For many people fighting chronic lung diseases like COPD, the hardest battles are not the physical ones, but the ones that happen inside the mind. Coping with a disease that disrupts your breathing—a basic life function—is far from easy, and it takes a major mental toll on many people with the disease.

Supplemental oxygen therapy, or simply “oxygen therapy,” is the use of medical-grade oxygen to treat a variety of conditions. In hospitals, short-term oxygen therapy is used to help patients recover from surgery or acute conditions, but oxygen can also be administered for long-term in-home use in people with chronic lung diseases like COPD and cystic fibrosis.

If you’ve just been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you’re probably just beginning to learn about some of the common symptoms associated with this disease. Most people — whether they’re early stage, late stage, or anywhere in between — will experience breathing difficulties, chest pain, and a chronic cough. And as it progresses, COPD patients are more likely to experience complications like hypertension, recurring respiratory infections, and heart problems.

In the 21st century, we are highly dependent on energy sources like natural gas and electricity. We use fuel to power our cars, cook and heat our homes, and we use electricity to charge our phones, computers, and more. But what happens when we lose access to these resources due to a natural disaster or some other problem? In some situations, this can be a minor nuisance; but in others, it could be life-threatening.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that affects around 16 million people in the United States alone. While there is no “cure” for COPD, the rate that it progresses can be slowed significantly with healthy lifestyle choices and therapy options such as pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and nebulizer therapy. COPD is a debilitating condition meaning it can affect your ability to get around. But despite this, many people with COPD have been able to live active lives.

The novel coronavirus has completely reshaped the way that we view sanitation. Over the past year, organizations and individuals alike have taken steps to control the spread of disease, and the population as a whole has become more aware of the impact of infectious disease. Another thing that people have become more aware of is the impact of chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis. Studies have shown us that these people are “high risk” when it comes to infectious disease, so we need to take steps to protect their health.

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.

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.