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Coping with COPD Anxiety

Feb2021image004Anxiety can be a good thing for people living with a chronic illness — it forces them to pay close attention to symptoms, follow a treatment plan and seek out medical attention when necessary. However, too much anxiety can have a negative impact on the quality of life, especially for those who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Anxiety can create a dangerous cycle for COPD sufferers because feelings of breathlessness can provoke panic. This can make people feel more anxious and make breathing even harder. Even worse, this cycle can make it difficult to distinguish the symptoms of anxiety from the symptoms of COPD.

There are some anti-anxiety medications that are safe for COPD sufferers to take which, when combined with other methods, can reduce anxiety. Also, techniques such as pursed-lip breathing can help take the work out of breathing while helping people learn to relax.

Another effective method in reducing anxiety is counseling. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps decrease anxiety symptoms through relaxation and breathing exercises, while group counseling can make COPD sufferers feel less alone by bringing them together with others who are working through similar issues.

Read the whole story for more on coping with anxiety.

COPD Patients Not Near Top of COVID Vaccine Lists

Feb2021image002Research — including a recent study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic — has confirmed that people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a higher risk of severe illness from a COVID-19 infection. However, COPD sufferers will not be jumping to the top of any lists for receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.

The Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices, a federal committee in charge of prioritizing vaccines, placed healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff on top of the vaccine list. The committee recommended that essential workers and people age 75 and older would be next. The committee’s reasoning is that people with COPD have the option to stay home and quarantine during the pandemic.

Dr. David Mannino, Medical Director and Co-Founder of the COPD Foundation, agreed with the recommendation.

“Patients with COPD and other chronic diseases do not need to be out in public,” he said. “They can isolate, have groceries delivered, visit their doctors via telephone or video call, etc. Essential workers have to be out in public — so they do not really have an option to stay isolated.”

Though they may have to wait, people with COPD should receive a COVID-19 vaccination whenever they can, especially since the vaccine is safe for people with lung conditions and shouldn’t disrupt any of their medications.

Four Ways to Manage a COPD Flare

Photo by coltsfanWhen someone suffers from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare, it can be a very uncomfortable and frightening experience. It can be dangerous, too. Research shows that frequent COPD flares can lead to frequent hospitalizations.

It is important that you and your doctor create a plan that outlines specific actions, medications, and dosages to help mitigate and manage the effects of a flare. If you and your doctor are still in the process of creating a plan, here are four ideas to include.

1. Use an inhaler — By sending a powerful stream of medicine straight to restricted lungs, inhalers help quickly relax the tissues in your airways to help you breathe.

2. Take oral corticosteroids — These reduce swelling and help widen your airways, letting more air in and out of your lungs. Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids for a week or more after a flare to help calm down the inflammation.

3. Use an oxygen tank — If you’re using supplemental oxygen at home, feel free to use it during a flare. While putting together a COPD action plan, talk to your doctor about how you can relax and control your breathing while breathing in oxygen.

4. Bring in mechanical intervention — If medications and additional oxygen aren’t working, you may need to bring in outside help. Call an ambulance or have someone do it for you. At the hospital, an intravenous bronchodilator such as theophylline may be used to bring your symptoms under control.An IV will also likely be used to keep you hydrated and administer antibiotics to stave off pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses.

Read the full story for more on managing and identifying COPD flares.

COPD and Pneumonia: A Dangerous Mix

Photo by kalhhHaving both pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can result in serious complications and cause long-term damage to lungs and other major organs. Pneumonia may also cause hypoxia (the deprivation of oxygen) in people with COPD, which can lead to kidney damage, irreversible brain damage and cardiovascular problems including heart attack and stroke.

Pneumonia symptoms are often mistaken for flare-ups for people suffering from COPD, which can lead to pneumonia going undiagnosed. Consequently, it is important to know the difference between the two. People suffering from COPD should be watchful for symptoms that are more characteristic of pneumonia, such as:

  • Chills
  • Shaking
  • Increased chest pain
  • High fever
  • Headaches and body aches

People suffering from both COPD and pneumonia may have difficulty talking due to a lack of oxygen and will produce sputum that is green, yellow, or tinged with blood.

