Get Outside To Get Through The Winter

During the winter, especially in colder climates, many people "hibernate". We don't recognize our neighbors in April because we haven't seen them since late November. If you haven't experienced one, Rhode Island winters are cold and wet. New Englanders know Mother Nature has a personality disorder up here. A foot of snow on Sunday turns into slush on Tuesday, and ice on Wednesday. By Friday, good old Mother Nature will dust us with some snow just to hide the ice. This makes the walk to the car in the driveway a blooper waiting to happen. I don't blame people for wanting to stay inside where it's warm and dry. The temperature fluctuations are maddening. Every handshake and door handle you touch is one giant germ waiting to attack.  

That being said, on a recent trip to Park City, Utah I experienced something totally refreshing. It happened while watching the local evening news. As they were going to break, one of the anchors said with a smile and jolly tone, "he's wearing his white jacket you know what that means". I paused for a moment; what the heck are they talking about? I realized it was the meteorologist who had the jacket on. I get it. White jacket equals snow on the way. Let me back up. Yes, I went to Utah in February. When people asked where I was going on vacation and when the response was Utah, I may as well have two heads. Park City is where many of the Winter Olympic events were held in 2002. I guess people forgot they had the Olympics there or were surprised I didn't mention a warm weather destination. Long and short, they claim to have the best snow in the world for skiing so I went to check it out.

Back to the white jacket…All of the newscasters were excited for snow. The meteorologist was grinning ear to ear. Proclaiming it's coming, we need it. What a 180 from a Rhode Island newscast. Here is a group of people who realize, “hey, it's winter it is going to snow”. They have a huge local economy that depends on snow. They truly embrace all winter activities. Granted, Rhode Island does not depend on snow as a boost to the economy. In fact, it can be a drain if town plow budgets get busted. We should still look at the snow in a more positive way. No more doom and gloom of a snow-pocalypse. If you love being outside in the summer then love being outside year round. There are so many outdoor winter activities and the Winter Olympics are a perfect example of this. Use these activities as a conduit to make it through the winter to the spring and summer. You don't have to downhill ski or snowboard. You can cross country ski, go snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice fishing, sledding, ice skating or dog sledding. You could build a snowman or think of shoveling as a good workout. We all know being active makes for a happier healthier mind and body. Don't get me wrong, I love the summer and so do the people in Utah. Many of the people I met told me they love the winter but the summer is just as good. So, get out in the snow and distract yourself and the summer will be here before you know it. You may discover a new passion.

Good Luck,

Dana Lesperance

Can Your CPAP Make You Look Younger?

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, any physician’s advice would be to treat it as soon as possible.  There are dozens of benefits to treating your sleep apnea, most importantly, that your overall health is improved.  Not until recently did we ever know that using CPAP therapy could help you regain that youthful glow so many men and women desire.  Researchers at the University of Michigan conducted a study and found that patients who consistently use CPAP therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have noticeable and measurable improvements in facial appearance. 

Researchers took three-dimensional images of the participant’s faces before the start of their CPAP therapy and two months after consistent CPAP use.  Volunteers and the participants were asked to judge the before and after photos.  Both groups were two times more likely to say that the participant in the after photo looked younger, more youthful and more attractive.  Additionally, image analysis showed that facial redness around the eyes and cheeks diminished after only two months of using CPAP therapy.  Lastly, forehead surface area decreased in the patients.

Instead of running to the plastic surgeon for cosmetic facial surgery, ask yourself if you are getting enough sleep or if you have some of the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea.  CPAP therapy could be the cheapest and noninvasive facelift on the market!

-Ashley

Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/treating-sleep-apnea_b_4109379.html

The Flu 411

Now that the blissful days of sun, surf and sand are over, here in New England we are lucky enough to experience the beauty of fall.  Although we enjoy the leaves changing color and pumpkin flavored everything, fall also means something not as enjoyable: The Start of Flu Season.

Over the past few years, it seems that the hype of the flu shot has been dramatized.  From children to the elderly, people ask themselves “Will the flu shot give me the flu?” “I’ve never gotten the flu shot or the flu before, so why do I need to get the shot now?” 

The answers to these questions are: the flu shot will NOT give you the flu, and yes, you DO need the flu shot.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, all children ages 6 months or older be immunized against influenza as soon as the vaccine is available.  Getting the flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and others against the seasonal flu. 

Each year between 3,000 and 49,000 people in the US and approximately 500,000 worldwide die from the flu and its complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seasonal flu vaccines reduce the risk of illness in those vaccinated by about 60%.

