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.

In a preliminary analysis, the CDC reported that many of the patients hospitalized with the swine (H1N1) flu virus have underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of complications from the flu.

Among 1,400 hospitalized adults who were evaluated, the most common underlying conditions reported were chronic lung disease, asthma, diabetes, sickle-cell anemia and other blood disorders, neurological and neuromuscular disorders. Pregnancy was also noted to increase the risk of flu complications.

Based on these preliminary findings, the CDC recommends that those with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women receive priority access to the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available.

What about you? Will you be getting a swine flu vaccine this season? Cast your vote in the poll and be sure to leave your comments.

Read more about the safey of the swine flu vaccine from Kristina Duda, Guide to Cold and Flu.

Thanks to researchers at The University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, patients with chronic lungs diseases like COPD and asthma may soon be offered better treatment.

After a purpose-built MRI unit was established to help study lung diseases, a new technique was developed which will allow doctors to virtually see inside the lungs using a new type of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner.

The technique involves a specially treated, harmless gas which patients are to inhale during the MRI scan. Unlike air, this gas shows up differently on the MRI, giving an impressively-detailed picture of the lungs. The new method not only shows both healthy and damaged parts of the lungs, but it will show the gas being absorbed into the bloodstream, giving doctors a better idea about how well the different parts of the lungs are transferring oxygen.

Although I don't know where you have to live to participate, and many of you live in the UK, you should know that clinical trials on the use of the hyperpolarized Xenon (gas) and the MRI in healthy volunteers are planned to start in the next few months, followed by clinical trials involving patients with COPD and lung fibrosis. Anyone interested in volunteering for these clinical trials can contact the research team at +44 115 970 9783.

For more information about the new MRI scan, visit media-newswire.com.

The more I learn about the stop smoking aid Chantix, the more I think what an amazing drug it is, and certainly one that merits some consideration if you are a COPD patient who can't seem to quit smoking.

Chantix works by blocking nicotine receptors in the brain, which means if you smoke while you are taking Chantix, you won't get any pleasure out of it, a big plus if you are trying to quit.

If you have tried everything and been unsuccessful, maybe its time you tried Chantix. What have you got to lose, except your cigarettes, of course!

Complete Guide to Using Chantix

A while back, I wrote an article about the FDA issuing a warning that using the common bronchodilator, Spiriva (tiotropium), increased the risk of stroke in patients who used it. While the risk was slight (2 cases per 1000 patients) the FDA felt the warning was warranted pending further investigation.

An update has since been issued by the FDA based upon preliminary data from UPLIFT (Understanding the Potential Long-Term Impacts on Function with Tiotropium), a large, placebo controlled clinical trial consisting of 6000 patients who used the Spiriva HandiHaler.

Preliminary results of UPLIFT reported by Boehringer Ingelheim to the FDA showed that there was no increased risk of stroke with Spiriva HandiHaler compared to placebo. Final results of the analysis have not yet been posted on the FDA site (sorry, they are a bit slow), but I will update everyone once it has.

For more information visit:

The FDA and Spiriva

The Journal of Critical Care reports that noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in a pulmonary ward reduces the need for endotracheal intubation, particularly for those patients who are most severe, and leads to faster recovery for COPD patients. Benefits are modest, however, if a patient's PH is greater than 7.35. Current findings are consistent with those prior.

When we speak of NIPPV, we are generally talking about the old familiar BiPAP machine of which many of you are all too familiar. In lieu of this information, how many of you will look at that old machine tucked away in the corner of your bedroom in a different light today? Share your thoughts.

Read more about the study here.

Are you taking a class of drugs called statins for your high cholesterol? If so, they may also benefit your COPD, at least that is what the Canadian researchers are saying.

The September, 2009 issue of CHEST reports that statins not only lower cholesterol, but they may also have anti-inflammatory and many immunomodulatory (a substance that has an effect on the immune system) effects thought to be beneficial to those with COPD.

While this evidence does not yet support the expanse of statins beyond what they are being used for now (vascular protection), things look ever-so-promising as the report indicates that statins may have the potential to benefit lung function, exercise capacity, COPD exacerbation rates, COPD-related hospital admissions and intubations and COPD-related mortality rates. WoW!

Are you currently taking statins for high cholesterol? Share your comments and let us know what you think about this new development.