Asthma attack deaths in England and Wales are the highest they have been in the last decade and have risen by more than 33% over the last 10 years, latest figures show.
According to charity Asthma UK, more than 1,400 people died from asthma last year, an 8% increase compared to 2017.
Over 12,700 people have died from the condition in England and Wales in the last decade.
The figures also show an increase in men dying from the condition, with 436 men dying in 2018 compared to 370 the previous year.
Asthma UK is calling on the government to do more after a review commissioned by the NHS and Department for Health five years ago found that two-thirds of deaths could be prevented by better basic care.
Dr Samantha Walker, from Asthma UK, said: "I think doctors and nurses on the frontline need to make sure they're delivering these elements of basic care that are important. But equally important is that people with asthma need to make sure they're taking their preventative medicine regularly, that they have an action plan, that they know how to use their inhalers and that they know what to do in an emergency."
Eight-year-old Bailey Davis, who had mild asthma, was not called back for yearly reviews. His mother, Nicki, didn't know reviews were required, and in 2017, without warning, he suffered an acute attack and died, leaving behind his twin brother, Mason.
Nicki said: "Bailey walked into the bedroom and just said 'Mummy I can't breathe properly', but I couldn't see any visible gasping for breath so I said 'Ok darling, come on I'll give you your inhaler, give you some puffs', and he stood up and I said 'Are you ok?' In the flick of a light switch he'd gone.
"I then started CPR. My friend was downstairs and I called her to call an ambulance. I said 'Bailey isn't breathing' and my neighbours heard and came rushing in, bearing in mind Mason is still in bed, confused and shouting 'What's happening mummy? What's happening?"
Professor Jonathan Grigg, at Queen Mary University of London, puts the increase in asthma deaths down to two issues.
"The reason for this is very complicated. It's certainly on one hand to do with the environment - we're breathing in air pollution which we know makes asthma worse and actually we have new cases of asthma due to air pollution, but also our health care system is really not taking asthma as seriously as it should do."
In a statement Mike Morgan from NHS England said: "Asthma UK worked closely with the NHS to develop proposals in our Long Term Plan, which sets out measures including better diagnosis of the condition, improved medicine reviews and stronger guidance for local health services to better support families living with asthma, all of which will contribute to more than three million people benefiting from improved respiratory, stroke and cardiac services over the next decade, but as we've seen this week, with confirmation that one third of childhood asthma cases are linked to air pollution, it's clear that a big part of this challenge cannot be met by the NHS alone."
Asthma is thought to affect around 4.8 million people in England and Wales.
This leaflet answers some common questions about FENAC EC.
It does not contain all of the available information. It does not take the place of
talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have benefits and risks. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking
FENAC EC against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with your medicine.
You may need to read it again.
What FENAC EC is used for
FENAC EC belongs to a group of medicines called Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
(NSAIDs), which are used to treat pain and reduce inflammation (swelling and redness).
FENAC EC is used to treat:
different types of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
other painful conditions where swelling is a problem such as back pain, rheumatism,
muscle strains, sprains and tendonitis (e.g. tennis elbow)
menstrual cramps (period pain)
relieve pain in children after they have had an operation.
It can relieve the symptoms of pain and inflammation, but it will not cure your condition.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why FENAC EC has been prescribed for
you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another purpose.
FENAC EC is only available with a doctor's prescription. It is not addictive.
There is not enough information to recommend the use of FENAC EC tablets in children.
Before you take FENAC EC
When you must not take it
Do not take FENAC EC if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to:
diclofenac (the active ingredient in FENAC EC) or any of the other ingredients listed
at the end of this leaflet
other medicines containing diclofenac
aspirin
ibuprofen
any other NSAID
If you are not sure if you are taking any of the above medicines, ask your doctor
or pharmacist.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to these medicines may include:
shortness of breath
wheezing or difficulty breathing
swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat, and/or extremities (signs of angioedema)
rash, itching or hives on the skin.
Many medicines used to treat headache, period pain and other aches and pains contain
aspirin or
NSAID medicines.
If you are allergic to aspirin or NSAID medicines and you use FENAC EC, these symptoms
may be severe.
Do not take FENAC EC if you have had any of the following medical conditions:
a stomach or intestinal ulcer
bleeding from the stomach or bowel (symptoms of which may include blood in your stools
or black stools)
kidney or liver problems
severe heart failure
heart bypass surgery
Do not take FENAC EC during the first 6 months of pregnancy, except on doctor's advice.
Do not take this medicine during the last three months of pregnancy.
Use of this medicine during the last 3 months of pregnancy may affect your baby and
may delay labour and birth.
Use of non-aspirin NSAIDs can increase the risk of miscarriage, particularly when
taken close to the time of conception.
Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging
is torn or shows signs of tampering.
If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.
Before you start to take it
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives
or dyes.
Your doctor will want to know if you are prone to allergies, especially if you get
skin reactions with redness, itching or rash.
Tell your doctor if you have, or have had, any of the following medical conditions:
established disease of the heart or blood vessels (also called cardiovascular disease,
including uncontrolled high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, established
ischemic heart disease, or peripheral arterial disease, or atherosclerotic cardiovascular
disease) as treatment with FENAC EC is generally not recommended
established cardiovascular disease (see above) or significant risk factors such as
high blood pressure, abnormally high levels of fat (cholesterol, triglycerides) in
your blood, diabetes, or if you smoke, and your doctor decides to prescribe FENAC
EC, you must not increase the dose above 100 mg per day if you are treated for more
than 4 weeks.
current or past history of gastrointestinal problems such as stomach or intestinal
ulceration, bleeding or black stools, and/or stomach discomfort or heartburn after
taking anti-inflammatory medicines in the past
diseases of the bowel or inflammation of the intestinal tract (Crohn's disease) or
colon (ulcerative or ischemic colitis)
past history of haemorrhoids (piles) or irritation of the rectum (back passage)
liver or kidney problems
a rare liver condition called porphyria
bleeding disorders or other blood disorders (e.g. anaemia)
asthma or any other chronic lung disease that causes difficulty in breathing
hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis)
repeated chest infections
polyps in the nose
diabetes
dehydration (e.g. by sickness, diarrhoea, before or after recent major surgery)
swollen feet
Your doctor may want to take special precautions if you have any of the above conditions.
It is generally important to take the lowest dose of FENAC EC that relieves your pain
and/or swelling and for the shortest time possible in order to keep your risk for
cardiovascular side effects as small as possible.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
There is not enough information to recommend the use of FENAC EC during the first
6 months of pregnancy and it must not be used during the last 3 months. FENAC EC may
also reduce fertility and affect your chances of becoming pregnant. Your doctor can
discuss the risks and benefits involved.
Tell your doctor if you currently have an infection.
If you take FENAC EC while you have an infection, some of the signs of the infection
such as pain, fever, swelling and redness may be hidden. You may think, mistakenly,
that you are better or that the infection is not serious.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Breast feeding is not recommended while taking FENAC EC. The active ingredient, diclofenac,
passes into breast milk and may affect your baby. Your doctor will discuss the risks
and benefits of taking FENAC EC when breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you are lactose intolerant.
FENAC EC tablets contain lactose.
Tell your doctor if you are planning to give this medicine to a child.
Safety and effectiveness in children have not been established.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you start
taking FENAC EC.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy
without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and FENAC EC may interfere with each other. These include:
other anti-inflammatory medicines e.g. aspirin, salicylates or ibuprofen
warfarin or other "blood thinners" (medicines used to prevent blood clotting)
digoxin (a medicine for heart problems)
lithium or selective serotonin- reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a medicine used to treat
some types of depression
diuretics (medicines used to increase the amount of urine)
ACE inhibitors or beta-blockers (medicines used to treat high blood pressure, heart
conditions, glaucoma and migraine)
prednisone, cortisone, or other corticosteroids (medicines used to provide relief
for inflamed areas of the body)
medicines (such as metformin) used to treat diabetes, except insulin
methotrexate (a medicine used to treat arthritis and some cancers)
ciclosporin, tacrolimus (a medicine used in patients who have received organ transplants)
trimethoprim (a medicine used to prevent or treat urinary tract infections)
some medicines used to treat infection (quinolone antibacterials)
glucocorticoid medicines, used to treat arthritis
sulfinpyrazone (a medicine used to treat gout)
voriconazole (a medicine used to treat fungal infections)
phenytoin (a medicine used to treat seizures)
rifampicin (an antibiotic medicine used to treat bacterial infections)
You may need to take different amounts of your medicines or to take different medicines
while you are using FENAC EC. Your doctor and pharmacist have more information.
If you have not told your doctor about any of these things, tell him/ her before you
start using this medicine.
How to take FENAC EC
When to take it
It is recommended to take the tablets before meals or on an empty stomach. If they
upset your stomach, you can take them with food or immediately after food.
They will work more quickly if you take them on an empty stomach but they will still
work if you have to take them with food to prevent stomach upset.
How much to take
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully.
These instructions may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
There are different ways to take FENAC EC tablets depending on your condition. Your
doctor will tell you exactly how many tablets to take.
Do not exceed the recommended dose.
To treat arthritis or other painful conditions
The usual starting dose of FENAC EC tablets is 75 mg to 150 mg each day. After the
early stages of treatment, it is usually possible to reduce the dose to 75 mg to 100
mg each day.
To treat menstrual cramps (period pain)
The tablets are usually taken during each period as soon as cramps begin and continued
for a few days until the pain goes away.
The usual starting dose of FENAC EC tablets is 50 mg to 100mg each day, beginning
as soon as cramps begin and continuing until the pain goes away, but for no longer
than 3 days.
If necessary, the dose can be raised over several menstrual periods to a maximum of
200 mg each day.
How to take it
FENAC EC tablets are usually taken in 2 or 3 doses during the day.
Swallow the tablets whole with a full glass of water or other liquid. Do not chew
them.
The tablets have a special coating to keep them from dissolving until they have passed
through the stomach into the bowel. Chewing the tablets would destroy the coating.
How long to take it for
Do not use FENAC EC for longer than your doctor says.
If you are using FENAC EC for arthritis, it will not cure your disease but it should
help to control pain and inflammation. It usually begins to work within a few hours
but several weeks may pass before you feel the full effects of the medicine.
If you forget to take it
If it is almost time for your next dose (e.g. within 2 or 3 hours), skip the dose
you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.
Otherwise, take it as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking it as you would
normally.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed.
This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.
If you have trouble remembering when to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for
some hints.
If you take too much (overdose)
Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13
11 26) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you
think you or anyone else may have taken too much FENAC EC. Do this even if there are
no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
You may need urgent medical attention.
Symptoms of an overdose may include vomiting, bleeding from the stomach or bowel,
diarrhoea, dizziness, ringing in the ears or convulsions (fits).
While you are taking FENAC EC
Things you must do
If you take FENAC EC for more than a few weeks, you should make sure to visit your
doctor for regular check-ups to ensure that you are not suffering from unnoticed undesirable
effects.
If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately.
Your doctor can discuss with you the risks of taking FENAC EC while you are pregnant.
Be sure to keep all of your doctor's appointments so that your progress can be checked.
Your doctor will periodically re-evaluate whether you should continue treatment with
FENAC EC, if you have established heart disease or significant risks for heart disease,
especially in case you are treated for more than 4 weeks.
Your doctor may want to check your kidneys, liver and blood from time to time to help
prevent unwanted side effects.
If, at any time while taking FENAC EC you experience any signs or symptoms of problems
with your heart or blood vessels such as chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness,
or slurring of speech, contact your doctor immediately. These may be signs of cardiovascular
toxicity.
If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking
FENAC EC.
NSAID medicines can slow down blood clotting and affect kidney function.
If you get an infection while taking FENAC EC, tell your doctor.
This medicine may hide some of the signs of an infection (pain, fever, swelling, redness).
You may think, mistakenly, that you are better or that the infection is not serious.
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist
that you are taking FENAC EC.
Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking
FENAC EC.
Things you must not do
Do not take any of the following medicines while you are taking FENAC EC without first
checking with your doctor or pharmacist:
aspirin (also called ASA or acetylsalicylic acid)
other salicylates
other medicines containing diclofenac
ibuprofen
any other NSAID medicines.
