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The following was originally published at healthcentral.com/asthma on July 24, 2015. Should You Join An Asthma Study One of the neat things about living with asthma today is there are a ton of studies going on to make things better for us; to find better medicines; to find an eventual cure. We should all at least think about participating in one of these, as the wisdom obtained can make breathing easier not just for us, but for asthmatics of the future. Thirty years ago, as an asthma patient as National Jewish Health , I volunteered to participate in a study. At the time I was diagnosed with “High Risk Asthma.” As part of the study, basically all I did was do pulmonary function tests once a week for two or three months. Of course I was a kid at the time, so I have no idea what the study entailed. Yet, I felt it was my duty as an asthmatic to help out the cause. More recently, my good friend Stephen Gaudet, author of breathinstephen.com , told me about his experience as a participan...

The following was originally published by me at healthcentral.com/asthma on July 27, 2015 Study: Cool Air Makes Breathing Easier When I started as a respiratory therapist 20 years ago, one of the first observations I made is that people with chronic lung diseases, like COPD, do not like heat. They often request fans with the breeze blowing right at their faces. Or, better yet, they request the air conditioning be turned to full blast. Studies seem to support these observations. A study performed at John Hopkins University showed that COPD patients who were exposed to higher indoor temperatures (such as 90°F) were more likely to have lung function decline, have a flare-up, and require rescue medicine. Those exposed to higher outdoor temperatures were more likely to develop more severe COPD (meaning more severe symptoms). While the study confirms heat has a negative impact on people with COPD, researchers are not sure of the mechanisms involved. So further studies will surely be per...

The following was originally published at healthcentral.com on July 2, 2015. Are Asthma Medicines Safe? Asthma medicines are essential for helping asthmatics prevent and control their asthma. However, sometimes one of our medicines makes the news, and it creates a scare. Sometimes these make us wonder: are asthma medicines safe? Here is a look at some scares regarding asthma medicines, and what was learned from them. Rescue inhalers linked to increased risk of death . When rescue inhalers were first introduced back in the 1950s, asthmatics breathed sighs of relief, literally. This was what they wanted for thousands of years. But then something unexpected happened: asthma death rates spiked. Initial fears caused many doctors to quit prescribing them, leaving many asthmatics without the relief inhalers they needed. But then reason set in. Experts figured it wasn’t the inhalers, but patients over reliance on them. Instead of seeking expert consultation when symptoms were observed, ...

The following was originally published by me at healthcentral.com/copd on July 23, 2015 7 Ways Weather Affects COPD Weather can play a significant role in how you feel when you have a lung disease like COPD. Some weather conditions create an ideal environment for breathing, while others can make breathing difficult, even causing flare-ups. Here are seven ways weather can impact COPD and what you can do. 1. Too Hot . Temperatures greater than 90°F are ideal for basking in the sun and swimming. They are not so good if you have lung disease. A John Hopkins University study showed that higher outdoor temperatures increased the severity of COPD symptoms. Researchers are not sure why this is. Staying indoors in aiir conditioning may be the best way to beat the heat. 2. The Perfect Temperature . Speaking of air conditioning, the same study indicated that cooler temperatures may be ideal for people with COPD. In fact, keeping cool may actually have health benefits other than just bre...

The following was originally published at healthcentral.com/copd on June 29, 2015 What is an Arterial Blood Gas So you have COPD, and now your doctor wants you to have an Arterial Blood Gas (ABG). So what is an ABG, and how do the results benefit you? An ABG is a special blood draw that requires arterial blood, or freshly oxygenated blood from your lungs. The test shows your oxygen levels , which show how effective your lungs are at oxygenating, or taking the gas oxygen (O2) from the air you inhale and getting it into your bloodstream. These include. PaO2 . This is the partial pressure of arterial oxygen. Normal is 80-100, although greater than 60 is usually acceptable.  SaO2 . This is how saturated your arterial blood is with oxygen (O2). Normal is 98%, although 90-100 is deemed acceptable. Sometimes 88-92 is acceptable for COPD.  All the cells and tissues of your body, such as those that make up your heart, need oxygen to make the energy needed for them to function. L...

The following was originally published on healthcentral.com/asthma on May 18, 2015. Understanding Long Acting Beta Adrenergics (LABAs) One of the best medicines for helping people with asthma breathe better are Long Acting Beta Agonists (LABAs). So what are LABAs, and how do they help you? Asthma is a disease where exposure to asthma triggers causes the smooth muscles ( bronchial muscles ) wrapped around airways to spasm and contract. This causes airways to become narrow, thus making breathing difficult. To understand LABAs better we must first understand SABAs. Short Acting Beta Agonists (SABAs) : These were revolutionized throughout the course of the 20th century. They are medicines that, once inhaled, join with beta 2 adrenergic receptors lining bronchial muscles causing them to relax. This opens up airways, making breathing easier. This reaction is fast, but short acting. Examples include: Albuterol (Ventolin) . It usually lasts 4-6 hours.  Levalbuterol (Xopenex) . ...

The following was originally published at healthcentral.com/copd on June 15, 2015 Study Confirms Benefit of Inhaled Corticosteroids For COPD While recent studies have shed some doubt about the benefits of using inhaled corticosteroids as a top-line treatment for COPD, a recent review of studies confirms they do, indeed, benefit COPD patients. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are medicines that work to reduce inflammation in COPD lungs; thus, making airways less sensitive to COPD triggers. Common inhalers that deliver inhaled steroids to COPD lungs include Qvar, Advair, Symbicort, and Breo. Pulmicort may be delivered using a nebulizer. While typically considered top-line COPD medicines, various studies have linked inhaled corticosteroids with pneumonia . Other studies show they don’t even reduce COPD flare-ups . So this left many physicians wondering if the benefits were worth the risks. A new study, however, reported at the 2015 American Thoracic Society Conference in Denver, shines...

The following post was published on May 7, 2015, at healthcentral.com/asthma. The Best Allergy Medication for Asthma About 75 percent of asthmatics also have allergies. So that means controlling asthma may also involve controlling allergies--a task that may not be possible without the assistance of one or more allergy medications. Surely you can try to avoid and control them . But these methods don’t work for everyone. So the next best option is to talk to your asthma doctor about medicinal options. Some of the best options are: Asthma Controller Medicine . The first step is to make sure the underlying airway inflammation in your lungs is controlled. This will make your airways less sensitive to allergens. It may also make inevitable asthma attacks less severe when they do occur. Asthma Rescue Medicine . It is of utmost importance that any person with allergic asthma have rescue medicine nearby at all times. You may feel fine now, but you never know when you might be exposed to o...