Be Clear-A Self-Care Method to Living with Bronchiectasis

Be Clear-A Self-Care Method to Living with Bronchiectasis Linda Esposito
Helping people with bronchiectasis live their best life
Yale MPH • Author • Patient Advocate
💗 1:1 Zoom education • No medical advice

Author of “The BE CLEAR Method to Living with Bronchiectasis” available on Amazon-

https://amzn.to/333htls?trk=public_post_share-update_update-text

Bronchiectasis is the permanent scarring of the lung airway passages, often from an infection, asthma or COPD. It is a lifelong chronic disease, but by practicing the BE CLEAR Method of self-care, created by Linda C. Esposito, MPH, you can feel better!

I’m looking forward to guest speaking with three bronchiectasis support groups this month: San Francisco, the Las Vegas ...
09/04/2026

I’m looking forward to guest speaking with three bronchiectasis support groups this month: San Francisco, the Las Vegas area, and, at the end of the month, Washington, DC and surrounding states.

Of course, airway clearance is always a favorite topic, but I’m finding that travel is quickly climbing the ranks! And really, so much of what people want to talk about boils down to one thing:

How can we put systems in place that make managing bronchiectasis a little easier, and give us more time to do what we really love doing?

Because bronchiectasis already asks a lot of us. Airway clearance, nebulizing, sterilizing equipment, medications, appointments, exercise, nutrition…the list can get pretty long.

Anything we can do to simplify the day-to-day management of our disease gives us a little more time and energy for the rest of our lives.
As I prepare for these talks, I’d love to hear what’s working for you.

Here’s one of my little systems. I’ve owned MANY pill organizers over the years, but living in a 900-square-foot apartment, I never loved having a big pill organizer sitting on my dining room table.

I like my home to feel happy and creative, and when I’m not using something related to bronchiectasis, I prefer to tuck it away in a cabinet. It’s not that I’m ashamed of my disease. I just don’t want it taking center stage in my home.

That’s why I love this organizer. I simply pull out one tiny little pill case for the day and tuck the rest away. Simple, neat, and one less thing to think about.

Now it’s your turn. What organizers, gadgets, routines, shortcuts, or systems make your life with bronchiectasis easier and give you more time for the things you love?

I’d love to borrow some of your best ideas for my upcoming talks!

Several people in our bronchiectasis community have asked whether guidance for cleaning and sterilizing airway clearance...
09/03/2026

Several people in our bronchiectasis community have asked whether guidance for cleaning and sterilizing airway clearance equipment has changed, including some who have read AI-generated information.

AI can be a helpful starting point, but it should not be the final source for medical or equipment-related guidance. For our devices, the key message is that the manufacturer’s recommendations have not changed.

Please follow the instructions for your specific equipment, whether it is from Monaghan Medical, PARI, or another brand. Use only the cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing methods the manufacturer has tested and recommends.

More heat, more pressure, or a different process does not necessarily make equipment safer. In fact, it could potentially damage a device or affect how well it delivers medication to our lungs.

This may not be a concern for everyone, but for me, the possibility of inhaling microplastics is another reason I would not expose my respiratory devices to intense heat or pressure beyond what the manufacturer recommends.

Many of us have made countless personal decisions throughout our lives. How we manage our disease is another personal decision, and our choices may differ. That’s okay.

I’ll continue sharing the best information I can and encouraging everyone to consult multiple reliable sources, including healthcare professionals, manufacturers, reputable research, AI used as a research tool, and community support groups.

Let’s stay informed, kind, and united as we work together to advance best practices, improve treatment, and support everyone living with bronchiectasis and NTM lung disease.

When I’m swamped with clients and deadlines, cooking can feel like one more thing on my list. But nourishing my body sti...
09/02/2026

When I’m swamped with clients and deadlines, cooking can feel like one more thing on my list. But nourishing my body still matters.

That’s why I love having homemade soup in the freezer. I make a big batch when I have the energy, usually early in the morning, and freeze individual portions for busy days or times when I don’t have much of an appetite.

My go-to is what I jokingly call my “baby food” soup: vegetables, broth and miso, simmered until everything is soft and then puréed with an immersion blender.

I can easily boost the protein with Greek yogurt, tofu, tempeh or beans. I can also add nourishing calories with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Sometimes I add spinach or kale because, as I always say, “green stuff is good!”

