There are a lot of great options when it comes to choosing a portable oxygen concentrator from LPT Medical. We stock only the most reputable and highest quality oxygen devices on the market but we offer our customers the lowest price because we are a local family owned business. We are based in Denver Colorado but we ship our device nationwide overnight! 

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When it comes to supplemental oxygen therapy there are a few things you as an oxygen user have no control over. First, the degree of your condition, or the severity of your illness is what will determine your oxygen flow rate. Your doctor will take you through a variety of test to indicate your oxygen prescription.  

Whether or not you need your oxygen 24/7 your oxygen device must be trustworthy and safe. 

So what makes an oxygen device trustworthy and safe? 

First and foremost, portable oxygen concentrators are the safest oxygen devices you can own because they do not have a reservoir of oxygen gas collected inside of them, instead there is a battery and a filter. 

The battery and filter work together to extract air from the surroundings to compress it into medical grade oxygen that you will use to breathe. 

Unlike tanks and canisters, you are able to travel by plane with your concentrator, and rest assured you will be getting plenty of oxygen on all of your travel endeavors. 

Now, the truth of the matter is that once you have an oxygen prescription, you will be sorted into one of two categories- either a pulse flow oxygen user or a continuous flow oxygen user, and in some cases, people need both.

If you need both, you are technically in the continuous flow user category because your oxygen device will need to operate continuously but pulse flow machines are incapable of this operation while continuous oxygen devices can do both! 

This article is for all of the pulse flow oxygen users out there who are looking to get the biggest bang for their buck, but also want to be sure all of their oxygen needs are met. 

For these people, we created this video below that will go through the differences between two of the best pulse flow portables on the market today, the Inogen One G5 and the GCE Zeno Lite.

Now, after watching his video, and if it is still not abundantly clear which oxygen device you think would work better for you, simply reach out to the experts at LPT Medical. Our respiratory specialists work with customers day and night to ensure all of their oxygen requirements are met with our devices.

Also, these devices are simple to use, however, new technology can always be slightly confusing. If you recently bought a device from us and have any questions about how to operate the device, changes to your oxygen prescription, or anything under the sun, don't hesitate to call us at 1(800)-946-1202. 

The rest of this blog will outline what was talked about in the video of anyone who is hard of hearing and prefers to read!

Similarities of the One G5 and the Zeno Lite

Both of the One G5 and the Zeno List are easy to use pulse flow portable oxygen concentrators. 

They are lightweight and easy to carry over your shoulder! Both are compact and small compared to any oxygen tank, so these devices can go with you anywhere. 

Both come with 3 year warranty on the device and 1 year warranty on accessories. 

Both devices are FAA approved for travel so you can bring either of them on an airplane with you.

It is important now to go through all of the differences between the one G5 and the Zeno Lite so you are able to make an educated decision about which device you want to purchase.

Difference of the One G5 and the Zeno Lite

Weight differences

The Inogen one G5 

The One G5 weighs 4.7 pounds. It is one of the lightest pulse flow devices that is able to maintain a high flow rate for oxygen users that require a certain flow rate. 

The Zeno Lite 

The Zeno lite weighs 5.5 pounds. So while it is slightly heavier than the One G5, is is not heavy, and with the help of the Custom Carrying Case, Padded Shoulder Strap, and the Padded Handle Strap it too is easy to bring with you wherever life takes you.

Dimensions of the unit 

The Inogen One G5

The one G5 stands at 8.15" H x 7.19" L x 3.26" W

The GCE Zeno Lite

The GCE Zeno Lite stands at 9.25” H x 3.8” D x 9.8” W

It is easy to see these dimensions in the video above, and you can compare the size of the devices as they sit next to each other. 

Settings of the units 

The Inogen One G5 

When it comes to portable oxygen concentrators, many of our customer’s oxygen demands cannot be satisfied due to the lack of pulse flow settings.

With the Inogen One G5 portable oxygen concentrator that will not be a problem, as this device offers pulse flow settings of 1-6!

So as your breathing rate and requirements change depending on if you are laying in bed or exercising, the Inogen One G5 has the ability to satisfy your oxygen demands.

The GCE Zeno Lite 

The Zen-O Lite offers a high oxygen output to accommodate as many oxygen users as possible.

It offers pulse flow settings 1-5 that can be adjusted in 0.5 increments. So whether you’re exercising, feeling sick, or are experiencing an exacerbation you will be able to increase the machine’s oxygen output to get the oxygen you need. 

Just remember to check with your doctor before you increase the flow rate on your machine.

Battery life 

The Inogen One G5 

The Inogen One G5 portable oxygen concentrator is lighter and offers an even longer battery life than the Inogen One G3. Below is the expected battery life of the Inogen One G5:

The GCE Zeno Lite 

Battery life is one of the most important features of a portable oxygen concentrator. More battery life equals more freedom and independence. Well, the GCE Zen-O Lite has you covered!

On a setting of 2, the Zen-O Lite gets up to 4 hours of battery life on a single charge and the standard package comes with two batteries to give you up to 8 hours of battery life! Unlike other manufacturers who offer different battery sizes, GCE wanted to keep the Zen-O Lite as light as possible. With the other manufacturers, the larger battery option adds unwanted weight to the machine.

Sound level 

The Inogen One G5 

The sound level of the One 5 offers a 39 dBA when it is set to a setting of 2. 

The GCE Zeno Lite 

One of the most impressive components of the GCE Zen-O Lite is that it is whisper quiet! It is hands down one of the quietest portable oxygen concentrators we’ve ever heard. The noise of portable oxygen concentrators can sometimes bother certain oxygen users, if this includes you, it is time to give the Zeno Lite a try!

On a setting of 2, the GCE Zen-O Lite only registers at 37 dBA! You will be able to go to the movies, go to church, or have a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant without worrying about your concentrator making much noise all around you.

Bonus features 

The Inogen One G5 

The bonus features of the One G5 start with reaping the benefits of oxygen therapy at night, while you sleep. Thanks to the presence of Inogen’s intelligent Sleep Mode Technology.

Essentially what this means is that as your breathing rate becomes more shallow as you sleep, the Sleep Mode Technology will go to work by increasing each bolus dose of oxygen.

Even if you are a mouth breather, the Sleep Mode Technology is able to detect shallow mouth breaths that are frequent when sleeping. This will then tell the Inogen One G5 to trigger a bolus dose based upon your specific fixed minute volume. 

Now, most of our customers are able to use this technology to sleep with the Inogen One G5, 

The GCE Zeno Lite 

The big bonus you get from using the Zen-O Lite is the easy to use technology. The control panel makes using the machine extremely simple. The control panel is equipped with a bright, easy-to-read display. And unlike other units on the market, the display is easy to read in direct sunlight, dim lighting, and in the dark!

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Along with the easy-to-read display, the Zen-O Lite is equipped with 5 large push buttons. You probably won’t even need to put your glasses on to see which button you want to press! The control panel is equipped with:

• Power Button
• Battery Life Button
• Alarm Muting Button
• Flow Rate Up Button
• Flow Rate Down Button

One of our favorite features on the control panel is the real-time battery display. On the LCD display screen, your Zen-O Lite will show you the oxygen setting you are using along with a battery life indicator on the right-hand side. However, if you press the battery life button you will get a real-time display showing you exactly how much battery life you have left!

Overview 

As a long-term oxygen user, you are in charge of your oxygen intake. There are not always doctors or nurses around you to tell you how to do it, or how much oxygen you need. This can be a lot of pressure for some people, and if that include you, one way to take the pressure off is to have an oxygen device that does the work for you.

The Inogen One G5 and The GCE Zeno Lite are pulse flow devices that will make your life as a long-term oxygen patient easier. Us here at LPT Medical are also here to help! 

Call us at 1(800)-946-1201 with any questions about these devices and we will be happy to help in anyway that we can!  

Many people with respiratory diseases COPD and Cystic Fibrosis have to deal with extra phlegm and congestion in their lungs and airways. It's an unfortunate symptom that can be difficult to manage, especially during periods of illness and exacerbations.

The reason for the excess mucus is inflammation in the respiratory tract caused by the disease. This kicks your mucus membranes into overdrive in an attempt to lubricate and soothe the lungs and airways, but it often leads to way too much extra mucus that is difficult to clear out.

Another cause of congestion in people with COPD is damaged lung tissue, which is not nearly as good at moving mucus up and out of your chest as healthy lungs are. When you pair that with decreased lung function and restricted airways, it can be nearly impossible to force out phlegm without some extra help.

For someone with COPD, excess mucus is particularly difficult to deal with because of common symptoms like chest tightness and airway restriction. When there's extra mucus and phlegm hanging around in the respiratory tract, it is especially difficult and uncomfortable for someone with COPD to breathe and cough controllably.

Fortunately, there are many different techniques and medications that can clear up congestion for people with a respiratory disease. That's why in this article we are going to teach you 16 effective methods respiratory patients can use to loosen and expel excess mucus.

It's important to note that if you suffer from any respiratory disease, not just COPD, and have trouble dealing with mucus, these tips will work for you.

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Physical Techniques to Help Clear Mucus for COPD

1. Controlled Deep Coughing

Coughing is the body's natural, instinctual way to get rid of chest congestion, and it's often surprisingly effective. When your COPD causes your airways to get clogged up with mucus, coughing is one of the first things you should try.

