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2022 is half-way over! As we head into wildfire season. It is expected for many fires to spark around the country. There is no doubt that the wildfire’s smoke will be an issue for many.

While June through August is known as “wildfire season” in the U.S., 2022 has proven to be particularly dangerous. 

Unfortunately, the threat of large uncontained wildfires extends beyond property damage. These fires leave behind an enormous amount of smoke that can lead to air pollution all across the country. If you suffer from a respiratory illness such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or pulmonary fibrosis, this smoke could seriously disrupt your way of life.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at some actionable tips for dealing with outdoor air pollution as a respiratory patient, especially as it pertains to the wildfires that are affecting much of the country. If you’re planning on making changes to your respiratory treatment plan, be sure to consult with your doctor first.

How to Recognize Poor Outdoor Air Quality

Many people don’t pay any mind to the quality of air they breathe on a day-to-day basis. Whether it’s indoor air or outdoor air, people simply expect the air to be clean and healthy. However, even if you don’t experience any immediate symptoms, this does not mean that there are no symptoms at all.

Like we’ve discussed in previous posts, indoor air pollution is a major culprit of poor air quality. Despite feeling more secure in your own home, contaminants like cleaning products, mold, and dust can damage your lungs and exacerbate chronic pulmonary illnesses like asthma and COPD. As such, it’s important to take time each day to clean your home and keep it safe for you and your family.

While it’s pretty simple to eliminate air pollution in your home, it’s not so easy to do so outdoors. What’s more, how can you even recognize that there’s poor air quality in the first place? 

Air quality is measured using the Air Quality Index (AQI) which runs between 0 (great air quality) and 500 (very poor air quality). Below is a chart showing exactly how this AQI works.

While 51-100 AQI is considered “moderate,” you can assume that this air is not safe to breathe if you have a chronic respiratory ailment. It’s also important to take into consideration the level of activity you will be doing outdoors. Higher levels of activity such as walking, biking, or running will cause you to breathe more heavily and thus result in air pollution entering lower parts of your respiratory system. This means you’ll be more likely to experience exacerbations that could lead to hospitalization.

One of the best ways to check AQI in your area is through AirNow.gov. This organization receives data from a variety of sources in order to help people all across the country plan healthier lives. Simply click on the link above and you will be asked to enter the name of the location you want to check. You’ll be provided with the current AQI in your area as well as the AQI forecast for future dates. You should make it a habit to check this daily and plan your activities accordingly.

What Types of Pollutants are there?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are six major types of air pollution. These include particulate matter (particle pollution), lead, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ground-level ozone. Let’s take a look at each one of these so that you understand what they are and how they affect your lungs.

Particulate Matter (PM)

Particulate matter is the sum of all liquid and solid particles that are suspended in the air. This includes both organic and inorganic particles like pollen, smoke, dust, and soot. When you check the air quality in your area, particulate matter will be labeled as either “PM10” or “PM2.5.” The former indicates particulate matter that has a diameter of 10 micrometers or less and the latter indicates particles that have a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. To put this into perspective, the average human hair is 70 micrometers in diameter, so a PM2.5 particle is about 30 times smaller than this.

PM has a variety of different sources and can be composed of hundreds of different chemicals. PM that is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter tends to be the most dangerous because it’s small enough to bypass the body’s innate immune system, reaching the lower parts of the lungs and even the bloodstream. Wildfires contain PM of all sizes so it’s imperative that you avoid it in order to keep your lungs safe.

Ozone (O3)

Ground-level ozone is a gas that’s found just above the surface of the earth. This type of pollution is created when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) — two primary pollutants — react in stagnant air and sunlight. Ozone is known not only for being a major health hazard to humans, but to animals, the environment, and even property. According to the British Lung Foundation, high levels of ozone are associated with more frequent hospitalization due to asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

Sulfur dioxide typically enters the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels by industrial facilities and power plants. Other sources of this gas are locomotives, heavy equipment, ships, vehicles that burn fuel that’s high in sulfur. SO2 is harmful to everyone, but it’s especially bad for people with chronic respiratory illnesses. It can irritate the respiratory tract and can greatly increase your risk of experiencing tract infections.

Lead

Despite being significantly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1980s, lead is still a common type of air pollution. You’re most likely to be exposed to lead when you’re next to metal processing plants, lead-acid battery manufacturers, or piston-engine aircraft that run on leaded aviation fuel. While lead can damage the lungs, it can also enter the bloodstream leading to poor immune or nervous system function, kidney damage, or cardiovascular damage.

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) such as nitrogen dioxide, nitrous acid, and nitric acid are known for being highly reactive. This means that they are much more chemically active than other gases which often leads tot hem being more dangerous. Not only is NO2 harmful when inhaled, leading to symptoms like coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath, but it can also react with other chemicals in the air to form ozone and particulate matter. NO2 usually enters the atmosphere due to the burning of fuel.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon monoxide is a by-product of the combustion process. In other words, anything that burns fuel such as a car, machinery, gas heaters, and gas stoves release CO when they are used. CO is harmful to breathe because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives organs like the brain and heart of oxygen. Inhaling a large amount of CO can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, asphyxia, and death.

How to Stay Safe and Avoid COPD Exacerbations

While we can get involved in our communities to help improve air quality, very little can be done to prevent natural disasters like wildfires. It’s normal for there to be thousands of wildfires each year in the United States and it’s difficult to predict exactly where they will be or how bad they will get. As a result, COPD and asthma patients need to pay attention to the news and plan their lives around these devastating events.

Make it a Habit to Check the AQI Daily

Like we mentioned earlier, Air Quality Index (AQI) is the measurement used to determine how safe the air is to breathe. AirNow.gov updates its site regularly so you should make a habit of checking it at least once a day. Another great feature of this site is that it breaks down what pollutants are in the air. For example, it will notify you if there are more PM2.5 than PM10 in the air, indicating that the air is less safe to breathe.

One thing to note about AQI forecasts is that they are not 100% accurate. Similar to weather forecasts, there is room for error and the information is updated as more information becomes available. As a result, it’s important to also use your best judgment. If the report shows 50 AQI in your area but it looks hazy out, it’s best not to go out until it clears up. Another mistake people make is that they assume that rain will clear the pollution. While heavy rain can reduce pollution slightly, it’s nearly inconsequential when it comes to PM2.5  which is most harmful to your lungs.

Recognize the Signs of an Exacerbation

Secondly, you need to be aware of COPD exacerbation symptoms. An exacerbation is a period of time where coughing, wheezing, and chest pain get worse and it becomes increasingly difficult to breathe normally. The majority of COPD exacerbations are caused by respiratory infection, but the second most common cause of exacerbations is air pollution. If left untreated, exacerbations can lead to hospitalization and even permanent lung damage.

Generally speaking, you will want to seek medical attention for your COPD exacerbations. Even if you just experience a flare-up in your symptoms, your doctor should be notified so that he/she can take the necessary steps to help you recover quickly and effectively.

Take Your Oxygen Concentrator and Inhaler

As always, it’s important to have all your medications and medical devices with you whenever you leave the house. No matter what the air quality is like, your portable oxygen concentrator and inhaler will ensure that your blood oxygen levels remain stable throughout the day. What’s more, if you experience an exacerbation while you’re out, your portable oxygen concentrator or rescue inhaler will help you to recover more quickly.

 According to a study published in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, there is clear evidence that using supplemental oxygen as prescribed by your doctor can strongly influence the outcomes of acute exacerbations. While more studies need to be done in order to determine exactly how it should be used, simply having a reliable portable oxygen concentrator on you at all times is a great first step. 

There are many portable oxygen concentrators for sale in this day and age, but we recommend either the Caire FreeStyle Comfort the ARYA Portable Oxygen Concentrator or the Inogen One G5. The FreeStyle Comfort released last year and provides COPD patients with up to 5 pulse flow settings and the G5 provides up to 6 pulse flow settings. If that’s not enough, you’ll be happy to know that both of these portable oxygen devices weigh under 5 pounds meaning they’re light enough to carry wherever you go without causing any strain on your back or shoulders.

Avoid Exercising Outdoors

Exercise is an important part of your COPD treatment plan. Pulmonary rehabilitation is designed to strengthen your muscles, increase your endurance, and help you breathe easier. But it’s imperative that you exercise safely and that you follow the guidelines set forth by your doctor or pulmonologist. Over-exercising or exercising outside when there is pollution can lead to flare-ups or exacerbations.