Add some crusty bread and I have an easy, nourishing meal without much effort.

What’s your go-to when you don’t have much of an appetite or you’re simply feeling overwhelmed?

When I was studying to become a personal trainer, there were those who advocated extremes, balancing on huge exercise ba...
09/01/2026

When I was studying to become a personal trainer, there were those who advocated extremes, balancing on huge exercise balls while lifting weights and performing gravity-defying feats that seemed to require equal parts strength, balance, and luck! 🏋️‍♀️

I believed in all types of movement. But when something looked unnecessarily dangerous, that was different. Even today, I occasionally see trainers having clients perform exercises that seem more about showcasing the trainer than helping the client.

Because in the end, what matters?

Getting stronger. Becoming more fit. And staying safe.🌟

That’s very much how I approach self-care with bronchiectasis.

I don’t subscribe to one particular method or believe everyone needs to manage their disease exactly the same way. What works for one person may not work for another. We have different bodies, different disease presentations, different lifestyles, and different priorities.

There can be more than one reasonable way to get where we’re trying to go.

Where I become cautious is when a practice seems potentially dangerous, hasn’t been adequately tested, goes beyond established recommendations, or, quite frankly, seems unnecessary.

That doesn’t mean I stop supporting someone who chooses differently.

My job isn’t to control someone else’s path. It’s to share the best information I can, help people understand their options, and support them as they make their own decisions.

In the end, their path is their own.

I’ve started taking the craziest thing with me when I travel… protein powder!Now you have to understand, I NEVER make my...
08/31/2026

I’ve started taking the craziest thing with me when I travel… protein powder!

Now you have to understand, I NEVER make myself a protein shake at home. I get plenty of protein from cottage cheese, ricotta and other cheeses, tofu, tempeh, salmon and occasionally other seafood.

But when I travel, getting enough protein can become an issue. And I certainly don’t want every dinner to revolve around, “What is Linda going to be able to find to eat?” That could definitely put a damper on the evening!

Quite honestly, I’m a vegetarian at heart who makes herself eat fish and occasionally a little chicken because I know I need the protein.

And something happens to me when I travel. The food just seems a little more… real.

When I was in Mexico, the eggs seemed more yellow, the chicken tasted gamier, and sometimes I wasn’t quite sure about the fish.

Give me the vegetables, fruits and starches and I’m perfectly happy!

So now I’m saving room in my suitcase for protein powder, an ice cube tray and a shaker. Who knew these would become travel essentials?

And that brings me to Sunday’s talk by the marvelous Michelle MacDonald, MS, RDN, CDCES, on protein powders and bars.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to listen live, but I’ll definitely be listening to the recording. Michelle is an incredibly modest person, so I’ll sing her praises for her. She spent many years at National Jewish Health, including years in a supervisory role, and her knowledge of nutrition and lung health is extraordinary.

Did you get to listen to Michelle’s talk?

What were the GOLDEN NUGGETS you took away? 🌟🌟

Did anything surprise you or change the way you think about protein powders or bars?

I’d love to hear what you learned!

There’s one thing I believe almost everyone could improve on, and it’s probably not what you think.Do you give up?It’s p...
08/31/2026

There’s one thing I believe almost everyone could improve on, and it’s probably not what you think.

Do you give up?

It’s posture! Stay with me here…😀

In my book, The BE CLEAR Method to Living with Bronchiectasis, I talk quite a bit about posture and why it matters when you’re living with a chronic lung condition.

I live in New York City near the New York City Ballet, and I can sometimes spot someone a couple of streets away and think, “She’s a ballerina.” Okay, perhaps she has her hair in a bun, but honestly, it’s the way she carries herself.

Good posture can certainly make us look and feel more confident. But from the standpoint of respiratory health, it can do much more.
When we’re hunched forward with rounded shoulders, we’re not giving our chest and rib cage the freedom to expand.

Improving our posture can help put our body in a better position for breathing, chest expansion, and moving mucus. And that matters not only while we’re doing airway clearance, but throughout the day.

Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, who leads cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation at NYU Langone, once spoke at a patient conference I attended and emphasized the importance of posture for lung health.

That really stuck with me.

I had been banging the posture drum for years, so hearing an expert talk about its importance was incredibly reaffirming.