However, uncontrolled, frantic coughing is usually not the best way to clear mucus from your airways. That's why doctors have developed coughing techniques to help you control your coughing and make it even more effective, especially for COPD patients who have difficulty producing strong, productive coughs.

A “controlled deep cough” is a simple, heavy cough that you force from deep in your lungs. Start by sitting in a comfortable place, leaning forward slightly, taking a long, deep breath in.

Next, hold your breath for just a few seconds and then use your abdominal muscles to forcefully push the air out through your mouth. You can even cross your arms over your stomach and use gentle pressure on your abdomen to help expel the breath.

While practicing this technique, you might get the urge to clear your throat or begin coughing reflexively, but do your best to ignore the impulse. Instead, take a few normal breaths, and then try another deep, controlled cough.

This method is more comfortable, and more effective, than a hacking, uncontrolled cough.

2. Controlled Huff Coughing

Another form of controlled coughing, huff coughing, is a gentle and effective way to clear phlegm out of your airways. It's also known as the forced expiration technique and it works because it keeps the throat open and effectively moves mucus out of the lungs.

There are 5 simple steps to performing a huff cough:

• Start by sitting upright in a comfortable seat and lift your chin slightly.
  
  
• Empty your lungs by exhaling slowly and completely for several seconds.
  
  
• Next, take a slow, deep breath in, using your diaphragm (belly breaths).
  
  
• Hold your breath for 2-3 seconds, then force the air out through your mouth in three rapid huffs, taking care to keep your throat open
  
  
• Repeat the technique, but take a slightly smaller breath this time. You can repeat the huff coughing technique as needed, alternating between small and large breaths.

Successful huff coughing usually requires about 3-5 repetitions with at least 5-10 normal breaths in between. A respiratory therapist or doctor can help you perfect the proper huffing technique, and remember to stop huffing if you begin to feel pain or exhaustion.

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3. Chest Percussions

Chest percussion is a type of chest physical therapy that essentially involves tapping or clapping on your chest with your hand. This physically loosens and breaks down mucus that is stuck in your airways, making it easier to cough up out of your lungs.

The proper technique is to sit while leaning back and use a cupped hand to deliver very firm, but gentle claps to the upper-left and upper-right part of your chest (in the space between your collarbone and nipple). You will want to start by tapping the left side of your chest for 2-3 minutes, and then repeat the percussions on the right side for another 2-3 minutes.

You should feel the mucus loosening in your chest as you perform the percussions and feel the urge to cough immediately after. Allow yourself to cough up as much mucus as you can in-between percussions until you've cleared all the excess phlegm from your chest.

Percussions should always be firm, but not painful, and done in a steady rhythm. Always make sure to position your hands in the correct place before performing any kind of percussion.

Do NOT perform percussions on any of these areas:

• Avoid the stomach
• Avoid the breastbone
• Avoid the spine
• Avoid the lower ribs and lower back (to prevent injuring organs)

4. Back Percussions

Back percussions usually require you to have a caregiver or respiratory therapist there to help out. They are very similar to chest percussions, but you lean forward and have someone else tap key spots on your back instead of your chest.

Start in a leaning-forward position, by holding a pillow to your chest and bending forward at the waist. Then have your therapist or caregiver tap gently but firmly on your back with a cupped hand, in the space right above your shoulder blade.

Tap for 2-3 minutes in that spot, then repeat again above your right shoulder blade. The mucus in your chest should loosen, allowing you to cough and expel it from your lungs.

5. Vibration

Vibration is another form of chest physiotherapy that is often done in combination with chest and back percussions. You can perform vibration therapy on the same areas that you do percussions on: both sides of the upper chest and back.

To do manual vibrations, simply place both hands, flat and palm-side down, on the target area. Then, using gentle pressure with the heels of both hands, tense your hands and wrists and shake them in a vibration-like motion. The patient should exhale slowly as you perform the vibration.

COPD patients will most likely need a caregiver or respiratory therapist to help perform vibrations, but there is special equipment available that allows patients do it on their own. There's an inflatable vest called a high-frequency chest wall oscillator that uses air pressure to deliver high frequency vibrations to the chest and back.

You usually use a high-frequency chest wall oscillator for about five minutes at a time with breaks to allow you to cough and clear out the loosened mucus between sessions. Chest wall oscillator devices are surprisingly non-bulky and streamlined, and there are several different versions on the market, including the Vest Airway Clearance System and the SmartVest.

6. Positioning to Promote Drainage

Another form of chest physiotherapy, postural drainage, is about placing your body in different poses or positions to help mucus drain downward out of your lungs. The unique positions encourage different lobes, or sections, of your lung to drain out until you can cough up or spit out the phlegm.

Positional drainage is often much more effective when you use it in combination with chest percussions and vibrations. It works best if a caregiver or respiratory therapist helps by performing the vibrations while the patient relaxes in a postural drainage position and exhales slowly.

Here are a couple of common postural drainage positions (although there are still many others!):

• Draining mucus from the back of the lungs: In this position, you lie on your stomach and place pillows under your hips (usually three pillows are recommended) to raise your lower back and a small pillow under your head for comfort. Place your arms above your head and breathe deep from your belly.
  
  
• Draining mucus from the sides of your lungs: To drain the sides of your lungs, lie on one side and place a few pillows under your hip and a small pillow under your head. Stay in this position for 5 or 10 minutes, breathing deep from your belly for the duration.

The gravity along with the percussions and vibrations should effectively move the mucus out of your lungs, into your larger airways, and to your mouth where you can expel the excess sputum.

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A Last Word on Chest Physiotherapy

Most chest physical therapy sessions last somewhere between 20-40 minutes, and include alternating a variety of techniques including positional drainage, vibration, percussion, deep coughing, and huff coughing. You can do multiple sessions per day if needed, in fact doctors usually encourage COPD patients with excess mucus to do chest physiotherapy once in the morning and once before bed.

As you should before starting any kind of new therapy, make sure you talk to your doctor before starting or changing your chest physiotherapy regimen. Your doctor will be able to give you the best advice for how, when, and how often you should do it.

7. Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT)

The Active Cycle of Breathing Technique, or ACBT, is a three-step method for clearing mucus from your airways that is often recommended to patients with COPD. Like some of the other techniques we've discussed so far, ACBT includes coughing techniques, but combines them with chest and breathing exercises for maximum effect.

Follow these three steps to perform the Active Cycle of Breathing Technique:

Step 1: Relaxed, Controlled Breathing

Breathing slowly and steadily can help relax your airways and make it easier to expel mucus. Even though it can be difficult when you are congested, you want to try not to wheeze or breathe heavily before attempting to cough up mucus with this method.

Start by sitting up in a comfortable position and relaxing your chest, shoulders, and abdominal muscles. Breathe gentle, regular breaths by inhaling through your nose and exhaling from your mouth.

You want to breathe very gently with your lower chest so your upper chest can relax. You should feel your stomach rise and fall as you breathe, and it can help to lay one of your hands on your stomach to feel your abdomen expand as you take each breath.

Practice this controlled, gentle breathing for at least six breaths before moving on the next step.

Step 2: Chest Expansion Exercises

Now that you've relaxed your chest and practiced even breathing, it's time to loosen up and expand your chest. Doing this is as simple as taking in a large, deep breath.

Once you've filled your lungs up with air, hold it in for a moment or two, and then exhale gently. Don't force the air out.

Step 3: Controlled Huff Coughing

Now that you've used breathing and chest exercises to relax and expand the muscles in your chest and around your lungs, it's time to clear out the phlegm with huff coughing. This time, you do want to use forced expiration to get the mucus out of your airways.

Continue controlled huff coughing until you've forced all of the excess mucus out of your lungs and chest. Refer to the section near the beginning on huff coughing for a more detailed guide on how to use the huff cough technique.

8. Autogenic Drainage

Autogenic drainage is often used as alternative to the active cycle of breathing technique. It has three main phases in which you loosen mucus up from the walls of your respiratory tract, move it up through your airways, and expel it by coughing.

Phase 1: Dislodging Mucus

In this step, you take a small breath through your nose into your lower chest and hold it for three seconds. Then, exhale gently with the same force as if you were sighing, prolonging the breath. Repeat several times.

Phase 2: Moving Mucus out of Small Airways

This time, you want to take a larger, slower breath into your upper chest. Hold it for three seconds, and exhale quickly, drawing it out to be longer than when you breathed in.

Phase 3: Expelling Phlegm Out of Chest and Airways

In this phase, you should feel the phlegm moving in your chest, giving you the urge to cough. First, take a large, deep breath in and hold it for three seconds. Then breathe out normally.

Continue taking long, deep inhales, holding your breath for a few moments, and then exhaling normally until you feel mucus in your upper chest and throat. Use huffing exhales to force the up the phlegm and cough it out.

Medications and Medical Equipment to Help Clear Mucus for COPD

9. Expectorants

Expectorants are common over-the-counter medications that help thin and loosen up mucus in your chest and make it easier to cough up. However, studies show that expectorants might not be as effective or useful for people who have COPD.

Expectorants seem to work best in patients who have chronic bronchitis, but even then the benefits aren't particularly impressive. Make sure you talk to your doctor before taking expectorants to treat your COPD symptoms, and be aware that it might not work.

