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When in 1970s the finger pulse oximeter or “finger pulse ox” was invented, no one could anticipate that by the end of the 1980s the devices would experience a world-wide boom as extremely useful, non invasive vital sign monitor. Indeed, drawing blood instead of using a non invasive blood oxygen meter is quite cumbersome. Coincidentally, it was reported that anesthesia-related deaths in surgeries was reduced dramatically during that time.

Today, fingertip pulse oximeters are used in many different settings, from surgery, intensive care units, emergency rooms, mobile emergency medical service, home use, such as for the asthma sufferers, as well as in athletes for oxygen saturation measurements during their peak performance, and in high altitude pilots and extreme mountain climbers.

Sure enough, the use of this quite inexpensive and convenient fingertip blood oximeter has spread into the animal world for use by the veterinarians as well.

In this article we will review some of the most common types of pulse oximeters and their respective uses.

Veterinary oximeter monitor

These come with multiple size sensors and sensor adapters to accommodate a wide variety of extremities that the sensor gets attached to. If a heart rate monitor is included with the veterinary oximeter monitor, the ability to readout extremely high heart rates is provided, up to several hundred beats, even five hundred, per minute to accommodate smaller animals.

Athletes, extreme mountain climbers, high altitude pilots

These units are usually used by individuals and are often compact, finger oximeters. The ease of readout, and convenience of use is paramount. Athletes must figure out their peripheral blood oxygen saturation in the heat of the game, and the high altitude mountain climbers and pilots must get the readout quickly possibly under the condition of reduced mental ability due to lack of oxygen in the air.

Home use for asthma sufferers

When the breathing pathways are restricted in asthma patients, the readout of a SpO2 monitor helps determine how badly restricted the oxygen supply to the body organs really is. These devices are usually designed for single person use, and need to be easy to use and quick to measure oxygen saturation.

Hospitals and medical centers, ICUs

There are several uses of blood oxygen sensors in hospitals. In operating rooms, they are used by anesthesiologists to make sure the patient’s body is well oxygenated at all times. In ICUs oxygen sensors are part of vital sign monitors, and can be permanently attached to the patient, and reading the values continuously. They could be equipped with the alarms to alert the nurses on duty of any deficiencies or abnormalities. The SpO2 monitors used in this way are usually disposable, and only used with a single patient to prevent any contagion.

Emergency rooms, mobile emergency medical service units (spot)

Here, spot vital sign monitors will always include saturation of peripheral oxygen sensors for a quick (ten-twenty second) readout of the patient’s vital signs. Here also, due to the possibility of contagion, disposable SpO2 sensor units are preferred, attached to a permanent processing unit with display, housed in a handheld pulse oximeter.

Children, infants, newborns

They all require different sizes of SpO2 sensors due to their small size. Sometimes, the newborns can have the SpO2 sensor attached to the lower arm or leg, without the reduction of the quality of the pulse oximeter readings. In hospitals, spot vital sign monitors would be used, and typically disposable SpO2 sensors and pediatric pulse oximeter models will be used for children.

Sleep studies, apnea studies

When sleep apnea is suspected (disruption of breathing during sleep), a SpO2 monitor will detect reduced oxygen saturation. Typically, for sleep apnea studies during the night, a comfortable, wrist-worn SpO2 units will be used with the finger sensor attachment. The unit will have memory capacity to store the sensor data throughout the night.

By: Phil Q Rubis

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You are likely low in glutathione if you breathe our polluted air.

Glutathione is a natural potent antioxidant normally found in healthy lungs.

When exposed to smoke, car exhaust, pollutants, solvents, viruses or bacteria, our lungs become depleted in glutathione. Once glutathione is low, we become more susceptible to infection, asthma attacks and other illnesses.

Taking oral N-acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) will greatly replenish glutathione in your lungs. For many people, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine has been shown to greatly improve the health of lungs and decrease the duration or severity of lung associated conditions.

As a daily nutrient, take 1 900mg capsule of N-Acetyl L Cysteine every day to protect your lungs from car exhaust, smoke and daily air pollution. This may help you stay significantly healthier this winter. If you have lung congestion and are coughing, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine will greatly liquify the mucous allowing you to cough it up more easily.

Important points: Take N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine in the morning and afternoon if you have a cough; not at night. NAC works well so be prepared to get rid of that sticky mucous that has been residing in your lungs. Many physicians suggest using a minimum of 1000mg of NAC 3x/day away from meals while having thick mucous and lung conditions. It is imperative that you take N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine as it is the active form. Also ensure that you take it away from food in order to get the greatest absorption. If you take NAC with food, your absorption of it goes down as proteins compete for absorption in the intestines.

BE PREPARED: Have a bottle of NAC at home in your bathroom cabinet. At the first sign of getting sick, consider taking two 900mg of NAC away from food 2-3 times a day.

ACTUAL PATIENT USES OF N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine: My grandfather who is 82 had a severe bout of lung congestion and pneumonia. The antibiotics were helping but he still had massive amount of congestion and sticky mucous. I gave him high doses of NAC and within hours, he was coughing up massive amount of mucous. In a few days, he was able to walk up hills with me again. X-rays taken later were clear.

A 32 year old female came in who was staying awake all night from hard, sharp, non-productive spasmodic coughing. I told her to get a humidfier with sea salt, drink loads of pure water at room temperature, and to take 1500mg of N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine every 4 hours. In an hour, she was able to begin coughing up the irritating garbage that was stuck in her lungs.

