from 39-cents per pack to $1.00 per pack, an increase of 61-cents per pack. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday, September 25th, while the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the same legislation on Thursday, September 27th.Increasing the federal cigarette tax is a win-win for children's health: in addition to providing much-needed medical care for our nation's low-income, uninsured youth - including those living with lung diseases such as asthma - this substantial increase of $.61 will have the added benefit of reducing youth smoking.Please send a message to both of your Senators and your Representative today urging them to support increasing the cigarette excise tax by 61 cents to pay for SCHIP. Sending a letter is as easy as visiting the American Lung Association's Website Here and f...
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Autumnal Equinox 2007
2007-09-21 21:05:00
The Autumnal Equinox signals the end of the summer months and the beginning of winter. At this time of year, days have been shortening since the Summer Solstice some three months earlier, and the Equinox is the point where nights reach the same length as days. After this point, the Sun will shine lower and lower on the horizon until the Winter Solstice in about three month's time.The Autumn Equinox will arrive and Fall will begin September 23, 2007 at 2:52 AM PDT, 9:52 UT.To Celebrate This Change In Seasons -I invite you all to my Autumn Pages at COPD And So Much More.You'll find articles on Fall Allergies and Autumn Health and Safety along with the Old Farmer's Almanac Forecast for the winter ahead.I put in lots of fun stuff too - Autumn jigsaw puzzles, a list of harvest celebrations around the world, a few pages on apple season, and more. I'll be starting on my Halloween pages next month, followed by pages for Thanksgiving.Please stop by, and then send me an email to let me k...

The BODE Index - A Multidimensional Grading System To Assess COPD
2007-09-21 01:38:00
The Body-Mass Index , Airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise Capacity Index in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (BODE Index)N Engl J Med 2004;350:1005-12. (pdf file)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common disease characterized by a poorly reversible limitation in airflow, is predicted to be the third most frequent cause of death in the world by 2020. The risk of death in patients with COPD is often graded with the use of a single physiological variable, the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). However, other risk factors, such as the presence of hypoxemia or hypercapnia, a short distance walked in a fixed time, a high degree of functional breathlessness, and a low body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters), are also associated with an increased risk of death. This is a multidimensional grading system that assessed the respiratory, perceptive, and systemic aspects of COPD that would better categorize the il...
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The COPD Diet
2007-09-19 20:52:00
I came across this article while doing some research on our weekly topic for out put to each of you. This just about covers it all. However, as with any changes in any thing that affects your health check with your medical support. CecilThe COPD Diet

COPD Strikes Men, Women Differently
2007-09-19 01:23:00
By Ed EdelsonHealthDay ReporterThe breathing disorder called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hits women harder than men and in a different way, a new study finds.COPD actually consists of two different lung diseases -- chronic bronchitis, which damages the lining of the airways, and emphysema, which damages the alveoli, the tiny sacs through which oxygen enters the blood. A study of more than 1,000 COPD patients, 38.8 percent of them women, found that bronchitis is more common in women and emphysema more common in men."Men and women respond differently to cigarette smoke exposure," said Dr. Fernando J. Martinez, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and lead author of the report. Smoking is the major cause of COPD."So the treatments for men and women are going to be inherently different," he said.In addition, women in the study reported more breathlessness, a higher incidence of depression and a lower quality of life than the men.There have been...
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Weekly Newsletter From COPD-Support, Inc.
2007-09-18 00:09:00
Volume 7, Issue 40September 14, 2007PULMONARY DISEASE HITS MORE NONSMOKERSCOPD... usually thought of as a smokers' disease ... is killing an increasing number of nonsmokers, and its prevalence is higher than previously estimated, according to a study in The Lancet medical journal. Allergies, tuberculosis and poor ventilation can cause the disease, the fifth-leading cause of death in high-income countries. A shift in the way people view COPD may help save more lives, an accompanying editorial said.Because of its stigma as a self-inflicted disease, COPD is often under diagnosed and under-treated, scientists, including A. Sonia Buist, a medical professor at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, said. "If every smoker in the world were to stop smoking today, the rates of COPD would probably continue to increase for the next 20 years." A study by the scientists of more than 9,000 volunteers, randomly selected, showed that one in 10 adults 40 suffered from advanced stages of CO...
More About: Support , Newsletter , Weekly