Some of the more common over the counter expectorants include Mucinex and Robitussin DM.

10. Mucolytics

Mucolytics are a type of oral medication used to treat COPD patients with thick mucus and difficulty expelling it from the respiratory tract’s Much like expectorants, mucolytics cause mucus to become thinner and easier to clear out of airways.

Unlike expectorants, which are usually taken as needed, mucolytics are usually taken daily to prevent symptoms. Mucolytics seem to be more effective than expectorants for patients with COPD, and can even prevent and treat exacerbations.

Some examples of mucolytic drugs often prescribed to patients with COPD:

• Carbocisteine
• Erdosteine
• Mecysteine

11. Saline Nebulizer

Nebulizers are often used to dispense medication to patients with asthma and COPD, but the evidence is piling up that COPD patients can also benefit from using a nebulizer with a plain saline (salt water) solution.

One study found that a nebulized saline treatment was able to help 65% of COPD patient participants to more easily expel mucus from their airways. It even managed to reduced breathlessness in some COPD patients, too.

Using a saline nebulizer is considered very safe, but you should still talk to your doctor first before trying any kind of new medical treatment. You also need to make sure you use a medically approved, hypertonic saline solution.

12. Positive Expiratory Pressure Devices

Positive Expiratory Pressure (PEP) is a type of therapy that helps you push your breath through your smaller air passages and loosen up mucus there. A PEP device is essentially just a mouthpiece or face mask that provides resistance when you exhale into it.

The extra air pressure that this creates helps force thick, stubborn mucus out your airways and up to your mouth, where you can cough or spit up the sputum.

You can use a Positive Expiratory Pressure device in three simple steps:

1. Seal your lips around the mouthpiece of your PEP device and take a deep breath.
2. Now, forcefully exhale through the device for several seconds, drawing it out as long as possible.
3. The pressure should give you urge to cough as it dislodges mucus in your airways. When you get the urge, take in another breath and practice deep or huff coughing to expel the mucus.

13. Lung Flute

The Lung Flute is similar to a PEP device, but it uses a reed attached to the mouthpiece to create a vibrating sensation. The vibrations the lung flute produces travel from your lips, down your airways, and to your lungs to help loosen up trapped mucus.

The Lung Flute creates pressure and loosens and breaks down mucus even in the deepest parts of your lungs, unlike other mucus clearing devices. COPD patients usually use their Lung Flute at least twice daily, but your doctor will help you develop a regimen that is right for you.

The Lung Flute is simple to use. Just follow these steps:

• Sit in a comfortable position and put the lung flute to your lips, angling the flute slightly downward.
  
  
• Take a deep breath in, seal your lips around the mouthpiece, and exhale very gently through your mouth. You will hear the reed attached to the mouthpiece fluttering as you blow out. (It might take some practice to move the reed correctly)
  
  
• Remove the flute from your lips and take another deep breath, and repeat another exhale through the mouthpiece, making sure it flutters the reed.
  
  
• Put down the mouthpiece and take several normal breaths. Repeat steps as necessary, blowing through the reed in repetitions of two blows at a time. You should feel the mucus collecting in your upper airways a few minutes after your lung flute therapy session, at which point you should practice controlled coughing techniques to expel the phlegm.

Diet & Lifestyle Techniques to Help Clear Mucus for COPD

14. Drink Plenty of Water

If you don't drink enough fluids throughout the day your mucus gets thicker and more difficult to drain or expel. Thick, sticky mucus is difficult to cough up and tends to get stuck in your airways, making it more difficult to breathe.

That's why it's especially important for people with COPD to drink enough water. Keeping your body hydrated helps keep your mucus thin and fluid, which makes it much easier to clear out of your airways.

But staving off congestion is only one of many reasons to drink plenty of water. You're more likely to stay active and stress-free if you're hydrated, whereas dehydration can affect your mood and leave you feeling sluggish and fatigued.

15. Avoid Too Much Milk and Dairy

It is an often-repeated tale that drinking milk and eating dairy causes your body to produce extra mucus, but it turns out that's not exactly true. Studies do show, however, that milk and dairy cause the mucus in your airways to get thicker, which is probably how the myth originated.

If you avoid having too many dairy products in your diet, it can help keep your mucus thin and more manageable. As we've discussed, thinner mucus is better because it's easier to drain and cough up from your chest.

If you eat a lot of dairy products and also have trouble with thick mucus that's difficult to expel, you might want to reduce t

In order to maintain a healthy and well-balanced diet, it’s essential to consume a wide variety of nutrients. Most of these nutrients can be found in the food that we eat, but occasionally it’s advised that you take dietary supplements in order to boost your intake of certain vitamins and minerals.

While everyone needs the same nutrients, it’s usually a matter of what quantity you should consume them in. For example, babies need to consume a lot of vitamin D which helps regulate calcium and phosphate in the body. In turn, this aids in the development of strong bones, teeth, and muscles.

Similarly, a healthy adult may need to consume different quantities of nutrients than an adult with a chronic disease. COPD patients, in particular, are reported to have deficiencies in vitamin D and other nutrients with antioxidant capacity such as vitamins A, C, and E.  

But getting the right nutrients isn’t as simple as it sounds. You’ll need to consult with your doctor and maybe even a dietitian who can examine your condition and compile a dietary plan that will work best for you. 

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the supplements that are most commonly used in COPD patients and we’ll provide you with all the information you need to know to start discussing supplements with your doctor. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section so we can reach out to you.

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The Good and the Bad of Dietary Supplements

According to a 2017 survey by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), 76 percent of U.S. adults use dietary supplements. And while supplements are widely available and easily accessible, they aren’t always used in a responsible way.

Unfortunately, just like drugs, dietary supplements have well-known and well-documented side-effects. Supplements contain active ingredients and if they aren’t used in moderation, they can have strong adverse effects on the body.

One of the greatest dangers of supplements is that they aren’t regulated the same way many drugs are. According to the American Cancer Society, both supplements and drugs are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, drugs are often considered unsafe until proven safe, whereas supplements are considered safe until proven unsafe.

The reason this happens is that supplements are categorized as a “food product” making them immune to many of the tests that are required to bring drugs to store shelves. Drug manufacturers are required to put their products through a series of clinical trials that test their safety and efficacy. On the other hand, supplement manufacturers only need to prove that their products do not result in “a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.”

Because supplements are “self-prescribed,” it’s a lot more difficult for health professionals to track their use. Rather than being able to prescribe each vitamin and mineral that their patient takes, doctors and nutritionists need to rely on their patients to do their own research and address any concerns they have before purchasing any type of dietary supplement.

Lastly, supplement manufacturers do not need to seek approval from the FDA in order to market their products. Supplement advertisements often tout anecdotal evidence rather than empirical evidence as proof that their supplements work. In other words, their evidence is based on an individual’s experience instead of proven facts and statistics.

Dietary Supplements and COPD

With all of this being said, the best advice for COPD patients interested in dietary supplements is to be cautious about what you read. While supplements don’t typically have side-effects as severe as drugs, they still contain powerful active ingredients that can make COPD more difficult to manage if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Another thing to note is that supplements are not a “cure-all” and they’re not intended to treat a specific disease or illness. They’re most commonly used to treat nutrient deficiencies in your body, and you won’t know what these deficiencies are unless you discuss your symptoms with your doctor.

COPD is a progressive and irreversible lung disease characterized by chronic inflammation and obstructed airflow. COPD varies widely in terms of severity and many patients will experience comorbidities such as sleep apnea, osteoporosis, cardiac disease, as well as mental health disorders like anxiety or depression.   

As a result, it’s impossible for a pulmonologist to provide a “one-size-fits-all” treatment plan for a COPD patient. Each patient is considered a unique case, so even if something works for one COPD patient, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for all of them. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most commonly recommended supplements for COPD.

Vitamins

Every day, your body works around the clock to produce skin, bone, and muscle. It sends nerve signals throughout the body and creates rich red blood cells that nurture every organ in the body. But without essential nutrients like vitamins, your body would not be able to do any of this.

Your body requires about 30 different types of vitamins, minerals, and dietary components. But the problem is, many of these components are not produced by the body naturally, so you need to get them from either the food you eat or dietary supplements.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays a number of important roles in the body. First and foremost, it promotes healthy calcium absorption. Calcium is a mineral that’s responsible for muscle function, hormonal secretion, nerve transmission, and vascular vasodilation and contraction. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the reduction of inflammation, immune function, and the modulation of cell growth.

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common side-effects associated with COPD. It’s estimated that about 25 percent of people with COPD have low levels of vitamin D. This occurs for two main reasons: COPD patients often don’t eat the recommended amount of meals each day because eating can be physically exhausting and lead to difficulty breathing.

Secondly, many COPD patients, especially those with stage 3 or stage 4 COPD, don’t get outside very much. Since a large portion of our vitamin D intake is absorbed from sunlight, respiratory patients are often deprived of this. 

While COPD patients can take regular vitamin D supplements or vitamin D with calcium, vitamin D3 is a better alternative for many people. The reason for this is because vitamin D3 contains both sunlight and dietary-activated vitamins — both of which COPD patients lack.

