Medications

Can Oxygen Therapy Help Treat Severe Headaches?

Can Oxygen Therapy Help Treat Severe Headaches?

Here, we have a question from one of our readers about using oxygen therapy to treat migraines.

Reader Question:

“I get migraines once in a while. Someone I know suggested that I look into using oxygen therapy to treat them. If I buy a supplemental oxygen concentrator online, will I be able to use it to get rid of my migraines if I use it on a regular basis?”

It’s true that oxygen therapy has been known to be able to treat and prevent migraines and cluster headaches. Talk to your doctor about whether or not he or she thinks this might be a good route for you to take, since it takes a very high concentration of medical grade oxygen to effectively prevent migraines.

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Scott Ridl

The Drug that May be Dangerous for People with COPD

The Drug that May be Dangerous for People with COPD

If you have COPD, you might know how hard it is to fall asleep some nights. This is one of the most common side effects of having COPD, besides not being able to breathe correctly. Not getting enough sleep is much more than just a nuisance and feeling tired the next day. It affects every aspect of your life, including your moods and how well you are able to deal with regular, everyday things. If you’re having trouble sleeping for extended amount of time, you feel like you would do anything for a good nights sleep.

There is one class of drugs commonly used for insomnia and depression, called benzodiazepines, which has been found to be dangerous for people with COPD in a recent study. The 2004 to 2009 study followed a group of patients with COPD to see how often benzodiazepines were prescribed to them, and whether or not their lung function decreased because of the drug. Benzodiazepines are also known as sedative hypnotic drugs, and have been suspected to worsen existing lung conditions.

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Scott Ridl

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

A Guide to Allergy Medicine Ingredients 2013

A Guide to Allergy Medicine Ingredients 2013

It’s a beautiful sunny day in spring or fall, and you’re compelled to open the windows in your home to let that delicious, fresh air into your home. It can only be a good thing, right? If you are one of the estimated 36 million people in the United States who suffer from seasonal allergies, this can be the worst thing you can do at that moment in time. Pollen allergies are common, also known as “hay fever” as well as allergies to the mold spores that can run rampant in spring and fall.

Outdoor allergies can be hard to avoid, especially if you have a more severe reaction to pollens and molds. Sometimes taking allergy medications, either prescribed or over the counter, can be your only relief. When allergies are severe, they can interfere with your job, your hobbies, pleasures and how much sleep you get at night.

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Scott Ridl

Ways You Can Help Clear Out Mucus From Your Lungs Without Medicine

Ways You Can Help Clear Out Excess Mucus From Your Lungs Without Taking More Medicine

Producing mucus is your lung’s natural reaction to a bacteria, virus or an irritant. Its function is to help clear out whatever it is in your lungs or airways that shouldn’t be there. Coughing is also something that has to occur to help clear it out.

Having a chronic lung disease causes excess mucus production in the lungs and makes you more susceptible to complications from the common cold. Being unable to clear out mucus can turn a chest cold into pneumonia for someone is elderly or for someone who has a chronic lung condition.

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Scott Ridl