Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are diseases within your airways and other parts of your lungs. Some of the most common CRDs are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension. In this particular article we are focusing on COPD, but a lot of the information can be related to other CRDs.

Medical terminology can be very challenging to understand sometimes. Even with the abundance of resources we have nowadays in order to research and understand these terms, there are always certain things that will be lost in translation. The oxygen industry, for example, is rife with terms that many people don’t entirely understand. This can lead to a lot of confusion when it comes to discussing them with your friends, family, or doctor. 

Most people don’t put a lot of thought into the way that they get around. As humans, we learn to walk from a very young age and we use our basic motor skills all the time. So, for most people, it’s difficult to imagine being in a situation where these basic functions are impaired. However, for someone with COPD, problems with mobility, balance, and coordination can be a daily struggle. Healthy, functioning lungs are essential for physical exertion, no matter how little it may be.

We created another holiday blog from LPT Medical, and this one's dedicated to all of the oxygen patients out there! After writing a blog about 2020 holiday gift ideas for people with COPD we decided that we also wanted to create a blog specifically for respiratory patients that utilize supplemental oxygen therapy.

Managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can feel like a balancing act a lot of the time. On one hand, you want to do everything you can to reduce the symptoms and prevent the progression of your disease. However, on the other hand, you don’t want to use any treatments that could cause serious side-effects. It’s not always easy to find a balance between these two things and create a routine that works for you.

The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone and people with COPD should take extra precautions to avoid over-exerting themselves mentally and physically, over-eating, and stressing. If you are one of the 16 million Americans with COPD, avoiding these COPD triggers over holidays will make everything more enjoyable and you will run a lower risk of getting sick or experiencing a COPD exacerbation.

Oxygen is one of the elements that’s essential for human life. Earth’s atmosphere is composed of about 20% oxygen which is the perfect amount for someone with healthy lungs to breathe easily. However, the farther you go up in altitude, the thinner the air becomes meaning you have to inhale more air to get the same amount of oxygen. This is why many mountain climbers use special devices that allow them to get the oxygen they need.

Oxygen therapy has evolved to the point where the oxygen user should not only be getting the oxygen they need to breathe, but the freedom and independence to do more activities, travel, and find happiness in everyday comforts. The demand for oxygen to be user friendly, portable, and noninvasive is hugely due to the fact that every year, about 1.5 million patients in the United States utilize long term oxygen therapy.

Headaches are a problem that we all deal with whether we’re young or old; healthy or not. A mild headache can detract from our daily life causing us to feel distracted, unmotivated, or restless. But at their worst, headaches can leave us completely unable to function in our daily lives. Many COPD patients may find themselves somewhere in between. You might get headaches periodically with varying degrees of severity, and experience periods of relief.

It is that time of the year again, the holidays are upon us. If you are looking into gift ideas for your loved ones already, and you are having trouble deciding on something special for the person in your life with COPD or another respiratory illness, this gift guide is for you!