Generally, vitamin D is believed to reduce the rate of lung decline for people with severe lung disease. Because vitamin D helps regulate inflammation, COPD patients may experience fewer exacerbations that are less severe. Regular vitamin D levels will also help prevent osteoporosis and other bone conditions that can make living with COPD even more difficult.

Too much vitamin D may result in vitamin D toxicity. This can cause too much calcium to build up in the blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause fatigue, weakness, and nausea. If hypercalcemia progresses, it can lead to the formation of calcium stones and pain in the bones and kidney. 

Minerals

Like vitamins, minerals are one of the essential nutrients for your body. Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic materials that play a number of important roles like maintaining healthy brain function, muscle function, and heart function. There are two types of minerals: trace minerals and macrominerals.

Macrominerals include magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfur, and calcium. Generally speaking, macrominerals are needed in much higher doses than trace minerals and they play a larger role in your body functions. Trace minerals, on the other hand, include fluoride, selenium, cobalt, zinc, iodine, copper, and iron. 

Magnesium Sulfate

Magnesium sulfate (MS) is widely used as a treatment for asthma due to its bronchodilatory effects. What this means is that it can help widen the airways in the event of a severe asthma exacerbation. Unfortunately, MS has not been tested as widely when it comes to treating COPD, so its efficacy is still up for debate.

Several placebo-controlled trials have been conducted to test the benefits of magnesium sulfate in treating COPD. However, they have yielded mixed results and didn’t present enough evidence to indicate that COPD patients should adjust their treatment plan to accommodate for oral or nebulized magnesium sulfate supplements.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential trace element that plays an important role in immunity. While zinc can be found naturally in foods like whole grains, red meat, and poultry, it can also be taken in the form of dietary supplements. Zinc is an antioxidant, meaning it protects your cells against dangerous free radicals that are produced when your body breaks down food or you’re exposed to tobacco smoke.  

An imbalance between antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress is believed to play a major role in the development of COPD, so zinc may have beneficial effects when it comes to regulating this. Since zinc plays such an important role in regulating the immune system, COPD patients with zinc deficiency will be at a higher risk of experiencing lung infections that can lead to exacerbations.   

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are not one nutrient, but rather, a whole family of essential fatty acids. Since your body cannot produce these fatty acids on its own, you need to get them through your diet. Some examples of food that contain omega-3 include fish (salmon), flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. 

Omega-3 supplements are very popular nowadays and for good reason. It’s been proven to lower blood pressure, slow plaque development in the arteries, improve heart health, and even help you manage anxiety or depression. Omega-3 supplements, in particular, are great for people who don’t consume a lot of fish or other foods that contain omega-3.

One of the ways omega-3 helps COPD patients is by fighting inflammation. According to Richard Phipps, Ph.D. professor of Environmental Medicine and director of URSMD Lung Biology and Disease Program, “We never really knew why diets high in omega fatty acids seemed good, but now we know it’s because they provide the precursors for molecules that help shut down excessive inflammation.” 

While many people take omega-3 supplements like fish oil without consulting their doctor, it’s recommended that COPD patients ask their pulmonologist first. There are three different types of omega-3s including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), all of which have different uses. What’s more, it’s important to consume the correct ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. 

If you have a shellfish allergy, be aware that omega-3 supplements may contain trace amounts of shellfish. Be sure to address this with your doctor if you’re concerned about it.

NAC (N-Acetylcysteine)

N-acetylcysteine is an antioxidant that potentially has beneficial effects for people with COPD. While NAC has been shown to reduce cough and phlegm and thin mucus in some patients, it has shown little to no effect in others. More studies are needed to fully understand the pros and cons of using NAC to treat COPD.

From what we know so far, however, NAC seems very safe to use. What’s more, it can be taken either orally, or through a nebulizer which gives COPD patients plenty of options. NAC is typically prescribed in tandem with other treatment options rather than being used as a primary treatment for COPD.  

Ginseng

Aside from vitamin D, ginseng is one of the most common supplements used for COPD. Ginseng is a root that’s found in many places around the world, but the most popular are American ginseng and Asian ginseng, the latter of which has been used in medicine for centuries.

While ginseng has many benefits for people with different conditions, for COPD patients, it has powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Another benefit of ginseng is that it’s an all-natural herbal supplement. So, unlike manmade vitamin and mineral supplements, it’s much easier for patients to verify that they are receiving a pure product without any additives. 

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Everyone needs to maintain a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals to be healthy. However, like drugs, taking too many dietary supplements can have adverse side-effects. Many people take a daily “multivitamin” which contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. And while these have some proven health benefits for some people, they don’t target specific nutrients that will benefit COPD patients.

If you want to do what’s best for your health, especially if you have COPD or another chronic illness, it’s best to consult your doctor. He/she will help you understand how dietary supplements fit into your overall COPD treatment regimen and give you an idea of what side-effects to expect. Ask your doctor the following questions to get you started:

• Are there any tests I can take to see if I have vitamin deficiencies?
• How will supplements affect my COPD diet?
• What are the benefits and risks of the supplements I’m taking?
• How can I ensure the supplements I’m using are safe?
• Are there any effective alternatives to the supplements I’m taking?
• How will supplements affect my comorbidities such as sleep apnea, heart problems, or anxiety?  
  
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Conclusion

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in our overall health. By getting our recommended daily value of vitamins and minerals, we provide our bodies with the raw materials they need to perform functions such as regulating blood production and blood flow, building strong healthy bones, and regulating metabolism. Dietary supplements are a great way to fine-tune our diet, but they can be equally destructive if they aren’t used correctly. 

Similar to drugs, every dietary supplement has side-effects. If you’re someone with COPD or any other chronic illness, this could make your symptoms worse and even increase your chance of experiencing exacerbations. This is why it’s important to first discuss with your doctor so that he/she can recommend supplements that will work in tandem with your COPD treatment regimen, rather than working against it.

If you have COPD, then you've probably realized that treating the disease is not a simple process. In order to get it right, your doctor needs to have a very thorough understanding of your physical condition and the nature of your disease.

Because of this, people with COPD have to undergo a large number of medical tests and screenings over the course of COPD treatment. These tests, which include blood screenings, x-rays, spirometry measurements, and more, allow your doctor to tailor your treatment plan specifically to your needs.

Unfortunately, while these tests reveal valuable information about your health and your disease, many patients don't fully understand what their results mean. Even if you have a general idea of what the tests are for, chances are you still wouldn't know how to read and understand the results.

Fortunately, you don't have to be a doctor or a nurse to make some sense out of your medical test results. With a little practice and help, just about everyone is capable of grasping the important aspects of the different tests used to diagnose and monitor COPD.

In this post, we're going to teach you all about these tests—lung function tests, blood tests, chest scans, and more—and show you how to interpret the data in the results. We'll explain what each test is, how it works, and how to figure out what your results actually mean for you and your health.

This is a useful skill that can help you better understand what's going on when you visit your doctor and work with other members of your COPD treatment team. It can also give you the confidence to ask more questions and understand the nuances of treating and monitoring your disease.

Even though the medical jargon can seem complicated at first, it won't seem nearly as intimidating once it's broken down into layman's terms. Once you learn the basics, you'll find it much easier to navigate the medical vocabulary surrounding your disease and treatments.

In the following sections, we'll give you the information you need to start understanding your COPD test results on a deeper level than before. That way, you can take a more active role in your health and treating your COPD.

Getting Your Hands on Your COPD Test Results

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If you want the opportunity to understand what your COPD tests mean, you need to make sure you have ready access to your results. In some cases, this is as simple as asking your doctor to give you a copy of all your records and reports.

Some healthcare providers, on the other hand, may require you to follow a specific request process in order to get your records. You may need to write a letter, fill out a form, or pay a small fee to cover the cost of making copies and mailing.

Whenever you take a new spirometry test or another type of health screening, make sure to let your doctor know that you'd like to look at the results yourself. Some test results take days or weeks to come

back, but if your doctor knows you're waiting to see them, he can make sure you get access to the records as soon as they're available.

Also keep in mind, that, if you live in the US, you are always entitled to see and review your medical records by law, except in a few rare cases (usually related to mental health records). It is a right under the US Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), and it states that you must be able to access existing records within 60 days of requesting them.

If you cannot access your medical records or feel that your rights to review your records have been violated, you can file a complaint with the US Department of Health and Human Services. Just make sure you file your complaint with 180 days of your denied request.

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Leverage Your Doctor's Experience: Always Listen to the Expert

Whenever possible, you should ask your doctor to go over your COPD test results with you personally, especially if you are unfamiliar with the test or how the data is organized. Even if you know the basics of what you're looking at, your doctor can help you understand the report much better than you could on your own.

You might ask your doctor to go through the report with you line-by-line to help guide you through the information. This gives him the chance to explain important concepts and details that can help you better interpret the results.

This also gives you an opportunity to ask questions and express any concerns you have about the results of your test. If there's anything you are unsure of, don't be afraid to ask your doctor to explain it more clearly.

Understanding Your Lung Function Test Results

There are several different types of lung function tests (also known as pulmonary function tests), and their purpose is to measure how well your lungs are working. They are quick, reliable, and simple to do, which is why they are widely used both to diagnose COPD and to monitor the disease long term.