If taken correctly, N-Acetyl-Cysteine [http://www.healthegoods.com/product/n-acetyl-l-cysteine-pure-encapsulations/natural-health-supplements] may benefit many of those who suffer from long-term or short-term lung conditions including asthma, bronchitis, ARDS, pneumonia and those who work in environments breathing harmful pollutants.

By: Ben Lynch

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Probiotics and acid reflux have long been linked. It is well known that probiotics have beneficial effects for the entire digestive system but does this include stopping acid reflux and GERD?

You may have heard of probiotics containing “friendly bacteria”. This is because probiotics are dietary supplements that do indeed contain potentially beneficial bacteria that can aid digestion.

These bacteria already exist in the intestines but some studies indicate that introducing them into the diet can also have beneficial effects. Hence, the supposed link between taking probiotics and acid reflux cessation.

Probioitics are well known for helping after a digestive disorder such as food poisoning in helping to reintroduce the good bacteria to the system. Studies also indicate that they are effective when used to combat IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome as well as other conditions such as constipation. But, is there any correlation between taking probiotics and acid reflux reduction?

At least one study has identified a correlation between taking probiotics and acid reflux reduction in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection, a common cause of acid reflux. However, antibiotics already exist to treat this infection and it is also fast becoming a minor cause of acid reflux/GERD.

The above appears to be the only observed relationship between probiotics and acid reflux and unfortunately, this therapy does not appear to be useful for more common cases of acid reflux. If you know for sure that your acid reflux is caused by H. pylori (this can be confirmed by biopsy) then it will be worth your while taking them, but otherwise they look to be of little or no benefit, specifically for acid reflux.

By: Richard Smith

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Acupressure is thought to be one of the oldest healing traditions in the world, predating even acupuncture. The Chinese are credited with having discovered that pressure on specific points of the body could relieve common ailments and discomforts. As far back as 300 B.C. there is mention of acupressure in Chinese medical texts, and it came to be widely adopted as a self-help and first aid technique for lay people, as well as an important part of massage therapy for professional physicians.

Acupressure is based on the same concepts of meridians and acupoints as acupuncture, but fingertip pressure is used rather than needles. The aim is also the same, namely to balance the flow of energy within the meridians, thereby creating healthy functioning of the internal organs and preventing or curing disease.

The Practice of Acupressure

An acupressure practitioner has to learn how to locate the acupoints accurately and to determine the correct ones to use for different ailments. Gentle pressure is applied using the tips of the index or middle fingers, or the thumb, or the edge of the nail. Pressure must be even and is generally applied in the direction of flow of the meridian.

Small rotations may be used to stimulate the flow of energy within the meridian and promote circulation. Alternatively pressure may be applied using small wooden sticks with rounded ends for single acupoints or rollers for covering several points at once, say on the back.

Treatment lasts from half a minute for small babies to several minutes for small babies to several minutes for adults. The acupoints are massaged on both sides of the body, and the procedure is repeated several times during the day. Acupressure is safe and easy to perform and can be used as a self-help therapy as well as an adjunct to treatment by professionals. In some cases effects may be immediate, such as acupressure applied to points at the base of the nostrils that can clear a blocked nose almost instantaneously. In other cases, the results may be slower, since acupressure can be used on a daily basis to treat more chronic conditions.

How Can Acupressure Help?

Acupressure can be used relieve common ailments such as headaches, back pain, fatigue, constipation, and on. It is also useful for prevention of illness and form aid, for example, in the case of asthma where it has been known to reduce the frequency and decrease the severity of attacks.

To be most effective it has to be repeated little and often and be used on a daily basis.

By: Robin Brain

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Do you know when you use a MDI (metered dose inhaler), only 10 to 14 percent of the medication will ever reach your lungs even on good inhaler techniques? Most of the medicine will end up in your mouth and throat.

Surprisingly, many people adopt bad techniques and an end result is that 5 percent or even none of the medicine even gets in your lung at all. It is essential that proper techniques are used because it maximizes the effectiveness of the medication and could well save your life. This article teaches you how to retain that 10 t o 14 percent.

Before you start to put the inhaler, make sure to shake your inhaler well. This will ensure that you mix the ingredients in the canister in the correct proportion. Now breathe out slowly for 3 to 5 seconds until all the air in the lungs in your air has been exhaled out.

Now put the mouthpiece in your mouth. Position the mouthpiece 2 finger widths away from the mouth.

This is one common mistake that I see many people make. They press the inhaler first and then quickly breathe in later. No, no, no. Please don’t do that. By the time you breathe in, most of the mist will come out of your mouth already and you get the 5 to 0 percent retention value that I talked about earlier.

The proper way is to inhale slowly first for about a second, then press down on the canister. This will ensure that you get as much of the medicine in your lungs as possible. Do not stop inhaling until you feel that your lungs are full.

Now take out the inhaler from your mouth, quickly press your lips together and hold your breath for about 10 seconds. Let the medication slowly spread throughout the lungs. Breathe out afterwards

If you are having difficulty, you may consider using a spacer. The spacer is especially good for toddlers or young children whom many parents find it difficult to teach. When using the spacers, please remember to shake the inhaler before putting the mouthpiece in the spacer.

After inserting the mouthpiece, breathe in slowly for 1 second and press down on the canister. Continue inhaling until you feel that your lungs are full. Hold your breath for about 10 seconds, then exhale slowly.

By: Vincent Song

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