When you exercise, you breathe more heavily meaning air pollution is more likely to reach the lower parts of your lungs. You’re also taking in more air and more pollution as a result. While it is nice to exercise outdoors, you’re not going to have a good time if you’re breathing in polluted, stuffy air. If possible, try to get inside and clear a space in your living room or bedroom to perform pulmonary rehabilitation.

Don’t Track Harmful Pollutants Indoors

Whether you’re exercising indoors or you’re simply spending more time indoors due to poor outdoor air quality, it’s important to avoid tracking outdoor pollutants inside your home. The problem with indoor air quality is that it’s more concentrated and pollutants can be moved around your home through the HVAC system. So even if you think that your home is safe, it could be affected by the quality of air outdoors.

There are several different ways that you can test the air quality in your home. You can either purchase your own air quality monitor or you can call a home inspection company that will come to your house and do it for you. The latter tends to be a better option because then you don’t have to learn how to interpret the data and find a way to improve your home’s air quality.

Quit Smoking Immediately

The last tip for coping with outdoor air pollution when you have COPD is to quit smoking. Not only is smoking the primary causal factor of COPD and other lung conditions like lung cancer, but it also has a number of other effects on the body that make you more susceptible to the risks associated with air pollution. For example, cigarette smoking damages, and in some cases destroys the cilia in your lungs and airways. 

Cilia are small, hairlike organelles that are responsible for trapping and removing foreign substances from the airways. By doing so, they prevent these harmful substances from reaching the lower respiratory system where they can lead to infections. Studies also show that the chemicals in cigarette smoke can also suppress the adaptive immune system by making it less active and prepared to fight off disease. 

Conclusion

Unfortunately, wildfires are a reality that we all need to face. Depending on where you live in the country, you may have to deal with wildfire smoke as early as June and as late as August. As such, it’s best to be prepared with an effective action plan.

If you have COPD or asthma, you should not be going outside when the AQI is above 100 and if you want to exercise outdoors, you should wait until the AQI in your area is below 50. This will help ensure that your lung condition remains stable and that you don’t experience any flare-ups or worse, an exacerbation.

As with all concerns related to your COPD treatment plan, you should contact your doctor or pulmonologist if you have any questions. 

If you have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for a long time, it is likely you have experienced an exacerbation or flare up. A COPD exacerbation means your respiratory symptoms (breathlessness, coughing, and wheezing) were suddenly escalated to a degree where you might have been obligated to seek emergency medical attention.

Obviously it is best to avoid COPD exacerbations also known as flare ups at all costs, however the nature of COPD makes it difficult to avoid these situations entirely. Simple everyday activities can cause a flare up.

Raking leaves and being exposed to seasonal allergies can initiate a sudden reaction in some people. Others will be susceptible to bleach and cleaning products that cause serious respiratory reactions. The bottom line is that everyone is different and everyone’s COPD affects them differently, meaning it is impossible to give someone an indefinite guide into avoiding COPD flare ups entirely.

There are many different practices and healthy habits you can implement into your daily routine in order to reduce the chances of experiencing a flare up, and this is something we will discuss in detail later in this article. First and foremost, it is important to be prepared for when you do experience escalated symptoms.

Having a risk management plan in place will help you to make the right decisions depending on the scenario.

Preparation for COPD Flare Ups

In this section we are discussing how preparation can make the difference between an uncomfortable yet manageable COPD flare up and hospitalization.

Risk Management Plan

Developing your own risk management plan can be a useful tool for when scenarios do arise and drastic action must be taken quickly in order to ensure a positive outcome.

Here is a simple outline of a risk management plan that we have filled out for a COPD exacerbation:

1. Identify Risks

What are your risks and how likely are they to occur?

COPD poses health risks including having a COPD flare up. A COPD flare up is usually triggered by inflammation in the lungs either due to an infection or irritant that causes this inflammation.

2. Minimize or Eliminate Risks

Once the risks have been identified you need to either eliminate or minimize those risks.

The most important irritates and infections you should avoid are pneumonia, flu, seasonal allergens, air pollution, smoke. We will discuss details in a later section about how to avoid these irritates and in turn avoid COPD flare ups.

3. Identify Rolls

One of the simplest and most effective tools in managing your COPD flare up is to delegate who has to do what, should your plan have to be enacted.

Make sure to have an emergency contact on your phone who you can count on to drive you to the hospital. You should also have an emergency tool that can notify your caregivers or medical services for you.

4. Create an Action Plan with Your Doctor

Recovery contingencies should be determined by the extent of your flare up.

Which also means you should have a good understanding of how detrimental or minor your flare up is. And while this will come with experience, but there are ways you can track your symptoms and better understand the severity of your symptoms so that you are able to make this distinction during the flare.

Your doctor and you should set up an “action plan” ; it should outline specific actions, doses, or medications to manage a flare up. For example, they might prescribe for you to increase your oxygen flow setting while you are experiencing the flare up, or they might prescribe an emergency inhaler that will give you a dose of fast-acting steroids.

If your exacerbation is severe enough to seek emergency medical care, you should be aware of the urgent care in your locale. You should have your medical history written down in your phone or on your person (a piece of paper in your wallet, or attached to your portable oxygen concentrator carrying case) to give to medical responders so they are updated about you and your condition.

If you are allergic to any medication or have had any reactions to medical treatments in the past, you can make sure to have this written down so if you are having trouble breathing, you don’t have to try and talk with the emergency responder too much.

5. Communicate Your Plan To Your Caregivers

Make sure you tell everyone in your circle what to expect should they need to help you through a COPD flare up.

You can also work together to understand your symptoms better so that you and your caregivers feel confident managing minor flare ups, and you understand when you must seek medical attention.

Now that you have a risk management plan, you must be able to recognize the symptoms of a COPD flare up.

Recognizing Escalated COPD Symptoms

During a COPD exacerbation, airways become restricted and your lung function quickly and dramatically declines. Suddenly, you may experience more mucus clogging your airways, or the muscles in your respiratory tract constrict significantly, cutting off your air supply.

Symptoms of a COPD flare are:

• Breathlessness or shortness of breath. If you are gasping for air, and neither oxygen nor medication are relieving your breathlessness, seeking medical attention is the right thing to do.

• Increase in coughing attacks. Coughing helps to rid your lungs and airways of mucus blockages and irritants and while coughing is a normal and useful reaction for COPD patients, if it is persistent to the point where you feel discomfort for a long period of time, call your doctor right away.

• Wheezing. Hearing a wheeze or whistling noise when you breathe means that air is being forced through a narrower passageway, if your airways are swelling or built up mucus cannot be cleared, breathing will become nearly impossible and medical attention will be necessary should your medications and oxygen therapy prove useless.

• Increase of mucus. You may begin to cough up more mucus than normal, and it may be a different color than usual. Mucus that is clear or a slight yellow color is normal, but if it is a dark green, dark brown, or dark red color you should call your doctor right away.

• Fatigue or sleep problems. Sleep disturbances or exhaustion can indicate less oxygen is getting to your lungs and through your body and can be an indicator or exacerbated COPD symptoms

• Cognitive impairment. Confusion, slow thought processing, depression, or memory lapses can mean your brain isn’t receiving enough oxygen. This is a huge indication of severe COPD symptoms, so call your doctor right away.

Creating an Action Plan for a COPD Flare Up

If you are experiencing a COPD flare up, there are a few steps you can take in order to treat your symptoms on your own rather than immediately calling for emergency care. Understanding and managing COPD symptoms means that you have to be confident enough to know how and when to utilize certain medications and strategies. Having an extensive conversation with your doctor about these measures is very important, you can also learn a lot about COPD flare up preparedness in a pulmonary rehabilitation course.

During a flare up it is important to try to stay calm to minimize your symptoms, anxiety can initiate added breathlessness that will only make your situation worse. But if you feel overwhelmed, reach out for help right away.

1. Use a Quick-Acting Inhaler

Rescue inhalers work by sending a powerful stream of medicine straight to your constricted lungs. This is different from your normal short-acting bronchodilators inhaler that will give you medication that takes longer to initiate but lasts longer in your system. A fast-acting relief inhaler helps to relax the tissues in your airways quickly, letting you breathe easier right away and it wheres off shortly after.

2. Take Oral Corticosteroids to Reduce Inflammation

Corticosteroids may already be a part of your treatment plan that you have set up with your doctor. They reduce swelling and may help to widen your airways to let more air in and out of your lungs so if you don’t already take corticosteroids your doctor may prescribe them for a period of time after you have a flare up to help get your inflammation under control.