If you take these medicines together with FENAC EC, they may cause unwanted side effects.
If you need to take something for headache or fever, it is recommended that you take
paracetamol. If you are not sure, your doctor or pharmacist can advise you.
Do not stop any other forms of treatment for arthritis that your doctor has told you
to follow.
This medicine does not replace exercise or rest programs or the use of heat/cold treatments.
Do not give this medicine to anyone else, even if their condition seems similar to
yours.
Do not use it to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving, operating machinery or doing jobs that require you to be alert
until you know how FENAC EC affects you.
This medicine may cause dizziness, drowsiness, spinning sensation (vertigo) or blurred
vision in some people. If any of these occur, do not drive, use machine or do anything
else that could be dangerous.
Elderly patients should take the minimum number of tablets that provides relief of
symptoms.
Elderly patients, especially those with a low body weight, may be more sensitive to
the effects of FENAC EC than other adults.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you
are taking FENAC EC.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time
they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
If you are over 65 years of age, you should be especially careful while taking this
medicine. Report any side effects promptly to your doctor.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any
of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
stomach upset including nausea (feeling sick), vomiting, indigestion, cramps, loss
of appetite, wind
heartburn or pain behind or below the breastbone (possible symptoms of an ulcer in
the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach)
stomach or abdominal pain
constipation, diarrhoea
sore mouth or tongue
altered taste sensation
headache
dizziness, spinning sensation
drowsiness, disorientation, forgetfulness
feeling depressed, anxious or irritable
strange or disturbing thoughts or moods
shakiness, sleeplessness, nightmares
tingling or numbness of the hands or feet
feeling of fast or irregular heart beat
unusual weight gain or swelling of arms, hands, feet, ankles or legs due to fluid
build-up
symptoms of sunburn (such as redness, itching, swelling, blistering of the lips, eyes,
mouth, and/or skin) that happen more quickly than normal
skin inflammation with flaking or peeling
vision disorders *(e.g. blurred or double vision)
buzzing or ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing
hypertension (high blood pressure)
hair loss or thinning
NSAIDs, including diclofenac, may be associated with increased risk of gastro-intestinal
anastomotic leak. Close medical surveillance and caution are recommended when using
this medicine after gastrointestinal surgery.
*If symptoms of vision disorders occur during treatment with FENAC EC, contact your
doctor as an eye examination may be considered to exclude other causes.
If any of the following signs appear, tell your doctor immediately, or go to Accident
and Emergency at the nearest hospital:
red or purple skin (possible signs of blood vessel inflammation)
severe pain or tenderness in the stomach, vomiting blood or material that looks like
coffee grounds, bleeding from the back passage, black sticky bowel motions (stools)
or bloody diarrhoea (possible stomach problems)
rash, skin rash with blisters, itching or hives on the skin; swelling of the face,
lips, mouth, tongue, throat, or other part of the body which may cause difficulty
to swallow, low blood pressure (hypotension), fainting, shortness of breath (possible
allergic reaction)
wheezing, troubled breathing, or feelings of tightness in the chest (signs of asthma)
yellowing of the skin and/or eyes (signs of hepatitis/liver failure)
persistent nausea, loss of appetite, unusual tiredness, vomiting, pain in the upper
right abdomen, dark urine or pale bowel motions (possible liver problems)
constant "flu-like" symptoms including chills, fever, sore throat, aching joints,
swollen glands, tiredness or lack of energy, bleeding or bruising more easily than
normal (possible blood problem)
painful red areas, large blisters, peeling of layers of skin, bleeding in the lips,
eyes, mouth, nose or genitals, which may be accompanied by fever and chills, aching
muscles and feeling generally unwell (possible serious skin reaction)
signs of a possible effect on the brain, such as sudden and severe headache, stiff
neck (signs of viral meningitis), severe nausea, dizziness, numbness, difficulty in
speaking, paralysis (signs of cerebral attack), convulsions (fits)
change in the colour or amount of urine passed, frequent need to urinate, burning
feeling when passing urine, blood or excess of protein in the urine (possible kidney
disorders)
sudden and oppressive chest pain (which may be a sign of myocardial infarction or
a heart attack)
breathlessness, difficulty breathing when lying down, swelling of the feet or legs
(signs of cardiac failure)
Coincidental occurrence of chest pain and allergic reactions (signs of Kounis syndrome)
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
Some people may have other side effects not yet known or mentioned in this leaflet.
After taking FENAC EC
Storage
Keep your medicine in the original container until it is time to take it.
If you take the tablets out of the pack they may not keep well.
Keep your tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.
Do not store FENAC EC or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.
Do not leave FENAC EC in the car or on window sills.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep FENAC EC where children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place
to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking FENAC EC, or your tablets have passed their
expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over.
Product description
What it looks like
FENAC EC 25 mg tablets are round, pale yellow, enteric coated tablets plain on both
sides. Available in blister packs of 50 tablets.
FENAC EC 50 mg tablets are round, pale brown, enteric coated tablets plain on both
sides. Available in blister packs of 50 tablets.
Ingredients
FENAC EC contains 25 mg or 50 mg of diclofenac sodium as the active ingredient.
The tablets also contain the following inactive ingredients:
Though many experts agree that color-coding inhalers would benefit patients, there’s still a lack of standardization of these devices worldwide.
According to a 2017 report from the American Medical Association (AMA), unlike in Canada, the United Kingdom, and parts of Europe, there’s currently no standardized convention for the coloration of respiratory inhalers in the United States.
In general, however, reliever medication inhalers are blue, and preventer inhalers are brown. However, this isn’t always the case, which can create confusion.
Here are what some of the most common colors can mean, but always double-check the label before use.
Blue
Blue is the color most often used for “reliever” or “rescue” inhalers. However, different brands will often use other colors for albuterol as well. These inhalers are short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) that contain medication like albuterol, which quickly relaxes respiratory muscles.
Reliever or rescue inhalers get their name from their intended use — they’re intended to offer quick relief in case of an emergency.
Most people with asthma are prescribed a reliever inhaler, so you will likely be able to find this type more readily than others.
Brown
Brown is most often the color of “preventer” or “controller” inhalers. These devices contain corticosteroids that gradually reduce inflammation in the respiratory system over time.
These inhalers are designed to be taken regularly to prevent and gradually improve asthma symptoms over time. As a result, they’re not appropriate in case of an asthma attack or respiratory emergency.
These inhalers are meant to be used even when you don’t have symptoms. Doing so may improve your day-to-day quality of life. Using a spacer with a preventer or controller inhaler can help make using them easier and prevent side effects like a sore throat or a hoarse voice.
Green
Green is the color most often used for long-acting bronchodilator inhalers, which help manage chronic airway conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Like preventer/controller inhalers, these are intended to manage and reduce symptoms gradually over time. They are not intended to treat acute or emergency symptoms.
Orange or Yellow
Orange or yellow devices, like brown ones, tend to be preventer/controller inhalers. However, they may sometimes be reliever/rescue inhalers, so always asses the device carefully before use.
Flovent (fluticasone) is a type of corticosteroid often found in orange or yellow devices. Proventil (albuterol sulfate) also typically uses a yellow or orange inhaler.
Red, Pink, or Purple
Red, pink, or purple devices tend to indicate a combination of preventer/controller and reliever/rescue medication.
For instance, these devices may contain a combination of a corticosteroid and SABA to provide both short-term emergency support and long-term preventive care.
Advair (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol) is a preventive asthma medication that commonly comes in a purple inhaler.
MONDAY, March 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Breathing and relaxation techniques may offer relief to some patients battling Long COVID.
In a new, small study of 20 patients, biofeedback therapy relieved both the physical and psychological symptoms of Long COVID, researchers said. Many participants had been dealing with symptoms for more than a year.
"Our biggest hope is that we've identified a way to alleviate chronic physical symptoms that are not successfully treated by standard biomedical approaches, and that we did so with a short-term, non-pharmacological model that is easily scalable," said lead author Natacha Emerson, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Biofeedback therapy pairs breathing and relaxation techniques with visual feedback to teach people how to regulate their body temperature, heart rate and other body processes.
After six weeks of treatment, patients in this study reported they were sleeping better and had significant improvements in physical, depression and anxiety symptoms.
Three months later, they were still seeing the benefit, using fewer prescription medicines and having fewer doctor visits, researchers said.
Worldwide, an estimated 65 million people have Long COVID — persistent symptoms that linger long past the actual infection. This constellation of symptoms include depression, anxiety, sleep issues, brain fog, dizziness and heart palpitations.
"It is important to underscore that while this behavioral intervention may help symptoms, patients with Long COVID are not in control of their symptoms and are not faking or exaggerating what they report to their doctors," Emerson said in a UCLA news release.
"Whether it is a racing heart, chronic cough or fatigue, these are real symptoms, just not rooted in a disease process," she added. "Instead, we think the autonomic nervous system is off balance and signaling fight-or-flight mechanisms, similarly to what we see in panic attacks."
Emerson did note that some patients were also receiving other treatments such as acupuncture or psychotherapy, which may have contributed to the observed improvements.
Her team hopes to see similar findings from a randomized, controlled trial. They want to compare biofeedback to other treatments such as psychotherapy or pulmonary rehabilitation.
“What is exciting is that we are restoring hope in people who feared they would be disabled long-term," Emerson said. "And if this tool works, it is one they can practice long term and might apply to future periods of stress.”
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about Long COVID.
SOURCE: UCLA Health Sciences, news release, March 13, 2024
Breathing and relaxation techniques may offer relief to some patients battling Long COVID.
In a new, small study of 20 patients, biofeedback therapy relieved both the physical and psychological symptoms of Long COVID, researchers said. Many participants had been dealing with symptoms for more than a year.
"Our biggest hope is that we've identified a way to alleviate chronic physical symptoms that are not successfully treated by standard biomedical approaches, and that we did so with a short-term, non-pharmacological model that is easily scalable," said lead author Natacha Emerson, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Biofeedback therapy pairs breathing and relaxation techniques with visual feedback to teach people how to regulate their body temperature, heart rate and other body processes.
After six weeks of treatment, patients in this study reported they were sleeping better and had significant improvements in physical, depression and anxiety symptoms.
Three months later, they were still seeing the benefit, using fewer prescription medicines and having fewer doctor visits, researchers said.
Worldwide, an estimated 65 million people have Long COVID — persistent symptoms that linger long past the actual infection. This constellation of symptoms include depression, anxiety, sleep issues, brain fog, dizziness and heart palpitations.
"It is important to underscore that while this behavioral intervention may help symptoms, patients with Long COVID are not in control of their symptoms and are not faking or exaggerating what they report to their doctors," Emerson said in a UCLA news release.
"Whether it is a racing heart, chronic cough or fatigue, these are real symptoms, just not rooted in a disease process," she added. "Instead, we think the autonomic nervous system is off balance and signaling fight-or-flight mechanisms, similarly to what we see in panic attacks."
Emerson did note that some patients were also receiving other treatments such as acupuncture or psychotherapy, which may have contributed to the observed improvements.
Her team hopes to see similar findings from a randomized, controlled trial. They want to compare biofeedback to other treatments such as psychotherapy or pulmonary rehabilitation.
“What is exciting is that we are restoring hope in people who feared they would be disabled long-term," Emerson said. "And if this tool works, it is one they can practice long term and might apply to future periods of stress.”
It could be a morning traffic jam. A deadline at work. A conflict with a family member. Taking care of kids and aging parents.
Stressful situations are all around us, and experts say how we manage stress is key to preventing it from causing long-term health problems — both physical and mental.
"It's like walking around with a ten or fifteen-pound weight continually on your back and not being able to shed that weight," psychologist Dr. Zindel Segal told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC's The Dose.
There are techniques and strategies to decrease that stressful load, however, and lessen the impact of stress on the body and the mind.
Is stress good or bad?
Stress means that we are unable to use our personal or social resources to meet the demands being placed on us, said Dr. Eli Puterman, a health psychologist and associate professor in the school of kinesiology at UBC.
