If you have COPD, your number one responsibility as a patient is to do what your doctor says and take all your medications as prescribed. This might sound simple on the surface but, in reality, it's much easier said than done.

Around this time each year, friends and family all across the country come together to celebrate the Holidays. It’s the perfect time to make plans for the new year and give thanks for everything that’s happened in the past year.

Oxygen therapy or supplemental oxygen is the use of oxygen for medical purposes. It’s used by around 1.5 million people in the United States and can alleviate symptoms associated with a variety of respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and cystic fibrosis. Although oxygen therapy is a common medical treatment, there seems to be a lot of confusion around what it is, how it works, and why it’s so important. 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects millions of people around the world. It’s a lung disease characterized by difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and more. While there is no cure for COPD, its symptoms can be reduced significantly by following a strict treatment plan designed by your doctor. 

The lungs are one of five vital organs in the human body along with the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver. Every breath you take helps to produce and distribute nutrients in the bloodstream that provide you with energy, heal your wounds, and maintain every other organ throughout the body. And while most people understand the basics of maintaining healthy lungs i.e., getting enough exercise, eating healthy foods, and not smoking, many people aren’t aware of how specific lung diseases differ from one another and how they’re diagnosed by medical professionals.

In this day and age, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for people to pay their medical bills. Whether it’s a simple visit to the doctor’s office or a major medical procedure, most people have no idea where they’ll be financially after everything is said and done. And there’s certainly no exception when it comes to purchasing oxygen therapy devices like home oxygen concentrators, portable oxygen concentrators, or CPAP and BiPAP machines.

Oxygen concentrators are one of the most reliable and effective treatments for COPD, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis and a host of other medical conditions. But like any other machine on the market, oxygen concentrators and portable oxygen concentrators can malfunction. The great news is that there is a host of helpful information out there to get your device working for you again.

If you grew up hearing the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” then you’ve probably spent your life trying to eat healthy foods. However, “eating healthy” isn’t necessarily just about eating healthy food; it’s about getting the right balance of nutrients that your body needs.

Planning a big trip is never a simple task, but it can be especially difficult if you use supplemental oxygen. It can be complicated, stressful, and even feel overwhelming to travel when you have to bring oxygen everywhere you go.

Cruises can be even more daunting than other types of travel, since they are relatively long and remote excursions. They take you far from home and in to foreign places, which requires some extra planning and care.

Exercise is absolutely vital for healthy living, especially if you have COPD or another respiratory disease. But when you're hooked up to your oxygen tank or concentrator, it can make working out and doing other physical activities a little bit more tricky.

Fortunately, exercising with oxygen isn't too difficult if you know how to do it right. In fact, the extra oxygen you get should make it easier to exercise by improving your endurance and making it easier to breathe. 

In this article, we're going to give you a variety of tips and techniques to help you better manage exercise while you're using supplemental oxygen. That way, you can continue living an active, healthy life without letting your disease or your oxygen therapy get in the way.