Health Expert Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/19257/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/19257/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/19257/index http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/153091/breathe-copd-part Mon, 21 May 2012 13:48:00 -0400 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT In this sharepost How your body uses food Maintaining the right weight for you Foods to breathe better, foods to boost energy and foods to avoid   It’s easy to see why you should pay attention to what you eat when you’re trying to lose weight, gain weight, or if you have issues with your digestive system. But, if you have COPD, does what you eat have any affect on your breathing? And if so, how?   Let’s... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/153091/breathe-copd-part http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150583/understanding-part Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:42:00 -0500 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT This is the fourth and final part of our series on COPD Medications.•    Dry Powder Inhalers (DPI’s)•    Nebulizers•    Timing and sequencing of inhaled medicinesDry Powder Inhalers (DPIs)A dry powder inhaler (DPI) is different from a metered dose inhaler (MDI), because the medicine is not taken as a spray - but a very fine powder. The advantage of using a dry powder inhaler is... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150583/understanding-part http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150501/understanding-part Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:19:00 -0500 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT Today we’ll talk about:•    Inhaler technique for Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI)•    How to clean and store your MDI•    How to tell how many doses are left in your MDIIf you have diabetes, you wouldn’t be sent home with insulin, needles and syringes without 1.) being taught how to use them, and 2.) making sure a trained health care professional watches as you demonstrate that... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150501/understanding-part http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150282/understanding-copd Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:54:00 -0500 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT In Part I we talked about the difference between controllers and relievers, inhaled corticosteroids (one type of controller) and inhaled short (fast) acting beta-agonists (relievers). We learned that the goal is for controller medications is for them to work well enough so you need rescue medications as little as possible, or not at all.Today we’re going to talk about •    Long-acting bronchodilators... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150282/understanding-copd http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150280/understanding-copd Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:41:00 -0500 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT When I ask patients what their inhalers do, they almost always respond by saying, “They open up my lungs.” Yes, that’s true. But what’s really important to know - and understand – about COPD medications is that there are different types of medications that open the airways in different ways. This might sound kind of complicated but it’s not all that hard to understand if we break it down into pieces. This is... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/150280/understanding-copd http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/149881/relovair-medicine Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:21:44 -0500 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT Developing new medications and getting them from the lab to your neighborhood pharmacy (or mailbox) as safe and effective - is a long, complicated process, requiring a great deal of care. You may have heard about this new medication. Here’s a brief report. What is Relovair?Relovair is a new medication for COPD that is currently being tested in people who have COPD. It is combination of two medications: Fluticasone Furoate (an inhaled... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/149881/relovair-medicine http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/146895/world-copd-day Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:16:00 -0500 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT     World COPD Day 2011 is this Wednesday, November 16. The goal of this annual event, organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), is to improve the awareness and care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the world. The first World COPD Day was in 2002.    The theme this year is "Are you short of breath? You may have COPD! Ask your doctor about a simple... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/146895/world-copd-day http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/145151/copd-lung-condition Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:13:00 -0400 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT In Part I we talked about how your doctor figures out if you have COPD or if it is asthma or pneumonia instead. Here in Part II we will discuss Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lung Cancer, Black Lung Disease, and also find out what was wrong with Jane’s eye and how they figured it out.COPD vs. IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis)Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis is not an Obstructive Lung Disease like COPD (trouble getting the air out). It is a Restrictive... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/145151/copd-lung-condition http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/145149/asthma-pneumonia Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:30:00 -0400 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT How does your doctor go about figuring out what is wrong with you and arrive at the correct diagnosis? Let's begin with a story, something that happened to me not long ago...   “Well, it’s one of three things,” said the doctor. It could be caused by a medication, it could be Adie Syndrome, which could go away anytime or you might have it forever…or it could be a brain aneurysm.” I lost it, broke down... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/145149/asthma-pneumonia http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/144668/exercise-equipment Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:57:00 -0400 Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. These are basic suggestions for people who have been approved to exercise under the supervision of a doctor or pulmonary rehabilitation professional. This is not intended as medical advice. “I’m thinking about getting a treadmill and exercise bike to use at home. What should I look for?” This is a question I heard all the time when I was working in pulmonary... http://www.healthcentral.com/copd/c/19257/144668/exercise-equipment