Quitting Smoking: Knowing Your Smoking Triggers

If you have a chronic lung disease, one of the best things you can do to improve your health and slow down the progression of the disease is to quit smoking. However, after years of smoking, it can be extremely difficult to break the habit. One of the ways to help yourself…

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is not a lung disease itself but a group of several lung conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). You can see the difference between IPF and other interstitial lung diseases by looking at the affected lung tissue under a microscope. According to WebMD, ILDs attack the interstitium, the tissue and space around the lung’s air sacs. MORE: Interstitial lung disease remains major a diagnostic challenge This large group of diseases is known for creating progressive scarring of the interstitium which can cause progressive lung stiffness that will end up affecting the patient’s breathing…

William T. Schmidt, a veteran healthcare advocacy executive, is the new president and chief executive officer of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Schmidt, who takes over Aug. 14, succeeds Patti Tuomey, who led the foundation’s fight against pulmonary fibrosis from 2010 until February 2017. “After a comprehensive search process, the…

If you’ve been reading my columns the past few months, it is no secret that I’m noticing a huge difference in my physical abilities as the progression of my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) charges on. I often write about how tired I am physically, how emotionally drained I…

To be considered eligible for an organ transplant, patients will often go on a long and difficult journey. Candidates are put through a series of tests and actually receiving an organ will include a lot of waiting and hoping. To make the road to transplant a little easier, we’ve put together some advice from…

Ofev (nintedanib) is an anti-fibrotic drug used in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) to help to slow down the progression of the disease. It was approved by the FDA in October 2014. MORE: Nine steps for managing pulmonary fibrosis. The online patient platform Patients…

Pulmonary fibrosis patients experience significant practical and emotional problems from their disease, according to a nine-country Boehringer Ingelheim survey. More than 150 people took part in the survey, which exposed the worries that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients have about their disease’s irreversible progression. Sixty-one percent of patients said they were either…

Aquatic exercise can be very beneficial for patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF), as the water supports a good proportion of a person’s body weight, making it easier to move around. The American Physiotherapy Association has some recommended exercises to try next time you’re in the pool: MORE: Tips…

Last week I had the privilege of doing a live video, via Pulmonary Fibrosis News’ Facebook page. It was a lot of fun to have so many patients, caregivers and medical professionals tune in as we talked about treatment. The beauty of a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to SM04646, a therapy developed by San Diego-based Samumed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This designation provides several benefits, including tax incentives, exemption from the FDA user fee and potential market exclusivity for seven years following approval. SM04646,…