As we fall back into our favorite season, it’s important to remember to wash our hands frequently, get plenty of sleep and most importantly, get the flu shot!

 

Stay healthy!

Ashley

 

References: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/03/health/better-flu-vaccine-fauci/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Make Your Zzz's Count

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 41% of Americans are report sleeping problems.  Are you part of that 41%?  Not getting a good night’s rest can lead to serious health problems. Heart attack, stroke and weigh gain could be caused by lack of sleep.  To avoid feeling tired and sluggish during the day, follow these 5 easy steps on how to get a restful night’s sleep!

1.) Relax your mind.  Worrying about work, bills and family before or in bed can lead to an uneasy night.  Try keeping a pen and paper on a nightstand and write down a “to-do” list for the next day to help keep your mind clear. 

2.) Put the iPhones and tablets away!  The light from your phone, electronic device and even the television can interrupt your natural ability to fall asleep.  It’s best to keep these distractions out of the bedroom. 

3.) Keep cool.  Keeping the temperature in the bedroom between 68-72 degrees is best.  If your body temperature is cool, you will most likely be able to fall and stay asleep through the night.

4.) Save your coffee for the morning.  Consuming caffeine, alcohol or nicotine before bed might not cause you to not FALL asleep, but it will cause you to not STAY asleep.  These stimulants take hours to wear off and interrupt your body’s natural feeling of being tired at night.

5.)  Make a bedtime schedule and stick to it.  Whether it’s taking a warm bath or reading your favorite novel, doing relaxing activities before bed will improve your quality of sleep.  Also, try going to bed around the same time every night, so after some time, your body will automatically recognize when you’re sleepy.

Regardless, listen to your body and remember that with a good night’s sleep you will be healthier, more active and ready to take on whatever your day has to offer!

Sweet dreams,

Ashley Fishback

 

References: The Pulmonary Press August 2013

Good Sleep Hygiene

Oxygen Cylinder Duration App Review

A few weeks ago I was told about a new app that calculates oxygen tank durations. Immdeitely thinking it would help me, I pulled out my phone, went to the app store and downloaded it. The name of the app is O2 to Go. It's put out by Responsive Respiratory. Responsive primarily manufactures oxygen tank regulators. As the app was downloading, I thought to myself "I'll never again be scrambling for a tank chart or trying to make some crazy calculation based on tank volume". As I would soon discover there was a slight problem with this theory. Using charts and doing calculations was all I knew. After nearly 6 years in the industry those things have been ingrained in me. Basically what happened was two minutes after I would figure out how much O2 a patient had remaining I would remember the app. That being said let me tell you about the app.

The O2 to Go app has four tabs on the bottom labeled; home, equipment, cyl-fil system and contact us. If you're going to use this app on a regular basis the home tab is where you're going to live. No pun intended. The equipment and cyl-fil tabs basically advertise Responsive's product line. I will say rather unobtrusively for a free app. The contact us tab is self explanatory.

The home tab is the tank duration calculator. The calculator asks you to make selections in four categories. First being O2 device. The O2 device is the regulator type. For example, a 5:1 ratio or a pedi regulator. The second category is liter flow. The liter flow options will change based on what "O2 device" is selected. The third and fourth categories are cylinder size and cylinder % full. I'm impressed with the amount of options in the cylinder size section. They have a couple tank sizes that I've never seen before. Cylinder % full keeps is simple. The options are; full, 75%, 50%, and 25%. The down side to keeping it simple is when a patient tells you they have a third of a tank left. This did happen to me. So I simply rounded down to 25%. When the tank lasts a little longer, the patient will be happy.

A couple of side notes. You must fill the first category to fill the second and so on. The results of the calculation will automatically appear in a blue box labeled Cylinder Duration. The app is available for iphone and android. Just search Responsive Respiratory in the App Store or Android Market. As you may have guessed I did break my habit of looking at charts. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think of the app.

Reviewed By

Dana Lesperance

North East Sleep Society Meeting 2011 with Pictures

Hello

We at Absolute Respiratory Care would like to thank everyone who stopped by our booth at NESS this past Friday and Saturday. It was great meeting so many people who are as passionately involved in the sleep industry as we are. Some of the people we met and spoke with were from Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York. All of the New England states were well represented, including many familiar faces from "lil' Rhody". Certainly we all know how valuable continued education is. The conversations we had about everything from patient care to random tricks of the trade are truly priceless. I know we will be adding a few of your tips to our repertoire. Hopefully some of you gained a tidbit or two from us as well. If you got your picture taken with the hand mask, thanks for being a good sport! Scroll down and find yourself.

Thanks,

Dana Lesperance