But not all stress is bad stress, said Puterman.
"It sometimes can motivate you to also move in the direction of, 'Let's change our goals,'" he said.
From an evolutionary perspective, our bodies are engineered to handle stress, said Segal, a distinguished professor of psychology and mood disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
But after the stress response, we need a period of rest and recovery, which allows the body to recoup the resources that were used up during the stressful situation.
Chronic stress is when we're unable to step out of the situation and take advantage of our own natural capacity to restore, said Segal.
It's a system that is "stuck in the fifth gear without the ability to downshift," he said.
Connecting with your senses
The first step to managing stress is recognizing it, said Segal, and that means tuning into our bodies.
"Are you noticing that maybe your heart is racing, or that your palms are sweating, or that your temple and forehead are pounding?" he said.
Grounding techniques can anchor us in the present moment and help pull us away from intrusive thoughts or feelings to take a broader view of the situation, said Segal.
"One of the things that we lose the ability to connect with is the sensory world," he said, which is why so many techniques for managing stress are about reconnecting with your senses.
"Sensations are a way of actually helping us step out of thinking, to ground ourselves."
A breath of fresh air
Doing yoga, meditating, exercising and deep breathing can all help ground us in our bodies and change our perspectives on stress, said Segal.
However, stress can cause barriers to being physically active, said Puterman, so he prefers to think about moving our bodies as opposed to exercising.
"Getting outside and going for some walks for 10, 15 minutes per day can help us start having those moments where we're taking care of our bodies," he said.
LISTEN | Try this guided exercise in box breathing with Dr. Zindel Segal:
Sit in a chair and notice the sensations of sitting: the feet pressing down into the floor, the hands folded in the lap or on the thighs.
Breathe in for four beats (visualize the left side of the box).
Hold for four beats (visualize the top of the box).
Breathe out for four beats (visualize the right side of the box).
Hold for four beats (visualize the bottom of the box).
Repeat as many times as you like.
What stress does to the body
It may be easy to understand how stress can take an emotional and mental toll, but research also shows that stress can have an impact on our physical health — including an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
"In the short term, it rapidly increases your blood pressure, which can potentially result in a tear in the plaque that is in your arteries and then subsequently cause a heart attack or a stroke," said Dr. Hassan Mir, a cardiologist at the Ottawa Heart Institute.
When we're feeling stress, it activates our sympathetic nervous system, the part of our nervous system that carries signals related to our fight-or-flight response.
That can cause an increase in our blood pressure and heart rate, said Mir.
Another reaction to acute stress is a condition called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or a weakened heart muscle, he said.
"When you're really stressed, you can have this release of adrenaline in your body," Mir said.
WATCH / We can't avoid stress, but we can learn how to deal with it:
Stress can create long-term health impacts: 'It's all about how you cope,' says psychologist
Mir has seen people who come into the hospital because their partner had a cardiac arrest, and then they suddenly get rushed to the ER because it looks like they're having a heart attack.
"You go and look inside and the coronary arteries look completely fine, but their heart muscle looks like it's completely weakened," Mir said.
If you're frequently activating your sympathetic nervous system due to stress, that can cause other issues in the body, said Puterman.
"If you're starting to shift your baseline of the functioning of your physiology, you're now entering the state where now you have too much cortisol that's then activating too much glucose release," he said.
Too much glucose released into the body can cause people to enter a pre-diabetes state, said Puterman.
How much stress is too much?
A little bit of stress could help us handle more stressful events in the future, a theory called the inoculation hypothesis, said Puterman.
"Some stress on a daily basis or in life actually inoculates you to future exposures to stressors," he said.
But there are some telltale signs that the stress you're experiencing is causing harmful effects, said Puterman. They include:
Not sleeping well.
Not getting as much exercise as usual.
Consuming more alcohol or drugs.
Withdrawing from others socially.
Getting into more arguments with family or friends.
The trick is finding that sweet spot, said Segal, between having enough stress and too much.
"We don't want to tip over into a point where the stress that we're facing is overwhelming," Segal said.
A seven-year-old girl has been credited with saving her mother’s life when she suffered a severe asthma attack.
Katherine Holifield, 37, was driving home on August 12 after a day kayaking with friends when she began to struggle for breath.
She pulled over into a layby on the A449 in Monmouthshire and called 999 for help, but due to heavy wheezing was unable to speak and give the call handler her location.
As Ms Holifield, who suffers from brittle asthma, found her breathing worsening, her daughter Isla took over the call.
The seven-year-old calmly told the call handler to look out for a red car with a kayak on the roof.
The Welsh Ambulance Service call handler used the global addressing technology what3words to pinpoint Ms Holifield’s exact location and organise help.
A schoolgirl has been credited for saving her mum’s life by talking to 999 as her mum had an asthma attack at the wheel. In this extraordinary call, Isla Holifield calmly directs paramedics to a red car with a kayak as mum Katherine struggles to breathe ???? t.co/IKQ0namScmpic.twitter.com/3XofoTDVeO
Ms Holifield, of Cardiff said: “We’d spent the day kayaking in Monmouth with friends. I felt a bit tight-chested when we got off the water but just put it down to the fact we’d been doing quite a bit of strenuous activity.
“We’d started to make the journey home but I wasn’t getting any better, I was getting worse.
“Recognising it was an asthma attack, I pulled into a layby and got my nebuliser out to try and help.
“I’ve had brittle asthma since I was a month old and have managed it my entire life with inhalers and nebulisers, but this one was especially bad.
“In the end I couldn’t speak at all and Isla said, ‘Mummy, is this when I need to call 999?’”
Call handler Madison Vickery, who is based at the trust’s clinical contact centre in Carmarthenshire, said: “I could tell straight away that Katherine was really struggling to breathe.
Isla was very sweet and was holding her mum’s hand throughout
Paramedic Will Jones
“She was physically unable to describe their location, so I sent her a text message containing a link to the what3words website so we could try and find them.
“The three words – configure, audio, plodding – put them on the A449 just outside Llandenny in Monmouthshire, so we were then able to organise help.”
As Ms Holifield’s condition deteriorated, quick-thinking Isla took over the call.
Ms Holifield, a service co-ordinator at Cardiff-based Haven Home Care, added: “Isla was so calm and concise when she was giving information to the call handler.
“She was upset but she was just on a mission with it. She did all of this with our Jack Russell, Roly, in the car too.
“There are periods when my asthma is very good and periods where it goes completely off the rails.
“On average, I have an asthma attack every two to three months, and usually have to call for an ambulance around twice a year when they’re that severe.
“I had Covid-19 last April which just seems to have exacerbated the problem.”
Paramedics Harriett Thomas and Will Jones arrived to help Ms Holifield and took her to the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran.
Mr Jones said: “It was clear when we got there that Katherine was in massive respiratory distress.
“For us, it was about trying to stabilise her breathing enough to get her in the back of the ambulance – all while traffic was hurtling past us in the next lane.
“Isla was very sweet and was holding her mum’s hand throughout.”
This week, Ms Holifield, Isla and Roly met call handler Ms Vickery in person to say thank you and were also reunited with the two paramedics.
Isla was presented with a certificate of commendation by trust chief executive Jason Killens.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. The decision would change the world as we know it — how we live, work, interact with each other — and mark the beginning of a new era in which we coexist with COVID-19.
The pandemic has since been declared over, but the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, continues to circulate, mutate and infect people around the globe.
Although many people who have gotten COVID-19 have recovered and gone on with their lives, some have been left with persistent symptoms and debilitating health problems for which there is no cure — which we now know as long COVID.
It goes by several different names, including post-COVID conditions (PCC), long-haul COVID, and post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).
Long COVID is not one illness, but rather an umbrella term to describe a wide range of symptoms, conditions and diseases, which can vary from person to person.
Long COVID symptoms commonly include fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath, joint pain, nerve issues, gastrointestinal problems and many more.
The constellation of long-term health effects can affect every organ system in the body, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, tells TODAY.com. “Symptoms are on a spectrum from mild to severe and profoundly disabling,” says Al-Aly.
The cognitive deficits associated with long COVID, such as decreased attention and memory, can be especially debilitating.
Some patients experience slower processing speeds and diminished executive functioning, which means they may struggle to synthesize information or make decisions, James Jackson, Psy.D., neuropsychologist at Vanderbilt University and author of the book “Clearing the Fog,” tells TODAY.com.
“Executive functioning impairment is a big reason why we see so many people with long COVID who are no longer in the workplace,” Jackson adds.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people with long COVID have IQs that are six points lower on average than people who have never had COVID. The cognitive deficits can contribute to worsened mental health outcomes, and vice versa, says Jackson.
How long does long COVID last?
Long COVID symptoms can last "weeks, months or years," according to the CDC, and may persist or go away and come back again.
Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D., director of the Center for Infection & Immunity at the Yale School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com long COVID symptoms tend to last for two months or more.
Is there a long COVID test?
There are no laboratory tests to diagnose long COVID, the experts note. Due to the multitude of symptoms, there is no universally agreed-upon set of diagnostic criteria either, says Al-Aly.
“A lot of it is patient history and a process of (elimination) of other possible causes, so doctors might perform multiple different tests to exclude other diseases that could be resulting in similar outcomes,” says Iwasaki.
While many people with long COVID have evidence of their acute infection, such as a previous PCR or antibody test, some may have never tested positive or not know they were infected, per the CDC.
A 2023 study published in the journal Nature showed people with long COVID may have certain blood biomarkers, signs of the condition in the body, which could be promising for developing diagnostic tests.
However, as of now, diagnosing long COVID remains a complex and often challenging process. “A lot of times, people are being dismissed, and (told) it’s in their head or this doesn’t exist. … We know it exists, we know it’s a big deal,” says Al-Aly.
How common is long COVID?
In 2022, nearly 7% of adults in the U.S. reported ever having long COVID, according to a report from the CDC. However, the true number of people affected may be higher, the experts note.
“We see a good amount of variation in terms of incidence rates. I’ve seen those numbers range from 5-20% of patients,” Dr. Rainu Kaushal, chair of the department of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells TODAY.com. “Depending on how you define long COVID, it can also affect the rates you’re seeing."
There is an ICD-10 diagnostic code for long COVID (which is used for medical records or death certificates, for example), but this code is not uniformly used, Kaushal adds. This can also impact statistics.
Who gets long COVID?
Anyone who gets COVID can develop long COVID — regardless of age, race, gender, severity of infection, vaccination status or underlying health conditions.
“We have kids with long COVID, (and) we have people who are 100 years old with long COVID,” says Al-Aly.
Many people also get long COVID even if they didn't feel sick. “The vast majority of people develop long COVID after a mild infection,” says Iwasaki. Even if you recover fully from the first infection, it’s possible to develop long COVID after each subsequent reinfection.
However, some data indicates that certain groups may be at increased risk.
According to CDC data from 2022, adults between the ages of 35 and 49 were most likely to experience long COVID, and women were more likely than men to have had or currently have long COVID.
People who had a severe acute infection, especially those who needed to be hospitalized or treated in the intensive care unit may also be at higher risk, says Iwasaki, as well as people who have underlying health conditions and those who are unvaccinated.
Health inequities may also put people from certain racial or ethnic minority groups at greater risk, per the CDC.
Studies have shown that compared to white adults, Black and Hispanic adults who had severe COVID-19 were more likely to develop symptoms associated with long COVID, but also less likely to be diagnosed, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Additionally, certain groups may face greater barriers to health care, and a long COVID diagnosis, including those who are low-income.
Vaccination and the antiviral paxlovid can reduce the risk of developing long COVID, says Al-Aly, but the only way to completely prevent it is to not get COVID-19 in the first place.
What causes long COVID?
Scientists do not know exactly what causes long COVID, but there are several theories. One of the main ones is called viral persistence. “Whether the virus is replicating or remnants of viral products are persisting, that can be stimulating the immune responses which results in these symptoms,” says Iwasaki.
The idea is that some individuals do not fully clear SARS-CoV-2 after infection, and the virus or its remnants remain in “reservoirs” in the body, says Kaushal.
