COPD News from COPD-International -- Vol #3

COPD-INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
http://www.COPD-International.com

Dedicated to the philosophy
"You can learn to control this disease instead of letting it control you!"

Monday, March 29, 2004                               Volume #3 -- Issue #13
Susie Bowers, Editor    --    Web-Editor@COPD-International.com
Copyright © 2004 COPD-International.com          All rights reserved.

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      > > > > > > > > > >        IN THIS ISSUE        < < < < < < < < < <
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==> Welcome
==> COPD News
==> Recalls/Warnings
==> Featured Articles - National Sleep Awareness Week
==> Nutrition/Wellness
==> Community Update
==> Link Directory
==> Just for Fun
==> Recipe
==> Closing Thought
==> Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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> > > > > > > > > WELCOME < < < < < < < < <
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ABOUT US
We are a group of fellow COPD sufferers, caregivers and others
interested in this disease. Our online community is devoted to helping
one another to live the best life possible with this debilitating
illness through interactive support.

As many of us have found, COPD is a disease of many faces,
contradictions and components. Therefore, our diversified community
is here to share its combined wealth of knowledge and information, so
we may all become well-informed patients and take control of our
disease rather than letting this disease control us.

EDITORIAL COMMENTS
This is National Sleep Awareness Week, March 29 - April 4. The week
is being observed to mark Daylight Saving Time (DST), which begins for
most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. In
the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.

For many of us with COPD, sleep is a delicate subject. Some of us
have trouble getting enough sleep, while others sleep too much.

As always, talk with your physician if you are having trouble
sleeping. In addition to the symptoms of COPD, which can keep us up
all night, stress, depression and other serious medical conditions
could be the cause of sleepless nights. Sleep disorders are extremely
common and often require skilled evaluation and treatment.

This issue features general information on sleep and what we can do to
make sure we get enough rest.

We welcome your input and participation in our newsletters and will
review for publication any pertinent information you wish to share
with others on COPD and related topics. Also, periodically we will
feature stories and information from guest writers. If you wish to
contribute to the newsletter, please contact us at
Newsletter@COPD-International.com

Yours in health ...

Susie

Editor's Note: There are several exceptionally long links in
this edition. Please cut and paste the entire address into your
browser if you have trouble opening the page.

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          > > > > > > > > >         COPD NEWS         < < < < < < < <
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U.S. PICKS FIRMS FOR MEDICARE DRUG DISCOUNT CARDS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced
the approval of 28 private sponsors to provide seniors and people with
disabilities savings on their prescription drugs, beginning June 1.
With the new cards, Medicare beneficiaries will receive discounts on
prescription drugs, and low-income beneficiaries may receive an
additional $600 to pay for their prescription medicines in both 2004
and 2005. The program also will include a Web site where seniors can
compare drug prices. See HHS press release and list of
Medicare-approved card sponsors at
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040325.html

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MEDICINES
To get the most out of your medicines, there are certain things that
you must do. Your health care professionals will be working with you,
but you also have a responsibility for your own health. See Tips:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=E2F27499-4755-4D27-951E9B881
BA0A1F2

INHALER DRUG MAY COUNTERACT BENEFITS
One of the drugs used in inhalers to treat asthma can counteract the
benefits of the others, U.S. researchers recently reported. The
finding may explain why some patients who use the inhalers actually
get worse over time, the researchers said. The ingredient is
albuterol, in a class of medications called beta-agonists. In inhalers
it is combined with steroids to open airways and ease the gasping of
patients with asthma and other lung diseases. But in a report from the
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the researchers
said a bad form of albuterol can accumulate in the body and worsen
symptoms instead of helping. See Story:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/03/23/inhalers.reut/index.html

THERAPY MAY PUT INSOMNIACS' DRUG HABIT TO REST
Even people who have been taking drugs for insomnia for years can be
weaned off of them without significant withdrawal symptoms, a new
study shows. Canadian researchers found that most of the 76 older
adults they studied were able to stop using benzodiazepines with the
help of supervised medication "tapering" and psychological therapy to
address their insomnia. See More:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4608985&
section=news

SMOKERS "SUFFER FASTER MENTAL DECLINE"
Elderly people who smoke lose their mental faculties up to five times
faster than non-smokers. A study of almost 10,000 pensioners from
Britain and continental Europe has found that smoking habits have an
impact on cognitive function with past or present smokers suffering a
markedly faster mental decline. See Story:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-1047196,00.html

BIPAP TESTED AS TOOL IN ARF TREATMENT
Cardiac arrhythmias are common in patients with COPD and acute
respiratory failure (ARF) and may be life threatening. Recently, non-
invasive positive pressure ventilation (BiPAP) has been advanced as
a useful tool in COPD patients with ARF. This abstract supports the
hypothesis that BiPAP may be a useful tool in managing COPD patients
with ARF and mild arrhythmias. See Abstract:
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&Produkt
Nr=224278&Ausgabe=229947&ArtikelNr=76676

FDA WARNS DRUG MAKERS ON ADVERTISING
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told drug companies to
stop using warnings written in professional language in small print.
Such text usually appears at the bottom of an ad or on an accompanying
page of most printed drug advertisements. The new guidelines require
that drug companies must use laymen's terms in bigger print and to
list adverse side effects.