3. Use Oxygen Therapy to Get more Oxygen Into Your Body

If you use supplemental oxygen at home, you may want to take advantage of your extra oxygen supply supply during a flare up. If you have a portable oxygen concentrator (POC), your normal flow setting should be much lower than the device's full capabilities. If you experience a flare up, your normal oxygen output may need to be increased to a higher dosage of oxygen, this is why your POC should be capable of operating at a higher output than your prescribed level.

Increasing you oxygen supply during a flare up is something you will discuss with your doctor when they prescribe you oxygen therapy. It should also be outlined again in your action plan for when you experience a COPD flare.

(4.) Seek Emergency Care if Steps 1-3 Are Not Useful

In some severe instances, your rescue medication, anti-inflammatory steroids, and oxygen therapy won’t bring your exacerbation symptoms back down to a manageable level, in which case you may need mechanical intervention.

If you notice that your at-home action plan isn’t bringing you relief or if any of your symptoms begin to get worse, it is time to reach out for help. Call an ambulance, or have a caregiver make the call for you. Once you arrive at the hospital, you may need machine intervention like theophylline to help bring your symptoms under control. In these cases, it is not abnormal to also need an IV to rehydrate your body, as well as antibiotics to prevent respiratory infections like pneumonia.

Fortunately, most people recover their breathing after taking steps 1 -3 to get their their symptoms under control.

You can also work towards creating healthy habits and lifestyle changes that will help you to avoid these situations as much as possible. Reducing the chance of experiencing a COPD flare up are simple best practices, and will help you to lead a healthy and long life with COPD.

Prevention

Preparation can make the difference between an uncomfortable yet manageable COPD flare ups and severe flare ups that require hospitalization. Prevention can help you to avoid COPD flares in the first place, by reducing the likelihood of experiencing exacerbated COPD symptoms.

Avoiding COPD flare ups

About 33 percent of COPD exacerbations don’t have a known cause, which is why the preparation section of this article is so important, because no matter how well you work to prevent COPD exacerbations, sometimes there are unforeseeable implications that will affect your respiratory system.

Oxygen Therapy

Oxygen therapy is administered at home for at least 15 hour a day. Pulmonary patients can use oxygen devices like a liquid oxygen tanks, gas oxygen tanks, or portable oxygen concentrators. Portable oxygen concentrators costs the most up front, but in the long term offer the most savings because you never have to pay to refill the device as you would with a tank or canister.

To learn more about oxygen therapy devices click here.

Each year, approximately 1.5 million patients in the United States receive long term oxygen therapy (LTOT). LTOT improves survival rates and increases the quality of life in hypoxemic patients with COPD. Staying connected to your oxygen device and using the therapy as instructed by your doctor will help to prevent breathlessness and reduce stress on your lungs.

Oxygen therapy relieves serious COPD symptoms and can help you get back to a normal and healthy daily routine in other important facets of your life.

Avoid Exposure to Lung Irritants

You can start by cleaning your home and ridding your living space of irritates such as kerosene heaters. If you can, dust often and vacuum carpets daily. Dust and dust mites will cause irritation in anyone’s lung but it is extremely harmful if you have COPD.

When you are cleaning surfaces avoid harsh chemical cleaning products and opt for natural disinfectant and cleaning products such as lemon water, vinegar, baking soda.

You should also keep the humidity at a manageable level. You can do this by always turning on a fan or ventilation system while you shower and taking less hot showers. 

Do not smoke, and try to avoid secondhand smoke. Smoking is one of the worst habits you can continue to entertain after being diagnosed with COPD. Smoke is one of the most invasive and harmful irritates you can breath into your lungs, and you will inevitably experience more serious flare ups if you continue to smoke.

Air pollution is another irritate that can impact your lungs and cause flare ups. While the state of outdoor air quality is largely out of your control, you can invest in an air filtration system for inside your home. If you monitor the outdoor air quality daily you can be aware of when it is safe and when you should avoid going outdoors.

Avoid Getting Skick

As you are probably aware of, it is best to avoid large crowds during cold and flu season to prevent getting sick. It is especially important now, during the global pandemic with the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 still posing a serious threat to our population as a whole, and it is increasingly worrisome for respiratory and autoimmune patients.

There's always so much to look forward to during the summer months: warm weather, lush trees, and all kinds of outdoor activities. It's a beautiful season, and for many of us it provides a much-needed rest from the cold, harsh winter weather.

However, many of the things that make the summer months so pleasant are at odds with COPD. If you don't take the right steps to protect yourself from heat, pollen, and humidity you might find that the summer weather makes your COPD symptoms even worse.

Luckily, many people with COPD have found ways to beat the summer heat and minimize their symptoms during the hottest season of the year. In this guide, we'll help you learn what to look out for and give you plenty of simple, effective solutions for managing your COPD during the summer months.

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Why the Summer is Challenging for People with COPD

Heat

Spending time in the hot, summer sun can be a major energy sapper for anyone. When you have COPD, however, high temperatures can be particularly hard on your body.

Hot weather can quickly make you dehydrated and even cause bronchospasms, which constrict your airways and make it hard to breathe. Hot air alone can make you feel short of breath, and dehydration from the heat can thicken mucus in your airways and make it even more difficult to breathe.

When your body is fighting a disease like COPD, the muscles in your chest and respiratory tract have to work harder to help you breathe, especially when you are physically active. When you're out in the summer sun, the heat puts even more strain on your body and can make you feel exhausted very quickly.

That's because, when you're baking in the sun, your body has to work particularly hard keep your internal temperature at a healthy 98.6 degrees. That means sweating, panting, and using extra energy to help your body cool down fast.

This can make you feel exhausted and fatigued after even short bouts in the heat, and can be dangerous if you don't take steps to protect yourself. In extreme cases, you could get heat stroke or experience an  exacerbation of your COPD symptoms.

One study from John Hopkins University found that people with COPD are more likely to experience reduced lung function, increased symptoms, and exacerbations when exposed to temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. They were also more likely to require rescue medicine and medical intervention when exposed to extreme heat.

Humidity

Have you ever stepped outside on a hot, humid day, taken a deep breath, and felt like the wet, heavy air was difficult to breathe? Extreme humidity during the summer can have that effect on most healthy people, and it can be an even bigger problem for people who have COPD or other respiratory problems.

Humidity tends to peak during the summer months, and the sweltering heat makes it all that much more of a problem. Breathing hot, humid air just isn't easy or comfortable for most people, and if you have COPD, it can make it very difficult to breathe.

However, humidity affects people, including patients with COPD, in different ways. While studies show that the optimum level of humidity for people with COPD is usually about 40 percent, individual preferences for and reactions to humidity vary widely from person to person.

One of the things that makes humidity problematic for many people with respiratory problems is the fact that it tends to trap smog and other toxic particles that contribute to air pollution. It also allows harmful microbes like mold, fungi, and dust mites to thrive, which can cause significant respiratory irritation.

Because of this, air quality in the summer tends to be poorer than other times of the year, especially on the hottest, most humid days. That's why doctors and other health professionals recommend that people with COPD carefully plan their time outdoors and take extra precautions to avoid making their symptoms worse in the summer.

Humidity and worsened air quality in the summer can take a huge toll on your energy and ability to breathe if you're not careful. Make sure to regularly check your local weather report or airnow.gov for the day's heat, humidity, and air quality so you can plan and prepare your days accordingly.

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Pollen

Along with increased smog and air pollution, the summer air brings with it another major respiratory irritant: pollen. It's one of the most common triggers for allergic reactions that affect the respiratory tract, and at least ten to thirty percent of people worldwide suffer from these types of allergies, known as allergic rhinitis.

If you suffer from allergies and COPD, exposure to pollen can cause a variety of symptoms, including sneezing, wheezing, and increased mucus in the respiratory tract. Allergies can also cause your lungs and airways to become irritated, swollen, and inflamed, which can increase chances of infection and make it even more difficult to breathe.

These allergic reactions stack on top of already existing symptoms and can make your COPD even worse. That's why it's important to do everything you can to reduce allergens in your home and reduce your symptoms when they cannot be avoided.

Techniques for Managing Your COPD This Summer

When you have COPD, it's important to protect yourself from extreme weather and take care when doing any activities in the summer heat. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to protect yourself and your lungs from the temperature, humidity, and poor air quality during the summer.

