If you have a respiratory impairment like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis, you’re probably used to carefully planning your day-to-day life. From following your treatment plan to scheduling doctor’s appointments, you need to have an acute understanding of your medical needs and how to address them.

Lungs affected by COPD are very sensitive, particularly to things like respiratory irritants, physical strain, and less-than-ideal breathing conditions (such as hot or humid air). Because of this, if you have COPD, you've probably noticed that your COPD symptoms tend to flare up in certain environments or when you do certain things.

Last year, we were very happy to announce that we would be selling the Caire FreeStyle Comfort, the latest pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator by Caire, Inc. This concentrator was miles ahead of anything that Caire had manufactured in the past, and it even held its own against the most popular oxygen concentrator on the market: the Inogen One G5.

Have you ever left a conversation with your doctor confused about their instructions or explanations? It may have been the complicated terminology they were using, or long instructions about a prescription  you need to be taking, or a lack of explanations for your treatment. Studies show that there is a gap between patient–doctor communication leading to decreased quality of care.

Education is a vital element of the patient care process and can contribute to successful and  effective management of COPD.

Educating yourself about COPD is your job as the patient. This comes down to understanding your COPD symptoms, the testing, and management and treatment options involved. Then, you will be able to effectively ask your doctor questions and confidently understand their answers. 

An oxygen concentrator is a device that administers medical-grade oxygen to a patient via a nasal cannula. Oxygen concentrators are used to treat a variety of respiratory ailments including COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia. There are a wide variety of oxygen concentrators on the market that suit people with different wants and needs, but it can be somewhat daunting choosing a concentrator if you’re not sure what to look for.

Home oxygen therapy is a normal part of daily life for many people with COPD. But if you're new to oxygen therapy, or about to begin using it soon, having to make that change can seem daunting or even downright scary.

It’s pretty amazing to think about how quickly health care advances these days. Just in the past couple of decades, medical specialists have made significant strides with everything from mapping the human genome to improving telemedicine and even introducing robotic surgery. According to Singularity Hub, we’re likely to see medicine advance more in the next 10 years than it did in the past 100 years. 

In order to maintain a healthy and well-balanced diet, it’s essential to consume a wide variety of nutrients. Most of these nutrients can be found in the food that we eat, but occasionally it’s advised that you take dietary supplements in order to boost your intake of certain vitamins and minerals.

With the advent of the novel coronavirus earlier this year, most people in the country have undergone drastic lifestyle changes in order to prevent putting themselves and others at risk. And while many businesses are beginning to open back up and we’re seeing things go back to normal, policies like “social distancing” and “safer at home” are likely to continue for quite some time.