I see it everywhere. Young kids and young adults thinking that electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigs”, are a better choice than tobacco smoke. I also see older folks trying to quit smoking, so they vape instead. Nicotine is still nicotine. Addictive and poisonous. What’s really in that liquid anyway? One of the hot topics at this…
When you or your child have episodes of breathlessness that seem to come out of nowhere, it’s normal to want to try everything you can get your hands on to be able to breathe and not feel that way again. But what really works and what is hype? If you do a search for ‘asthma…
Pulse oximeters are very useful for telling us when you don’t have enough oxygen in the blood. Some people desaturate with exercise. Some people desaturate when they sleep. One of the things we measure in Pulmonary Rehab is saturation at rest, with exercise, and then recovery (how long it takes for your heart rate and…
I tell my patients on oxygen (and those who are supposed to be on o2 but refuse) to always protect your heart. When your oxygen levels dip too low, it is your heart that works harder to supply the vital organs and the muscles with what little oxygen is left in your bloodstream. Your heart…
If you will be joining my COPD Success program, I will ask you to get a pulse oximeter. If you have never had a 6 minute walk test, or don’t have a regular doctor, it is very important to know your baseline. There are many people who should be on supplemental oxygen, but are not….
I often get asked, on the first day of Rehab, “Can I ever get rid of this oxygen?” The answer is: Possibly. I’ve gotten many people off oxygen over the years, but it takes a lot of strategic work. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and desaturation with walking can occur for two main reasons. One is,…
I see many posts in the various forums from RT’s looking for something different… something besides 12 hour shifts. Oh, what to do, what to do that won’t tax our bodies any worse than what we have going on now. Fellow RT’s, use your BRAINPOWER!! What I mean is, you all know A LOT. And…
I continually tell this same joke: Patient: “Doctor, what’s the best exercise for me?” Doctor: “One that you will actually do” In my live Pulmonary Rehab classes, we do the “Big 4” exercises: treadmill, bike, arm bike, and weights. I have people who like all but the treadmill, and others who will do anything to…
In February 2016, I sent out a survey to determine how different lung diseases affect daily activities. Thank you to all 62 of you who participated! Here is what I learned: The majority of you have 1-2 doctor appointments per month. <10% of you have 3-4 doctor appointments per month. No one had more than…