In this guide, we're providing you with a huge list of tips and ideas for staying cool, healthy, and active this summer. You'll see that, with a little thought, planning, and prevention, you can find a way to enjoy all your favorite summer activities without letting it take a toll on your breathing.

How to Manage Hot Summer Days with COPD

Managing the extreme heat of the summer when you have a disease like COPD requires a bit of extra planning and preparation. If you spend too much time in the heat without proper protection, it can worsen your symptoms and leave you dehydrated and fatigued.

The following section will give you a variety of tips and ideas for keeping safe and cool during the hottest days of the season. Using these techniques, you can find a way to enjoy all your favorite summer activities without risking your health and wellness.

Schedule Time Outdoors During Cooler Parts of the Day

During the height of the summer, the daytime weather just gets too hot to bear. On these days, going outside anytime near midday, when the temperature peaks, can be risky.

But as long as you keep tabs on the daily weather forecast it's possible to plan around the heat. That way you can always stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day, and then plan outdoor activities for when the temperature is more mild.

If you limit your time outside to cooler times like the early morning and late afternoon, you will have more energy and less difficulty managing your COPD symptoms. You'll be able to better regulate your body temperature, breathe easier, and have better physical endurance.

Go Indoors When Necessary

When it's bright and sunny and there's fun to be had outside, it can be hard to force yourself to take it easy. But when the temperatures are extreme, it's completely okay and necessary to pace yourself and take breaks from the sun.

When you plan to spend time in the heat for any extended period of time, make sure you have an air-conditioned, indoor, or shaded area to retreat to when needed. Make it a habit to drink plenty of water and take regular, planned breaks so your body doesn't have a chance to get too overheated or fatigued.

Even healthy people often don't realize that they're suffering from heat exhaustion until it's too late, which is why it's so important to be prepared. When you have COPD, the risks of heat exhaustion are even greater, and even spending short times in extreme temperatures can cause your symptoms to get significantly worse.

Dress for the Heat

When you're outside in the summer heat, your first line of protection from the sun is your clothing. Make sure to wear lightweight clothing and choose light colors that won't absorb the sunlight.

Clothes that are thin and loose-fitting are best at keeping you cool because they allow air to flow through and won't stick to your skin when you sweat. Wide-brimmed hats can also be surprisingly effective at keeping your face and neck cool.

Drink More Water than Usual

It can sometimes be difficult to remember to drink enough water on normal days, but on hot, summer days it's absolutely necessary to stay hydrated. Dehydration alone can make your symptoms worse when you have COPD, but combined with high heat and humidity it can be dangerous and make it very difficult to breathe.

The summer heat makes your body lose water more quickly and require extra fluids to stay healthy. You'll have to increase the amount of water you drink from what you're used to in order to compensate for this loss.

Whenever you leave the house or spend time outside, make sure to bring a large bottle of water along so you won't get dehydrated. If you're going to be out in the heat for an extended period of time, make sure you have access to extra water and an air-conditioned space to cool down when necessary.

Don't Over Exert Yourself

Physical activities that are easy under normal circumstances can be difficult or exhausting when the sun is beating down. That's why it's important not to get discouraged if you find yourself having less endurance during the summer.

Even if you find the summer heat makes you unable to do as much as you are usually able to, don't push yourself too far. But don't use the heat as an excuse to give up on your exercise plan or other activities you enjoy, either.

It's important to stay active at all times of the year, and you can always move your plans indoors or make other adjustments when the heat is wearing you down. You might find it helpful to break up your exercise into smaller chunks, take more breaks throughout the day, and give yourself more down time to recover in-between activities.

Spend Plenty of Time in Air-Conditioned Spaces

The John Hopkins study on the effects of heat on people with COPD confirms that cooler air is not only more comfortable, but is also healthier for people with the disease. Spending too much time in the heat can cause worsened symptoms in both the short and long term, and increase the chances of exacerbations and hospitalizations.

Extended time in the heat can also increase your risk of illness and symptoms if you are overweight, elderly, or have another chronic disease like diabetes or heart disease. These illnesses are often associated with COPD, and may make the summer heat even more harmful to your body.

If you have an air conditioner at home, make sure it gets regular service and stays working properly during the summer. If you don't have air conditioning or you have an older, inefficient unit, consider investing in a new one or getting window AC units for the rooms in your home that you use the most.

If you don't have AC, try to go out and spend the hottest times of the day somewhere that does have air conditioning. You might go to a friend or family member's house, the library, or another public indoor space.

Get a Portable Air Conditioner

Image courtesy of Best Digs

Just like many people use a space heaters to warm up small rooms in the winter, you can use a portable air conditioner to cool down in the summer. You can use one in your home to cool a single room and save money on whole-house AC, and you can also take it with you on-the-go.

A portable AC unit is especially handy at work, where you don't have control over the thermostat. Especially if you have a partially enclosed area, like an office cubicle, a portable air conditioner can be very effective at keeping you cool without forcing your coworkers to turn up the office AC.

Use a Buddy System

If your COPD is very severe or you are recovering from an exacerbation, it might be a good idea to recruit a friend or family member to help you stay safe and healthy during the summer. Just having someone call and check up on you a couple times a day can help you avoid heat-related problems and get help when you need it.

When you are exhausted or ill from being in the heat too long, it can make you feel tired and confused to the point that you don't realize you're in danger. Sometimes it takes someone else checking in with you to notice the signs of heat-induced illness and realize that you need to go inside and cool down.

A buddy system is a support system that will allow you to feel more secure and ask for help and supplies when you need them. If your windows get stuck, your AC unit isn't working properly, or any other problems crop up, you can always ask for advice or assistance whenever someone checks in.

How to Manage Summer Humidity with COPD

Keeping out of the heat can be as simple as staying indoors, but avoiding humidity is a bit more tricky. When the weather outside is humid, it can be very difficult to keep it from making the air in your home damp and humid as well.

Most doctors recommend keeping the humidity levels in your home under 60 percent, because anything higher can encourage mold growth. For people with COPD, most doctors recommend an optimum humidity level of 40 percent, although individual preferences may vary.

Luckily, there are steps you can take and devices you can buy to keep your home from becoming a damp, musty swamp during the summer. The following section will give you a variety of ideas and techniques you can use to protect yourself from the humidity.

Vent Home Appliances Outdoors

Some common home appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and stoves can significantly increase the humidity levels in your house if you're not careful. But if you make sure to properly vent these appliances, you can keep your home's humidity levels low.

Dishwashers and clothes dryers often already have ducts installed to vent humid air outdoors. However, sometimes these ducts can become clogged with dust and lint and need cleaning.

If you notice that your home gets humid when you run the dishwasher or dryer, you might want to get the air ducts checked to make sure they're clean and working effectively. If your dishwasher and stove don't have outside vents, you can turn on the stove fan or open a nearby window when they're running to help vent the moist air.

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Vent the Room When You Shower

Anyone who's taken a hot shower knows how humid and sticky it can make the air in the room. It's a common source of increased moisture in many people's homes, and it can be particularly problematic for people with COPD.

Without proper ventilation, running a hot shower produces extremely humid air that can encourage mold growth and increase humidity in other rooms in your home. Luckily, most places in the US have strict building codes for bathrooms that require a window or a fan-powered vent to allow you to vent the humid air outside, instead.

Before you shower, make sure to open a window or run the vent fan so the humid air doesn't build up in your house. If you find that the humidity still bothers you or you experience increased breathlessness while showering, using cooler water or installing an extra vent can help.

Get a Dehumidifier for Your Home

Most people are familiar with humidifiers, and many use them during the winter to add moisture to the bothersome, dry air. However, many people are unaware that you can also get dehumidifying devices to pull extra moisture out of the air during the hot, humid seasons.

There are many different types of dehumidifiers to choose from and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. What kind you should get depends on how humid the air in your house gets and how large of a space you need it to work for.

There are many small, affordable dehumidifiers that work in smaller rooms and spaces. These are great for bedrooms, offices, and other small areas that you spend a lot of your time in. You can even get a portable dehumidifier if you think you will need to carry your dehumidifier from room to room often.

Although it can get quite expensive, you can also get a whole-house dehumidifier that attaches to your house's main HVAC ventilation system. These large devices filter moisture out of all the air that flows through your air ducts and is the most effective way to make your home less humid.

Run the AC

Even if you don't want to install a whole-house dehumidifier, an efficient AC unit is often enough to do the trick when the humidity is mild. Air conditioners remove a certain amount of moisture from the air as part of their normal air-cooling process, and it can be an effective way to reduce the overall humidity in your home.

