Writing can be therapeutic. As a therapist, I often encourage my clients to write as a way to process trauma, release emotion from their body, or organize their thoughts ahead of a difficult conversation. Whether they’re writing a letter, column, or journal entry that they plan to share or…
4 common myths about IPF I wish I’d known after my diagnosis
AP01, Avalyn Pharma’s pirfenidone solution for inhalation, may have fewer side effects than the oral formulation now used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) — while helping keep lung function from declining as quickly. That’s according to data from the company-sponsored Phase 1b ATLAS trial (ACTRN12618001838202), which…
When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) on Jan. 31, 2017, I quickly understood three things about this disease. First, it’s chronic. Second, it’s progressive, though it progresses at different rates in everyone. Finally, there is no cure. One therapy available for IPF is…
The use of aspirin, a common over-the-counter medicine, showed benefits in mouse and cell models of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in a recent study, reducing evidence of scarring. The medication seemed to exert its beneficial effects by promoting a cellular maintenance process called autophagy, during which cells break down and…
The 13th annual Broadway Belts for PFF! gala, put on by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), raised more than $465,000 to fight pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a chronic lung disorder thought to affect more than 250,000 U.S. residents. The sold-out event was held earlier this month at Sony Hall…
One of the most certain parts of our lives is the order of the calendar. “Thirty days has September,/ April, June, and November,/ All the rest have thirty-one,/ Save February at twenty-eight,/ But leap year, coming once in four,/ February then has one day more.” Some might call this a…
Good morning, readers. If it’s not morning when you’re reading this, let’s pretend for a moment that it is. You just rolled out of bed, made a hot, caffeinated beverage, and now you’re checking on the latest from Pulmonary Fibrosis News. Cozy. Now, raise your hand if you got…
Certain populations of immune monocytes and macrophages may be important targets of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a study. In an IPF mouse model, into-the-vein MSC treatment appeared to prevent monocytes from becoming a type of macrophage thought to promote the buildup…
How do you value something that doesn’t have a standard of measure? If you invest in a stock, there is a cost per share. You can see its value at the moment of investment. Over time, you’ll witness both gains and losses to that value. When you sell the stock,…
Black patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) are diagnosed around a decade earlier than their white counterparts in the U.S., a new study reports. They also tend to be hospitalized more often and at younger ages compared with white or Hispanic patients, and were significantly younger at time of death,…