Lung function tests can tell you whether or not your lungs are damaged and, if they are, give you a better idea of how much damage they have sustained. Doctors use the results to both diagnose COPD and to gauge the severity of the disease.

If you have COPD, then it's important to familiarize yourself with lung function tests—especially spirometry—and how they work. You will take them fairly often over the course of your treatment, likely as part of your regular COPD check-ups.

Taking these tests periodically allows your doctor to track any changes that happen in your lung function over time. This is important, because it allows your doctor to catch and treat problems, like infections, exacerbations, and lung function decline quickly when they occur.

Spirometry

Spirometry is the primary method doctors use to measure lung function and evaluate COPD. It's a relatively simple test that measures changes in your lung volume as you breathe.

By measuring these changes, spirometry can evaluate whether or not your airways are obstructed, and if they are, to what degree. Because of this, spirometry measurements are a reliable way to diagnose COPD and determine how severe the disease is.

Spirometry tests are simple, painless, and relatively quick to complete. If you have COPD, your doctor will probably ask you take a spirometry test at every appointment so that he can look for any changes in your results.

Taking a Spirometry Test

In order to take a spirometry test, you have to breathe out through a mouthpiece attached to a small machine called a spirometer. Your doctor will also put a clip on your nose to pinch your nostrils shut; this is simply to make sure that you only breathe through the mouthpiece during the test.

Then, your doctor will instruct you to take in a deep breath of air (not through the mouthpiece) before exhaling as forcefully and completely as you can into the spirometer's mouthpiece. You will need to do this at least a few times or until your doctor gets a good set of clean results.

The entire process should take less than fifteen minutes to complete. However, you may need to take the test two separate times: once without taking any medication, and once after you've used a bronchodilator inhaler, with a short pause in-between.

This is known as a bronchodilator reversibility test because it tells you how much the bronchodilator medication is able to improve your airway obstruction. This tells your doctor how well you respond to the medication and helps him determine the best course of treatment.

Spirometry Test Measurements

There are three main measurements that your doctor will measure in a typical spirometry test:

• FVC: Forced Vital Capacity
• FEV1: Forced Expiratory Volume (in one second)
• FEV1/FVC: this is a ratio comparing your forced expiratory volume (FEV) to your forced vital capacity (FVC)

Spirometry tests take other measurements as well, including forced expiratory flow (FEF), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV). However, we're not going to discuss these in any detail here because FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC are usually the most important spirometry results to look at when it comes to diagnosing and monitoring COPD.

FVC: Your forced vital capacity (FVC) essentially tells you how much air you can push out of your lungs in one breath. More specifically, it is a measure of how much air (in volume) that you can exhale forcefully and quickly from your lungs after taking in as deep a breath as you can.

FEV1: Your FEV1 tells you how much air you can exhale from your lungs in exactly one second after taking a deep breath. Basically, FVC tells you the volume of air you push out during one full exhale, while FEV1 tells you the volume of air you can push out during the first second of that full exhale.

FEV1/FVC: When you divide your FEV1 by your FVC, you get another important number, which is simply referred to as your FEV1/FVC. This tells you what percentage of the air you exhaled from your lungs was pushed out during the first second of your exhale.

For example, an FEV1/FVC of 90% means that you pushed out 90% of the air during the first second of your exhale, and the remaining 10% of the air after that first second. If your FEV1/FVC percentage is too low, it is a sign that something is preventing you from pushing the air out of your lungs as quickly as you should.

If your FEV1 or FVC results are abnormal, this FEV1/FVC ratio helps your doctor determine whether or not the abnormality is caused by an obstruction (e.g. COPD) or a restrictive lung disease (in which FEV1 and FVC should change at a similar rate). If you have an FEV1/FVC of 80% or less, it is a strong sign that you have an obstructive lung disease.

Interpreting Spirometry Results

In order to make sense of your spirometry test results, you need to compare them against a standard table of healthy FEV1 and FEV1/FVC values. This will tell you how much your numbers differ from numbers collected from healthy adults of your age, weight, and height.

Then, in order to truly understand what these numbers mean, you will need to refer to another table, known as the GOLD spirometric criteria for COPD severity. This table presents four different ranges of FEV1 and FEV1/FEC results and tells you what it means if your numbers fall within that range.

The GOLD guidelines are the most commonly used and widely accepted criteria for diagnosing COPD. Finding out where your results fall within these four GOLD categories will tell you what stage of the disease you have and give you a better idea of how severe your COPD is.

Here's a quick look at the GOLD guidelines and what they can tell you about your health.

GOLD Spirometric Criteria for COPD Severity

• Stage I: Mild COPD
• FEV1/FEC less than 0.7
• FEV1 greater than or equal to 80%
• Stage II: Moderate COPD
• FEV1/FEC less than 0.7
• FEV1 between 50% and 80%
• Stage III: Severe COPD
• FEC1/FEC less than 0.7
• FEV1 between 30% and 50%
• Stage IV: Very Severe COPD
• FEV1/FEC less than 0.7
• FEV1 less than 30% or less than 50% plus chronic respiratory failure

While it's important to read and understand your spirometry test results yourself, remember that only your doctor has the training and expertise to accurately interpret the results. A licensed doctor is the only one qualified to diagnose COPD or make the call on what stage of the disease you have.

Lung Plethysmography

Lung plethysmography (pronounced ple-thiz-mah-graf-ey) is a test that measures your lung capacity, or how much air your lungs can hold at one time. It can also tell you how much air is left in your lungs after you exhale.

Your lung capacity is closely related to your general lung function, which is why plethysmography is often used to evaluate and monitor COPD. In particular, plethysmography helps your doctor determine whether or not your airways are obstructed, and how much they are obstructed, by measuring how you breathe.

This is especially useful for diagnosing unknown breathing problems, because it can confirm or rule out airway obstruction as a cause. This helps doctors determine whether someone has COPD or different type of breathing disorder.

Lung plethysmography also allows your doctor determine whether or not your lungs trap air and how severe the problem is. It does this by measuring exactly how much air is left in your lungs after you exhale.

This is important, because trapped air is a very common problem for people with COPD, and it can significantly worsen respiratory symptoms. Trapped air makes it difficult to breathe, worsens shortness of breath, and can actually stretch out your lung tissue (causing hyperinflation) over time.

Taking a Lung Plethysmography Test

Photo by Airman 1st Class Teresa Cleveland

Taking a lung plethysmography test is simple and usually only takes about fifteen minutes to complete. All you have to do is sit in an enclosed, transparent chamber (about the size of a phone booth) and breathe in and out through a special mouthpiece attached to a spirometer machine.

During the test, your doctor will instruct you to breathe in specific ways so that the machine can measure a wide range of breathing patterns. You will alternate between normal breathing, fast breathing, shallow breathing, deep breathing, and any other breathing patterns your doctor wants to test.

If you normally use oxygen, you will most likely be instructed not to use it during the test. You may also stop the test and leave the chamber at any time if you feel too uncomfortable or claustrophobic, though this may require you start the test again from the beginning.

Interpreting Your Lung Plethysmography Results

Throughout the test, the machine attached to your mouthpiece carefully measures the airflow in and out of your lungs. The results provide your doctor with a few very important pieces of information about your lungs and how you breathe.

Specifically, there are three main things the test can tell you about your lungs:

• Total Lung Capacity (TLC): the amount of air in your lungs after you breathe in as deeply and fully as you can
• Functional Residual Volume (FRV): the amount of air that is left in your lungs after exhaling as fully and completely as you can
• Functional Residual Capacity (FRC): this is a measure that compares the amount of air left in your lungs after a normal exhale to the amount of air left in your lungs after you exhale as fully and completely as you can

To understand what these results mean, you will have to compare the numbers from your results to the numbers that are considered healthy for your age, sex, height, and weight. If your results are equal to the healthy standard, then that indicates that your results are normal. If your numbers are significantly higher or lower, however, that indicates abnormal lung function.

You can use the information in the following sections as a basic guide to help you understand how to interpret your plethysmography results when comparing them to the healthy standard:

Total Lung Capacity (TLC)

Increased TLC: If your total lung capacity is higher than normal, this can be a sign of a lung disease like emphysema. It means that your lungs can hold more air than the average person, which is often caused by obstructive lung diseases and especially lung hyperinflation.

Decreased TLC: It is a bad sign if your total lung capacity is lower than normal because it indicates that your lungs are not able to expand or fill up as much as they should. This is often caused by restrictive lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis, which are different from obstructive lung diseases like COPD.

Functional Residual Volume (FRV)

Increased FRV: If your functional residual volume is higher than the healthy standard, it is a bad sign because it means that there is too much air left in your lungs even after you exhale completely. This is a sign that your lungs have lost elasticity and/or are hyper-inflated, which is common in people with COPD and especially emphysema.

Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)

Increased FRC: It is a bad sign if your FRC numbers are higher than the healthy standard because it indicates that air stays trapped in your lungs after you exhale. The higher the number, the more severe the problem is.

This indicates that you suffer from an obstructive lung condition, and is very common in people with COPD.

Decreased FRC: It is also a bad sign if your FRC numbers are lower than the healthy standard, because it means that your lungs are not filling up as much as they should. This indicates that the amount of available airspace in your lungs is reduced, which is often caused by narrowed airways and/or loss of elasticity in the lungs.

