MedStar Newsletter - November 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Holiday Hours
• National COPD Awareness Month
• Support, Feedback, and Newsletter Subscription Info

HOLIDAY HOURS

It's the holiday time of year, and we here at Cybernet Medical would like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! Like many folks, we here at Cybernet Medical will be spending Thanksgiving with our families, which means that MedStar Support will be closed on Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th. Online help will continue to be available during this time, and our technical support number will still be accepting messages over the holiday weekend, but immediate live phone support will be unavailable.

Because of these holiday hours, any support requests or orders placed after 2pm on Wednesday, November 26th may not be addressed until we resume normal support hours on Monday, December 1st.

Thanks for your patience, and have a happy holiday season!

NATIONAL COPD AWARENESS MONTH

November is National COPD Awareness Month. Sponsored by the US COPD Coalition, the observance is a time for organizations and communities across the country to increase the overall awareness of COPD. "COPD Learn More Breathe Better" has been adopted as the theme for this year's effort by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

• Did You Know?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States. The disease kills more than 120,000 Americans each year (1 death every 4 minutes), and causes serious, long-term disability. The number of people with COPD is increasing, with more than 12 million people already diagnosed with COPD and an additional 12 million who likely have the disease and don’t even realize it.

• Four things to do in order to live a longer, more active life:

1. Be aware of the risk factors

2. Recognize the symptoms

3. Ask your doctor about a simple breathing test

4. Follow treatment advice

• Four key risk factors for COPD:

1. Shortness of breath, chronic cough, or trouble performing simple daily tasks like climbing stairs, grocery shopping, or laundry

2. Age over 40, with a current or former smoking habit

3. Working or living around chemicals or fumes

4. Certain genetic conditions

• Four things to do for those at risk for COPD:

1. Talk with a healthcare provider about shortness of breath, chronic cough, or decline in activity level

2. Get a simple breathing test (also known as spirometry)

3. Cease smoking (with a doctor's help, if necessary)

4. Avoid pollutants or fumes that can irritate the lungs

• Four things that patients can do to help manage COPD:

1. Take medication as directed by a doctor

2. Enroll in a pulmonary rehabilitation program

3. Avoid pollutants or fumes that can irritate the lungs

4. Get flu and pneumonia shots as directed by a doctor

To assist in building awareness of this disease, Cybernet Medical teams with qualifying health organizations to provide COPD awareness days in their communities. If your organization is interested in participating, please contact our sales team for further details at:

sales 'at' cybernetmedical.com

SUPPORT, FEEDBACK, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

We want to hear from you, not just when you need help, but when you have comments or suggestions! You can reach the MedStar team via the following methods:

For Support:
1-800-CYBERNET (1-800-292-3763)
support 'at' cybernetmedical.com

For Sales:
1-800-CYBERNET (1-800-292-3763)
sales 'at' cybernetmedical.com

For Feedback:
www.cybernetmedical.com/maillist.html

MedStar customers and those who have asked for information from Cybernet Medical receive the MedStar Newsletter. If you would prefer not to, or would prefer it to be sent to a different address, send an e-mail telling us so to:

opt-out 'at' cybernetmedical.com

PLEASE NOTE! If you have multiple e-mail aliases, we may have some difficulty processing your request unless you provide the correct alias that was used to subscribe you to this mailing list.