Because breathing is largely an unconscious process, it's only when breathing becomes difficult that a person begins to take notice. The earth's atmosphere is 21 percent oxygen, which is enough to support human life until problems arise. When...
Reaching for your nebulizer if you have asthma or other respiratory problems becomes as natural as putting on your glasses in the morning if you have vision problems. Nebulizers deliver liquid or aerosol medications that help you breathe to your...
If the air sacs, or alveoli, and airways of an average sized adult were laid flat, the total surface area available for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs would be roughly the size of a regulation badminton court, or about 750...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a progressive condition of that lungs that makes breathing difficult. When a person becomes short of breath easily, he often avoids exercise due to discomfort. According to the Cleveland Clinic,...
Because your cells need oxygen to live, it is important to keep your oxygen at a level to which your body can function properly. Because the body is unable to store oxygen, it must be constantly supplied throughout blood cells when levels are low....
It's no secret that smoking is harmful for your lungs. Quitting smoking can greatly increase your overall health and well-being. Even after smoking for many years, quitting smoking will help increase your lung health, according to the Yeshiva...
Lungs function by taking oxygen from the air that we breathe in and supplying it to the bloodstream. Lungs also release carbon dioxide into the air that we exhale. During exercise, the energy that is supplied by the oxygen faces an increased need....
In respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, airways constrict and cause difficulty breathing. When the muscles around the airways constrict, it is called a bronchospasm, and makes breathing difficult....
Albuterol is a medication used to treat the symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is actually an umbrella term for a group of diseases that affect the lungs and breathing airways. The symptoms that albuterol affects...
A strong, effective cough is the first-line tool for clearing your lungs, according to an article Dr. W. D. Kim in a 1997 edition of the European Respiratory Journal. Coughing is the simplest home remedy, requiring neither drugs nor devices, and...
Continually breathing through the mouth has more serious consequences than getting funny looks from others. Left untreated, mouth breathing can cause major changes to your oral health and even your facial structure. In fact, it can lead to the...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is caused by emphysema or chronic bronchitis, the American Heart Association notes. A number of factors, such as age, genetics and exposure to tobacco smoke, affect your chances of developing COPD,...
When a smoker quits smoking, the health benefits are immediate. Energy levels increase, food tastes better and coughing subsides, according to the article "Quit Smoking" at Healthfinder.gov. The most important benefits are the decreased risk of...
Respiratory therapists, also called respiratory care practitioners, promote the optimal health and functioning of the cardiopulmonary system. They prevent, identify, and treat acute or chronic dysfunctions using scientific principles. Respiratory...
Breathing and the regulation of oxygen and carbon dioxide would not be possible without our lungs. The lungs also aid white blood cells in fighting against infectious agents; mucus, a substance produced in the lungs, traps infectious agents and...
Oxygen is vital to life, and the only means of bringing oxygen into your body is through your lungs. A healthy adult inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide approximately 25,000 times per day. When the lungs are damaged or weakened due to...
Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive medical procedure used to measure a person's oxygen saturation level. Waves of infrared light determine the amount of oxygen the blood's hemoglobin is carrying. Hemoglobin is a component in blood that carries oxygen...
The bronchioles are the tubes that connect the lungs to the throat and mouth. Constricted bronchioles increase the amount of resistance that air creates as it flows to the lungs, making it harder for patients to breathe. Bronchodilators are...
Nebulizers, also called aerosol generators, convert liquid medication into a mist or aerosol that can be inhaled using an aerosol mask, mouthpiece or a tracheostomy collar if an individual has a tracheostomy. Nebulizers most often aerosolize...
Chronic obstructive lung disease, more commonly called COPD, makes breathing difficult and limits your exercise tolerance. COPD is not reversible, but you can learn lung exercises to build up your stamina and your ability to breathe more...
Chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, prevent the lungs from effectively absorbing oxygen from normal atmospheric air. Patients with chronic lung disease may benefit from inhaling concentrated oxygen. How often a...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a general term used for medical conditions that make it challenging to breathe. This includes diseases such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other conditions that obstruct the airways....
Healthy lungs deliver oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from the body. Unlike other internal organs, healthy lungs are routinely and directly touched by the outside environment through the air breathed in. The delicate tissues of the lungs must...
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects individuals who have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. If you suffer from too much sleep, or oversleeping, it can be a confusing condition. The National Sleep Foundation warns against...
Triflow is the name given to a type of spirometer, or breathing device used to help rehabilitate the lungs. Known as an incentive spirometer, the device is used by patients following many types of surgery, as well as those diagnosed with breathing...
Mucus can build up in different places in the body, including the lungs, throat, nose and chest. Coughing is often the best way to expel excess mucus from the throat and lungs. Your child will need to blow his nose if the mucus is in the nasal...
The "Friendly City"---Tifton, Georgia---offers a variety of home health services from which to choose. It is possible to select home health agencies with offices in several states or single location businesses and to find national home health...
FI02 is the medical term for "fractional inspired oxygen" concentration, or simply the percent of oxygen you are breathing. FI02 is normally 21 percent breathing room air and can be as high as 100 percent breathing pure oxygen. ABG means arterial...
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a general term used to describe many conditions that make breathing difficult, including chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema and others. Most cases of COPD are caused by damage to the lungs from...