A 2023 study published in Cell showed that the gastrointestinal tract may be a reservoir for the virus, and that these reservoirs could impair serotonin production in the body, for example, which can lead to cognition-related symptoms, Al-Aly explains.
Another theory is that the infection with SARS-CoV-2 triggers a type of persistent, systemic inflammation that takes time to resolve or in some cases does not resolve at all, the experts note.
Scientists are also exploring the link between long COVID and autoimmune conditions. “We know that a lot of different types of infections can trigger autoimmune diseases," says Iwasaki. One example is the Epstein-Barr virus, which is linked to multiple sclerosis, according to a 2019 review on published in Viruses.
"I think some people are suffering from autoimmunity caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection,” says Iwasaki.
Finally, some hypothesize that SARS-CoV-2 may be reactivating other, latent viruses in the body. “We all carry multiple latent viruses, particularly in the herpes family, such as Epstein-Barr and the Varicella Zoster virus. The theory is that these can reactivate after an acute infection with SARS-CoV-2 and cause symptoms associated with long COVID,” says Iwasaki.
Is there a treatment for long COVID?
“We don’t have a cure,” says Al-Aly. Although this is a very active area of research, there are still no specific treatments or FDA- approved medications for long COVID, Al-Aly adds.
Instead, treatment is largely focused on managing the different symptoms or conditions, which may involve various specialists and therapies.
“That really represents a collective failure to find treatments for long COVID so far, going into the fifth year of the pandemic,” says Al-Aly. However, there are a number of long COVID clinics that aim to address the needs of patients. Clinical trials are underway, such as the NIH RECOVER Initiative, to evaluate treatments and find answers about long COVID.
In the meantime, what is known is that many people are suffering, and long COVID can affect the whole body. TODAY.com spoke with six patients, who shared how their lives have changed months to years later. Read on for their stories and an in-depth look at the long COVID symptoms that they fight every day.
Charlie McCone, 34, San Francisco
At the start of 2020, Charlie McCone had just turned 30, started a new nonprofit job, and moved in with his girlfriend in San Francisco. McCone was healthy and active, but after getting COVID-19 in March 2020, he developed severe cardiorespiratory symptoms, which limited his physical activity. When McCone was reinfected in 2021, he became house-bound and lost his job. McCone now suffers from extreme fatigue, cognitive issues, migraines and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
Chimére L. Sweeney, 42, Baltimore
Four years ago, Chimére L. Sweeney was a healthy 37-year-old working as a middle school teacher in Baltimore. But then Sweeney got COVID-19 in March 2020. In the months that followed, Sweeney developed debilitating headaches, fatigue, spinal pain, dizziness, vision loss, gastrointestinal issues, and her mental health declined, among other problems. Sweeney was repeatedly dismissed and discriminated against by doctors, and now advocates for Black women living with long COVID.
Cynthia Adinig, 38, Virginia
Cynthia Adinig is a mother and marketing specialist turned long-COVID advocate from Northern Virginia. After a mild case of COVID-19 in March 2020, Adinig developed a rapid heart rate; intermittent paralysis and weakness in her legs, which put her in a wheelchair for several months; esophageal spasms and tears; severe reactions to certain foods, and more. Adinig also suffers from Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), which causes repeated allergic reactions or symptoms of anaphylaxis. After being repeatedly denied care, Adinig founded the BIPOC Equity Agency.
Dr. Sue Miller, 50, South Carolina
Dr. Sue Miller, 50, served as medical director of the neonatology intensive care unit (NICU) and chair of pediatrics at a hospital in South Carolina before leaving medicine because of her long COVID. While she avoided getting COVID-19 early on, she caught it for the first and only time at a conference in May 2022. About a month later, Miller noticed she new symptoms, including exhaustion, cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal troubles and pain.
Joel Fram, 57, New York
Broadway conductor Joel Fram was part of the early wave of New Yorkers who contracted COVID-19 in March 2020. As he was recovering during lockdown, he noticed he became exhausted when he tried exercising and often felt so tired he fell asleep in the middle of a tasks, such as eating. He’s had COVID-19 four times but does not believe the reinfections worsened his long COVID symptoms.
Tony Marks, 56, North Carolina
Tony Marks has been living with long COVID for over three years. The father of two and former software executive was once healthy, active and regularly coached hockey. When Marks first contracted COVID-19 in February 2021, he had to be hospitalized for a week with pneumonia in both lungs. Marks and his doctors were initially confident that he’d recover, but he never did. The worst of his long COVID symptoms include debilitating fatigue, muscle pain and spasms, and neuropathy, or nerve damage that can lead to pain, numbness and weakness, per the Mayo Clinic.
Brain Fog
"Brain fog" is used to describe the collection of neurological and cognitive symptoms associated with COVID-19 and long COVID. These include issues with memory, attention and executive functioning. They can range from mild to severe and impair a person's ability to work or socialize.
Tony Marks was the director of a software company before his brain fog and other long COVID symptoms, forced him to resign. "Mid-sentence, during a conversation, I'll just stop because I have no idea what I just told you or where I was going. ... (Sometimes) I won't recall the conversation at all, it's like complete amnesia," Marks tells TODAY.com.
Once, while driving, Marks ended up in a random location with no recollection of how he got there. "I got in the car and my brain just entered into this mode. ... I don't remember going through stop lights or stop signs. ... (Another time) I wound up so far away from where I was supposed to be, I got out and checked my truck for dents and to make sure that I hadn't hit anything," says Marks.
Dr. Sue Miller, a former NICU director, realized soon after she had COVID-19 she could no longer multitask. “I don’t like to call it brain fog because I think that underestimates what I have,” Miller tells TODAY.com. “It’s a brain injury. It is an infection-caused brain injury.”
At work, Miller couldn’t complete paperwork with the door open because the hallway noise distracted her too much. She forgot nurses’ names. “I was having word-finding issues,” Miller says. “I speak much slower now.”
With much sadness, Miller realized she needed to stop practicing medicine. “I was worried I would make a mistake,” Miller says. “I save lives. You have to be able to think fast and not be tired and not make a mistake — because seconds matter.”
Studies have shown COVID-19 can damage the brain, and people who recover from an infection tend to have less grey matter in the brain — crucial for information-processing, per Cleveland Clinic — than those who didn’t get COVID-19.
Dizziness
Dizziness and lightheadedness are some of the most common symptoms reported among long COVID patients, per the CDC.
It was one of Chimére L. Sweeney's early long COVID symptoms in March 2020. "When I was standing up, I would feel extremely dizzy," Sweeney tells TODAY.com. It soon became difficult to walk, and showering was a monumental effort. “I was fainting in my bathroom and waking up and not knowing where I was,” says Sweeney.
Some long COVID patients also report experiencing a type of dizziness called vertigo and impairments to the vestibular system, which controls balance.
Vision disturbances
Miller, the former NICU physician, says her ongoing visual disturbances trouble her.
“It’s called imprinting. What happens is light will stay in my eyes,” she says. “Mine lasts for a really long time.”
Sweeney, too, noticed her vision started to change after she got COVID. “By mid-April, I lost vision in my left eye,” she says. “It had been about six months of going to the hospital trying to seek care. I was sent home with lost vision — they could see my vision was blurry, but nobody was telling me why,” says Sweeney.
After months of her vision loss being brushed off, doctors discovered Sweeney had dense cataracts. “I had two of them, one in each eye because of the infection, the inflammation,” says Sweeney. It took another few months for doctors to agree she needed surgery. “Now I have these dark black floaters in my eyes that impair my vision a lot,” she adds.
Rapid heart rate, trouble breathing
In the first few months after developing long COVID symptoms, Cynthia Adinig would notice her heart racing often "to the point where I feared I was having a heart attack,” she says. Her heart symptoms were often brushed off by doctors as anxiety, she says.
Joel Fram says he experiences chest pain, but trying to treat his rapid heartbeat has been frustrating.
“The cardiologist was like, ‘Well your heart rate is quite high. But your ECG is coming back normal. Your ultrasounds are coming back normal,’” Fram, a Broadway conductor, tells TODAY.com. “I was like, ‘OK, but something’s happening.”
Fram's heart rate often skyrockets after physical activity, so he's slowly building up his activity levels through physical therapy.
Before the pandemic, Charlie McCone used to regularly bike 10 miles to work and back. “I got sick in March 2020, and I’ve never been the same,” McCone tells TODAY.com. After his first infection, he developedsevere shortness of breath, chest pain and a rapid heartbeat.
“I felt like I couldn’t take a breath. It was agonizing,” says McCone, adding that he could walk at most for five or 10 minutes. When he was reinfected a year and a half later, COVID-19 took a toll on his lungs and heart once again.
"I ended up getting pneumonia, and I was hospitalized for a night. ... It was a total nightmare,” says McCone. Although his respiratory symptoms have improved slightly, McCone can only engage in limited physical activity, such as walking to another room.
Fatigue
Before getting COVID-19, Tony Marks was a healthy, active individual who could "do whatever he wanted to do," he says. The extreme fatigue has stripped that away from him.
"Now, I fall asleep all the time, for no reason. I’ll be sitting visiting with people, at the pool, and I fall asleep, and nobody can wake me up," says Marks. "Next thing I know I’m waking up in the hospital because I had fallen into such a deep state of sleep (and) it was impossible to wake me," Marks adds.
After being reinfected with COVID in 2021, Charlie McCone’s fatigue rendered him bed-bound. “I couldn’t even sit at a computer for 30 minutes,” says McCone. The once athletic, outgoing young man now rarely leaves his home except to seek medical care.
“I have been severely housebound.I lost my job, am no longer able to work, and I rely on my partner as a full-time caretaker,” says McCone, adding that he’s seen little improvement in three years. “Now I am only really able to function for one to two hours a day to do computer work or stuff around the house,” says McCone.
Fram, the Broadway conductor, says the fatigue felt “really debilitating. ... It’s just not something as a human being you really expect. You’re having lunch with someone and you’re literally falling asleep on them. That’s really hard to fight.”
Fram also experiences post-exertional malaise (PEM), the worsening of symptoms 12 to 48 hours after little physical or mental activity, which can last for weeks, per the CDC.
Fram is now trying a type of physical therapy where he does a few small movements followed by intentional breathing to try to combat his PEM. “You’re retraining your body,” Fram says. “It’s to remind your body to lower your heart rate when you’re finished exercising … but not trigger a fatigue attack with too much exertion.”
Tremors and spasms
Shaking, buzzing and abnormal movements can also be symptoms of long COVID. Adinig has experienced internal vibrations and tremors that occasionally wake her up at night.
“I’ll be waking up choking on my air, having violent tremors in my sleep, and then once I am awake, the tremors don’t stop,” she says. Although she now takes a medication that helps with her tremors, they still come and go during symptom flare-ups.
Marks says that long COVID has left him with "thousands of muscle spasms a minute," mostly in his arms and legs. "Most of that is internal spasms but when they get really bad, I have an external shake or twitch," says Marks.
"One time, I was at work, and out of the blue I had one in my arm. I just happened to have the (computer) mouse in my hand and it goes flying against the wall because the jerk was so bad," he recalls. Three years later, the spasms and twitching have not improved.
In a 2023 study of 423 adults with long COVID, which Iwasaki co-authored, about 37% reported having “internal tremors, or buzzing and vibrations." This cohort also reported having a worse quality of life, more financial difficulties, and “higher rates of new-onset mast cell disorders and neurologic conditions,” compared with long COVID patients without tremors.
Chronic pain
Paint throughout the body, especially in the joints and muscles, is one of the main long COVID symptoms that prevents patients from returning to their old lives.
Fram keeps a bottle of ibuprofen at the ready to help ease his swollen, tender joints, which make his work as a conductor and pianist much harder.
“(It) requires a lot more practice to play the piano as dexterously and accurately as I used to,” he says. “When I conduct, I have always used my hands instead of a baton, but the swelling and stiffness in my joints means I have to manage a fair amount of pain.”
He has discomfort in his feet and legs, too: “It is very similar to restless leg syndrome, where I get uncomfortable tingling in them, and I can’t keep my feet still. My body keeps trying to shake it out.”
