According to a research study conducted in Quebec, the use of corticosteroids used to treat asthma and COPD have been linked to causing insulin resistance. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications that contain drugs that are made to mimic cortisol, the hormone that your adrenal glands produce naturally. When corticosteroids are taken, they treat inflammations, such as those in the lungs. Many people with COPD take a corticosteroid as a preventative medicine, or “control inhaler”. Sometimes during a flare-up of asthma or COPD, a common corticosteroid known as prednisone is prescribed.
Prednisone is also prescribed for other ailments besides asthma and COPD, but it is usually only prescribed to be taken for a short period of time. If you have been on a corticosteroid off and on over a period of time, you can develop steroid-induced diabetes.
Continue reading The Dangers of Inhalers for People With Diabetes
Most people know how tough it is to quit smoking. “As hard as getting off of heroine” is one thing that comes to mind when people think about how hard it is to kick the habit. Unfortunately, smoking tobacco causes at least 80% of the cases of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
According to a recent study in Canada, research has found that one out of four people over the age of 35 will die from COPD. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis (the two forms of COPD), are more deadly and costly than heart failure, or even breast cancer and lung cancer.
Continue reading How High is Your Risk of Getting COPD?
Looking at the color of your mucus when your sick is unpleasant but necessary. By looking at the color of your sputum – the mucus that you cough up out of your lungs – you can help your doctor figure out the best way to treat you. Paying attention to the color of your sputum is especially important if you have a chronic lung disease, like COPD, since getting any kind of respiratory illness can become dangerous. The color, consistency and even the taste and odor of your sputum can tell you if you’re just experiencing allergies, or if a serious infection is underway.
When you cough something up, don’t swallow it! If you are around other people, excuse yourself and go to the bathroom or somewhere private. Don’t spit your mucus straight into the waste can either – grab a tissue and spit the sputum into the tissue so you can get a look at it. Examine the color and the thickness, also note whether or not it has an odor.
Continue reading Sputum Colors
Poor air quality is a big problem for everyone. All living things need air to survive. The only things that might not be so affected by pollution are trees and other plants, since they emit oxygen and inspire carbon dioxide. Pollution and other causes of poor air quality is even more dangerous for people who who have a hard time breathing – people with chronic lung diseases such as asthma and COPD, and anyone who needs oxygen therapy.
This is a total lost cause, however. If the air quality is poor in your home, in your town/city or both, there a number of things you can do to improve the general quality of the air around you. Once you start putting these things into practice, it won’t be long until your new habits start to wear off on the people around you. It seems that being conscious of the environment is something that spreads from person to person over time.
Continue reading Easy Things to do to Improve Air Quality at Home and in the Environment
If you need oxygen therapy, then simply your lungs cannot inspire enough oxygen to adequately supply it to your body. Oxygen machines deliver pure oxygen to your lungs so that your body can live and work properly.
Without enough oxygen in your bloodstream, the development of heart disease is just one of things you will have to deal with down the line. In the meantime, you would have difficulty functioning in day-to-day life, thinking and moving about. If medicine has not improved your ability to absorb oxygen from you lungs and into your blood, your doctor will prescribe the use of oxygen therapy.
Continue reading Can You Reduce Your Need for Oxygen Therapy?
Whether you are going to be using oxygen therapy because you have a chronic lung disease like COPD, a condition like sleep apnea, or you need supplemental oxygen for any other reason, you can easily use it in your home with little to no fuss.
You’ve just ordered your home oxygen concentrator or other type of oxygen equipment and they are on their way to your home. What you’ll need to do now, is do a little preparation to make sure your oxygen equipment can be quickly and easily set up so you can start using it.
Continue reading Preparing Your Home for Oxygen Therapy Equipment