Health

5 foods that help lung function

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apples
  1. Apples – this fruit has been said that it will help to reduce the condition of developing COPD or asthma due to its antioxidants and vitamin C. An apple a day…
  2. Green Tea – full of antioxidants but also anti-inflammatory properties too. Great for people who have Pulmonary fibrosis
  3. Yoghurt- calcium could help improve lung function as well as featuring potassium too
  4. Tomatoes – this food product can help to decrease inflammation in our airways so those who suffer with asthma may see better breathing function
  5. Oysters – the zinc and B vitamins in oysters are associated with great lung function and for smokers who lack B and B12 vitamins

Feeling tired with COPD?

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lady looking out to sea

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can leave you feeling tired and sluggish but how to help combat this feeling so you can plan ahead for everything no matter what condition you have.

Here our 4 tips to remember:

  1. Remember that you may need supplemental oxygen to help you breathe, especially when you go on vacation
  2. Especially during winter you may be low on Vitamin D so make sure you take this supplement when days are short and mornings are dark
  3. Remember to REST. When walking or doing activities plan in some rest breaks and do not try to over exert yourself too much, you will simply become very tired or wear yourself out for the rest of the day
  4. Exercise such as walking or cycling is a good form of cardio than can be done most days for about 30 minutes

5 tips for winter if you have breathing problems

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Here are our 5 tips to help you breathe better now we have moved into winter cold season:

  1. Use a scarf or mask to place around your mouth as this will make it easier to breathe in the cold winter air
  2. Use a humidifier at home to help keep the dry air moisturised
  3. For those who prefer to get outdoors remember to try to avoid the coldest part of the day
  4. Also move your exercises to indoors so not outside in the cold for too long
  5. If short of breath close your lips together when its cold

Winter is a season where it is best to make sure you are more aware of how this affects your breathing. Stay wrapped up warm, keep moving and if you have an inhaler keep this with you at all times. You may have asthma, COPD or another respiratory illness and remember just be prepared but you can still enjoy day to day activities.

Oxygen after Covid

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oxygen tank and mask

Covid can bring long-term breathing conditions to many patients even after recovery. Covid attacks and can weaken the lung tissue and cause damage. Medical oxygen may be needed in some cases whether in hospital or as after care in the home. Conditions such as pneumonia, sepsis and bronchitis can occur in severe cases.

Recovery is so important as the quicker doctors can help assist the right treatment for patients the more likely the lungs will have time to heal, but it does take time.

For the patients suffering from the long term effects of Covid – the team at OxygenWorldwide help keep you moving across the world. Arrangement of medical oxygen in many countries is key to travel, visit family and see the world. For more information please visit our website for full details.

Life saving oxygen therapy – how it began…

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oxygen therapy tank

A great advancement was at The Pneumatic Institution administered oxygen free of charge to ‘out-patients… in consumption, asthma, palsy, dropsy, obstinate venereal complaints, scrophula or King’s Evil and other diseases, which ordinary means have failed to remove’.

Many of this is still used today such as corrugated non-crushable breathing tubes, mouthpieces and the method for mass production of gases. The Institution then changed to a hospital in later years to help cope with typhis outback in 1800.

‘Most people report that Oxygen Water gives them extra energy and makes them more alert… the effects of inadequate oxygen in the blood are well known. Drinking oxygenated water gives you another path for bringing oxygen into your blood’.4

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Still today oxygen therapy and medical oxygen is still very much used and needed to many patients. This also covers most respiratory diseases plus anaesthesia and treatment of other illnesses. Most forget that it still needs to be prescribed carefully and levels have to be correct and accurate for the patient. We owe many physicians a huge thank you and accolade for their works including what happened in battlefields of first world war where oxygen was used to help soldiers.

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Grainge C. Breath of life: the evolution of oxygen therapy. J R Soc Med. 2004 Oct;97(10):489-93. doi: 10.1177/0141076809701011. PMID: 15459264; PMCID: PMC1079621.

How technology is helping health get better

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device with heart symbol for health

We rely on devices, internet and apps for so many areas of our lives now. From monitoring our steps, ordering online to keeping connected with others as well as reading books, listening to podcasts and researching news. Health is catching up with new ways to use technology to connect people especially those that are vulnerable.

CPI look at making huge advances in this area – a company that helps connect innovators with ideas.

This huge step forward could help create many health related benefits to so many people across the world. From knowing when your asthma inhaler needs replacing to data analytics and sending users notifications and reminders to take medication.

A very valuable concept for many now everything is moving to digital with easy and wide access to all from a device such as your mobile smart phone or tablet.

