Papapoo's Personal Reviews for the lay person

When I was a little guy, my grandmother taught me by the saying, "If you can't say something nice about a person, then don't say anything". Folks, that is exactly how we are going to approach the reviews on this page. If I do not think it is a publication, tape or disk that you can use and understand without medical training, then it will not be on these pages. I will not waste your time or mine by bad-mouthing a publication, tape or disk. The bad side of that is that is I do not have the time nor the inclination to review everything dealing with COPD so if it is not listed here, it may only mean that I have not seen it or have not yet had time to write a review. You will see that I have associated myself with Amazon.com. What that means is that I think their prices and service are consumer friendly and if you click on one of the Amazon.com buttons or use the search form below and order a book, papapoo will get a small percentage of the proceeds.

Chairobics® Cheryl Spessert is a Respiratory Nurse Clinician who created and produced this professional video in 1991 to fill a need of her patients. At that time there was very little of a practical and professional nature concerning the benefits of exercise for the respiratory patient. Shortly thereafter, an Ohio State University Research Study was conducted which validated the concepts that Cheryl presented in her film. While some of the hardware pictured is a little dated, the information contained in the film is first rate and as applicable today as it was in '91. The film was well received and used in many respiratory recovery programs around the country. However, the film is really intended for the individual user and is an excellent source of information for those who are just beginning to understand what the affliction of COPD is. As the name implies, the main topic of the film is a way to exercise with minimum hardware. No treadmill or exercise bike required; just a chair, a smile and a good attitude. The patients pictured, like me, are geezers who obviously are enjoying themselves exercising together with the help of some good exercise music. However, the film is not just for geezers and covers a multitude of other things which are important for the COPD patient to understand like target heart rate, better breathing techniques, perceived exertion rates during exercise, relaxation through mediation, oxygen hardware, use of Measured Dose Inhalers, stop smoking tips, and a whole lot of other goodies. The patient discount price is $29.95 plus $3 shipping for a total of $32.95. The tape is not available through Amazon.com but may be ordered toll free direct at 1-800-521-7303 (Price for institutional use is $49.95 plus shipping). (August 1999).

The pages on my home edition of the Merck Manual are pretty worn because is hardly a day that goes by where someone does not say something that I have forgotten or just never heard of before. This pub is reasonably easy to understand although there are a lot of 75 cent medical terms included. Once in a while I get frustrated because there are some things in the index that are not specifically mentioned on the page in question although it will be the correct section of the book. It contains 1,500 plus pages of which about 75 are dedicated to respiratory disease. Less than $25 for the hard copy book and can be obtained in paperback or CD from Amazon.com Click on the book graphic to order from Amazon.com. (August 1999).

One of the best reviews I saw of this book was written by Brenda J. Hoilman who was a RN and the author of our first personal story, "Like a Fish Out of Water". Brenda has now passed on but her review of this book is still on the pages of Amazon.com and I recommend you read it even if you have no intention of buying the book. The book actually has gotten mixed reviews but is well worth the $15.37 price for the hard copy. The book is written by an individual who had to go on a six month high dosage of prednisone and is balanced by the co-author, a doctor and her sister, who takes a more objective view of what prednisone does to the body. Most of the scary side effects of prednisone are mentioned but little is made of the fact that different individuals react in different ways to this valuable drug in the doctor's bag of tricks. Click on the book graphic to order from Amazon.com. (August 1999)

Enjoying Life With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease This is the third edition of this publication and answers most of the questions that one would have about our affliction. The authors, Dr. Thomas L. Petty, and Louise M. Nett RN RRT have collaborated before on this topic. Dr. Petty has been writing on pulmonary problems for a number of years and considered by many to be the father of oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation. However, this is the one that the afflicted will want as it provides the answers on treatment, rehab, breathing , transplantation, sexuality, support groups and daily living tips just to mention a few. Probably as good a one-book reference that you will find for the COPD patient. Click on the title above for ordering from Amazon.com for a tad under $13.00. (August 1999)

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