50 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend
2007-09-15 01:04:00
Reprinted from Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend By Lisa Copen "A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." ~Lois Wyse 1 Ask, "What events in your life are changing and how are you coping with the changes?"2 Understand that she lives in a constant state of making decisions for which there is no guarantee that she is making the right choice.3 Put meals in disposable containers and attach a note saying "This doesn't need to be returned."4 Add stickers to envelopes for a cheerful touch. 5 Arrange for your friend's kids to have a night with your children.6 Don't make a person into a project.7 Ask, "Would you be willing to talk to a friend of mine who has recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness and offer her some encouragement?" It makes one feel good to know that her experience can offer someone else hope and that God still has a purpose for her life.8 Wash his ...
More About: Ally

Reinvent Your Dreams
2007-09-14 03:05:00
By Joanna Wasmuth Often when we are sidelined with pain and illness, we stop dreaming - about who we want to become, what we want to do, things we want to experience, how we want to impact the world. This often leads to a profound sense of loss, fear, frustration, and sometimes depression. We can become trapped and immobilized by not only our physical pain, but our emotional distress as well. But your pain doesn't have to stop you from living a fulfilling, exciting life! Your journey with pain is a unique opportunity to slow down, take a look at your life up to this point, and reinvent it. It all starts with reinventing your dreams! Dreams are the fuel that moves you from frustration to fulfillment and satisfaction! I invite you to start reinventing today!Exercise1. Make a list of dreams and goals you've had in life. 2. Choose two or three that leap out at you. As you do this, you might hear yourself saying things like, 'Yeah right. Not anymore! I hurt too much to do that." If th...

Making Desireable Changes
2007-09-12 19:00:00
By David Spero, RNAdapted from the book, The Art of Getting Well: Five Steps to Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness.Health problems and symptoms, with the possible exception of pure genetic disorders, carry a signal to change. Even the flu tells us to rest and take Vitamin C. The message can be as obvious as, "get better shoes," if our feet hurt, or it may be hard to decipher. It can relate to an internal issue, like a headache that means, "Stop trying to be the perfect mother, already!" Or it could be telling us about an external change, like asthma that means, "Get the mold out of this apartment or move away!" Chan g ing such harmful situations makes it possible to achieve higher states of wellness.We usually think of health changes in terms of diet, exercise, rest, and a few other areas, but a whole range of life factors come into play. These modifications can be huge decisions, like leaving a miserable relationship, or simple choices, like a better mattress to sleep ...
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Coping With An Invisible Condition
2007-09-11 18:12:00
By Brian Grady, Ph.D. What makes an illness or condition visible or invisible? Assistive devices, body appearance, and behaviour tell others you are ill or disabled. Devices include canes, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, braces. Most of these are used for mobility. Body appearance can be things like skin colour, deformities, and scarring. Behaviour includes limping or other changes in gait, posture, sounds (like groaning), or facial expressions of pain or tension. Invisible is commonChronic pain and many other chronic conditions are rarely visible to others. 3.4 million Canadians and 26 million Americans (therefore, on the order of one in ten people) are considered to be disabled to some significant degree, but most of these people (about 3/4) will not need assistive devices or give other signals that send the message "I'm sick". Body appearances are often hidden, and illness behaviour may be suppressed or misunderstood. Many people with a physical problem look fine to others.Examp...
More About: Coping , Condition , Visible

8 Choices You Must Make to Live Successfully with Chronic Illness
2007-09-10 20:47:00
By Lisa CopenIllness doesn't have to mean a life of pain and loneliness.Here are 8 choices you need to make![1] Recognize that the illness is chronicYou will swim through the phases of grief for the rest of your life, because with a chronic condition comes new limitations as the illness progresses. Don't be too hard on yourself; reach out to others, build up friendships with those that understand, pursue new hobbies that get your mind off of the illness, take a second look at your faith and how this effects it. [2] Be a good advocate for your healthYou know your body better than anyone else and the likelihood is that you will get tons of well-meaning advice from both friends and strangers. Be discerning in what you choose to follow and what you choose to let go. Kindly thank those that offer their advice but don't make any promises or feel obligated to try anything they offer.[3] Do research on new medications and study possible alternative treatments carefully. Be wise in how...
More About: Live , Make , Choices