One of Sweeney’s early long COVID symptoms felt like a searing migraine. “I felt this fiery pain move from the base of my skull to the bottom of my spine. It felt like someone had poured acid, (or) lit a match down my spine. I knew that something was very wrong,” she says.
By April, the pain moved to the left side of her face. “It felt like someone had hit me with concrete,” she adds.
It took months for Sweeney to get a diagnosis of occipital and trigeminal neuralgia, a type of shocking or shooting pain that follows the path of a nerve due to irritation or damage, per the National Library of Medicine.
"I have never felt anything like the pain that I felt in my skull (with long COVID),” says Sweeney. "Every second of the day, my head is hurting."
Marks describes the pain in the muscles of his legs as "feeling like I was being beat with a baseball bat. ... It can be a dull pain or deep. I have woken up at night feeling like I've been stabbed in the legs."
The neuropathy has also caused severe weakness in his legs. "It almost feels like I'm trying to balance on jello, the muscles in my legs are so weak and they just can't support me," says Marks. The former hockey coach often wakes up wondering whether it will be the last day he can walk on his own.
Digestive problems
Long COVID can infiltrate the digestive tract, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Long-hauler Chimére L. Sweeney initially had diarrhea during her acute COVID-19 infection, but she now deals with chronic and severe constipation with no relief.
"I am still so constipated that when I had a colonoscopy (recently), they could not complete the process because my body was not even adhering to the prep, after the laxatives and the fasting," says Sweeney. "I suffered and still suffer today."
On Mother's Day in 2020, Cynthia Adinig suffered a reaction while eating one of her favorite foods, shrimp. “I felt strange, my jaw felt tight,I couldn’t swallow, my heart raced,” says Adinig. "I went to the ER and tests showed nothing alarming to the medical staff."
In the following months, Adinig suffered from similar reactions to more foods, as well as gastric reflux and other gastrointestinal issues, but was repeatedly dismissed by doctors.
By September, Adinig had lost 50 pounds and had to be hospitalized multiple times for starvation and dehydration, where doctors discovered an esophageal tear. "I developed esophageal spasms and I've had issues with swallowing and choking since, even on small amounts of food and water," she says.
Although she started to recover in 2021, Adinig is dependent on antihistamines and can only eat a handful of bland foods that won’t cause a reaction. "Even like a sprinkle of pepper will trigger my reflux so badly that it's not worth it," says Adinig.
Grief and gaslighting
Many people with long COVID mourn who they once were.
In 2021, Fram, the Broadway conductor, “went down a terrible mental spiral,” including suicidal thoughts, he says. “I was getting anxious and incredibly depressed. I could no longer manage it on my own.”
He remembers crying after visiting the Center for Post-COVID Care at Mount Sinai in New York City because he "finally found" health care providers who believed him, and he could see a path forward.
Due to her long COVID, Miller says she's had to confront "a loss of identity, the loss of my health, getting old."
“You start to think you’re losing your mind, like this isn’t real,” she adds. “I’m not clinically depressed, but ... I’m crying because this has taken over my life. … People will say it’s anxiety. No. I’m anxious but because I don’t know what this is going to turn into.”
A former middle school teacher, Sweeney, too, "(grieves) over how much I lost. ... I’m now retired due to being medically disabled. It's been one of the most disappointing and hurtful things in my life."
Severe depression and suicidal ideation, which Sweeney manages with medication and therapy, are common for long COVID patients, often due to the burden of their other symptoms, Jackson explains.
And part of this struggle may require convincing health care providers to believe you have long COVID at all.
“I experienced nothing short of humiliation, a lot of sexism and even racial profiling and discrimination,” Sweeney recalls of being hospitalized due to her long COVID symptoms in July 2020.
Adinig testified in front of Congress in 2022 about being dismissed: She sought emergency medical care for a dangerously high heart rate and low oxygen levels, and emergency room staff drug tested her without her consent and threatened to arrest her.
When Miller told her primary care doctor about her long COVID diagnosis, all she offered was a hug, "which is not anything anyone wants to hear from a physician,” Miller recalls.
Although the research on long COVID has advanced rapidly, many patients feel that these these scientific leaps have yet to translate into tangible steps for treatment.
"It's debilitating, devastating and demoralizing ... and you deal with that every single day," says Marks.
In some cases, COVID-19 leads to pericarditis, which is inflammation of the sack-like membrane containing the heart. COVID-19 can also cause myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle.
Both pericarditis and myocarditis are rare overall, but the number of cases began to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometimes, both conditions occur at the same time. This is known as myopericarditis.
Researchers are still trying to understand why COVID-19 can result in this complication. However, prompt treatment with rest and medications to reduce inflammation can lead to a full recovery.
This article explores heart inflammation after COVID-19, including the symptoms and treatment options.
Yes, COVID-19 has links to heart inflammation, specifically to pericarditis and myocarditis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that, between March 2020 and January 2021, myocarditis occurred in 150 per 100,000 people who spent time in hospital with COVID-19 compared with 9 per 100,000 people without COVID-19.
A 2022 study found that among 159 people people who spent time in hospital with COVID-19, 1 in 8 had myocarditis 28–60 days later. The risk was significantly higher in severely ill individuals who required a ventilator or intensive care support. The majority of the study participants had not had vaccinations.
Not all studies have found that myocarditis is this common, though. A 2023 study in the United Kingdom found a rate of probable myocarditis of 6.7% in people who had hospital treatment for COVID-19, compared with 1.7% in people without COVID-19.
Potential link
The virus that causes COVID-19 may attack cells in the heart directly, causing inflammation. The immune response to the virus could also cause inflammation.
As part of long COVID
Heart inflammation after COVID-19 may occur on its own or as part of a group of lingering symptoms that persist for weeks or months after the initial infection, known as long COVID.
A 2023 study followed a group of more than 7,500 individuals who developed COVID-19 in 2020. The authors noted that these individuals were more likely to develop heart disease than people who never developed COVID-19 over the following 18 months.
Studies into the long-term effects of COVID-19 on heart health are still ongoing.
The symptoms of myocarditis and pericarditis can vary from mild to life threatening.
In pericarditis, the main symptom is chest pain, which is often severe.
The pain is typically behind the breastbone in the center of the chest but may radiate across the chest. Some people find that the pain is worse when they inhale and better when they lean forward.
Diagnosing heart inflammation after COVID-19 typically involves a combination of medical history assessment, physical examination, and diagnostic tests.
Healthcare professionals may:
Review a person’s medical history: The doctor may ask about their experience of COVID-19 infection and any cardiac symptoms.
Perform a physical examination: The doctor may assess vital signs, listen to the heart and lungs, and look for signs of fluid retention or inflammation.
Order blood tests: Blood tests can reveal markers of inflammation or cardiac injury, such as elevation in the C-reactive protein, cardiac troponins, and white blood cells.
Conduct electrocardiography:Electrocardiograms record the heart’s electrical activity and can identify irregularities or changes indicative of heart inflammation.
Perform medical imaging: Doctors may use echocardiograms or a cardiac MRI to assess the heart’s structure and function and check for the presence of pericardial effusion.
The treatment of myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 may vary depending on the severity of the condition and other factors.
General treatment approaches include:
Rest: A person will need to rest and limit physical activity until a doctor says it is safe to begin exercising again. This may not be for 3–6 months.
Limiting alcohol: It is best for people with myocarditis not to have more than one alcoholic drink per day. It is also best to take steps to support heart health, such as stopping smoking or monitoring salt intake, if applicable.
Managing complications: Additional medications or procedures may be necessary if complications such as an irregular heart rhythm or a fluid buildup occur. In severe cases, a person may require a stay in hospital for treatment.
Close monitoring by a healthcare professional is essential to track a person’s progress and adjust treatment as necessary.
The outlook for most people with myocarditis or pericarditis is favorable.
Most people who develop pericarditis make a complete recovery, and those with myocarditis also usually have a good outlook.
However, the recovery process takes time and may last several months. During this time, it is important that people:
get plenty of rest
avoid things that make symptoms worse
avoid exercise until a doctor says it is okay
After treatment, people will need to attend regular follow-up visits to ensure their condition is improving. They will also need to continue taking any medications as prescribed.
Occasionally, myocarditis and pericarditis have a delayed onset. Depending on the cause, the conditions can come back again in the future. It is currently unclear whether COVID-19 can cause this.
People will need to contact a doctor if any symptoms return.
COVID-19 can cause heart inflammation, such as myocarditis or pericarditis. These conditions are rare overall but more common in those who have had COVID-19 than those who have not.
Myocarditis and pericarditis can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and weakness. These symptoms can also be similar to those of a heart attack. If a person is in any doubt about their condition, it is important to seek medical advice right away to determine whether they are experiencing a medical emergency.
Treatment strategies include rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and pain relief. Recovery can take time, but most people will make a full recovery.
With Friday marking the second annual International Long COVID Awareness Day, Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) and Rep. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit) paid a visit to a mobile health unit that has been providing Detroit residents with free screenings experiencing respiratory issues after a COVID-19 infection.
The mobile health unit opened in December through a partnership between People.Health, Moderna, Team Wellness Center and other community organizations to offer individuals no-cost CT screenings looking for lung damage from risk factors including Long COVID.
Partnerships like this one have been key in bringing health care resources into communities that may not have a clinic or hospital, Tate said.
“It seems like a lifetime since we’ve been dealing with COVID, but it’s only really been four years that we’ve been handling it, so, you know, having these partnerships with Moderna, Team Wellness, and other community partners is incredibly critical,” Tate said.
In April 2020, Michigan established its COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force, aimed at addressing the disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases and mortality among Black residents.
While the task force helped successfully close the racial gap in COVID-19 cases and deaths, its health equity work continued beyond the pandemic supporting improved access to health care and telehealth, through efforts including mobile health units.
In addition to providing pathways for people to receive support, partnering with trusted community organizations may help overcome some individual’s resistance to seeking care, Tate said.
Phillip Levy, People.Health’s chief medical officer, said delivering place-based and accessible medical services is critical, especially in addressing Long COVID concerns.
“You have a lot of underserved members of the community who may have been experiencing persistent symptoms after COVID, shortness of breath, fatigue, what have you,” Levy said. “They’ll go to their doctor or they’ll go to an urgent care and people will say, ‘Hey, there’s really nothing we can do, there’s nothing wrong.’”
“If you do have ongoing damage in your lungs and you have other problems related to your COVID, it’s important to know and it’s important to, you know, see what things might be able to mitigate it,” Levy said.
While the focus of the screenings is to address lung damage from COVID-19. these screenings have been beneficial in uncovering a range of other conditions.
“We’ve picked up a number of cancers already. People who’ve had thyroid nodules and it turned out to be thyroid cancer would never have known,” Levy said. “We had a gentleman early on who came through, had a big mass blocking his stomach, was losing 30 pounds over the last month, would never have known this,” Levy said.
The screenings have also detected lung nodules, which can be a sign of lung cancer, and high amounts of coronary calcium which is one of the most important indicators of early-onset coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the country, Levy said.
“If we can detect this and get people in for screening, and encourage them before they get symptoms, maybe they’re not going to drop dead of a heart attack, and that’s what we want,” Levy said.
These screenings have also allowed Moderna and People.Health to study how lungs function following Long COVID outcomes, said James Mansi, vice president of medical affairs for the United States at Moderna.
“That’s going to shed an important piece of light around our understanding of the impact that COVID has had on lung function. But to get to that we need to bring that awareness around maintaining one’s health, about screening, and part of that is this lung CT,” Mansi said.
“So we’re working with the community, getting them involved, and at the same time asking them ‘Well, would you be interested in participating in a research study looking at lung function, following COVID,’” Mansi said.
More than 94% of individuals have agreed to participate in these trials, which speaks to the trust that these organizations have built with their community, Mansi said.
Following the screening People.Health will contact people with their results, and if there is a finding, they will be instructed to contact their primary care provider. If they do not have a provider, Team Wellness Center provides primary care and will follow up, said Dani Hourani, Team Wellness Center’s director of community development.
