Vitamin D and Respiratory Infections

Did you know that low levels of Vitamin D are associated with an increased risk for respiratory infections, like the flu or common cold? And, that people with respiratory diseases, like asthma and COPD are at an increased risk for this association?

If you have COPD, there is a new COPD clinical trial designed to test the hypothesis that increasing levels of Vitamin D in the body will lead to better COPD outcomes:

Vitamin D as Treatment for COPD Clinical Trial Study

How can you increase your levels of Vitamin D in your body? Here are some helpful tips:

• Eat salmon, with the bones
• Drink 3 cups of milk daily
• Get 15 minutes of sunshine each day, or, if you don't live in a sunshine infested state,
• Take a multivitamin with at least 200 international units of Vitamin D

Do you have some interesting ideas about how to add Vitamin D to your diet? Please be sure to leave a comment!

Should You Get a Pneumonia Vaccine?

Many of us are ready, willing and able to get an annual flu shot to keep us from getting that nasty flu virus. But what about the pneumonia vaccine? Should everyone get one? Or, are there certain groups more susceptible to bacterial pneumonia who would therefore benefit more than others from the vaccine? Learn more about the answer to these questions here:

The Pneumonia Vaccine: What Every Patient Should Know

Patients' Bath Basins Potential Source of Infection in Hospitals

If you, or a loved one, has ever been hospitalized, you have probably seen those little, (generally) pink bath basins that health care workers use to give their patient a bed bath. Well, the next time you see one of those, you may want to ask the health care worker to sanitize it first before using it. Or, better yet, you would be far safer not using them at all, and using pre-packaged bath towelettes. Why? Read more:

Patients' Bath Basins Potential Source of Infection in Hospitals

Bacterial Pneumonia: Are You at Risk?

Do you have a chronic disease like COPD, diabetes or heart failure? If so, then your immune system just "ain't what it used to be". But did you know that having a chronic illness can put you at risk for developing bacterial pneumonia? Find out more about how bacterial pneumonia and chronic disease sometimes go hand in hand:

Bacterial Pneumonia: Are You at Risk?

RN Online Poll: Are you Happy?

I have to admit, I am (sometimes) depressed). With that in mind, I seem to associate with other depressed people who can truly understand what being depressed is really all about. Today, I was speaking with a friend of mine on the phone and we were talking about the nature of happiness. As our conversation ended, and we both came to the general conclusion that happiness for most people, is, but alas, very elusive, and if experienced at all, is only experienced in rather brief, fleeting moments, I started to wonder if we were mistaken, and if happy people were truly happy all of the time?

In my quest to find out about happiness, I felt compelled to learn more about happiness, or lack-there-of it, from great philosophers who came before me. Here is what I found out about happiness:

Martha Washington:

The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.

Helen Keller:

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.

Mark Twain:

The perfection of wisdom, and the end of true philosophy is to proportion our wants to our possessions, our ambitions to our capacities, we will then be a happy and a virtuous people.

M. Ghandi:

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Ramona L. Anderson:

People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.

So, do you know how to find happiness. Why not share your secret with the rest of us!

RN ONline is Officially Back in Business

Hey, ya'll. How the heck are you? I have been gone for quite some time and wanted to let you know that I am officially back in the business...of writing that is! A lot has happened and I have missed my calling, but I assure you I am back and hope to continue to provide you with titillating web content to tantalize your reading taste buds!

Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency

Have you heard of Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency? It is a genetic condition caused by a lack of the protective protein, Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) that is made by the liver. If you are asking what this has to do with COPD, that is a good question. AAT acts to protect the lungs from damage and without it, certain enzymes in the lungs end up causing destruction of lung tissue that eventually leads to emphysema. For more information about AAT deficiency and what you can do about it, visit my latest article on About.com:

What is Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency Emphysema?

Treatment of COPD

That COPD is an irreversible lung disease, speaks loudly for the importance of treament in slowing down the progression of the disease and improving quality of life.
While many medications are available to treat COPD, no drug has demonstrated effectiveness in halting the progression of the disease. Rather, the goal of drug therapy at this time is to maintain control of symptoms and prevent COPD exacerbation.

For more information about COPD treatment, stop by http://www.copd.about.com/ and read one of my most popular articles:

There is Hope: Treatment for COPD.

Please be sure to leave a comment.

COPD and Exercise: Walking Your Way Toward a Healthier You

If you have COPD, your exercise tolerance is probably not what it used to be. In fact, you may find yourself short of breath just walking across the room. Low impact exercises, such as walking can help the body utilize oxygen more efficiently which awesome news for those with COPD!


Discover more about the health benefits of walking, and how it can help people with COPD lead a better life in my latest article on About.com:

Exercise and COPD: Walking Towards a Healthier You

How Flu Shots Can Help Prevent COPD Exacerbation

Have you gotten your annual flu shot this year? If so, that is great news, especially if you have COPD. Did you know that getting a flu shot each year can help you to prevent a worsening of your COPD symptoms, better known as a COPD exacerbation? Find out more about flu shots and how those with COPD should be among the first in line to receive them by reading my latest article on About.com:

Flu Shots Help Prevent COPD Exacerbation