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Big Fat Reference Guide

Copyright © 2001 - 2025 AlphaNet. All rights reserved.

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Blog

Find the latest information for Alphas and learn what's new in the AlphaNet community.

An Alpha's Guide to Airway Clearance

When you have Alpha-1 lung disease, mucus can build up in your lungs. If you can’t clear the mucus by coughing, it can make you sick and cause damage. Luckily, there are several techniques that can help. Read on to learn more about airway clearance.

More in this section

Why is Exercise So Important for Alphas?

We know exercise is good for everybody, but why is it so crucial for Alphas to stay physically fit? Regardless of how Alpha-1 affects you, exercise can help prevent your condition from worsening and may even help improve your quality of life in the long run.

Combating Lung Disease Risk Factors

While smoke is a major risk factor for lung-affected Alphas, it’s far from the only one. Many substances found throughout the home and other environments can negatively impact your health.

Is Oxygen Therapy Right for Me?

For those who are affected by low oxygen levels (hypoxemia), oxygen therapy or supplemental oxygen can provide the additional oxygen needed to help you continue to perform at your best.

How to Discuss Alpha-1 with Your Doctor

It is your physician’s responsibility to do their best to understand and monitor your condition, but your health as an Alpha should be a collaborative effort. Read on to find some tips straight from the BFRG on how to discuss your condition with your doctor and help keep your Alpha-1 health in check.

Spring Clean Your Allergies Away

Find useful tips on how to remove allergens from your home and prevent more from getting in.

Summer Wellness Guide for Alphas

It is especially important for you to remain aware of potential health hazards so that, as an Alpha, you can make the best decisions to safeguard your well-being. Follow this guide to get tips on how to live your best life this summer while treating your body well, too.

Emergency Preparedness Guide for Alphas

Are you prepared for an emergency? If you are an Alpha who is on augmentation therapy or oxygen therapy it is especially crucial to have a plan in the event that a natural disaster or an emergency takes place. Read on for tips on how to stay prepared for any emergency that may come your way.

Clinical Corner: Medication Management After a Natural Disaster

Many Alphas are on a wide range of medications including inhalers, pills, and temperature-sensitive intravenous medicine. With this in mind, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers valuable information detailing the important steps every Alpha should know in order to safeguard their medications in the event of a natural disaster.

A Brief History of Alpha-1

From the discovery of human neutrophil elastase's role in lung damage to the development of life-saving treatments, read on to learn about the history of Alpha-1 and find out how our evolving understanding of Alpha-1 continues to shape both clinical approaches and patient outcomes today.

Helpful Tips and Tools for Combating Stress

We feel stress whenever the demands placed on us are greater than the resources we have available to help us meet those demands. Each of us learns how to handle stress by relying on our own skills and abilities. Read on to find positive ways to deal with the stressors in your life.

8 Ways to Boost Your Mental Health Today

We know life can sometimes be overwhelming, and you may not always feel your best. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, here are some tips to help you relax, recharge, and boost your mental health today.

Improving Indoor Air Quality: Why and How?

What is more important than the air that we breathe? The quality of that air – especially for Alphas who are particularly vulnerable to environmental irritants. Read on to learn why monitoring your indoor air quality is crucial to your health and find ways to improve the air quality in your home.

Exercise Tips for Beginners

We all know exercise has a number of benefits for us; it's great for releasing stress, maintaining mental clarity, and, of course, keeping physically fit, but many of us struggle with where to start when it comes to working out.

Navigating Health Insurance: Key Terms and Tips

As a patient with chronic medical needs, it is important to fully understand your health plan including what benefits you are entitled to and whether or not you must abide by any yearly or lifetime spending limits.

Navigating Health Insurance: Key Terms and Tips

Small Moves, Big Benefits: Combating a Sedentary Lifestyle

Learn about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and find small ways to get more movement throughout your day.

Coordinated Breathing for Lung Disease

Coordinated breathing helps you match your breathing to the activity you're doing. You can control how deeply and quickly you breathe with techniques like pursed-lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing.

Use It or Lose It: 5 Tips for Maintaining Your Mobility

Personal mobility can play a significant role in improving your quality of life, and the choices you make now can influence your quality of life down the road. As the saying goes “if you don’t use it, you lose it!” Read through for a few ideas to help you be proactive about maintaining and increasing your mobility.

Why is Patient Empowerment Important?

In 2006, Dr. Symma Finn, a researcher from the University of Florida doing her PhD thesis in sociology set out to identify what benefits there were to a patient group - specifically Alphas – that were “empowered” or felt a sense of control over their own health. Find out what she learned that still rings true today.

Why is Diet So Important for Alphas?

Diet is especially important for Alphas. Good nutrition can help protect your lungs and liver while a poor diet can lead to health problems that make Alpha-1 harder to manage. Read on to learn more about eating right for Alpha-1.

Diet and Nutrition Guide for Alpha-1 Lung Health

Besides keeping active, and staying proactive with your prescribed treatments, your diet can play a major role in how well you feel as a lung-affected Alpha. Read on to learn about diet and nutrition tips for Alphas and discover ways you can make mealtime more exciting.

Diet and Nutrition Guide for Alpha-1 Liver Health

One of the best things a liver-affected Alpha can do for their health is pay close attention to their diet. A healthy, balanced diet can support liver health by helping to prevent excess weight gain, provide extra support for liver function, and avoid preventable liver damage. Read on to learn more and find diet and nutrition tips for Alpha-1 liver health right from the Big Fat Reference Guide.

Healthy Eating May Lead to Healthier Alphas

While eating well should be a priority for everyone, a balanced diet can be especially important for Alphas as it may lead to notable changes in their overall quality of life.

Energy Management Techniques for Daily Living

One of the first goals for an Alpha with lung disease to consider is the development of a reasonable set of expectations for dealing with work, family, and health that will allow you to conserve the energy you need for the act of breathing. These realistic expectations, and how you apply them to your daily activities, are what we call Energy Management. Read on to find tips to help you manage your energy and get the most out of each day.

The Big Fat Reference Guide

Looking for the most comprehensive guide to living with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency on the web?

Visit the Big Fat Reference Guide

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