“We are more than willing [and] able to be a partner and assist anybody. We will get them into an appointment right away and get them situated and set up with the specialist that they might need,” Hourani said.
“It’s not just about getting a screening and handing you your results and saying good luck. We want to make sure there’s the follow up part. What can we do to help you and your next steps and your healing,” Hourani said.
ARE our children unwittingly falling into the vaping trap and the concealed risks of nicotine?
Nicotine, the addictive substance found in tobacco, is present in cigarettes, cigars, hookah and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). It enters your system through the mouth, lungs, blood, skin or stomach.
Once absorbed, it triggers the release of adrenaline in your body, resulting in an increased heart rate, faster breathing and elevated blood pressure.
This adrenaline release induced by nicotine prompts your brain to generate a feel-good chemical, known as dopamine, contributing to the enjoyment of smoking and potentially driving a desire to smoke more.
Nicotine poses significant health risks by raising blood pressure, heart rate and blood flow to the heart.
Simultaneously, it can narrow and potentially harden arteries, significantly increasing the likelihood of a heart attack.
Additionally, nicotine addiction has been linked to a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s disease, underscoring its detrimental long-term impact, notwithstanding any temporary cognitive benefits it may offer.
Furthermore, many young individuals turn to e-cigarettes as a means to cope with stress, anxiety or depression.
However, it is important to note that e-cigarettes are not a recommended treatment for mental health issues. While they may provide a temporary relief, they can create a misleading perception of their effectiveness.
In reality, nicotine can worsen anxiety and intensify depression, rendering it an unsuitable long-term solution.
In Malaysia, the growing prevalence of vaping products use among adolescents aged 13-17 has become a pressing concern.
The use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products surged to 14.9% in 2022, marking a significant increase from 9.8% in 2017. These figures are worrisome because nicotine can detrimentally affect the cognitive and emotional functioning of children and adolescents. It can impair memory and heighten the risk of addiction to other substances.
Some young individuals turn to vaping as a way to cope with stress, setting the stage for a cycle of nicotine dependence.
The Health PSSC (Parliamentary Special Select Committee), in collaboration with experts, has put forth two pivotal recommendations for regulating tobacco and vaping. These proposals involve imposing restrictions on free-base nicotine concentration and e-liquid volume, aiming to mitigate the risk of addiction and nicotine poisoning, especially among young individuals.
This approach also enhances product control and bolsters public health efforts by reducing the health risks linked to excessive nicotine consumption and the potential for addiction.
Currently, there are no established guidelines governing the packaging and labelling of e-cigarettes and e-liquids.
To address this gap, experts advocate for clear and informative packaging and labelling standards for all e-cigarette and e-liquid products.
Vape manufacturers and operators should also adhere to regulations regarding additives, colouring and flavouring in e-liquids.
Furthermore, the regulatory authorities should enforce strict penalties on those found to be non-compliant, and mandate registration of e-cigarettes and e-liquids with regulatory agencies.
We must extend our support for the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill.
This legislation will represent Malaysia’s inaugural standalone tobacco control Act that will envision a smoke-free generation to safeguard public health and enhance public awareness of potential risks.
The article was written by Thaarenee Wiswannadan, Mahirah Ma’som, Mohamad Ishak Ahmad Abir, Nariza Alysa Azryn, Dr Janice Hew Pei Fang, Dr Kavinash Loganathan, Chan Wan Thung, Mandy Thoo, Assoc Prof Dr Murallitharan Munisamy and Datuk Dr Saunthari Somasundaram from the National Cancer Society Malaysia and NCD (non-communicable diseases) Malaysia.Comments: [email protected]
NHS hospitals have been hit by a UK-wide shortage of a life-saving drug used to keep alive patients who are at risk of dying because they cannot breathe without medical intervention.
Doctors have been told to ration their use of the liquid form of salbutamol, which plays a vital role in treating people suffering from severe asthma attacks or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which usually involves emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
A “safety critical” national patient safety alert issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England warns that 2.5mg and 5mg dose vials of salbutamol liquid are in short supply. The latter is “out of stock until mid-April 2024”.
The scarcity is so acute that hospitals were advised to “place urgent orders for unlicensed imports of salbutamol nebuliser liquid – do not wait for supplies to be exhausted before placing orders for imports”.
The drug is administered via a nebuliser, which pushes air through the liquid to create a mist that relaxes the patient’s muscles and reopens their airways.
The Guardian revealed in January that drug shortages in the UK were running at record levels, prompting fears among doctors that patients’ lives could be put at risk.
One specialist lung doctor who routinely uses nebules of the drug when patients can no longer breathe unaided said: “This is a worry. This is a life-saving drug that is the bread-and-butter medicine we use when patients with serious breathing problems are acutely unwell.
“We are being asked to ration it, and not to use it where possible and to use alternatives. We’ve been advised to use it sparingly – only if it’s absolutely essential. This isn’t a crisis at the moment. But it’s a worry that a life-saving drug is having to be rationed.”
The patient safety alert also told hospital bosses that in order to conserve supplies for use in the most serious cases, doctors should:
Wean all patients off nebulisers as soon as their condition has stabilised.
Consider no longer using nebuliser liquid for patients experiencing a mild to moderate asthma attack or flare-up of COPD and instead use a salbutamol pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI).
When a patient does need nebuliser liquids, use them “when required rather than regularly”.
Supplies need to be used as far as possible only with “acute, severe exacerbations of COPD and asthma”, people who cannot breathe due to an attack of anaphylaxis – a life-threatening allergic reaction to eating something – and those who cannot use a pMDI.
The shortage does not affect the availability of salbutamol inhalers, the blue-coloured “reliever” inhalers that patients with lung conditions such as asthma use if they develop shortness of breath.
The scarcity only involves nebules, or vials, of liquid salbutamol, which is sold under various brand names including Ventolin. Patients are put on a salbutamol nebuliser when repeated inhalation of the drug through a tube has not helped them regain their capacity to breathe independently.
Doctors voiced concern about the situation. Dr Tim Cooksley, the immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Salbutamol is commonly used to treat acutely unwell medical patients with breathing problems and there is not a ready alternative to it. It is an important part of daily practice and there is a risk of significant harm to these patients if supply issues are not resolved quickly.”
The charity Asthma and Lung UK posted a message on its website telling patients that “the supply of salbutamol nebuliser liquid is currently limited in the UK”.
It said: “Alternatives are available that healthcare professionals will be able to prescribe.” In addition, “nebuliser liquid from other countries that have similar high standards of licensing to the UK will also be made available.”
The DHSC said the shortage had come to an end after it arranged alternative supplies.
A spokesperson said: “Recent short-term disruption to the supply of salbutamol nebuliser liquid has now been resolved. This was caused by one supplier experiencing a manufacturing issue. The department quickly engaged with suppliers and others in the supply chain to ensure supplies were available for UK patients.”
Lack of follow-up care for Scots hospitalised with asthma is “a concern”, a leading lung charity has said.
Data from Asthma + Lung UK Scotland’s annual survey showing that only 40% of respondents who had been hospitalised with asthma were getting vital care within days of being discharged.
The current SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) guidance states that people should make an appointment with their own doctor within two days of leaving hospital to make sure their symptoms are under control.
The survey commissioned by leading lung charity Asthma + Lung UK Scotland spoke to 951 people with asthma, including 230 people who had been hospitalised, about their experience.
Gemma Banks from Fife, 41, who works in an accounts department said: “After having a bad cough and chest infection for many weeks, I became very wheezy and out of breath and went to A&E.
“I was admitted and spent three days in hospital. I was then diagnosed with asthma which was a bit of a shock. I was given inhalers, and it was explained to me how to use them and when.
“Two weeks after leaving hospital, I had another attack. My husband has asthma, so he helped me bring it back under control using my inhalers, so luckily, I didn’t need to go back to hospital.
“I then made an appointment with my GP, who under guidance from the practice’s asthma nurse, was told to up my medication. I then made an appointment with the asthma nurse, which was for three weeks later, and she then ran through my asthma plan and checked I was using my inhalers properly and that I was on the correct medication.
“When I left hospital, I did get a letter from my local asthma clinic offering me a telephone appointment for eight weeks later. As someone recently diagnosed with asthma, I do think that an eight-week gap is too long.
“I would have also wanted to see someone face to face rather than just a telephone call, just so they could have checked that I was using my inhaler properly for example.”
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland said: “According to NHS data, we know that around one in six people who receive emergency care for an asthma attack need hospital care again within two weeks. This is far too high.
“To help prevent this, it is vital that the person sees their GP or asthma nurse within a few days so they can be supported in their recovery.
“Asthma attacks can be incredibly serious, sometimes even resulting in death.
“We understand that GP practices are busy, but we are urging people to contact them once they are home from hospital so that a follow up appointment can take place.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring that people living with respiratory conditions such as asthma receive the best possible care, treatment and support.
“We urge people to follow all advice given to them on discharge from hospital, including making an appointment with their GP or asthma nurse as directed. They will be best placed to provide specific advice and support based on their individual circumstances.”
The GP or asthma nurse can support recovery and lower the risk of another attack by:
Prescribing a course of steroid tablets to deal with the inflammation and swelling in the airways, if this hasn’t been offered already by the hospital
Check the medicines the person has been prescribed to see what dose is best and check their inhaler technique, to make sure their asthma is being managed as well as it can be.
Update their asthma action plan so they know what medicines they should be taking and what do if their asthma gets worse again.
Woman alleges she was discriminated against and refused service due to disability
A woman who claims she was discriminated against at an Abbotsford McDonald’s restaurant because she was not wearing a face mask during the pandemic will have her complaint proceed through the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
The McDonald’s restaurant, the exact location of which is not revealed in BCHRT documents, had applied to have the woman’s complaint dismissed.
But BCHRT member Laila Said Alam determined the matter should proceed, although “denying an application to dismiss does not mean that the complainant will succeed at a hearing.”
The woman who filed the complaint said she previously had a blood clot in her lung and has difficulty breathing with a mask.
“Then (there is) the mental, emotional and psychological stress on top of that with trying to breathe with a mask on, as it is blocking the supply of access to oxygen. Any face covering/shield creates panic,” the woman wrote in her complaint.
The documents state that she entered McDonald’s on Nov. 20, 2020, when the restaurant was closed for dine-in service. Customers could order at the counter, at the drive-thru and through curbside pickup, mobile ordering and delivery services.
The tribunal documents state that McDonald’s offered two options if a customer entered the premises and said they could not wear a mask.
If there were no other customers, the person could be served at the counter. If there were customers at the counter, the individual could order and be served at the front door.
The woman alleges that she told staff she was exempt from wearing a mask and they refused her service.
The restaurant states that they asked the woman to wear a mask and, when she told them she was exempt, they offered her other options and she was not refused service.
McDonald’s also argued that the woman has not proved she has a disability-related barrier to wearing a mask, and the restaurant did not discriminate against her on those grounds.
Alam determined that the woman has established that she has a disability protected by the Human Rights Code, but the issue to be decided is whether she was discriminated against because of that.
“In this case, (she) must set out facts that, if proved, could establish that she has a characteristic protected by the Code, she was adversely impacted in services, and her protected characteristic was a factor in the adverse impact,” Alam wrote in her decision.
Alam encouraged both sides to attempt to resolve the issue first through mediation. If that is not successful, a hearing before the tribunal would be heard.
An accountant aboard a Ryanair flight said she “almost died” when the airline “trapped” her on the grounded plane with a broken air conditioner as she suffered an asthma attack and fainted.
Charlaine Seaward, 24, was returning from a girls holiday in Tenerife, Spain, on Jan. 14 when she found herself stuck on a plane that was unable to take off due to an air conditioning fault, Kennedy News reported.
Seaward, of Wales, said that after 45 minutes in the stuffy cabin, she began to hyperventilate and have an asthma attack when her inhaler stopped working, causing her to pass out.
“As you can imagine 200 people breathing the same oxygen in and out for a THREE HOUR DELAY is very dangerous, ESPECIALLY when you have extreme health conditions,” Seaward wrote on Facebook. “I physically passed out and had to wear an oxygen tank because it was THAT bad.”