Read the complete article to learn more about pneumonia and COPD.

Thriving with COPD

Jan2021image002Russell Winwood was stunned when, in 2011, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He was only 45. He was fit and active — and had already signed up to compete in the grueling Australian Ironman.

Winwood refused to let the illness slow him down. Eight months after his diagnosis, the Australia native finished the Ironman competition, comprised of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon.

My respiratory specialist told me I wouldn’t finish it, but that made me more determined to complete the event,” Winwood said in an interview with healthline.com.

Winwood hasn’t stopped. Despite suffering a stroke and working with just 22%-30% of his lung capacity, Winwood has competed in several marathons and triathlons since his diagnosis. That includes the famed New York City Marathon — making him the first person with Stage 4 COPD to do so. Winwood accomplished the feat in 2015 and raised $10,000 for the American Lung Association while doing it.

“A lot of people are skeptical of how I can do what I do, as people with my stage of disease don’t do Ironman events or run marathons,” Winwood said. “But the truth is that a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise will give you a better quality of life.”

Winwood keeps close watch of his blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels while training, and leaves himself plenty of recovery time to keep his immune system intact. He makes sure to get plenty of rest the week of and the week after an event.

“It takes a lot out of you, and it’s important to not only look after your body, but to listen to it,” he said.

Running and competing not only helps Winwood stay healthy in the face of a difficult disease, but these activities allow him to inspire others living with COPD.

“So much more needs to be done to help people with these diseases live a better quality of life, as well as educate people on how to prevent developing a respiratory disease,” he said.

For more on Winwood, read his entire interview with healthline.

Why COPD Sufferers Should Watch Out for Altitude Sickness

Photo by Lars_NissenPeople living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had to be careful when flying long before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March. Breathing at higher elevations can be difficult for COPD sufferers because your body needs to work harder to take in the same amount of oxygen as it does at elevations closer to sea level. This strains your lungs.

Depending on the severity of your COPD, you may need to supplement breathing with oxygen to prevent oxygen deficiency—especially if you’re climbing to more than 5,000 feet. According to a paper published by the Aerospace Medical Association, the standard air pressure on a commercial flight is the equivalent to being 5,000-8,000 feet above sea level. (If you’re bringing additional oxygen, make sure to call the airline beforehand.)

Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness—can develop when adjusting to higher elevations. And while it can affect anyone, altitude sickness can be severe in those who have COPD or other lung conditions. Early symptoms can include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling lightheaded
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Rapid pulse or heartbeat

Read the whole story on the effect higher elevations have on people with COPD.

How Alcohol is Linked to COPD

Photo by Mylene2401It’s common knowledge that smoking is the primary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but heavy alcohol consumption can also play a role.

According to a study in the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, heavy drinking can reduce your levels of glutathione, which is an antioxidant that helps protect your lungs from smoke damage. Regular or chronic drinking can also damage your mucociliary transport system, which is constantly working to clear mucous and other contaminants out of your airways.

A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that a third of adults with chronic health problems such as COPD drank regularly; 7% said they drank heavily. And while a 2016 study in Oxford Academic reported that people diagnosed with a medical condition, such as cancer, often quit drinking upon beginning treatment, that same study reported that people diagnosed with diseases such as COPD aren’t as likely to quit.

If you drink regularly and experience breathing problems, go see your doctor. You may have an underlying condition such as COPD.

Read the complete story for more on the links between smoking and drinking and a COPD diagnosis.

Five Tips For Coping With COPD Fatigue

Photo by Victoria_Borodinova/5062When your body is running low on oxygen, you feel tired. And when your lungs can’t properly inhale and exhale, fatigue sets in. Consequently, fatigue is an issue for anyone suffering from breathing illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Fatigue creates an unhealthy cycle: People feeling lethargic aren’t likely to engage in physical activity and a lack of physical activity can lead to reduced stamina and exacerbate feelings of fatigue. Eventually, performing even the most menial tasks can leave COPD sufferers exhausted.