DEALING WITH NIGHTTIME LEG CRAMPS
If leg cramps wake you during the night, there's no cause for alarm.
In most cases, the spasms are innocuous and are caused by simple
muscle fatigue or an imbalance of chemicals such as sodium, potassium,
phosphorous, calcium and magnesium in the blood, according to Calgary
Health Region in Canada.

Night-time cramps usually subside by themselves, but sometimes
applying heat, massaging the leg or stretching the muscle by pulling
your toes up toward you will help. If you get cramps while you are
pregnant or after you've been sweating heavily, you should talk to
your doctor. (HealthDayNews)

HOME REMEDY FOR LEG CRAMPS
There is a home remedy for leg cramps that many COPDers swear by.
Supposedly, putting an opened bar of soap under the fitted bed sheet
at the bottom of the bed helps relieve painful leg cramps. No one
seems to know why this works, but it sure is worth a try.

SLEEP APNEA, ALLERGIC RHINITIS LINKED
This abstract concludes that patients with obstructive sleep apnea
syndrome (OSAS) may have an increased risk of being allergic to
perennial allergens and suffer from perennial rhinitis. Awareness of
this risk may have important in the clinical situation. See Abstract:
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&Produkt
Nr=224278&Ausgabe=229947&ArtikelNr=76674

STUDY: TB IS ON THE RISE IN BIG U.S. STATES
A global tuberculosis epidemic helped fuel a jump in cases last year
in California, Texas and other U.S. states with large immigrant
populations, according to a federal study. More than 53 percent of the
14,871 new U.S. cases of active TB last year occurred among people
born abroad to non-U.S.-born parents, according to a report by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 11.5 percent
of the overall U.S. population is foreign born. See Story:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4600533&
section=news

HEALTH EXPERTS CALL FOR STOCKPILING FLU DRUGS
Health experts called for the creation of an international stockpile
of life-saving antiviral drugs amid warning signs that a human
influenza pandemic may be near. The experts also called for efforts to
explore regional or global production of vaccines, as manufacturers
are concentrated in a few wealthy countries. See Story:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4599914&
section=news

IMPROVING DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIPS
The notion that empathy, communication and building rapport with a
patient are important doctoring skills isn't new. But recent research
is connecting dots, and some of them connect straight to places
doctors don't want to go. This link lead to information on what
doctors can do to help build the doctor-patient partnership. We, as
patients, also have to do our part in building a good relationship
with our doctors.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2001880438_bedside17.html

STUDY: FOSAMAX HAS LONG LASTING EFFECT
The benefits of a drug widely used to strengthen aging bones persist
for years, even after patients quit taking it, a study found. The
10-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine could
allay fears that the drug alendronate, also known by its trade name
Fosamax, would lose effectiveness. Its findings are important for
patients who, for medical reasons, might be forced to temporarily give
up the drug. See Story:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4591801&
section=news

Make browsing in our Library and catching up on general medical
news in our Reading Room part of your daily surfing routine at
http://www.copd-international.com/Library/
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   > > > > > > > > >         RECALLS / WARNINGS         < < < < < < < < <
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FDA ISSUES WARNING ON ANTIDEPRESSANTS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning
about the possibility of worsening depression or suicidal thoughts in
people, particularly children, who take any of 10 popular
antidepressants, especially at the beginning of treatment or when the
doses are increased or decreased. See Warning:
http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/84/98068.htm

RECALLS
To view current U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls, go to
http://www.safetyalerts.com/
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> > > > > > > > >         FEATURED ARTICLES         < < < < < < < < <
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SLEEP! IT'S A HEALTHY CHOICE
This year, National Sleep Awareness Week's theme is "Sleep! It's
a Healthy Choice." Sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation
(NSF), the campaign coincides with the beginning of Daylight Saving
Time on Sunday, April 4, when we turn our clocks forward one hour
and therefore risk losing an hour of sleep.