Seaward claimed the staff had refused to let her off the plane when she was asking to get fresh air, which only made her asthma attack worse.
“They told me they couldn’t take me off the plane because it was a health and safety hazard, but being on the plane was a health and safety hazard too,” she wrote.
After her pleas were denied, Seaward said she passed out and awoke to find an oxygen mask wrapped around her face as she was still inside the plane, which was delayed by two hours at that point.
While the staff allegedly gave her the option of exiting the plane at the point, Seaward said she stayed on board with the oxygen tank because she needed to work the next day and didn’t have a place to stay in Spain.
The accountant slammed the airline for boarding the passengers while allegedly knowing that the AC unit wasn’t working.
When Seaward filed a complaint against the airline, she said she was met with indifference as Ryanair allegedly claimed she was not on the flight that day and later awarded a $64 refund after she complained “every day for a month.”
Seaward said that while she received a refund for her seat, the airline has yet to fork over the $285 promised to her over the delay.
“Ryanair is an ABSOLUTE joke. DO NOT FLY WITH THEM. EVER. It’s all cheap and cheerful until they almost kill you and take zero responsibility,” she said in the post.
A Ryanair spokesperson said that because Seaward had traveled from Tenerife to Bristol, she was not entitled for a refund but would receive the $285 compensation since the flight was delayed for more than three hours.
“This flight from Tenerife to Bristol (14 Jan) was delayed ahead of take-off due to a minor technical issue with the aircraft,” the company said in a statement. “To minimize disruption, passengers remained onboard while engineers serviced the aircraft, during which time this passenger became ill, and crew requested medical assistance.
“This passenger was treated onboard and provided with oxygen and crew offered to disembark her, but she chose to stay on the flight and received medics’ clearance to do so,” the company added.
In Germany alone, more than 10 million people suffer from pollen allergies or allergic asthma, and the number is rising.
A pollen allergy is not a trivial illness. One in three people with pollen allergies don’t just have itchy noses or eyes. A dry, irritating cough is the first symptom that indicates an infection of the lower respiratory tract. Now there is a threat of allergic asthma, which not only makes it difficult to breathe in an acute attack, but also destroys the lung tissue in a chronic course and can thus significantly limit both the quality of life and life expectancy.
What can you do about a pollen allergy and when is medical treatment necessary?
First of all, it should be clarified whether a pollen allergy actually exists. A classic symptom is sudden attacks of sneezing or itchy eyes. Depending on the weather and region, the hazel pollen flight begins as early as January. Alder pollen follows in February, while the appearance of birch pollen is typical around Easter. Grass pollen begins at the beginning of May, followed by rye pollen in June. Mugwort and plantain pollen can appear until late autumn. If the allergic symptoms are very severe, there is even shortness of breath and the symptoms last for several days, you should consult a doctor immediately. Here the patient not only receives effective medication, but usually also an appointment for allergy testing. During prick testing, a drop of allergy solution is applied to the skin, lightly scratched with a needle and the result is read after 20 minutes. If an itchy wheal forms as a result of the test, sensitization has already been proven.
No further examination is necessary for symptoms that last for less than 4 weeks and can be easily treated with anti-allergic medication. If the anti-allergic medication does not help sufficiently or the symptoms bother the person affected for a long time, there is the option of allergy vaccination (hyposensitization). A diluted allergen solution is injected into the upper arm at weekly intervals. Depending on the selection of the appropriate preparation, the treatment lasts between 4 and 12 weeks and is carried out over a period of 3 years. The aim is to build up the body’s own protective antibodies that permanently prevent the allergic reaction in the following pollen season.
The allergy vaccination is carried out by allergologically trained doctors, usually all dermatologists. In addition to the blood test (ELISA test), nasal mucosa testing and comparison with the patient’s symptom calendar contribute to the exact identification of the triggering allergen. The treatment results are very good if the triggering allergens are precisely diagnosed. If diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, pollen allergy can be effectively prevented.
People who smoke in South Tyneside are being encouraged to put smoking behind them this No Smoking Day (13 March 2024) for better health, more money and less stress.
People are being encouraged to make a fresh quit and visit www.FreshQuit.co.uk for tips, advice and local quit support.
There are lots of reasons to make a quit attempt and go smokefree:
Feel healthier: easier breathing, fewer coughs and colds and less risk of a diseases such as cancer, heart attack, stroke and COPD.
Practice makes perfect: if you've tried before, you can learn from what worked and what didn't. Treat previous tries as a stepping stone.
More money: quitting smoking will give you money you didn't know you had, another £47 a week or £2400 a year.
Less stress: quitting smoking is proven to leave people feeling calmer and happier after a few weeks. Using quit aids, nicotine replacement or a vape can help ease any cravings while you quit.
Quitting smoking makes it less likely your children will smoke.
South Tyneside is supporting the Smoking Survivors campaign from Fresh in the run up to this year's No Smoking Day on Wednesday 13 March 2024. The annual No Smoking Day campaign is now in its 40th year.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: "No Smoking Day is another great opportunity to give quitting a go. However you quit smoking it's a good way - whether that's using a quit aid, getting support or switching to vaping. Easing cravings can take a lot of the stress out of quitting.
Our Smoking Survivors campaign has helped thousands of people to move closer to quitting smoking. Even if you have tried to quit before, why not make a fresh quit - this time it can be different."
It can take a number of attempts to successfully stop for good, but there are lots of ways to stop which can take a lot of the stress out of quitting.
Your chances improve if you use a quitting aid or switch completely to vaping to reduce cravings. Stop Smoking Services can also help you develop a plan to help you stop for good.
Here's how your body recovers when you quit:
After 20 minutes
Your pulse rate starts to return to normal.
After 8 hours
Your oxygen levels are recovering, and the level of harmful carbon monoxide in your blood will have reduced by half.
After 48 hours
All carbon monoxide is flushed out. Your lungs are clearing out mucus and your senses of taste and smell are improving.
After 72 hours
If you notice that breathing feels easier, it's because your bronchial tubes have started to relax. Also your energy will be increasing.
After 2 to 12 weeks
Blood will be pumping through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved.
After 6 weeks
Smokers who stop have better mental health than those who continue to smoke. One study found that benefits could be seen as soon as six weeks and were maintained even a number of years after stopping.
After 3 to 9 months
Any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases.
After 1 year
Great news: Your risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker's.
After 10 years
Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker's.
Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do if you're having a baby.
The sooner you stop smoking, the better it is for you and your baby.
Nicotine is very addictive so it's really important to get the right support to help you quit.
We're offering Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Love2Shop vouchers with free support from a trained adviser to help give pregnant women the best chance to quit smoking for good.
You can choose to do this in the hospital or at a local Family Hub.
We can support your partner or other family members to quit too.
If you're pregnant, stopping smoking is the best thing you can do. Quitting smoking now you are pregnant has lots of benefits to you and your baby.
You will reduce your risk of:
Miscarriage
Premature birth
StillbBirth
Sickness during pregnancy
Heart disease
Cancer
You will reduce the risk to your baby of:
A low birth weight
Asthma
ADHD
Colic
Ear infections
Respiratory infections
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
Speak to your midwife to find out more about getting help to quit smoking during your pregnancy.
CCF funding supports Dr. Shrirang Gadrey and his novel device to detect respiratory rate and labored breathing patterns before asthma attacks occur.
We expect to not only take away guesswork from worried parents, but also enhance patient safety, reduce burdensome costs, provide equity, and improve long-term outcomes of pediatric asthma.”
— Dr. Shrirang Gadrey, UVA School of Medicine
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, March 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) today announced that UVA Health has been awarded a Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant for $100,000 in support of research conducted by Dr. Shrirang Gadrey. VIPC’s CCF programs have distributed more than $54 million to Virginia-based startups, entrepreneurs, and university-based inventors since 2012 in support of critical early technology testing and market validation efforts.
Early detection of distressed breathing can trigger early life-saving treatment for a child suffering an asthma attack, but every child’s distress signs can look different. Because of this, parents of pediatric asthma patients often find it difficult to accurately diagnose an attack. Using a groundbreaking form of technology known as Analysis of Respiratory Kinematics, or ARK, Gadrey and his team are designing a remote monitoring device to automate, individualize, and improve the detection of labored breathing patterns and diagnosis of asthma attacks in children. The CCF grant will be used to optimize ARK prototypes for home use and develop the necessary remote monitoring infrastructure.
“Although breathing patterns contain vital diagnostic and prognostic information, current monitoring processes are very subjective and rely heavily on visual inspections. There are no devices on the market that can accurately measure breathing patterns and risk stratify asthma attacks even in hospitalized children, let alone from any location or setting,” said Gadrey, MBBS MPH and Associate Professor of Medicine at UVA School of Medicine. “With this innovation, we expect to not only take away guesswork from worried parents, but also enhance patient safety, reduce burdensome costs, provide equity, and improve long-term outcomes of pediatric asthma.”
“Dr. Gadrey started with an ‘all-things-to-all-people’ solution, but through thorough customer discovery and engagement with the ICAP program and other entrepreneurial resources available in the Commonwealth, he has identified the pediatric asthma market as an important target,” said Hina Mehta, VIPC’s Director for University Programs. “He has an excellent relationship with qualified mentors, has identified a clear commercialization pathway, and CCF funding will be an important component for advancing the solution and putting it in the hands of consumers.”
About UVA Health UVA Health is an academic health system that recently expanded to include four hospitals across Charlottesville, Culpeper, and Northern Virginia, along with the UVA School of Medicine, UVA School of Nursing, UVA Physicians Group, and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. With more than 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 40,000 inpatient stays annually, and more than 1 million outpatient encounters annually at UVA Health, more than 1,000 employed and independent physicians provide high-quality, comprehensive, and specialized care to patients across the Commonwealth and beyond. Founded in 1819 as just the 10th medical school in America, the UVA School of Medicine – with 20 clinical departments, eight basic science departments, and six research centers – consistently attracts some of the nation’s most prominent researchers to develop breakthrough treatments to benefit patients around the world. Those research efforts are backed by more than $200 million in grant funding. UVA Health Children's is recognized as the No. 1 hospital in Virginia for children by U.S. News & World Report, with nine specialties rated among the top in America. More than 230 UVA physicians are honored on the Best Doctors in America list. For more information, resources, and to follow us on social media, please visit www.uvahealth.com.
About Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) Connecting innovators with opportunities. As the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), VIPC is the commercialization and seed stage economic development driver in the Commonwealth that leads funding, infrastructure, and policy initiatives to support Virginia's innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, and market development strategies. VIPC also collaborates with local, regional, state, and federal partners to support the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy.
Programs include: Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) | VVP Fund of Funds | Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) | Petersburg Founders Fund (PFF) | Smart Communities | The Virginia Smart Community Testbed | The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center | Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Alliance (VAAMA) | The Public Safety Innovation Center (PSIC)| Entrepreneurial Ecosystems | Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) | Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) for SBIR & STTR | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement.
For more information, please visit www.VirginiaIPC.org. Follow VIPC on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
About the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) VIPC’s Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) accepts applications and awards funding on a rolling basis to Virginia’s small businesses and university-based innovators. For Virginia’s academic and nonprofit research community, the competitive grant program seeks to fund high-potential Virginia-based academic research teams that are developing technologies with strong commercial potential. The grants support early technology and market validation efforts such as customer discovery, market research, business model validation, the development of prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs), customer pilots, and intellectual property protection, team development, and more. For more information on funding opportunities and eligibility requirements, or to apply, visit the CCF pages from www.VirginiaIPC.org.
Angela Costello, Vice President of Communications Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) [email protected] Visit us on social media: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
STARVING for air sounds like something from a horror film.
But "air hunger" is a real condition that leaves sufferers feeling like they can't take a full breath. Sound familiar?
Up to one in ten Brits will experience dyspnea - as it's medically known - at some point in their lives,
"It happens when your brain detects low levels of oxygen," Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and clinical consultant to Patient.info, told the Sun.
"It’s common in lung problems like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when not enough air gets to the lungs.
