By Lee Guion, MA, RRT, FAARC Neurorespiratory Clinical Specialist. You can maximize lung function at every stage of ALS, even before you experience symptoms of shallow breathing. Beginning with this column, I will describe a variety of techniques to choose from with links to instructional videos. The
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By: Susan Woolley, Ph.D. Neuropsychologist. For a minority of pALS, the disease affects thinking, not just muscles. It is estimated that 15% of pALS experience dementia, which is called Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Family members often notice this before the person with ALS. Sometimes it causes dramatic changes
Read more →By Lee Guion, MA, RRT, FAARC Neurorespiratory Clinical Specialist Getting the best results Lung function testing, or spirometry, may cause anxiety, especially if it’s your first test or you’ve noticed changes in your breathing. You might be competitive by nature and will strain to do your very
Read more →By Lee Guion, MA, RRT, FAARC Neurorespiratory Clinical Specialist Although spirometry gives us the big picture on how lung muscles work together (diaphragm, intercostal, abdominal), additional measures refine our knowledge. Other lung function tests include: MIP (maximum inspiratory pressure) is a more sensitive test of inspiratory muscle
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By Amy Roman, CCC-SLP The husband of one of my patients invented this horizontal stylus about 12 years ago. His wife could no longer isolate her index fingers for typing but she could still move her arms to type. Her other fingers were getting in the way
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By Amy Roman, SLP. One of the first things I suggest to pALS experiencing any neck, shoulder or arm weakness is to avoid laptops or touchscreens when possible. Communicating all day with the full 10 lb. weight of your head thrust in front of your spine is
Read more →By Danielle Dunphy, RRT and Lee Guion MA, RRT. Summer is here, and with the warm weather comes vacations and weekend getaways! But vacations and weekend getaways are not always easy for PALS and their families. Below are some tips that may help make your vacation more
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By Dallas Forshew, RN. Research described as “clinical” means that the research subjects are human beings. Clinical trials try to translate information learned in laboratories, or in experiments done with animals, to learn how it applies to people. There are four types of clinical research: Observational studies
Read more →By Lee Guion, MA, RRT, FAARC Neurorespiratory Clinical Specialist Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) measure lung muscle strength and overall function. Lung function should be assessed at each clinic visit as part of an overall disease management strategy. Test results are used to determine need for breathing assistance
Read more →By Lee Guion, MA, RRT, FAARC Neurorespiratory Clinical Specialist After each exhalation is measured by the spirometer, your results will be compared to “normal” or “predicted” values and expressed as a percentage of predicted (FVC %, FEV1 %). These reference values come from a large national database
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