Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator

Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator

Scott Ridl

The Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator might be all you need in the way of oxygen therapy equipment. If you need oxygen therapy, purchasing the Oxlife ...

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Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator

Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator

The Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator might be all you need in the way of oxygen therapy equipment. If you need oxygen therapy, purchasing the Oxlife Independence will be enough to get you the oxygen you need, both at home and while you are out and about.

Many customers are happy with the long battery life of this model. The name “Independence” refers to the fact that the battery lasts as long as 6 hours while on the flow rate of 2 liters per minute, as well as the feeling you have when you are out and about, going about your day with this lightweight, compact machine.

The cabinet is only a total height of 20.2 inches, which is shorter than many chairs, from the seat to the floor. The thickness of the cabinet is only a little under 11 inches, with a width of 8 inches. It has a thin design that will make you comfortable, knowing it won’t be in your way while you are doing housework or cooking dinner. You will be able to turn the handle down when you are sitting still and push it out of the way under your chair or the table.

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Scott Ridl
A Warning About Pulse Oximeters

A Warning About Pulse Oximeters – Should You Buy It?

Scott Ridl

A pulse oximeter is a device that will give you a reading of your blood oxygen level, without needing to draw blood or do any ...

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A Warning About Pulse Oximeters – Should You Buy It?

A Warning About Pulse Oximeters

A pulse oximeter is a device that will give you a reading of your blood oxygen level, without needing to draw blood or do any other sort of testing. Most pulse oximeters work quickly and hug your index finger for a few seconds to give you a reading. For someone with COPD, who will likely have a low blood oxygen level, having one of these at your disposal can mean the difference of you only needing to visit the doctor, or a trip to the emergency room.

A low blood oxygen reading can be a warning sign of an oncoming COPD exacerbation. An exacerbation can be very dangerous, lead to admittance into the hospital, worsening of your condition in general and even death in a severe case of COPD. Taking a reading of your blood oxygen level every day can help prevent this from happening.

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Scott Ridl
May is Asthma and Allergy awareness month

Learn How to Protect Yourself During the Peak of the Allergy Season

Scott Ridl

May is Asthma and Allergy awareness month, since this is the month of the year in much of the United States when the trees and ...

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Learn How to Protect Yourself During the Peak of the Allergy Season

May is Asthma and Allergy awareness month

May is Asthma and Allergy awareness month, since this is the month of the year in much of the United States when the trees and flowers are blooming and pollen counts are high. Asthma symptoms are often triggered by allergies, and if you have asthma, you are already well aware of this. The spring time and May in particular, are rough months with many people who have sensitive respiratory systems. Many people who only have allergies and no history of asthma may also have a hard time breathing during this time.

If you suffer allergies and you’ve been diagnosed with COPD, you will need to protect yourself even more during the peak of the allergy season. People with chronic lung diseases under the umbrella term of COPD, which are emphysema and chronic bronchitis, now have sensitive lungs that need to be protected from any extra inflammation and irritation.

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Scott Ridl
How COPD is Linked With Incontinence

Our Bodies Defense Mechanisms – How COPD is Linked With Incontinence

Scott Ridl

One problem that often comes along with though, many people wouldn’t associate it with COPD, is incontinence. Incontinence is the medical term for being unable ...

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Our Bodies Defense Mechanisms – How COPD is Linked With Incontinence

How COPD is Linked With Incontinence

One problem that often comes along with though, many people wouldn’t associate it with COPD, is incontinence. Incontinence is the medical term for being unable to hold your urine or bowel movements long enough to seek out a restroom. Since most people don’t like to openly talk about being unable to control their bladders or bowels, this often goes undiscussed, which leads to more people thinking that “it’s only me”, and “I can’t talk about this because people will see me as helpless”.

If someone has COPD and already uses an oxygen concentrator, they might already feel a degree of alienation, but you shouldn’t feel this way.

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Scott Ridl
3 Things that are Exacerbating Your COPD in Your Own Home

3 Things that are Exacerbating Your COPD in Your Own Home

Scott Ridl

Your home is supposed to be your safe haven. The place you come to at the end of the day where you prohibit smoking. You ...

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3 Things that are Exacerbating Your COPD in Your Own Home

3 Things that are Exacerbating Your COPD in Your Own Home

Your home is supposed to be your safe haven. The place you come to at the end of the day where you prohibit smoking. You control the indoor air as much as possible to ensure that your oxygen concentrator is only bringing in the purest air possible for you to breathe. You might even go so far as to grow air-cleaning plants in your home. After doing all this, you might still be having unexplained flare-ups after you’ve spend some time your home.

There are a few things you might have or be using in your home that are harming you, that you are unaware of – things that you wouldn’t have guessed.

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Scott Ridl

Antibiotic Commonly Used for COPD Now Considered Dangerous to Some

Scott Ridl

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration has found Azithromycin, a common antibiotic, to be a contributing factor to deaths caused by a certain type of ...

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Antibiotic Commonly Used for COPD Now Considered Dangerous to Some

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration has found Azithromycin, a common antibiotic, to be a contributing factor to deaths caused by a certain type of heart arrhythmia. The type of arrhythmia in particular is called “torsades de pointes”, and all of those who were effected by azithromycin didn’t specifically have a history of arrhythmia. The FDA is now requiring the inclusion of a warning regarding this newly found danger. This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the study was conducted in the summer of 2012.