"It can also be caused by heart problems, where the heart isn’t pumping out efficiently and isn’t getting oxygen-rich blood to the organs," she added.
Heart conditions such as angina, heart attacks, heart failure and some abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation can all cause shortness of breath, according to the NHS.
The terrifying feeling can also be a sign of anxiety, explained psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack, from Oxford.
"One of the physical changes anxiety causes in your body is the redirection of oxygen to large muscle groups," she said in a video posted on TikTok.
It’s like there’s no oxygen in the air
Dr Kwan Kin
"This means the demand for oxygen increases, so you try to inhale more and more air to meet that demand," she added.
"You then feel short of breath, which triggers more anxiety about your breathing and that feeling of air hunger."
The term has gone viral on social media after Dr Kwan Kin Pang, a US-based board-certified chiropractor specialising in functional neurology, posted a video about it.
“You try to breathe, but your breath doesn’t feel like its enough," Dr Kwan said when explaining the condition.
"You force a yawn but still can’t get the air to fill your lungs. It’s like there’s no oxygen in the air or like your lungs are too weak."
The video has been viewed over 18.2million times, and thousands of people turned to the comments, thanking the expert for finally placing a name to the sneaky symptom.
"I’ve been trying to explain this feeling for so long thank you for this," a user named @catcudmoree wrote.
Another, called @jaclynamber, added: "This happens to me a lot, it makes me start to panic when I can’t get my lungs to feel satisfied."
"Finally found the suitable description of what I feel," a user called @hulyalala said.
How can I fix it?
In a follow-up video, Dr Kirren demonstrated an exercise that can help stabilise breathing.
"Instead of taking short, shallow breaths from your chest, you need to breathe from your stomach," she said.
She started by placing her hands below her ribcage and breathing in through her nose.
As you do this you should feel your diaphragm (a dome-shaped muscle that sits below your lungs and heart) move down towards your stomach, she said.
"Now, hold your breath for about five seconds before you breathe out from a pouted mouth," she added.
Make sure you try and get "every last bit of air out" while doing this, she said.
"The feeling of air hunger will stop once you are breathing at a normal rate and the balance of gasses in your brain and blood go back to normal."
When to get help
Shortness of breath might not be anything to worry about, but sometimes it can be serious and you'll need to get medical help.
You should seen your GP if your shortness of breath gets worse when you've been doing your normal activities, or when you lie down, accoridng to the NHS.
But if you have severe difficulty breathing difficulties and are not able to get any words out, you should call 999.
Full list of condions that cause 'air hunger'
HEART or lung disease and other conditions can cause shortness of breath.
Lung and airway conditions
Asthma
Allergies
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Respiratory illness (like bronchitis, Covid-19, the flu or other viral or bacterial infections)
Pneumonia
Inflammation (pleurisy) or fluid (pleural effusion) around your lungs
Fluid (pulmonary oedema) or scarring (fibrosis) inside your lungs.
Lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma
High blood pressure in your lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
Sarcoidosis
Tuberculosis
Partial or complete collapsed lung (pneumothorax or atelectasis)
Blood clot (pulmonary embolism)
Choking
Heart and blood conditions
Anemia
Heart failure
Conditions that affect your heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
Abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
Inflammation in or around your heart (endocarditis, pericarditis or myocarditis)
Other conditions
Anxiety
Injury that makes breathing difficult (like a broken rib)
Medication: Statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) and beta-blockers (used to treat high blood pressure) are two types of medications that can cause dyspnea
Extreme temperatures (being very hot or very cold)
Body mass index (BMI) over 30
Lack of exercise (muscle deconditioning)
Sleep apnea can cause paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND)
The first time Jade had a panic attack, she called an ambulance. Terrified and feeling as though her world had suddenly tilted, she’d recently stopped taking pregabalin, a drug prescribed to her for anxiety.
Two years later, she is still trying to wean herself off it.
“If I miss a dose I have trouble breathing, depersonalisation, panic attacks, extreme body restlessness, feeling as though I am going to pass out,” the 29-year-old told Euronews Health.
“I don’t think doctors realise the severity of it.”
The drug has been prescribed to more than 8 million people in the UK, according to a study.
Over the last five years in Britain, there were nearly 3,400 pregabalin-related fatalities, with 779 of those in 2022 alone, up from 9 deaths a decade earlier, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times.
These figures have put a spotlight on the potential dangers of the widely-prescribed drug and highlighted long-held concerns about drug dependency.
What is pregabalin?
Also known by the brand names Alzain, Axalid, and Lyrica, pregabalin is an anticonvulsant that was initially prescribed to treat epilepsy but is now commonly used for anxiety and nerve pain.
While its mechanisms are still not fully understood, pregabalin is thought to work by reducing abnormal electrical activity in the brains of epileptics, and subduing anxiety-inducing chemicals and nerve pain by blocking specific neurotransmitters, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
Common doses of pregabalin range from 150mg to 600mg, usually split into 2-3 pills per day, although it can also be taken as a liquid.
In 2019, it was made a class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, making it illegal to possess without a written prescription. Those controls were due to “rising fatalities,” the UK government said.
Listed side effects include headaches, feeling sleepy, diarrhoea, mood changes, feeling sick, swollen limbs, blurred vision, difficulties getting an erection, memory problems, and weight gain.
The NHS notes that these are usually “mild and go away by themselves,” but many prescribed the drug claim to have negative experiences.
'Lives devastated by this drug'
While beneficial in treating certain conditions, some people become addicted to the “euphoric” or relaxed state that pregabalin can induce, building tolerance quickly before needing higher doses to achieve the same sensation.
For others, the side effects have been debilitating but the withdrawals are worse, leading to a dependency that impedes quality of life.
Sarah*, a 44-year-old social worker living in London, was prescribed pregabalin for fibromyalgia, a condition characterised by chronic pain, and also suffered from extreme withdrawal symptoms after deciding to taper off the drug when it stopped being effective for pain.
“I ended up suffering depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, severe icy chills, extremely loud tinnitus, funny turns, and seizures, none I had before that drug. I have been completely off [pregabalin] for nearly four years and am still struggling with long term withdrawals,” she said.
Caroline, a UK-based carer who was put on pregabalin for nerve pain, reported weight gain, terrible brain fog, memory issues, and even loose, broken teeth as side effects.
“I am absolutely terrified about coming off this drug,” the 55-year-old said.
Those suffering have taken to online support spaces, including the private Facebook group “Lyrica Survivors (Pregabalin and Gabapentin Support)”, which has over 15,000 members.
“People's lives have been devastated by this drug, including loss of life, loss of employment, legal action due to altered mental status from the drug, children removed from the home, families separating, financial hardship, and of course, permanent disability in many cases,” said Amy Ireland, the Facebook group’s admin.
Most members are looking for guidance on how to stop taking the medicine, with the group’s main aim to raise awareness of the dependency-inducing effects of this type of drug known as a gabapentinoid.
“A lot of people think withdrawal effects means you're addicted to the drug, and that implies some kind of misuse. That's not the case,” said Dr Mark Horowitz, a psychiatrist specialising in helping people to stop psychiatric drugs.
“Physical dependance is a predictable response of the body and brain to repeated exposure to psychoactive drugs like pregabalin,” he added.
What can help those dependent on pregabalin?
As prescriptions of the drug have increased, there remains a lack of services to support those that feel trapped by it, some say.
“The three basic principles on how to safely stop gabapentinoids like pregabalin are, firstly, to do it slowly. It can take people months or even years to get off drugs they've been on for many years,” said Horowitz, who runs a clinic in London to help people stop taking psychiatric drugs and published a clinical handbook called the ‘Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines’ last month.
We have been locked into this cycle of trying to find the chemical magic bullet to solve anxiety.
“The second principle is, everybody's a bit different. There are probably risk factors, like the longer you've been on the drugs or the higher the dose, the harder it is to stop,” he said.
He points out however that there hasn’t been much research on what potential individual risk factors there are, with trial and error involved with each patient.
The third and final principle for stopping pregabalin is known as hyperbolic tapering, which means gradually reducing the amount someone is taking.
“As you get to lower doses, you need to go slower and slower, like climbing down a vertical cliff,” he said.
Horowitz believes that medical professionals need to reevaluate the short-term ways in which they are treating mental health conditions such as anxiety.
“Pregabalin is a dangerous drug. It's one of the quickest rising causes of accidental overdoses; it affects the way that we think, it affects memory and cognition. It affects sleep, causes weight trouble. There's a whole host of negative effects for long term use. And it's hard to stop.
“We have been locked into this cycle of trying to find the chemical magic bullet to solve anxiety, And I don't think there's a drug that has long term effects on anxiety that doesn't have all these costs,” he added.
Some experts have said that most reported pregabalin-related deaths occur when it's taken in combination with opiates.
“Pregabalin could be effective and helpful for many people, but patients should follow the advice of their doctor and report any side effects they experience,” Glyn Lewis, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at University College London said in a statement.
Lewis is part of a team carrying out an NHS-funded study to investigate pregabalin’s effectiveness for treating anxiety in those that haven’t responded to antidepressants. It will also investigate whether there are withdrawal symptoms when the medication is stopped.
First approved in 2004 and sold by drug manufacturer Pfizer, prescriptions of pregabalin have increased across Europe, according to research published in 2021.
The study noted that in Sweden, for instance, pregabalin was found in 28 per cent of fatal intoxications among drug addicts.
Breathing+ by Breathing Labs has passed peer review in a randomized controlled clinical trial that was recently published in SCI Q2 journal Pediatric Pulmonology. Research done by @bezmialem Full text is available in a link here: https://www.breathinglabs.com/clinical-trials/research-breathing-labs-and-nintendo-clinical-trial-is-published-in-journal-pediatric-pulmonology-sci-q2-impact-factor-3/?fbclid=IwAR2wNhSgurdbrrf3gzOOkHthgiWfXJ1x8RWvnMhkSo6fi33QPZEGzxzd6jM
BREAKING: @breathinglabs and @Nintendo clinical trial is published in journal Pediatric Pulmonology (SCI Q2, Impact Factor > 3), full text: https://breathinglabs.com/Nintendo%20&%20Breathing%20Labs%202022 #telemedicine #telehealth #mhealth
Clinical mouthpieces 10pcs packages are now available at 45€/50USD (shipping cost not included). Learn more: https://www.breathinglabs.com/latest-news/announcement-breathing-mouthpieces-for-clinical-and-professional-use-are-now-available/
BREATHING VR: Lately we are sourcing this VR headset for use in Breathing VR application. It allows easiest installation of both breathing+ headset cable, and USB charging cables, which is essential in professional use: https://www.banggood.com/VR-SHINECON-G5-VR-Glasses-3D-Virtual-Reality-Glasses-VR-Headset-For-iPhone-XS-11Pro-Mi10-p-1679808.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN
Update: Each purchase of Breathing+ will now include three machine washable mouthpieces. Previous buyers will be supplied with those by their country representatives but will have to cover shipping costs. Please be patient while we arrange distribution. https://www.breathinglabs.com/latest-news/announcement-breathing-mouthpieces-for-clinical-and-professional-use-are-now-available/
Update: We moved servers + relocated all our games to our servers, please be patient while google reviews all that (showing unsafe website atm). Use duckduckgo or non-chromium browsers to reach our pages in the meantime. Everything ok + new product addons coming out in a month!
Registration and all functionalities at http://breathinglabs.com (and in our iOS and Android games) are fixed and fully working. If you find any issues -> [email protected]
We are back in stock with Breathing+, currently searching for VR supplier, and setting up mass production for toys and tens stimulation + in November we will be signing up new erasmus traineeships, research projects, bilateral, FP(eu), and asia-pacific ->[email protected]
BREAKING: Nintendo Co. Ltd (Japan) is implementing Breathing Games by @breathinglabs in FDA approved clinical trial for children with bronchiectasis: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04038892
Notice to b2b partners: we are running late with some minor upgrade-> briefly running out of stock -> retail and b2b sale is closed until early october. To get a list of partners with stock to sell contact us at [email protected] Thanks, we'll go strong again in winter 💪