Providing care for a loved one is an important role, but also comes with challenges. Respiratory Health Association (RHA) created the COPD Caregiver’s Toolkit in 2017 to support informal caregivers of people living with COPD. This educational resource provides caregivers the tools and guidance they need in their role as caregiver, while also protecting their own health. … Read more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine be used as another primary series option for adults ages 18 years and older. Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine. These vaccines package harmless proteins of the COVID-19 virus alongside another ingredient … Read more
Providing care for a loved one living with COPD can be hard, but Respiratory Health Association’s Caregiver’s Toolkit has information and resources to help you along the way. Thanks to our partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Learn More Breathe Better® program, the toolkit is now available online! Learn more at … Read more
The following is reprinted from the NIH’s National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) When you’re under stress, your body reacts by releasing hormones that produce the “fight-or-flight” response. Your heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure go up, your muscles tense, and you sweat more. If this happens often, over a long period … Read more
By Gary Fitzgerald – Allery & Asthma Network* People with chronic cough, wheeze and shortness of breath may wonder if their symptoms are asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The difference between the two diseases is not always clear. May is Asthma Awareness Month, and Allergy & Asthma Network joins with the US COPD Coalition in raising … Read more
There are many types of oxygen equipment used in the home, with each device having advantages and disadvantages. An assessment of a patient’s needs is crucial to matching oxygen patients with the right equipment. The United States COPD Coalition (USCC) Portable Oxygen Task Force has developed the accompanying Portable Oxygen Needs Assessment form for completion by patients, … Read more
There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking during pregnancy results in more than 1,000 infant deaths annually. Some of the health conditions caused by … Read more
The following is a bulletin from the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Some online sources of information on integrative health are useful, but others may be inaccurate or misleading. If you’re visiting a health website for the first time, ask yourself these questions. The answers may help you judge whether the site … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has updated isolation and quarantine recommendations for the public. These recommendations do not apply to healthcare personnel and do not supersede state, local, tribal, of territorial laws, rules, and regulations. People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for … Read more
The following article is reprinted from the January 2022 issue of the National Institutes of Health’s NIH News In Health. Feeling sick can be especially concerning these days. Could your sniffles be caused by COVID-19? Or the flu? A cold? Or maybe allergies? Determining the cause of an illness can be tricky because many share … Read more