However, when the humidity gets very high, a regular air conditioner probably won't be enough to keep you comfortable. AC units can only scrub so much moisture from the air, which is why having a good dehumidifier is important if you want more control over the humidity in your home.

Check Weather Reports and Plan Accordingly

Your local daily weather report should include a variety of information about the temperature and humidity levels. If you keep track of the forecast, you can plan your week around the days that are most humid.

Sometimes the best way to avoid worsened symptoms is to just stay indoors as much as possible on very hot, muggy days. Keeping your doors and windows shut will keep the air in your home as dry as possible and also keep out pollen, mold, and smog.

If you have a dehumidifier, daily weather reports will help you know when to turn it on before your house gets unbearably humid and you notice your symptoms acting up. Running your AC along with your dehumidifier is even more effective, and it's the best way to stay cool and dry during the most uncomfortable parts of the summer.

How to Manage Summer Irritants with COPD

Along with the heat and humidity, summer brings a greater risk of respiratory irritation from pollen, mold, and smog. That's why it's important for people with COPD to monitor and prepare for poor air quality during the summer months.

The following tips and techniques will help you protect your lungs from air pollution and other irritants both outdoors and in your home. By taking these steps, you can reduce your allergy symptoms, prevent respiratory irritation, and make it easier to breathe this summer.

Check Air Quality and Pollen Reports

There are many air quality factors you have to take into account during the summer when you have COPD. Pollen, mold, smog, and other respiratory irritants can worsen your symptoms and make it more difficult to breathe if you don't take steps to avoid them.

Luckily, local news stations and other organizations release air quality reports and allergy forecasts every day to help people like you. You should always check the day's air quality index (AQI) before planning outdoor activities and stay indoors if the outlook is not good.

The AQI rates air quality on a six-point scale from good to hazardous, and you can check it here at airnow.gov. If you have allergies, you should also keep an eye on the daily allergy and pollen report, which you can check at pollen.com.

Get a High Quality HVAC Air Filter for Your Home

Image courtesy of Ivy Dawned on Flickr

Even when you're indoors, you can't totally escape the effects of the dust, pollen, and mold that the summer weather brings. That's why choosing a high-quality HVAC air filter, and replacing it regularly, is important for managing COPD symptoms in the summer.

Air pollution and other irritants come in through your windows and vents and cause you to experience worsened symptoms indoors. Pollen, mold, and dust from outdoors can also hitch a ride on you and your pets, sticking to shoes, clothes, and hair.

When you go inside, all of these irritants get transferred to your carpets and furniture, where they collect and build up. Then they kicked up into the air as you go about daily activities, worsening your indoor air quality, inflaming your lungs and airways, and making it more difficult to breathe.

The best way to combat the pollen, dust, and mold that circulate through your house is to get a high-quality air filter that catches pollen, mold, dust, and other particles that could aggravate your COPD. It's important to choose carefully and look at the filter's specifications before purchasing, because some filters remove many more types of irritants than others.

Clean Carpets, Rugs and Furniture Often

All of the air pollutants, pollen, and dust that come in from the outdoors tend to settle and build up in your carpet, couches, drapes, and other places. That's why it's important to keep your floors, furniture, and other surfaces clean, especially when allergens and air pollution are more prevalent.

Regular vacuuming, dusting, and sweeping is one effective way to remove respiratory irritants that have settled on surfaces in your home. It keeps these particles from building up, inflaming your lungs, and making it hard to breathe.

If you have a choice, hard flooring is much better than carpet when it comes to keeping dust, pollen, and other lung irritants at bay. Getting rid of rugs, drapes, and other fabrics that attract and collect particles can help improve your symptoms and the air quality in your home.

Change Clothes and Shower Often

When you spend time outdoors, mold, pollen, and other lung irritants cling to your clothes and hair. To avoid tracking these harmful particles and allergens int

If you want to lead a healthier life, you need to be more acutely aware of how your lifestyle choices — and the lifestyle choices of others — affect your long-term well-being. For example, you need to research nutrition in order to make sure that your diet is helping you progress towards your health goals, rather than pushing you farther away from them. But nobody ever said this would be easy. With all the information (and misinformation) that’s out there, it can be pretty overwhelming trying to create a health plan and carry it out.

One thing that can really muddle up this issue and make it even more challenging is being diagnosed with a respiratory ailment like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While it may seem like this will only have an effect on your lungs, your respiratory health actually has a significant impact on your systemic health. For example, in one of our more recent posts, we took a look at how COPD can cause heart problems and swelling in the hands and feet. 

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A topic that’s hotly debated these days is how vaping and e-cigarettes should be viewed as a COPD patient. Some people believe that vaping is an effective tool to help smokers wean off their bad habit to something that’s “less dangerous” and “less addictive.” However, on the other side, people believe it’s being used to get younger generations involved in smoking and other drugs. No matter where you stand on vaping, this post aims to clarify misconceptions about vaping and e-cigarettes. We’ll also show you why it’s a good idea to reconsider vaping as a COPD patient or someone who’s at risk of contracting COPD.

What are Vape Pens and E-Cigarettes?

The concept of “vaping” has not been around very long. In fact, the first commercially successful e-cigarette was created in 2003, but it wasn’t introduced to the United States until 2006. And despite the fact that the vaping industry was valued at around $14.05 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to $29.39 billion in 2022, there still seems to be a lot of confusion about what vaping actually is.

Like most products, e-cigarettes have evolved a lot since they were first introduced; but the basic principles remain the same: a battery-powered heating device is activated when the user inhales. This, in turn, vaporizes the e-liquid which is inhaled as an aerosol which is a suspension of fine solid particles and liquid droplets. The smoke that comes from a cigarette is also considered an “aerosol” because it contains water droplets, but vaping advocates claim that cigarettes are far more dangerous because they release more HPHCs due to their high combustion temperature.

Technically speaking, e-cigarettes and vape pens are essentially the same thing. The main difference is that e-cigarettes are designed to look like real cigarettes and once you use them up, they are disposed of. On the contrary, vape pens are much more popular and they can be recharged and refilled rather than being disposed of. We’re going to take a look at some of the risks associated with vaping, as well as some of the perceived benefits so that COPD patients can make more educated decisions about their lung health.

What are the Risks Associated with Vaping?

Chemicals Found in “Vape Juice” 

Just like cigarettes, vape juice contains a whole host of chemicals that will harm your long-term health. We know that cigarettes have around 7,000 different toxic chemicals but when it comes to e-cigarettes, the facts are less clear. Since vape juice is being produced by thousands of companies across the country, it’s difficult to track everything that’s being put into them. According to the American Lung Association, however, these are some of the most dangerous components:

• Nicotine
• Carcinogens - including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like Benzene
• Diethylene glycol
• Diacetyl - known to cause bronchiolitis obliterans (popcorn lung)
• Acrolein - commonly used as a herbicide
• Propylene glycol - used to make paint solvent and antifreeze  

An Argument From Ignorance

There’s a common logical fallacy that vaping companies often use to prove the safety of their products. This fallacy is called “an argument from ignorance.” Basically what this comes down to is using a lack of evidence in order to prove that something is true. Most people realize that this is not a valid way to argue a point, but it’s easy to get past someone if they aren’t actively looking out for it.

Vaping companies will claim that their products are safer than cigarettes because there is no evidence that they cause COPD or lung cancer. The problem with this argument, however, is that vaping has not been researched long enough for us to know exactly how it contributes to chronic lung conditions. COPD, in particular, takes several decades to develop and severe symptoms don’t usually manifest until later in life. 

Another thing that needs to be researched is the effects of vaping on systemic health. We know that cigarette smoking damages your heart and blood vessels, and it’s a risk factor for many chronic systemic diseases, but vaping hasn’t been researched enough to determine if there is a link. Vaping advocates will claim that, since there are no immediate systemic effects, you have nothing to worry about. Be sure to look out for these logical fallacies next time you’re offered an e-cigarette.

It’s hard not to draw connections between what is going on now with vaping and what happened in the 1930s to 1950s with cigarettes. During those times, cigarettes were often advertised as “physician approved” just because they irritated the throat less than other cigarettes. These claims were based on nothing more than a couple of surveys and they were designed to profit off the general public’s lack of understanding concerning the dangers of cigarette smoking.  