Maybe I wasn’t just being the nagging mom telling everyone to stand up tall after all!
I know posture isn’t exactly an exciting topic. But believe me when I tell you, it can make a HUGE difference.

The great news is—you can start right now.⭐️
I have a YouTube video devoted to posture and lung health.

Check out the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/fu73wf7d

If you go to the gear at the bottom of the YouTube video you can speed up the video or watch it in a different language❤️

This is an ⭐️Oldie But Goodie ⭐️and that is a really WEIRD hairdo that I have since retired!!!

Stand tall. Sit tall. Breathe tall. Your lungs deserve the room.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my new website- letsbecleartoday.comI’ll be honest, it was some heavy lifting to g...
08/30/2026

Thank you to everyone who has visited my new website- letsbecleartoday.com

I’ll be honest, it was some heavy lifting to get it up and running. And sometimes, the harder we work for something, the more pride we take in finally being able to share it. I’m very proud of this website, especially of all the resources that are now in one place.

I do have a favorite, although I try not to play favorites: the BE CLEAR Guide in Resources. There’s so much information there, and I’ll continue adding to it.

I think of the website as the BE CLEAR hub, with lots of spokes connecting you to information and resources: YouTube videos, blogs, newsletters, tools and products, consultations and coaching, links to expert research and websites—and there’s lots more to come as I continue building it out.

I value your input, so if you see something that’s missing, have difficulty finding something, or run into any problems using the site, please let me know. There’s also a search function, which I hope you’ll find convenient to use again and again.

And a very special thank you to everyone who has already signed up for a free 15-minute get-acquainted call, a consultation, or a coaching package.

Quite frankly, I was hesitant to include online scheduling right from the launch. My web designer gently encouraged me to go for it.

So I did.

And it’s working!

Thank you for visiting, exploring, signing up, and helping me continue to build BE CLEAR into an ever-growing resource for our bronchiectasis community.

Do you ever feel like you’re “Workin’ 9 to 5” just managing your bronchiectasis?Airway clearance. Nebulizing. Cleaning a...
08/28/2026

Do you ever feel like you’re “Workin’ 9 to 5” just managing your bronchiectasis?

Airway clearance. Nebulizing. Cleaning and sterilizing equipment. Exercise. Nutrition. Reflux precautions. Appointments. Cultures. Medications. Some days it really does feel like a full-time job!

Living with bronchiectasis takes effort. Especially when we’re first diagnosed, there’s so much to learn and so much we think we have to do perfectly.

But this is a lifelong disease, and eventually we have to take what we’ve learned and make it our own.

Find a routine that works for YOUR life. Put in the effort, but be flexible. Some days everything falls into place. Other days you’re traveling, tired, have an early appointment or life simply gets in the way.

Do what you can. Adjust. Then “Here You Come Again” tomorrow.

Bronchiectasis is part of our lives, but it doesn’t have to become our entire life.

And on those days when things don’t go quite as planned?

Sometimes we have to give ourselves a little “Amazing Grace.” ❤️

A little bronchiectasis wisdom inspired by the one and only Dolly Parton. 🎶

Clients who are underweight or simply not big eaters often look to protein powders, shakes and bars to supplement their ...
08/26/2026

Clients who are underweight or simply not big eaters often look to protein powders, shakes and bars to supplement their diet. When they ask what I recommend, I always refer them to the guidance of registered dietitian Michelle MacDonald, MS, RDN, CDCES.

This is a great opportunity to hear directly from Michelle during Protein Powders and Bars, UnPacked, a World NTM Awareness Day webinar.

Michelle has spent years helping people living with NTM and bronchiectasis address one of the toughest challenges of these diseases: maintaining weight and strength when appetite and energy are limited.

If you’ve ever stood in the supplement aisle wondering which protein powder or bar is actually worth your money, this webinar is for you. Michelle will explain what to look for, what to skip and how to make choices that support your nutrition, strength and energy.

She understands what people living with NTM and bronchiectasis are up against and will offer practical, real-world guidance you can use right away.

There will also be time for live questions, so come ready to ask Michelle anything!
This webinar is especially helpful for patients and caregivers looking for practical, judgment-free guidance on nutrition and weight management.

Sunday, August 30 at 3 PM ET

👉 Register today and join the conversation! https://bit.ly/4ghIncx

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