Have you heard the news? November is no longer just for turkey lovers! Each year, November marks COPD Awareness Month where the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will be soliciting your help to spread the word. And what does the NHLBI want you to do? That's simple - get involved.

 The Learn More Breathe Better Campaign seeks to raise awareness about COPD as a serious lung disease, increase the understanding that COPD is not curable, but is treatable, and encourage people, especially smokers and former smokers, to get an annual spirometry test measuring their lung function. Why? Because early screening leads to earlier diagnosis, which ultimately leads to earlier treatment and a higher qualify of life.

For more information and to find out how you can partner with the NHLBI, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/index.htm.

Enough about swine flu already, isn't it time we started talking about something else for a change -- like the approaching holidays! With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, temptations of overeating will undoubtedly run rampant. And, for COPD patients, overeating can lead to a worsening of COPD symptoms.

The following tips are geared towards the COPD patient who wants to watch his or her waistline this holiday season:

6 Tips For Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

According to the CDC, there have been a number of swine flu deaths related to bacterial pneumonia -- deaths, which may have been prevented by getting the pneumococcal polysccharide vaccine (PPV).

For those of you who have gotten their pneumonia vaccine, great news! Way to go! But, there are some people who actually need a second dose. Are you one of them? Let's find out.

You should have a second dose if you are in the following groups:

• Anyone 65 years of age or older who got their first dose before they turned 65, if at least 5 years has passed since the initial dose was given.
• Anyone who has a damaged or no spleen, sickle cell disease, HIV, AIDS, cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, an organ or bone marrow transplant, or who is taking medication that may lower their immunity, such as chemotherapy or long-term steroids.

If any of you fall into the above categories, talk to your health care provider about getting a second dose.

For more information about the pneumonia vaccine, visit COPD and the Pneumonia Vaccine: What You Need to Know.

I love my wood burning stove, but the other day as the rain set in and I became so chilled I could break icicles off my chin, I decided to burn some wood. When I did so, I noticed that I smelled smoke, which was very irritating to my lungs, and the lungs of my husband, who has COPD.

After breathing in the smoke for much of the day, I figured something HAD to be wrong. I decided to do some research to see exactly what consequences I could suffer from a wood burning stove and how I could burn wood in it safely and more efficiently. Hence, I've written a new article with a wealth of information about wood burning stoves. I hope you find it useful:

The Health Hazards of Wood Burning Stoves

Do you have a wood burning stove? Have you ever noticed a worsening of your COPD symptoms when you used it? Please drop a line and share your comments.