Vaping is Addictive

No matter how you slice it, nicotine is an addictive chemical regardless of how it’s consumed. Cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and e-cigarettes all contain high amounts of nicotine. This chemical is referred to as a “neurotoxin” because it alters the structure and function of the nervous system. Nicotine activates nicotinic receptors in the brain which are intended for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, responsible for cognitive processing, memory, and attention.

There are nicotinic receptors in every part of the brain, so this is why nicotine has such a wide array of effects. And because the vapor is inhaled to the lungs, the effects are nearly instantaneous. One of the most well-known and concerning parts of the brain that nicotine affects is the nucleus accumbens which is often referred to as the “addiction hub” of the brain. Once nicotine enters this area of the brain, it releases dopamine, the neurochemical that’s responsible for feelings of reward.

E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)

In 2019, we saw our first major outbreak of lung illness due to vaping. This new lung condition was dubbed “E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) by the CDC, and it’s currently being heavily researched. EVALI caused sudden and severe respiratory symptoms in otherwise healthy people, but researchers have determined that the one thing these cases had in common was the use of vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Another problem safety concern associated with e-cigarettes is the battery. While traditional cigarettes can cause fires, e-cigarette batteries have caused harm to the user by exploding or causing severe burns. According to VapeDanger.com, the batteries that are used in e-cigs are not tested well enough to ensure their safety and they’re typically designed for things like power tools rather than e-cigarettes.  

Vaping as a “Gateway” Drug

One of the downsides that’s often under-discussed when it comes to vaping is its potential to be used as a “gateway drug.” A gateway drug is a drug that may not be extremely harmful in and of itself, but it can lead to someone trying other drugs that are far more dangerous. For example, even though vape juice contains less nicotine than cigarettes, it could make it either for someone to get hooked on traditional cigarettes.

Are There Any Benefits of Vaping?

While there are some perceived benefits to vaping like reducing addiction to cigarettes or saving money, you’ll be much better off if you completely eliminate nicotine use in your life. Since we don’t know the long-term effects of vaping, you’re basically just flipping a coin when it comes to your health. It’s best to assume that the only things you should be inhaling into your lungs are fresh air or any medication that your doctor has prescribed you for COPD treatment such as corticosteroids, bronchodilators, or other medication administered through an inhaler or nebulizer. Even then, these drugs should only be used as prescribed by your doctor.  

How Should COPD Patients React to Vaping?

Find other Methods to Quit Smoking

Possibly the most common use for e-cigarettes is as a tool for smoking cessation. Proponents of vaping will say that vaping can act like a nicotine patch or other types of nicotine replacement therapy in order to wean people off of cigarettes. Unfortunately, studies have shown that using e-cigarettes in this way is no more or less effective than other smoking cessation tools. What’s more, there’s a chance that you could become addicted to both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. According to the Truth Initiative, 54.6% of e-cigarette users in 2016 also smoked cigarettes. This would suggest that many people are using vaping as a supplement rather than a replacement for traditional smoking.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that the most effective cessation tools include counseling, medications, or some combination of the two. There are several different types of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that can be used to quit smoking, but the most popular include one-on-one counseling and group therapy. FDA-approved smoking cessation medication includes Chantix (varenicline tartrate) and Zyban (buproprion hydrochloride). Before taking these medications, however, you should speak with your doctor to determine if they’re right for you.

Above all, it’s important to try these other methods of smoking cessation before resorting to vaping. While e-cigarettes may be the most accessible option for many people, they are not proven to be effective at helping you kick the habit, and more importantly, we don’t yet know the long-term effects of vaping on the body. If you have COPD or you’re currently at risk of COPD, you should invest time in behavioral therapy, nicotine replacement therapy, or one of the FDA-approved medications before resorting to vaping.

Focus on your COPD Treatment Plan

If you have COPD, you should be focusing on your treatment plan above all else. This includes things like smoking cessation, supplemental oxygen therapy, a refined diet, and pulmonary rehabilitation. If you’ve smoked for years or decades, you may find it tempting to invest in vaping because it’s often advertised as a “healthier alternative” to smoking. But in reality, vaping will put you at a higher risk of contracting pneumonia, one of the primary causes of COPD exacerbations.

If you spend your time and energy focusing on making positive lifestyle changes, you’re likely to see your nicotine dependency dissipate over time. According to Addictions and Recovery, nicotine stays in the body for about 72 hours and nicotine withdrawal is worst 2 to 3 days after quitting. However, it takes around 3 months for your brain chemistry to return back to normal after smoking. Try to focus on your COPD treatment for this duration of time and you’ll find that it becomes much easier to avoid nicotine products. 

Get Outside and Exercise

If you’re still struggling with nicotine withdrawal, consider exercising more frequently. According to Medical News Today, exercise is one of the best-known ways to combat nicotine cravings, and the best part is that it doesn’t require you to commit to a high-intensity exercise routine. Even 10 minutes each day of moderate exercise can significantly reduce the chance that you’ll fall back on your smoking cessation plan.  

Understand the Financial Burden of Vaping

One of the claims you’ll hear thrown around is that vaping is “95 percent healthier and 40 percent cheaper than smoking.” While this is certainly an interesting statement, it’s not based in reality. First and foremost, very little research has been done on vaping especially when it comes to the long-term effects on the lungs. So, it’s very difficult to prove or disprove that vaping is “95 percent safer.”

Secondly, the cost of smoking or vaping varies greatly. Some people smoke several packs of cigarettes a day while others smoke only once or twice a week. When they say that vaping is “40 percent cheaper,” they are usually comparing the lower estimates of vaping with the upper estimates of smoking. Be careful when you hear claims like this, especially if they’re coming from vaping companies.  

Conclusion

Vaping is a trend that’s been increasing in popularity for years. Although it’s mainly used by young adults, many older adults and seniors are embracing it as a “healthier alternative” or “cessation tool” for traditional cigarettes. If you suffer from COPD or another chronic respiratory disease, you should be wary of these claims and focus on healthy lifestyle choices that are backed by many decades of research rather than several years of research.

Here at LPT Medical, we only sell products that are medically proven to help patients with COPD. Most people with COPD will be prescribed supplemental oxygen and we are happy to provide lightweight and durable portable oxygen concentrators that can keep you moving despite your respiratory condition. Whether you’re looking for the Caire FreeStyle Comfort, Inogen One G5, Respironics SImplyGo, or any other affordable portable oxygen device, we are here to help.

Oxygen is one of the most abundant gases in the atmosphere making up around 21 percent of the air that we breathe. All organisms need oxygen to survive because it plays a pivotal role in a process called cellular respiration. During this process, glucose from the food that we eat reacts with oxygen to form adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy carrier in living organisms.

But it’s not just about getting oxygen in your lungs; it’s also about getting the right amount of oxygen. Everyone should have a blood oxygen level between 75 and 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), so if you have a chronic respiratory illness like COPD or pulmonary fibrosis which reduces the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, you’ll need to rely on supplemental oxygen therapy.

Despite being necessary for human life, medical oxygen is considered a “controlled substance” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it poses several risks if it is used incorrectly. Getting too much oxygen in your blood can result in a condition called oxygen toxicity (hyperoxia). Most cases of oxygen toxicity lead to headaches, confusion, and sleepiness, but continued exposure to high partial pressures of oxygen can cause permanent damage to your lungs and body.     

While it may seem scary being prescribed supplemental oxygen, it’s not all bad! If you use oxygen exactly how it was advised by your doctor you’ll find that supplemental oxygen is very safe. Here at LPT Medical we also strongly recommend using a portable oxygen concentrator which is much safer and more reliable than other oxygen devices such as oxygen tanks, liquid oxygen tanks, and stationary oxygen concentrators.  

Stick around if you’re interested in learning more about oxygen concentrator safety and feel free to leave any questions or comments in the section below.

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Why Are Portable Oxygen Concentrators Safer?

First off, you may be wondering why portable oxygen concentrators are considered “safe” in the first place. After all, they put out medical grade oxygen just like oxygen tanks, liquid oxygen tanks, and stationary oxygen concentrators. So, you might assume that it comes with all the same risks that are associated with these other devices. However, this is not necessarily the case.

Portable oxygen concentrators are the most advanced oxygen delivery devices ever created. They’re a product of many years of innovation and research, so it goes without saying that their safety features are more advanced as well. One of the main safety features are modern portable oxygen concentrators is something called pulse dose oxygen delivery. This is a technology that closely tracks your breathing rate and only delivers oxygen when it detects an inhalation.