Decreased FRC is common in people with pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, obesity, and in people who have had lung reduction surgeries or strokes.

Lung Diffusion Tests

Image from Medical Graphics

Whereas spirometry tests measure your lungs' overall strength, lung diffusion tests (also known as gas diffusion studies) specifically measure gas exchange, or how well your lungs can transfer gasses to and from your bloodstream. That is the lungs' primary purpose, after all: to absorb oxygen into your blood and remove carbon dioxide from it.

Your lungs do this via millions of tiny air sacs, called alveoli, which fill up with air when you breathe in. These alveoli are covered in tiny blood vessels with walls thin enough that gasses (oxygen and carbon dioxide) can passively move, or diffuse, in and out of the blood.

However, if these air sacs become damaged, then gasses cannot diffuse through them as easily, if at all. This type of lung damage is permanent and it is one of the defining characteristics of emphysema, one of the two main types of COPD.

In people with COPD, this lung damage continues to get worse and spread as the disease progresses. As more and more alveoli become damaged, less oxygen can diffuse into your bloodstream and less carbon dioxide can diffuse out.

That's why doctors perform diffusion tests on people with COPD and other lung disorders. By measuring how well gasses can diffuse through the alveoli in your lungs, diffusion tests help your doctor determine the nature and extent of any lung damage you have.

Taking a Lung Diffusion Test

Diffusion tests work like this: first, you breathe in a specially-formulated gas mixture through a mouthpiece and tube attached to a spirometer machine. This gas mixture is harmless and contains a specific amount of a “tracer gas,” usually carbon monoxide, which your lungs will process after you breathe it in.

Next, you hold your breath for about ten seconds in order to give the gas time to diffuse through your alveoli and get absorbed into your bloodstream. Then, you breathe out through the mouthpiece, which will deliver the exhaled air to the spirometer machine for analysis.

The machine then measures precisely how much carbon monoxide is in the air you exhaled. The more carbon monoxide left in the air, the less your lungs were able to absorb.

Essentially, healthier lungs will exhale less carbon monoxide, while damaged lungs will exhale more. The results of the test represent your lungs' diffu

If you have COPD, you're probably especially concerned about making healthy diet and lifestyle choices. You have to maintain your health carefully to prevent the disease from progressing, and that means eating nutritious foods and avoiding unhealthy and toxic substances.

As a result, many people are concerned about whether or not alcohol is dangerous for people who have COPD. Is it safe for COPD patients to drink alcohol, or can it make the disease even worse?

While alcohol isn't exactly healthy for anyone, the question of whether it's bad for your lungs or particularly dangerous for COPD isn't a simple question to answer. That's why, in this article, we're going to help you better understand the risks of alcohol and how it affects people with COPD.

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Risks of Alcohol Use

In general, light to moderate drinking isn't usually very bad for you, and most healthy adults who drink in moderation will suffer little to no long-term health problems. However, for people with chronic diseases like COPD, the mild toxic effects of alcohol may sometimes pose more of a risk.

Most of the short-term risks of alcohol concern the possibility of overdosing and the immediate effects of alcohol intoxication. These effects include impaired memory, balance, reflexes, and decision-making.

Alcohol is responsible for a large number of car accidents, falls, and other physical injuries that result from acute intoxication, which should be particularly concerning for people with limited physical strength and mobility. However, most of these effects disappear once the intoxication wears off.

Heavy alcohol consumption, however, can cause a variety of symptoms and health complications over the course of many years. You have a higher risk of experiencing these negative effects the more heavily you drink and the longer the period of time that you drink for.

Here are some common health complications for which long-term, heavy alcohol consumption increases your risk:

• Increased risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer
• Increased risk for respiratory infections
• Alcohol-related fatty liver disease
• Suppressed immune system
• Pancreatitis
• Nerve damage
• Ulcers
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
• Heart disease
• Diabetes

Alcohol's Effect on the Body

Alcohol affects many different parts of your body in different direct and indirect ways. To understand how alcohol affects COPD, you first have to understand the general effects that alcohol has on your brain, heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and immune system.

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The Brain

The feeling of intoxication you get when you drink enough alcohol to get drunk comes mainly from alcohol's effects on the brain. But it also affects your brain in other ways; in the short term, alcohol affects the brain's ability to control your mood, your memory, and your impulse control.

Alcohol also impairs decision making, short-term memory, and can lead to anxiety and depression. In the long term, heavy alcohol use can cause permanent damage to the parts of the brain responsible for memory, motor skills, and emotional regulation.

The Heart

The short-term effects of alcohol on the heart are minimal. However, excessive, long-term alcohol consumption can cause serious damage to your heart and cardiovascular system.

Heavy alcohol use over many years can lead to high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and elevated levels of fat in your blood. Over time, these cardiovascular changes can lead to much more serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

In the most severe cases, long-term, excessive alcohol consumption can even lead to stroke, cardiomyopathy, or sudden cardiac death.

The Liver

When you drink alcohol it is ultimately processed by the liver, which removes the alcohol from your blood and breaks it down into less toxic metabolites. However, these metabolites are also slightly toxic to the liver, and in large numbers can lead to problematic inflammation.

Small amounts of alcohol are not enough to cause any permanent damage to your liver, but when you drink too much at once, the liver gets overloaded with metabolites and becomes inflamed. Over time, this inflammation can lead to permanent scarring in the liver and fatty liver disease. In fact, alcohol is responsible for more than a third of cases of liver disease that end in death.

The Kidneys

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes you to urinate more frequently and get dehydrated more quickly. However, this also affects your kidneys' ability to regulate the amount of nutrients and electrolytes in your body.

Essentially, alcohol's diuretic effects causes nutrients and electrolytes to be lost when you urinate, leading to deficiencies in sodium, potassium, chloride ions, and other substances. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Over a long period of time, heavy alcohol use can cause permanent damage to the kidneys, including kidney enlargement and dysfunction in the balance of hormones that regulate kidney function.

The Pancreas

Excessive alcohol use can cause both short-term and long-term problems in your pancreas and interfere with your digestion. In the short term, it causes a build-up of digestive enzymes in the pancreas, which can lead to acute inflammation known as pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis causes a number of uncomfortable symptoms like nausea and diarrhea and can take weeks to recover from. If pancreatitis becomes chronic and is not treated properly, it can cause permanent damage to the organ and lead to diabetes or death.

Immune System

Drinking too much alcohol can significantly reduce your immune system's ability to stave off illnesses and infections. Even a single episode of heavy drinking can inhibit your body's ability to fight viruses and bacteria for up to 24 hours.

Studies even show that chronic, heavy drinkers are more prone to contracting contagious diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and HIV. It also makes it harder to fight off any sicknesses you already have, meaning you might stay sick longer and experience worse symptoms.

This is of particular concern to people with COPD, who must be ever vigilant to avoid illnesses and infections. Even minor colds can lead to serious COPD exacerbations, and recovering from illnesses quickly is key for preventing further damage to the lungs.

Research on Alcohol and COPD

As you can see, heavy alcohol use can be detrimental to anyone, including people with COPD, for a variety of reasons. But is there anything that makes alcohol particularly dangerous for people who suffer from chronic respiratory diseases?

The answer is, “probably, yes,” but to what extent alcohol is dangerous for COPD patients is a difficult question to answer. There hasn't been much scientific research in this area which makes it difficult to discern how alcohol affects people with COPD specifically.

The body of research is not robust enough to form firm scientific conclusions and many of the studies that have been done on alcohol and COPD are poorly controlled and contradictory. Many also fail to separate the effects of drinking and smoking, which makes it impossible to tell whether or not negative health effects are the result of alcohol or tobacco consumption.

What research has been done focuses mainly on the effects of alcohol on lung function, dietary health, and medications. One thing that most researchers agree on is that heavy alcohol consumption can effect the lungs and can likely cause reduced lung function in people with chronic respiratory diseases.

In general, heavy alcohol use in the general public is associated with reduced lung function and airflow obstruction. However, this is difficult to study in populations of people with COPD, since COPD patients experience chronic airflow obstruction that makes it difficult to detect minor changes.

Some studies, however, have hinted at a link between heavy alcohol use and increased severity of COPD. For example, alcohol may be linked to increased coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness in patients with respiratory diseases who drink, and one study found that right-sided heart failure is more common in heavy drinkers who also have COPD.

Other studies show that alcohol can interfere or interact with certain medications used to treat COPD. Heavy drinking can also cause nutritional deficiencies and even make your lungs more prone to being damaged by smoking.

Clearly, people with COPD should be cautious about drinking alcohol. To help you better understand the risk, the following sections will explain in more detail how alcohol can affect your lungs, nutrition, and even interfere with COPD treatments.

Continue reading to learn more about the risks of alcohol use for COPD patients and how to reduce your risk if you suffer from the disease.

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Alcohol Can Increase COPD Symptoms and Make You More Likely to Get Sick

The main way that alcohol affects the lungs directly is by inhibiting their ability to move mucus up and out of the lungs. It does this in two main ways: by thickening your mucus and by suppressing the movement of cilia, which move mucus through your airways.

Thickened mucus happens as a result of dehydration, which happens more quickly when you drink alcohol. As a diuretic, alcohol flushes water out of your body, which in turn dries up your mucus, making it extra thick and sticky.