For any oxygen therapy needs please do take a look at our website here. We have many years experience of helping patients travel and keep moving across the globe with medical oxygen.


Boost your diet to protect against severe asthma attacks.

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Supplements in a bottle

Another fantastic article we have to be brought back to our current readers who have sever asthma, here are some great supplements that have been noted to help. Please do check with your doctor before taking as these are just recommendations from various sources.

We are all aware of extra nutrients and vitamins we need. But especially in winter in most European and other countries the sun goes down and we lack a vital Vitamin D. There have been several studies around this helping against severe asthma attacks. Winter is especially difficult due to the cold air and this causes airways to go into spasm.

If you are looking on ways to help please speak to your doctor about taking more Vitamin D during this winter to help ease the symptoms. Even for those who do not suffer from asthma attacks can have benefits of this vitamin as we lack the goodness of the sun. This can even simply be feeling more energised during those cold winter months and what our bodies need more of.

Take a look at our website for more resources and help with those needing medical oxygen here.

Facts about oxygen

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Time to go back to another popular post from a few years ago where we talk about facts. Facts of oxygen…

Oxygen surrounds us and is fundamental for life and yet we can take it for granted and not realise that it’s a lot more than just a component of the air.

  1. Our atmosphere today contains around 21 percent oxygen. About 300 million years ago oxygen levels reached 35 percent and insects were able to grow super-large- think  dragonflies with the wingspans of hawks.
  2. Oxygen does not actually burn as people think it does. However it does support the combustion of other substances and without a supply of oxygen, combustion ceases. If you  think about it, if oxygen itself actually burnt, simply striking a match would be enough to burn all of the oxygen in our planet’s atmosphere.
  3. Almost two-thirds of the weight of living things comes from oxygen, mainly because living  things contain a lot of water and 88.9 percent of water’s weight comes from oxygen.
  4. Oxygen (O2) is very unstable in our planet’s atmosphere as it is very reactive and must be constantly replenished by photosynthesis in green plants. Without plant life, our atmosphere   would contain almost no oxygen. If we discover any other planets with atmospheres rich in  oxygen, we will know that life is almost certainly present on these planets as significant  quantities of oxygen will only exist on planets when it is released by living things.
  5. The Northern (and Southern) Lights: The green and dark-red colours in the aurora Borealis (and Australis) are caused by oxygen atoms. Highly energetic electrons from the solar wind split oxygen molecules high in earth’s atmosphere into excited, high energy atoms. These atoms lose energy by emitting photons, producing awe-inspiring light shows. These usually occur in the polar regions because solar electrons will accelerate along our planet’s magnetic field lines until they hit the atmosphere in the polar regions.
  6. A common urban myth is that hyperventilation is caused by breathing in too much oxygen. When we hyperventilate, we breathe too quickly, and this can lead to symptoms such as headache, light-headedness, dizziness, chest pains, tingling, slurred speech, fainting and spasms. Hyperventilation actually causes us to get rid of too much carbon dioxide from our bodies. The trouble with this is that we need carbon dioxide in our blood to stop it from becoming too alkaline. When we hyperventilate, we lose too much carbon dioxide, which disturbs the balance of substances in our blood, causing its pH to increase; this causes the blood vessels leading to our brains to get narrower, slowing the blood flow and decreasing the amount of oxygen reaching vital organs, leading to the symptoms of hyperventilation.
  7. As a gas, oxygen is clear. However as a liquid, it’s pale blue. If you’ve ever wondered what  swimming in a pool of liquid oxygen would be like, the answer is very, very cold,(according to Carl Zorn of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility). Oxygen must get down to minus 297.3 F (minus 183.0 C) to liquefy, so frostbite would be a bit of a  problem.

References: http://www.chemicool.com/elements/oxygen-facts.html and http://www.livescience.com/28738-oxygen.html

Looking after your lungs in the Summer

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As the weather heats up it also turns up the dial of airborne allergies, hayfever and the warmer weather may cause any breathing problems to be more problematic during these summer months.

There are a few things you can plan ahead with so make these months much more bearable and healthier for you if you suffer from respiratory illnesses.

Here are our TOP 5:

1. Keep your body temperature cooler by sitting in the shade, wearing a hat or using a hand-held fan
2. Drink lots of cool water throughout the day to avoid dehydration
3. Check the pollen count and if extremely high you may decide to stay more indoors if you suffer really badly
4. Regular eating to maintain your fuel and energy levels
5. Taking a cooler shower or bath at home will help bring down your body temperature