This week we take a bit of a turn with our Fun-Physio as it is often important to highlight the dangers of not doing physio properly or not using the right tools. This week we will highlight a device that is NOT a physiotherapy device for airway clearance. And actually continued use of same exact incentive spirometry device over and over can reintroduce harmful mutated bacteria into your PCD loved one’s airways. Incentive spirometry dev are often used after surgical procedures to help prevent patients from getting pneumonia. These devices are great for that intended purpose. What they are not great for are is that the devices can’t be completely and properly cleaned and sterilized. This makes them unsafe for mucociliary clearance patients who are unable to clear their airways on their own. Incentive spirometry devices require you to breathe in and out through them. And since they can’t be throughly cleaned and they can’t be sterilized this means the bacteria we breath into the devices take up residence in the device where they can grow and mutate into worse bacteria. This bacteria is then reintroduced into the patient’s airways as they device is repeatedly used.

Incentive spirometers have their place. They can safely be used for a period of mere days, but then need to be thrown in the trash. Learning that airway clearance goes beyond the method and includes so much more than just proper breathing and coughing is extremely important in PCD care. So ditch those old incentive spirometry devices in the trash where they belong. Also do not confuse an incentive spirometry device with a PEP device or and OPEP device. Speak with your clinic’s PCD Respiratory Therapist today for a more tailored airway clearance toolbox.

If you’re struggling to get your child engaged with their airway clearance techniques try turning airway clearance into play, it could help lessen the burden of persuading your child to do their treatments. If you’re an adult, remember that the best airway clearance technique for you is the one that you will actually do. There are tons of airway clearance techniques and tons of outside the box ideas as well. Experiment today and put the fun back into your life. Remember airway hygiene is an important part of primary ciliary dyskinesia care.

Join our Facebook group Turtle Talk Café today, click here.

We have several ways that you can donate to PCD Smiles;

- Visit Smile E. Turtle's Amazon Wishlist

- For more information on how you can donate, please visit our "Donation" page to check out our "Do & Don't policies.

- Or sponsor a PCD Smiles cheer package today!

- To shop for your “Official” turtle care ribbon gear today, visit PCD Style or Smile E. Cove

Thank you for your consideration!

Turn treatment-time into play-time with cross country skiing. Getting out into the sun and getting some much needed vitamin D from the sun can be essential to pulmonary health in the wintertime. The long slow pace of cross country skiing can help to build stronger muscles which allows the body to use less oxygen and use it more efficiently. More efficient oxygen use can lead to less production of carbon dioxide and that can aid in alleviating breathlessness especially while doing airway clearance techniques. If you tire out during your airway clearance sessions you will be less effective in mobilizing your secretions, making your airway clearance more challenging and inefficient. The coordinated breathing requirements during cross country skiing can itself help mobilize your secretions and even getting air in behind stuck secretions which will help your clear those secretions as well. If you’re struggling to get your child engaged with their airway clearance techniques try turning airway clearance into play, it could help lessen the burden of persuading your child to do their treatments. If you’re an adult, remember that the best airway clearance technique for you is the one that you will actually do. There are tons of airway clearance techniques and tons of outside the box ideas as well. Experiment today and put the fun back into your life. Remember airway hygiene is an important part of primary ciliary dyskinesia care.

Join our Facebook group Turtle Talk Café today, click here.

We have several ways that you can donate to PCD Smiles;

- Visit Smile E. Turtle's Amazon Wishlist

- For more information on how you can donate, please visit our "Donation" page to check out our "Do & Don't policies.

- Or sponsor a PCD Smiles cheer package today!

- To shop for your “Official” turtle care ribbon gear today, visit PCD Style or Smile E. Cove

Thank you for your consideration!

Turn treatment-time into play-time with dance. Try your hand at dancing. Whether you pop in a dancing game on your gaming system, you have an impromptu dance battle with friends and family, or sign up for more structured dance lessons from an instructor or a dance company getting moving is important to airway hygiene. The uncoordinated breathing patterns during dancing helps get air behind secretions or stuck secretions and can help get those secretions moving by varying airflow through a PCD patient’s airways. If you’re struggling to get your child engaged with their airway clearance techniques try turning airway clearance into play, it could help lessen the burden of persuading your child to do their treatments. If you’re an adult, remember that the best airway clearance technique for you is the one that you will actually do. There are tons of airway clearance techniques and tons of outside the box ideas as well. Experiment today and put the fun back into your life. Remember airway hygiene is an important part of primary ciliary dyskinesia care.

Join our Facebook group Turtle Talk Café today, click here.

We have several ways that you can donate to PCD Smiles;

- Visit Smile E. Turtle's Amazon Wishlist

- For more information on how you can donate, please visit our "Donation" page to check out our "Do & Don't policies.

- Or sponsor a PCD Smiles cheer package today!

- To shop for your “Official” turtle care ribbon gear today, visit PCD Style or Smile E. Cove

Thank you for your consideration!

Turn treatment-time into adventure-time by going on a snowshoe adventure. It’s important to get outside in the wintertime to soak up vitamin D. Most respiratory patients have been found to be deficient in vitamin D, so be sure you are getting enough in the winter. Snowshoeing is one of winter’s favorite pastimes. And what a great way to get in some out of the box airway clearance time. Snowshoeing helps encourage uncoordinated exercise which varies the airflow through a PCD patient’s airways to mobilize secretions. If you’re struggling to get your child engaged with their airway clearance techniques try turning airway clearance into play and activities that help pass the time and are engaging, it could help lessen the burden of persuading your child to do their treatments. If you’re an adult, remember that the best airway clearance technique for you is the one that you will actually do. There are tons of airway clearance techniques and tons of outside the box ideas as well. Experiment today and put the fun back into your life. Remember airway hygiene is an important part of primary ciliary dyskinesia care.

Join our Facebook group Turtle Talk Café today, click here.

We have several ways that you can donate to PCD Smiles;

- Visit Smile E. Turtle's Amazon Wishlist

- For more information on how you can donate, please visit our "Donation" page to check out our "Do & Don't policies.

- Or sponsor a PCD Smiles cheer package today!

- To shop for your “Official” turtle care ribbon gear today, visit PCD Style or Smile E. Cove

Thank you for your consideration!