Alcohol also has a direct effect on the cilia in your airways, which work continually to keep too much mucus from building up in your lungs and airways. Cilia are finger-like protrusions that from a carpet lining the surface of your airways.

In order to get mucus up and out of your lungs, the cilia have beat back and forth to move the mucus in the right direction. Alcohol makes these cilia less responsive and less active, which makes them much less effective at doing their job.

All of this causes more severe COPD symptoms as a result of the thickened mucus building up to excess in your lungs. The mucus obstructs the flow of air through your airways, causing worsened coughing, wheezing, and and overall worsening of lung function.

This also makes you you more prone to contracting illnesses and infections. This happens because the thick mucus traps bacteria, providing an ideal, moist environment for them to live and multiply. It is also much harder for the cilia lining your airways to move that thick, sticky, bacteria-ridden mucus out of your lungs, significantly raising the risk of respiratory infections.

On a slightly different note, alcohol can also affect your lungs by making them more sensitive to cigarette smoke. It reduces the levels of an enzyme that helps protect your lungs from damage and inflammation caused by smoking.

How to Reduce Your Risk:

• Drink plenty of water, especially when you drink alcohol. You should drink at least one glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume.
  
  
• Only drink in moderation. Heavy alcohol use is associated with worse dehydration and reduced cilia function.
  
  
• You should always avoid smoking, but especially when you drink. Studies show that smoking and drinking alcohol together is worse for your lungs than smoking alone.

Alcohol Can Interact and Interfere with Certain Medications Used to Treat COPD

You should always consider what medications you are taking before you choose to drink. Some medications used to treat COPD cause uncomfortable side effects or can be dangerous when combined with alcohol.

For instance, many antibiotics are known to not mix well with alcohol, causing uncomfortable side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, and stomach distress. Since doctors often prescribe antibiotics to COPD patients in order to treat lung infections and exacerbations, this is something you should keep in mind if you have COPD and choose to drink.

Certain antibiotics, including Bactrim, Flagyl, and Tindamax can have even more severe effects when mixed with alcohol. This can result in symptoms like nausea, vomiting, flushing, and a rapid heart rate.

Additionally, some corticosteroid medications used to treat lung inflammation in COPD patients can be dangerous if you mix them with alcohol. This is especially true if you are taking steroids long-term or if you drink heavily.

Alcohol and corticosteroids are both irritating to your stomach and digestive tract, and consuming both together increases your risk of stomach ulcers and indigestion. Additionally, both alcohol and corticosteroids can contribute to high blood sugar, osteoporosis, liver damage, and immune system suppression on their own, making it even more risky to take both at the same time.

Finally, drinking alcohol in combination with anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications can have severe, and even deadly effects. Consuming them together can cause you to become excessively sedated and cause dangerous spikes in blood pressure. In the most severe cases, mixing alcohol and antidepressants can slow your heart rate and breathing to dangerously low levels.

How to Reduce Your Risk:

• Go over your complete list of medications with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure that none of them will interact with alcohol.
  
  
• Make sure to check with your doctor about drug interactions and side-effects whenever you are prescribed a new medication.
  
  
• If you take an antidepressant medication to treat anxiety or depression, you should abstain from drinking.
  
  
• Abstain or moderate your drinking carefully whenever you are prescribed a course of antibiotics or corticosteroids.

Alcohol Can Reduce Sleep Quality and Increase COPD Symptoms When You Sleep

Alcohol acts as a depressant, which means it relaxes your muscles and slows down many of your body's normal processes. During the daytime, this might just make you feel relaxed and a little drowsy, but at night it can severely hurt your quality of sleep.

Although many people use the relaxing effects of alcohol as a sleep aid, it's actually more likely to interfere with a good night's sleep. When you drink before bed, the alcohol disrupts your brain's normal sleep cycles. As a result, your sleep quality is lower and you have an increased risk of waking up and not being able to sleep in the morning.

Drinking alcohol at night can also affect your sleep in other ways—by affecting the muscles in your throat and worsening obstructive sleep apnea. And since sleep apnea is very common in people with COPD (known as overlap syndrome), this is a concern that affects a large number of patients.

Here's what happens: drinking alcohol at night can cause the muscles lining the airways in your throat to relax too much when you fall asleep, causing them to sag and obstruct your airways. This makes it more difficult to breathe and can reduce the amount of oxygen you get while you sleep.

This can trigger sleep apnea or worsen pre-existing sleep apnea symptoms, which can make it difficult for your body to get enough oxygen while you sleep. This can cause hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels) which, over time, can lead to a variety of severe and life-threatening health complications in people with COPD.

Alcohol-related dehydration can also make it difficult to sleep, because it causes extra, thick mucus to build up in your airways. This mucus can obstruct your airways at night, causing you to cough and making it difficult to breathe while you sleep.

Many people with COPD already struggle with breathlessness, wheezing, and airway obstruction that makes it difficult to sleep at night. It's important to remember that alcohol will only make those symptoms worse.

Getting sufficient, good quality sleep is necessary for staying healthy and living a fulfilling life with COPD. Studies even show that poor sleep can increase your risk for COPD exacerbations, worsened COPD symptoms, and cause a wide variety of additional health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke.

However, as many as 70 percent of people with COPD struggle to sleep and get poor sleep on a regular basis. It's important to do everything you can to reduce your symptoms and get good quality rest, and that may include abstaining from alcohol at night.

How to Reduce Your Risk:

• Always drink in moderation. The more alcohol you drink, the stronger its depressant effects and the more likely it is to interfere with your sleep.
• Don't drink alcohol too close to bedtime.

Alcohol Can Cause Enzyme Deficiencies in People with COPD

Heavy alcohol use can suppress, inhibit, or deplete a variety of essential nutrients, electrolytes, and antioxidants that your body needs to stay healthy. The most notable for people with COPD, however, is an antioxidant known as glutathione, an antioxidant found in the lungs.

Glutathione helps protect your lungs from damage and inflammation caused by exposure to smoke, pollution, and other respiratory irritants. A deficiency in this antioxidant, which can happen if you drink heavily, can increase your risk for lung damage, exacerbations, and worsened COPD symptoms.

Heavy alcohol use can also cause deficiencies in important vitamins, especially vitamin B, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and folic acid. Additionally, alcohol contains a large number of calories, which can lead heavy drinkers to eat fewer nutritious foods or to become overweight.

How to Reduce Your Risk:

• Always drink in moderation. Heavy alcohol consumption increases your risk for nutritional deficiencies and depletes glutathione in your lungs.
  
  
• If you drink, have your doctor test you for vitamin deficiencies. If you are deficient, you can increase your vitamin uptake by adjusting your diet or taking vitamin supplements.

So, Can You Drink Alcohol if You Have COPD?

As you might have guessed, the answer is not straightforward. You will need to talk to your doctor, who will take your unique medical history and physical condition into account, to know whether or not light or moderate drinking is safe for you.

If you do drink, you should take special care of yourself to minimize any negative effects that alcohol might have on your lungs or your COPD symptoms. Drink only in moderation, eat a healthy diet, and drink extra water to prevent thickened mucus and dehydration.

However, in most cases, drinking occasionally should be fine as long as you don't drink to excess and follow the guidelines recommended by the CDC. “Drinking alcohol [when you have COPD] isn't forbidden,” says pulmonary specialist Dr. Pichurko, “but if you drink, moderation is a must.”

When it comes to oxygen concentrators, Inogen, Inc. is a company that continuously puts out high-quality and reliable products. The latest product in their “G” series of portable oxygen concentrators, the Inogen One G5, is just one example of how their hard work and innovation has improved the lives of countless respiratory patients around the world.

However, if you’ve done a bit of research on oxygen concentrators, you know that there are a lot of things you need to know before making a purchase. Simply putting your money down for the “best” portable oxygen concentrator isn’t usually an option because each patient has entirely different wants and needs.

In order to help you better understand the Inogen One G5, we’ve put together a list of some interesting and potentially lesser-known facts about it. By doing so, you’ll be able to make a more educated decision about which concentrator is right for you.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about oxygen concentrators, it’s best to speak with a respiratory specialist who will work to understand your needs and align you with the unit that will best serve you in the long term. With the Inogen One G5, you’ll have plenty of breathing room in case your trip lasts longer than you expected.

What is the Inogen One G5?

The Inogen One G5 is the latest portable oxygen concentrator by Inogen. It was released in the summer of 2019 and is widely considered to be one of the most advanced concentrators on the market. The G5 is a pulse flow machine meaning that it detects your breathing and only delivers oxygen when you inhale as opposed to continuous flow concentrators that deliver a constant stream of oxygen.

The G5 delivers on Inogen’s goal to provide respiratory patients with a reliable and powerful oxygen machine that allows them to regain their freedom and independence. Unlike continuous flow concentrators and oxygen tanks which need to be wheeled around on a cart, the G5 can easily be carried over your shoulder or in a backpack.

With previous iterations in the “G” series of portable oxygen concentrators, Inogen experimented with a lot of design types. The Inogen One G2, for example, had a high oxygen output and decent battery life, however, it was pretty heavy for a pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator. As a result, most people found it more convenient to use a carrying cart with it.