Azithromycin, also commonly known as a Zithromax, or “Z pack”, has been prescribed to COPD patients to prevent exacerbations. COPD exacerbations are flare-ups in the condition that can be dangerous, cause COPD to worsen, or even cause death in those with end stage COPD. Exacerbations are often caused by bacterial or viral infections, or viruses that have the potential of turning into bacterial infections. These infects, when they’ve been allowed to spread to the lungs in the form of even a regular chest cold, can severely complicate the condition of people with chronic lung diseases.

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Scott Ridl
Miscellaneous Things You Need While Using Oxygen Therapy

Miscellaneous Things You Need While Using Oxygen Therapy

Scott Ridl

When using oxygen therapy, there will be other things you’ll find yourself needing besides just your oxygen concentrator. The miscellaneous accessories you need with the ...

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Miscellaneous Things You Need While Using Oxygen Therapy

Miscellaneous Things You Need While Using Oxygen Therapy

When using oxygen therapy, there will be other things you’ll find yourself needing besides just your oxygen concentrator. The miscellaneous accessories you need with the use of an oxygen concentrator will make your life easier and generally give you more peace of mind. These things contribute to your safety, first and foremost.

Pulse oximeter: It’s helpful to be able to check your blood oxygen level at any point during the day, without having to visit your doctor or an emergency clinic. If you have been having trouble and you suspect a exacerbation is coming on, you can tell if you need to seek medical attention right away if your blood oxygen level has dropped. By keeping an eye on this, an exacerbation can be quickly treated before it worsens, or your doctor might be able to up your dosage of oxygen.

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Scott Ridl
Mindfulness Meditation May Help Protect You From Exacerbating Illnesses

Meditation May Help Protect You From Exacerbating Illnesses

Scott Ridl

If you have COPD, you’ve likely been told how important it is to keep yourself from getting sick. Getting a chest cold, for which there ...

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Meditation May Help Protect You From Exacerbating Illnesses

Mindfulness Meditation May Help Protect You From Exacerbating Illnesses

If you have COPD, you’ve likely been told how important it is to keep yourself from getting sick. Getting a chest cold, for which there is not vaccination or cure, can cause an acute exacerbation, or flare up in someone with a chronic lung disease, such as COPD or asthma.

When your respiratory tract is inflamed with more mucous production caused by a cold or flu virus, a pair of lungs that are already damaged won’t be able to recover the way healthy lungs normally would. If not treated with medication right away, it can cause even more breathing problems and lead to an exacerbation, which can often mean hospitalization and the worsening of COPD.

Aside from doing all the usual things to keep from getting sick – washing your hands frequently, staying away from people who are sick, getting a flu shot and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces in the home – you should also being doing everything you can to keep your immune system strong.

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Scott Ridl
An Ideal Day in the Life of Someone with COPD

An Ideal Day in the Life of Someone with COPD

Scott Ridl

How you start your day is very important. Most of the time, it can set the tone for the entire day. Waking up out of ...

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An Ideal Day in the Life of Someone with COPD

An Ideal Day in the Life of Someone with COPD

How you start your day is very important. Most of the time, it can set the tone for the entire day. Waking up out of breath and exhausted will make it hard for you to get going, and will make you feel like staying in bed for the rest of the day. Many people with COPD will encounter fatigue during the day, either because of a lack of sleep in general, or a lack of quality sleep.

What you do during the day has a major impact on how well you sleep at night, with or without COPD, and how you feel depends on how well you treat yourself in general. If you have COPD, your body has a few special requirements, such as additional calories and possibly a need for oxygen therapy. As always, go over any potential lifestyle changes with your doctor before starting them.

Here is an ideal day in the life of someone (a fictitious person named “Pat”) with COPD, who is doing what they can to stay healthy, happy and out of the hospital.

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Scott Ridl
COPD Advocacy – Why Becoming a Certified Advocate is So Important

COPD Advocacy – Why Becoming a Certified Advocate is So Important

Scott Ridl

The COPD Foundation is putting the word out and raising awareness for the dangers and the subtle and often overlooked early signs of this disease. ...

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COPD Advocacy – Why Becoming a Certified Advocate is So Important

COPD Advocacy – Why Becoming a Certified Advocate is So Important

The COPD Foundation is putting the word out and raising awareness for the dangers and the subtle and often overlooked early signs of this disease. A staggering amount of people are being diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) each year, but yet there is still so little awareness among the general public. The COPD foundation is on a mission to change that through the COPD Advocacy program, and is even going so far as to certify advocates with a special license.

At first glance from someone who is only beginning to understand COPD, this might seem silly. They might be asking, why is it so important to become an advocate, in the first place, let alone become certified and carry around a license? Who has time for that? Who is eligible?

To answer those questions: if someone chooses to become a COPD advocate, they are taking on the responsibility of being a voice for the millions of people diagnosed with COPD each year. By becoming a certified advocate, they are showing their commitment to the cause of raising public and political awareness for health care and clinical changes in how the disease is treated and viewed. An advocate has been educated in the disease, the statistics, and will communicate their knowledge to politicians and civilians alike.

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Scott Ridl