The main purpose of this is to conserve energy and make your batteries last longer, but it has some major safety benefits as well. If you happen to drop your nasal cannula, the tubing that delivers oxygen to your nose, the flow of oxygen will stop. Since oxygen is an oxidizer, meaning it makes everything it comes in contact with more flammable, this is a groundbreaking feature. Unfortunately, with older oxygen delivery systems such as oxygen tanks or liquid oxygen tanks, this is not possible.

Another major safety feature of portable oxygen concentrators is their size and shape. POCs tend to be very small and box-shaped meaning they’re easy to carry under your arm and they’re not likely to hurt anyone if you accidentally bump into them. Since they’re so light, you’ll never have to wheel them around with a carrying cart which can be a huge tripping hazard for you and people around you.

As you can tell, oxygen manufacturers have worked hard to make POCs as safe as possible, but there are still some things you should look out for. Without further ado, let’s take a look at 7 safety tips for using a portable oxygen concentrator.

Avoid Smoking Near Your Concentrator

Despite smoking causing about 80 percent of COPD cases, many people still smoke when they’re diagnosed. Every doctor will recommend that you quit smoking as soon as possible because continuing to inhale smoke and chemicals will lower your immune system and make you more likely to experience symptom flare-ups and life-threatening exacerbations. But these are just a few of the reasons to quit smoking.

Another very important reason to quit smoking is that they are a fire hazard, especially when you’re using supplemental oxygen therapy. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were about 18,000 home fires started by cigarette smoking between 2012 and 2016 which accounted for about 5 percent of the total fires. And smoking near your concentrator will not only increase the chance that you’ll start a fire, but it could make it burn more.

While you should not be smoking at all, regardless of whether you’re using supplemental oxygen or not, it’s especially dangerous to smoke next to your POC. Smoking can leave behind embers and ashes that can easily start a fire in the wrong circumstances. You should also take the time to speak with anyone else who lives in your home to make sure they don’t smoke around your oxygen concentrator. Some people prefer putting up “no smoking” signs throughout their home in order to remind visitors not to light up a cigarette without going outside.

Keep Your Concentrator Dry

Portable oxygen concentrators are electronic devices just like your cell phone, computer, or tablet. What this means is that they are extremely susceptible to water damage. There are many sensitive electronic components inside of the concentrator, so if you submerge it in water or water enters through any of the vents, then it could permanently damage your device. There’s also a chance it could harm you if you’re not careful.

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The best way to keep your unit dry is to use some type of carrying case. Fortunately, if you are using a popular POC like the Inogen One G5, the Caire FreeStyle Comfort, or the Respironics SimplyGo, there are plenty of options available to you. Even older POCs like the Inogen One G3 have new carrying cases that can keep them dry. The GO2 Carryalls, for example, are made of genuine leather and they fully cover the device preventing it from getting wet. However, there are mesh patches on the side that keep the vents clear of obstruction, so it is possible to let water in if you’re not careful.

Unfortunately, we’re unlikely to see waterproof portable oxygen concentrators anytime in the near future. POCs work by drawing in ambient air and filtering out unnecessary gases like argon and nitrogen so all of these devices are vulnerable to water damage.

Store Your Concentrator in a Secure Place

Another safety consideration to make when purchasing a portable oxygen concentrator is the way you store it. Some people like to have a stationary oxygen concentrator to use in their home and a POC to use when they go out so it’s important to have a plan as to how and where you’re going to store it.

First and foremost, you should store your POC in a well-ventilated area. What this means is that you shouldn’t put it in a confined space because it could damage the unit and create an unnecessary fire risk.

Use the Right Oxygen Tubing

Oxygen tubing is very important when it comes to your safety. Oxygen tubing is what connects to your portable oxygen concentrator and delivers oxygen to your nose. The most common problem people have with oxygen tubing is that it’s too long. If this happens it may drag on the ground and cause a tripping hazard for you and the people around you.

One way to solve this is to invest in tidy tubing. This is a type of oxygen tubing that’s coiled so that the tubing is only as long as you need it to be. Whether you carry your portable oxygen concentrator under your shoulder or you wheel it behind yourself using a rolling cart, the tubing won’t be dragging or dangling in a way that could compromise your safety.

Another safety tip related to oxygen tubing is to check it regularly for signs of damage. If your oxygen tubing is kinked or it has a hole in it, you probably won’t be receiving the right amount of oxygen that you need to stay healthy. If you’re using a pulse dose concentrator which relies on breath detection in order to deliver oxygen at the optimal moment, damaged oxygen tubing could negatively impact this. It’s a good idea to have some backup oxygen tubing and nasal cannulas on hand at all times in the event that something goes wrong.

Another thing you should be doing is cleaning your oxygen tubing regularly. Over time, oxygen tubing can gather bacteria which can lead to you becoming sick if you’re not careful. Since infection is the top cause of COPD exacerbations and we’re in the middle of a pandemic, this should be a top priority for you.

Have Back-Up Batteries on Hand

Although portable oxygen concentrator batteries are extremely reliable, you still shouldn’t go out of the house without at least one backup battery. The reason for this is because you may encounter a situation where you need to stay out of the house longer than you thought and you won’t want to stress about running out of oxygen when you’re not near an outlet. Fortunately, most POC batteries are very lightweight so you won’t be adding a lot of extra weight if you need to carry a couple of extra batteries.

If you are planning on taking a flight, be aware that most airlines will require you to have at least 1.5 times the flight duration in battery life. So, for example, if your flight is 4 hours long, you will need to have at least 6 hours of battery life available to you. This rule is in place to make sure you account for any delays that might occur during your flight. Be sure to contact your airline at least 48 hours before a flight to notify them of your oxygen use and ask about any other safety precautions.

Plan for Power Outages

Power outages are a rare occurrence but they’re still a reality. Since portable oxygen concentrators require electricity to run, you need a power source in order to charge your batteries. One thing many oxygen manufacturers advise is that you contact your utility company and ask about priority service. Some companies have safety measures in place to ensure that people who own oxygen concentrators or other medical devices that rely on electricity can always have access to electricity. Electricity generators are the most common way to do this. For more information, check out this site.

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Another thing you should do to plan for power outages is to have an action plan. An action plan, just like the name suggests, will help you be prepared to take action in an urgent moment when you have little time to think about what to do. For example, if your power goes out during a storm, you may need to go without power for several days or upwards of a week. A power generator likely won’t last this long so you’ll need to have an alternative course of action.

Read Your Product’s User Manual

Last but certainly not least, you should have a good grasp on your portable oxygen concentrator’s user manual. The user manual is the paper booklet that is packaged with your device and it describes important information like how to use your device, how to troubleshoot any errors, and most importantly, information about how to use the device safely. Every POC works slightly differently, so even if you have used a POC in the past, it’s a good idea to read through your whole user manual and fully understand it.

Conclusion

All around, portable oxygen concentrators are the safest supplemental oxygen devices on the market. They’re lightweight, have a small form factor, and they’re extremely reliable. But since they deliver medical grade oxygen, there are some inherent precautions you should take before using them.

Above all, your oxygen manufacturer and user manual will be the best resources for you. Every portable oxygen concentrator operates a little differently, so it’s best to fully understand how it works before you begin using it. However, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or reach out to us.

Life is full of obstacles that we need to overcome. Whether it be an obstacle in our career or personal life, success always comes from our ability to adapt to these circumstances and find a way past them. Thankfully, you never have to feel “alone” when it comes to facing these challenges. There’s no shame in relying on friends and family when times get tough, especially if it’s your health that’s at stake.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one life-changing obstacle that millions of Americans are faced with each year. If you’re diagnosed with this common lung disease, you will need to plan your life around your treatment plan which could involve drastic changes to your diet or exercise routine, as well as kicking bad habits like cigarette smoking, a poor sleep schedule, or overeating.

While this may sound like an immense barrier to overcome in your life, by breaking it down and focusing on one thing at a time, you’ll find that it’s much easier than you thought. Aside from relying on friends, family, and healthcare professionals, you should also make it a priority to rely on modern technology. At first, it may seem easier to stick with technology that you know how to use and that you’re comfortable with, however, over time you’ll find that modern technology is not as scary as it seems. 

In this post, we’ll take a look at 7 different barriers you’ll be able to overcome with the help of a portable oxygen concentrator. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to speak with one of our respiratory specialists.