On the other side of the spectrum is the Inogen One G4. This unit was released several years ago and aimed to be the lightest portable oxygen concentrator ever produced. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of oxygen output which only went up to a flow setting of 3. This meant that this unit was off-limits to many oxygen patients who needed a higher flow setting.

When the Inogen One G5 released, it broke the mold by offering respiratory patients the best of both of these oxygen concentrators. The Inogen One G5 has a high oxygen output, great battery life, and it’s very lightweight and easy to carry. While all pulse flow oxygen concentrators have their pros and cons, the Inogen One G5 remains the best machine for the greatest number of people.

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1.) It Has the Longest External Battery Life of Any Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Potentially the most notable fact about the Inogen One G5 is that it has the longest external battery life of any portable oxygen concentrator ever produced. An external battery is one that’s not built into the device and can be removed and replaced with other batteries. In the case of the G5, the external battery is conveniently located on the bottom of the device and can be removed by pulling the tab on the side.

With the double battery (16-cell), the Inogen One G5 can run up to 13 hours on one charge. That’s more than enough to get you through a full day without needing to stop and plug it in. The only oxygen concentrators that surpass the battery life of the G5 are ones that have internal batteries, however, there are a number of problems with these units.

One of the main problems associated with internal batteries is that they can’t be replaced without the help of a professional. Unlike G5 batteries which can be installed or removed in a matter of seconds, you need to take apart the device in order to replace an internal battery.

Another problem with internal portable oxygen concentrator batteries is that they don’t afford you the freedom to choose how much battery life you use. While you can buy external batteries for units like the ResMed Mobi, they’re sold separately and only offer a few extra hours of battery life.

There’s no understating the importance of having a long battery life with your portable oxygen concentrator. Nobody likes being homebound and if you’re constantly having to worry about how long your POC will last before shutting off, you’re not going to be focused on living and enjoying your life.

2.) It’s one of the Lightest Portable Oxygen Concentrators

Another important metric of portable oxygen concentrators is weight. If you were to research oxygen therapy a decade ago, you probably would’ve never read the words “lightweight” and “oxygen device” in the same sentence. However, since their inception, portable oxygen concentrators have come a long way in offering a high flow of oxygen without adding weight.

 

The Inogen One G5 certainly doesn’t slack when it comes to its weight. At just 4.7 pounds, it’s the third lightest concentrator behind the AirSep Focus and the Inogen One G4. the problem is that neither of these offer the outstanding oxygen output and battery life that the G5 does. 

 

There are a number of benefits to using a lightweight portable oxygen concentrator. First of all, you’ll be far less likely to become out of breath or experience an exacerbation while carrying a device like the G5. 4.7 pounds is not very much weight, it’s about the same weight as a 2-liter bottle of soda. That’s not enough to be a burden to you as you walk around and enjoy your day.

 

Another benefit of investing in a lightweight portable oxygen concentrator like the G5 is that you won’t have to deal with a rolling travel cart. Rolling carts are commonly used for oxygen concentrators that are over 10 pounds or so because they become too much of a burden to carry around on your shoulder. 

Travel carts not only add weight to an already heavy oxygen concentrator, but they can be dangerous as well. If you’re using your concentrator while you’re walking, that means you need to have a cannula that runs from the device to your nose. If you’re not careful or you have a long cannula, it could easily get caught on something and cause injury.

 

Another downside to using a travel cart is that they take up a lot of room and you won’t be able to take them everywhere you need to. For example, if you’re walking down a gravel pathway, a muddy sidewalk, or you’re trying to get on a bus. This is why it’s difficult to recommend heavy oxygen concentrators because they don’t offer you true freedom in your day-to-day life.

 

3.) It Has the Highest Oxygen Output for its Weight

Having a lightweight oxygen concentrator doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t offer the oxygen output that you need. Fortunately, the Inogen One G5 is able to deliver on both and even has the highest oxygen output of any pulse flow unit for its weight. What this means is that you’re not carrying a bunch of unnecessary weight around.

 

Another thing this shows is that Inogen is focused on efficiency above all else. They understand that in order for you to get the most out of your portable oxygen concentrator, it needs to match your lifestyle and afford you the ability to go where you want and do what you want without weighing you down.

 

Despite offering the highest flow setting and overall oxygen output of any pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator, it’s still one of the lightest units available. For example, the AirSep Focus is the lightest portable oxygen concentrator ever produced weighing in at just 1.75 pounds. That’s pretty incredible, but the problem is that it only has one flow setting: a flow setting of 2. Many people require more oxygen than this.

 

Another unit lighter than the G5, the Inogen One G4, also lacks when it comes to oxygen output. The G4 weighs 2.8 pounds but can only supply a pulse setting of 3. What’s more, the G5 has over twice the battery life of the Inogen One G4. The G5, on the other hand, is the best of both worlds. It’s among the lowest POCs ever produced and has the highest flow setting of any pulse flow POC.

 

4.) It’s Designed for 24/7 Use

If you’ve had an electronic device such as a phone or computer die on you before, you may be afraid to run your portable oxygen concentrator 24/7. While every machine is different, the Inogen One G5, and many other Inogen concentrators, are actually designed to be used day and night.

 

This is great news for anyone who likes to sleep with oxygen therapy because it means you won’t have to buy a whole new home oxygen concentrator to use at night. This would be costly and add to the list of things you have to worry about. But thanks to the Inogen One G5’s Sleep Mode Technology, you’ll never have to worry about it.

 

 

When you sleep at night, your breathing changes significantly. Some people will sustain shallow breaths through their nose or mouth or their breathing rate may change the longer they sleep. Everyone has slightly different breathing patterns, but the G5 is able to detect even the most shallow breaths ensuring that you always have an adequate amount of oxygen.

 

Another reason the Inogen One G5 is great for 24-hour use is that its processor is set to last 20,000 hours. This is the most important part of the electrical components of your device and it’s responsible for ensuring you receive an accurate bolus of oxygen immediately upon inspiration. That’s about 2.3 years of persistent oxygen use!

 

5.) It Has its Own Mobile Application

In this day and age, staying connected is everything. If we’re away from our phones or computers for an extended period of time, it can feel like our whole world is caving in around us. Unfortunately, it can feel the same way if you aren’t able to check up on your POC every once in a while. 

Inogen created a workaround for this allowing you to check the status of your concentrator with a mobile device like a tablet or smartphone. The Inogen Connect app can be downloaded for free on either Android or iPhone devices and can be connected to your Inogen One G5 in a matter of minutes. 

 

Here are a few of the things you can check with the Inogen Connect app:

• Battery status
• Software updates
• Cannula and filter maintenance updates
• Column life
• Troubleshooting tips, FAQS, and the user manual
• Oxygen purity status

 

One of the greatest parts about this application is that it affords you more freedom to use your device how you please and live life on your own terms. Instead of having to keep your POC at your side all the time to check things like battery status, column life, and oxygen purity status, you can store your device under a seat or in a travel backpack without having to worry about it.

 

6.) It’s Approved by All Major Airlines

If you travel frequently, you know how much of a pain it is to deal with airlines. Between canceled flights, delayed takeoffs, and unbearable customer service, you may be tempted to just avoid flying altogether. Well we certainly couldn’t blame you for that, you may find some consolation in the fact that the Inogen One G5 is approved by all major airlines and they shouldn’t give you too much of a hassle about bringing it onto the plane.

There are, however, a few steps you should take before you fly with your Inogen One G5:

 

• Speak with your pulmonologist or primary care physician several days before your flight. Notify him/her that you will be traveling with medical oxygen. Ask for a doctor’s note or prescription that indicates your need for oxygen while in flight.
• A day or two before your flight, contact the airline that you will be flying with. Let them know that you will be flying with an oxygen concentrator. You may need to fax a copy of the physician’s note or arrive early to show it to them. This would be a good time to ask them any questions you may have about taking your concentrator onto the plane.
• Before you leave your home, make sure that you have at least 1.5 times as much battery life as your flight duration. Most airports have outlets near the boarding gates, so be sure to bring your AC adapter and charge your portable oxygen concentrator while you’re waiting for the plane.
• Once you arrive at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at the airport, notify an employee that you will need to keep your oxygen on and need an alternate screening process.
• Finally, speak with an employee once you arrive at the gate to ensure your oxygen concentrator has been approved.
  

 

While the Inogen One G5 is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), you should still take the steps listed above. Airlines can be tricky and if you wait until you arrive at your gate to notify them that you will be using oxygen, there could potentially be delays in your flight. Be sure to plan far enough ahead to avoid any complications.

 

Conclusion

Finding the right medical oxygen concentrator isn’t all about buying the most advanced one you can find, it’s more about finding the one that’s right for you and your lifestyle. However, given the numerous accomplishments of the Inogen One G5, it’s an ideal unit for many respiratory patients. While POCs like the AirSep Focus and Inogen One G4 are great for patients with low-flow oxygen needs, the G5 remains popular among people with both low and high oxygen flow needs.

 

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If you have any trouble at all with choosing a medical oxygen concentrator, you have several options. Firstly, you can read the user manuals for the units that you’re interested in. These can easily be found with a quick Google search or on the manufacturer’s website. Another option is to look at comparison charts like we have on this blog. It’s always easier to narrow down your options when you can see the system specifications side-by-side. Lastly, you can get in touch with one of our respiratory specialists who can walk you through your options.