WHEN YOU CAN'T SLEEP
The ABCs of ZZZs: Are you getting all the sleep you need? See
tips at http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/ZZZs.cfm

SLEEP AND THE COPD PATIENT
Getting recuperative rest is important for those of us with COPD.
Many of us take daily naps while others have unusual sleeping
patterns. Below is a link to information about sleep and the COPD
patient. http://www.epocnet.com/area_m/normas/b_4_05a.html

MORE ON SLEEP AND COPD
In the October 2002 newsletter, under Feature Articles, are several
links to information on sleep, especially for COPDers. The link to
that information is listed below.
http://www.copd-international.com/Library/newsletters/1-6.htm

HEALTH GUIDE TO SLEEP APNEA
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/sleepap.cfm
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    > > > > > > > > >         NUTRITION/WELLNESS         < < < < < < < <
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MOOD AND FOOD: UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP
Eating to soothe or suppress negative emotions carries health risks.
Find out what may cause emotional eating and how you can avoid it. See
Tips:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=B691B8CF-806D-486B-903256
57443BE215

STUDY: "DESIGNER" JUICE MAY CUT CHOLESTEROL
People with mildly high cholesterol may be able to drink their way to
lower levels, if research findings on a souped-up brand of orange
juice is correct. See Story:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4598395&
section=news
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> > > > > > > > > > >         COMMUNITY UPDATE         < < < < < < < < < < <
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WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS!
We welcome all our new subscribers and invite you to join our
e-mail lists and check out our chat rooms, where you can talk freely
about COPD in an atmosphere of fellowship. The link to the chat
schedules can be found on our Home Page or just drop in anytime
you have a need to talk. For new subscribers, archives of back
issues of the newsletter can be accessed at
http://www.copd-international.com/Library/newsletters/archives.htm

NEW ONLINE FEATURE ON HOSPICE CARE
One of our most delicate and tough areas of discussion are those
centering around the decisions about the Hospice program and
other related end of life issues.

Betty Baareman, one of our subscribers and chatterers, is writing
about her daily experiences, which is available in our library so
that we all may gain a greater understanding. To follow her and
Ken's story, please go to
http://www.copd-international.com/library/hospice-story.htm

There also is a TLC book for Betty and Ken Baareman where you
can post loving thoughts and prayers at
http://members.tripod.com/~copd_tlc/BettyKenMi1.html

LOVING THOUGHTS
To express your loving thoughts, get-well wishes and prayers for
our fellow community members, who are very ill or hospitalized,
please go to http://www.copd-international.com/Loving_Thoughts/

-- Jeannie Sundstrom passed peacefully at home Saturday, March
27. To post condolences for her family, please go to the link
above.

DAILY CHATS
Scheduled chats with hosts are held daily. We invite everyone to stop
in and visit. See Chat Schedule:
http://www.copd-international.com/Chat-schedule.htm

Also, the special weekly on-topic chats are listed below.

On-Topic Chats (All Eastern Time)

-- Caregivers: Sundays at 4 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Host Kitty (Note: Only caregivers in these chats please.)
http://www.copd-international.com/caregivers/chat.htm

-- Quit Smoking Now (QSN): Mondays at 9 p.m.
Host Don from NM - Don is a smoking cessation counselor.
http://www.copd-international.com/quit_smoking/chat.htm

For more information on our chat rooms, please contact Deb, chat
coordinator, at chat@copd-international.com .

We look forward to seeing you!
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> > > > > > > > > > > > LINK DIRECTORY < < < < < < < < < < < <
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SPECIAL-INTEREST PROGRAMS

-- General Information on Clinical Trials
http://www.COPD-International.com/Library/clinical_trials.htm

-- Continually Updated List of COPD Clinical Trials
http://www.COPD-International.com/Library/trials.htm

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http://www.COPD-International.com/quit_smoking/

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http://www.COPD-International.com/exercise/

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http://www.copd-international.com/caregivers/

-- COPD Advocate Bill Horden Library
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Don't forget to checkout all our support programs listed on our
Home Page at www.COPD-International.com .
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> > > > > > > > > JUST FOR FUN < < < < < < < < <
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COULD YOU SURVIVE IN THE 1860s?
The 1860s marked a time of reconstruction following the end of the
Civil War in 1865. During this time technological advancement pushed
the nation into a period of unparalleled industrial achievement.
Still, many of the conveniences weren't yet available. Could you have
survived the decade? See Quiz:
http://msn.ancestry.com/landing/msn/1860/1860_quiz.htm?SourceCode=4766&o_xid=
4766&o_lid=4766
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> > > > > > > > > > RECIPE < < < < < < < < < <
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"SOUP-ERB" CHICKEN CASSROLE
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Broccoli OR 98%
Fat Free Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 cups hot cooked elbow pasta
2 cups cubed cooked chicken OR turkey
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas and carrots, cooked and drained
1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing, crushed
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. butter OR margarine, melted

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 400°F.

MIX soup, milk, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder and pepper in
2-qt. baking dish. Stir in pasta, chicken and peas and carrots.

BAKE 20 min. Stir.

MIX stuffing, Parmesan cheese and butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake
5 min. or until hot. Serves 8.

(Campbell's Kitchen)
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> > > > > > > > > CLOSING THOUGHT < < < < < < < < <
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A good laugh and a long sleep
are the best cures in the doctor's book.

-- Irish Proverb --

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