How Portable Oxygen Concentrators are “More Advanced”

If you think about the phone that’s in your pocket or the computer that’s sitting on your desk at home, you might be amazed at how far these devices have progressed in the past decade. These devices have all progressed in a way that allows us to accomplish more with less effort. And in some cases, they can even automate processes that were once tedious chores.

Oxygen delivery devices have progressed in much the same way. Unlike old bulky oxygen tanks, modern portable oxygen concentrators afford COPD patients the opportunity to accomplish more in their day-to-day lives with less hassle. But in order to accomplish that, oxygen manufacturers how to pursue a new type of oxygen delivery that didn’t involve storing oxygen inside a tank.

Oxygen concentrators work by generating oxygen from ambient air. They use intake vents to draw in surrounding air, then remove impurities like nitrogen and argon. It then puts out medical-grade oxygen that the user inhales through the nasal cannula. While this may sound complicated, the whole process is automated for you and all you need to worry about is learning how to turn the device on or off and adjust the flow setting which determines how much oxygen you receive. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the obstacles you’ll overcome with a portable oxygen unit.

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Staying Active

Exercise plays a crucial role in weight management, improving mood, boosting energy, promoting better sleep, and reducing your risk of developing diseases like diabetes and arthritis. Unfortunately, many people are under the impression that the need to exercise dissipates as we age or if we develop a chronic condition like COPD. This could not be farther from the truth!

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regular physical activity in seniors reduces your risk for common conditions like coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and colon cancer. It’s also one of the best ways to combat feelings of loneliness or helplessness which are common in old age.

The good news is that you don’t need to commit to a rigorous exercise routine in order to benefit. Studies have shown that even a small amount of moderate exercise each day will have immense benefits for our health. What’s more important than the intensity of the exercise is how frequently you do it. Maintaining a sedentary lifestyle for more than a couple of days or weeks on end will inevitably cause your health to decline.

If you have COPD, you know that exercise can be a huge barrier in the way of staying healthy. Even patients with moderate (stage 2) COPD have around 50% to 79% lung function (FEV1), so it’s no surprise that many people with COPD become breathless after a small amount of exercise. This is why it’s absolutely vital that you keep up with your supplemental oxygen needs because it will ensure that your blood oxygen levels remain stable. 

According to Healthline.com, a normal blood oxygen level is between 80 and 100 millimeters of mercury (mm HG), but it’s important to first check in with your doctor to make sure this is best for you. Either way, if you want to maintain your oxygen levels, you’re going to need a reliable portable oxygen device that you can take with you whenever you exercise. Since portable oxygen concentrators are much lighter and smaller than their alternatives, most people prefer them if they’re looking to stay active. 

Doing Chores Around the House

Doing chores isn’t something that most people look forward to. They can be quite tedious and take time away from things that are much more entertaining. But COPD patients often have a unique perspective when it comes to chores because they can help them feel more in control and independent in their daily lives.

Simple tasks like taking out the trash, washing the dishes, or folding clothes can be very important for COPD patients who may feel anxiety or loneliness. These seemingly menial tasks can help keep your mind occupied in your downtime, keeping your mind off your disease and any other negative thoughts that you might come across. They can also help you keep your living space clean by reducing clutter.

Modern portable oxygen concentrators make it much easier for COPD patients to get around their own homes than old outdated oxygen tanks do. In the past, oxygen patients would need to purchase an extra long nasal cannula that they could drag around from room to room. This can be a pain, not to mention it’s also very dangerous because it can be a tripping hazard.

Traveling Long Distance

Long-distance travel is a huge barrier for many people with COPD. Since oxygen tanks are illegal on commercial flights for safety reasons, those with a respiratory impairment are required to take slower forms of transportation such as driving or riding a train or bus. If your goal is to visit your friends or loved ones across the country, you may be better off letting them come to you.

On the other hand, if you use a portable oxygen concentrator, you’ll be happy to find that no form of transportation is off-limits. Portable oxygen concentrators are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for in-flight use. All that is required is that you bring enough batteries to last you 1.5 times the length of the flight in duration. So, for example, if your flight was two hours long, you need three hours’ worth of battery. This is not a problem, however, considering concentrators like the Caire FreeStyle Comfort and Inogen One G5 can provide you with well over 10 hours of battery life on one charge. 

Keeping up With Your Friends

A couple of months ago, we wrote an article titled, “7 Social Benefits of Owning a Portable Oxygen Concentrator.” In this post, we discussed the social stigma that’s often associated with supplemental oxygen therapy. From an outside perspective, oxygen users are often seen as less capable than their counterparts due to the fact that they have to lug around a bulky oxygen tank. But when they switch over to a portable oxygen concentrator, this stigma often goes away.

Not only are oxygen concentrator owners perceived as “more capable,” but they actually are more capable. Portable oxygen concentrators like the Inogen One G3 can easily be slung over your shoulder and carried around all day without you experiencing shoulder or back pain or shortness of breath. What’s more, it offers a variety of carrying options that can help you conceal your device and make it more inconspicuous.

The GO2 Carryall is one such carrying option that any G3 owner can enjoy. This is a leather bag specially designed to fit the Inogen One G3. Instead of simply protecting the G3, however, they also look very stylish and match many different wardrobes. It’s also very easy to access the G3 control panel if you need to adjust your flow setting, check your battery life, or turn the device on or off.

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Avoiding Hospital Visits

There’s no doubt about it, being admitted to the hospital constantly due to flare-ups or exacerbations is exhausting, time-consuming, and it can put a huge strain on your financial well-being. According to businessinsider.com, the average stay at a hospital is around $10,700. In other words, you can eat through your savings real fast if you don’t come up with some plan to reduce medical emergencies due to COPD.

Simply put, POCs help you prevent exacerbations and flare-ups because they offer a reliable source of oxygen no matter where you are in the world. Whether you’re sitting at home or you’re exercising at your favorite park, these oxygen machines will keep your lungs fully saturated, which in turn will ensure that every tissue and organ in your body has the oxygen it needs to function properly. This will put you in the best position possible to avoid medical emergencies like a heart attack, stroke, or high blood pressure.  

Another way that portable oxygen concentrators prevent exacerbations and flare-ups is because they come equipped with particle filters. These filters remove small particles from the air that you would normally be inhaling before it enters the device. This is mainly done to prevent damage to the POC itself, but it has the added benefit of purifying the air that you inhale through the nasal cannula. However, if you want to breathe the cleanest air possible, you should be sure to remove and clean the particle filter regularly. If you don’t know how to do this, consult your product’s user manual or speak with a respiratory specialist.

Following Your COPD Treatment Plan

A COPD treatment plan is an all-encompassing set of guidelines that your doctor will create for you to help you slow the progression of your disease and reduce symptoms. It usually involves some type of exercise routine like pulmonary rehabilitation, an improved diet, medication, and supplemental oxygen therapy. Like anything in life, the more you work at your treatment plan, the easier it will be to follow.

If you’re struggling to manage all these different things, however, you may benefit from a portable oxygen concentrator. Unlike oxygen tanks, you’ll never have to “refill” your concentrator. Simply plug it into a wall outlet until it’s fully charged or you can keep an extra battery charged so that you have no downtime. This will free up some time for you to work on other areas of your treatment plan such as your diet or exercise routine.

Staying Self-Sufficient

Self-sufficiency is something that can easily be taken for granted if you’re not careful. Chances are, you’ve spent your whole life working and taking care of yourself, but if you’re diagnosed with COPD, you might see this freedom slowly start to disappear. You may find yourself becoming increasingly reliant on friends or loved ones for support.

One of the reasons COPD patients may find themselves becoming less self-sufficient is because of their oxygen device. Oxygen tanks need to be refilled regularly meaning you’ll either have to go to an oxygen company yourself or have them deliver full oxygen tanks to your home on a regular basis. But if you switch over to a portable oxygen concentrator you’ll find that you never need to rely on others. Simply charge up your batteries and you’ll be able to go wherever you want, whenever you want.

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Conclusion

Everyone faces roadblocks in their life that make it more difficult to accomplish everything we’ve set out to do. But being diagnosed with COPD can feel like facing an obstacle that can’t be overcome. Fortunately, by taking things one step at a time and relying on friends, family members, and modern technology, it is possible to make progress and live a happy life.

Most COPD patients prefer using portable oxygen concentrators over other oxygen devices like compressed oxygen, liquid oxygen, or stationary oxygen concentrators because they help them to overcome some of their greatest challenges with less stress and anxiety. They’re also far more reliable and less dangerous to use.