If you have fatigue related to COPD, these tips can help:

  • Stop smoking: Smoking is hazardous to everyone’s health, and it’s the most common cause of COPD. Quitting can help those with COPD preserve what remaining lung function they have and make physical activity easier.
  • Get regular exercise: While there is no way to reverse the damage done by COPD, physical exercise can help your lungs and slow progression of the illness. It is important to consult your doctor before starting any exercise plan, as doing too much too soon can make COPD symptoms even worse.
  • Adopt a healthy lifestyle: Eating well and staying active helps stave off COPD fatigue and can prevent further complications such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
  • Learn breathing exercises: After diagnosing your COPD, your physician will likely refer you to a respiratory therapist who can help you breathe more efficiently. After you explain your breathing problems and fatigue, the respiratory therapist will teach you breathing exercises that can help whenever you’re tired or short of breath.
  • Get plenty of sleep: COPD coupled with a bad night’s sleep will make you even more tired the next day, so getting the right amount of sleep will supply your body with the energy it needs. If you are getting at least eight hours of sleep at night yet still feel tired in the morning, you may have obstructive sleep apnea, which is common among those with COPD. This condition is very serious and should be examined by a doctor.

Read the whole story to learn more about the effects of COPD fatigue.

Why COPD Sufferers Should Keep A Clean Home

Photo by PixalineEveryone should aspire to live in a clean house. For those living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), however, keeping a tidy home is essential to maintain optimum health and prevent inhaling harmful pollutants.

Here are some of the most common COPD irritants found in homes and the best ways to reduce their presence:

  • Tobacco: Cigarette smoke is extremely dangerous, especially for those with COPD. But because there is no way to eliminate it or the harmful effects of its gases and toxins, people with COPD shouldn’t allow smoking in their house—at all. Limiting smoking to just one room isn’t effective.
  • Nitrogen dioxide: Emissions from natural gas sources such as a stove or fireplace can act as irritants for COPD sufferers. This is best remedied by having a well-ventilated kitchen so that anything coming off the stove—whether nitrogen dioxide or the particles created when you’re frying something for dinner—is pulled out of the house instead of into your lungs.
  • Pet dander: Pet dander is an issue for COPD sufferers who also have allergies. Regularly cleaning surfaces, furniture and linens is the best way to guard against irritating dander.
  • Dust and dust mites: Along with cleaning, the best way to guard against pesky dust and dust mites is to minimize the amount of carpet in your home. Not only will this remove an environment that dust mites love, but replacing carpet will make it easier to see pet hair and other dirt on the floor. If this isn’t an option, vacuum regularly — using a vacuum equipped with an air filter is highly recommended — and making sure bed linens are clean.
  • Humidity: Keeping a home’s humidity below 50% can control mold as well as dust mites, which enjoy growing in very humid spaces. The best way to temper humidity is by using the exhaust vent in your bathroom before and after bathing or showering—as long as the vent sends the damp air outside rather than just recirculating it throughout the home.

Click here to read the whole story, which includes tips on how COPD sufferers can keep a clean house.

Using CPAP for COPD

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes people to stop breathing and gasp for air while they’re sleeping. The best option for treating it, according to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. But CPAP can also be beneficial to those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, CPAP therapy can lower the risk of mortality for those suffering from both COPD and sleep apnea. Researchers found that people with both conditions who used CPAP for two hours a night lived longer than those who used it less. CPAP was especially helpful to COPD sufferers who are already on long-term oxygen therapy.

COPD sufferers who don’t have sleep apnea can also find relief through CPAP because COPD can reduce blood flow to the brain when sufferers are laying on their back while they sleep.

Read the full story on how CPAP can help those suffering from COPD.

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