From The Canadian Lung Association: Getting the care you deserve. A Bill of
2007-09-07 19:21:00
People with lung disease have the right to:>Receive timely medical care. You shouldn't have to wait long to get a consultation, diagnosis and treatment. >Receive reliable, up to date, health information that is easy to understand. >Be treated by a healthcare team. Your doctor and other health professionals can: Work together Ask your opinion about treatment decisions, and Respect your dignity and decisions during every stage of your disease. >Breathe clean indoor and outdoor air at home, at work, at school, and in all public places. You have a right to expect air that's smoke-free, scent-free, allergen-free, and pollution-free. >Have devices that can assist you to live independently. >Know about the latest medical research to treat your disease. >Know about decisions that affect health care and get involved if you wish, (examples: sit on a hospital board, raise health concerns at public meetings or write letters to the editor). As a person with lung disease, you have the responsib...
More About: Canadian , Care , Association , Bill , The Car

The Old Stone House
2007-09-07 01:31:00
Tish Bauer is a wise and wonderful woman/writer, a fellow member of the COPD Support Community, and my friend. She has written a delightful account of her life at her Old Stone House and has graciously allowed me to include them on my website.Tish has sent me two new writings to add to The O ld Stone House collection. "Life Is A Circle" At The Old Stone HouseandSaying Goodbye At The Old Stone HouseHer stories have touched me deeply. Thank you, Tish, for sharing your life and your wisdom with all of us.
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The Power Of The Internet - Enjoy The World In Links
2007-09-06 01:52:00
Dear Karen,I have never done this before!This is really quite amazing considering that the Internet has changed my life more than any other technology.The Internet helped me find Doctors that kept my Fatheralive when all others said he had only 2 months to live!The Internet helped me research and write my book"The Power of Positive Habits." The Internet helps me change lives everyday by delivering thisnewsletter to you!"What is it that I have never done before?" I have never written a newsletter that concentratestotally on the power of the Internet. That changes today!Are you ready to have more fun on the internet then you have ever had? Are you ready to bookmark more web pages in one day then you have in a year?Are you ready to go on an adventure that will make you laugh, cry and look at the world in amazement from the comfort of your sofa?Are you ready to explore the Earth?Are you ready to see images that will make you cry and read storiesthat will make you laugh? Are you ready to...
More About: World , Enjoy , Links

COPD-INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
2007-09-04 21:41:00
Dedicated to the philosophy"You can learn to control this disease instead of letting it control you!"Published every Monday by Susie Bowers, Web-Editor COPD-International .com, this newsletter is another must read.Featured articles this week include:REPORT ON LUNG TRANSPLANTATION IN U.S.DIET: TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR ASTHMATHE 10 BEST FOODS YOU'RE NOT EATINGHEALTH TIP: SOOTHING A SORE THROATFor a free subscription to this fine newsletter send an email tomailto:List-admin@copd-international.co m?subject=subscribe-newsMake browsing in the COPD-International Library and Reading Room part of your daily surfing routine!
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There are more people around the world suffering from chronic obstructive p
2007-09-04 00:08:00
Reported THURSDAY, Aug. 30 in HealthDay News - There are more people around the world suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than previously thought, an international team of researchers reports.Worse yet, those numbers are bound to increase as the world's population continues to age, claims the study in the Sept. 1 issue of The Lancet."COPD is much more common than previous estimates would suggest," said study author Dr. A. Sonia Buist, chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. "We did the study, because there is a huge disconnect between the public and the public health perception of the burden of COPD, and the reality."COPD is under-diagnosed and under-treated, Buist said."COPD is a cumulative response of the lungs to the burden of all that's breathed in over a lifetime," she said. "As populations age, the prevalence of COPD and the burden of COPD is going to increase significantly."In the study, Bu...
More About: People , World , Around the world , The World , Suffering