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Why COPD Sufferers Should Keep A Clean Home
Everyone 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.
The Difference Between Asthma and COPD
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have similar symptoms — chronic coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath — but they are not the same disease. Early detection of COPD can help preserve a patient’s lung function, yet nearly half of the 24 million Americans suffering from COPD don’t know they have it, and 40% of people have both COPD and asthma. So understanding the difference between asthma and COPD is important.
One difference is the cause of each illness. Experts still haven’t pinned down why some people get asthma and others don’t — though it’s possibly a combination of environment and genetics. As for COPD, one known cause is smoking. The Mayo Clinic reports that 20%-30% of regular smokers develop COPD, because smoking irritates the lungs, causing the bronchial tubes and air sacs to over-expand and lose elasticity. Asthma and COPD have different triggers, as well. Allergens, cold air and exercise can exacerbate asthma, while COPD can be made worse by respiratory tract infections such as the the flu and pneumonia, as well as exposure to pollutants.
While asthma and COPD are both long-term conditions with no known cure, their outlooks are different. Asthma is easier to control on a daily basis and, in some cases of childhood asthma, the disease goes away as the person gets older. COPD, however, worsens over time.
Sufferers of both can reduce their symptoms by sticking to their prescribed treatment plans.
Read the full story for more on the comparison between COPD and asthma.
Lifestyle Changes to Help Cope With COPD
A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be a shock — but that doesn’t mean patients have to stop living their lives. COPD sufferers can manage their illness just by making a few lifestyle changes.
Most importantly, COPD sufferers need to stay healthy. If they haven’t already, it is essential to quit smoking — the top cause for bronchitis and emphysema, the diseases that comprise COPD. This can be difficult, so talk to your doctor for cessation strategies and prescription nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gum and inhalers.
Following a healthy eating plan such as the Mediterranean diet — vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil and whole grains — can help reduce chronic inflammation while supplying plenty of fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. Eating well can also strengthen your immune system.
Lastly, COPD sufferers should stay active. According to an article published in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, pulmonary rehabilitation, which is tailored to individual patients, includes exercise that promotes “health-enhancing behaviors” and improves a patient’s emotional and physical wellbeing. Research also shows exercise training can improve exercise tolerance and help COPD sufferers find relief from shortness of breath.
Read the full article for more tips on managing COPD.
A Low-Carb Diet Can Help COPD Sufferers
Following a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is common for doctors to refer patients to a registered dietician to help improve eating habits. While a healthy diet cannot cure COPD, it can help stave off chest infections and other illnesses that can lead to hospitalizations. Healthy eating habits can also make people feel better.
Part of healthier eating for COPD sufferers is a diet low in carbohydrates, which can lower the production of carbon dioxide. Studies have shown that people with COPD who follow the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet have lower carbon dioxide output than those who followed a Mediterranean diet. Participants in the study also showed greater improvement in how they were feeling overall than those who ate a diet high in carbs.
Low-carb diets typically include high-protein foods such as grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, eggs and fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, and complex carbohydrates including oats, lentils and skin-on potatoes.
And, because potassium is essential in lung function, it is important to work in foods like avocados, tomatoes, bananas, and oranges. Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that keep your body healthy — though some such as apples, apricots and peaches may lead to bloating or gas, which can give way to breathing problems for those with COPD.
It is a good idea to check with your physician before starting a new diet.
Read the full story on COPD nutrition tips.
Strong Thunderstorms Impact Breathing for Seniors, COPD Sufferers
A 14-year study of 46 million Medicare recipients has found that atmospheric changes preceding thunderstorms can wreak havoc on seniors with breathing ailments such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The study, the largest of its kind, tracked stormy weather and emergency room visits and found that more than 26% of patients had COPD, about 10% had asthma and nearly 7% had both. Over the course of the study, approximately 822,000 thunderstorms hit the U.S. and 22 million people visited the ER because of breathing problems. According to the data, thunderstorms were the probable cause of 52,000 of those ER visits, with most of those occurring the day before a storm.
“Changes in the atmosphere that lead up to thunderstorms, which includes increased temperatures and levels of particulate matter, coincided with increased emergency visits for breathing problems among seniors," said Dr. Christopher Worsham, the study’s author and a research fellow in the pulmonary and critical care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
The study focused on seniors, so it’s unknown if storms have the same effect on younger people with similar breathing problems. Scientists, however, do expect thunderstorms to become more intense as global temperatures continue to rise.
“Environment protects our health,” Worsham said.
Dr. Meredith McCormack, medical director of the pulmonary function lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a volunteer spokeswoman for the American Lung Association, concurs.
“While air pollution and increases in exposure to heat have been linked to exacerbations of asthma and COPD previously, considering the rapid changes in these conditions that occur in advance of thunderstorms is novel," McCormack said. “As climate change is associated with [an] increase in extreme weather events, the findings underscore the importance of adaptive strategies for those at highest risk.”
Read the whole story here.
What’s Driving the Pulmonary Rehab Shortage?
For those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary rehabilitation can be extremely helpful, especially after a hospital stay. It teaches patients how to exercise, eat right and take medications properly to regain their strength while also providing socialization to people who may be feeling isolated and scared.
Yet few are provided with access to its life-sustaining benefits.
In fact, a University of Massachusetts study of data from almost 200,000 Medicare patients hospitalized for COPD, published in the May 12, 2020 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that just 1.5% of patients began pulmonary rehab within 90 days of discharge. The researchers also looked at the number of patients in that group who died within one year of discharge to determine what, if any, impact early rehab may have had. The findings were striking. Of the 38,300 patients who died within a year of discharge, nearly 20% did not undergo early rehab compared to just 7.3% who did.
“If this were a medication, it would be a blockbuster,” saidDavid Mannino, director of the Pulmonary Epidemiology Research Laboratory at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. “The tragedy is that it's only available to such a small percentage.”
Why?
Dr. Carolyn Rochester, a pulmonologist at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., in an editorial that accompanied the study’s findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, wrote that doctors aren’t given enough of an incentive to discuss or refer patients to rehab. And when they do make a referral, they rarely follow up because they are unaware of the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation or they lack access to it. She also noted that many programs are severely underfunded.
Consequently, Rochester believes access and funding is crucial toward pulmonary rehabilitation aiding more COPD sufferers. Because the average age of the patients in the UMass study was 76.9 years, Rochester recommended a randomized clinical trial that included younger patients and those who had lengthy stats in acute hospitals or nursing facilities.
Read the full story here.
Women and COPD
Women’s lungs are smaller men’s, making them more vulnerable to pollutants, damage and illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, cases of COPD in women are typically overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Why?
“There is some concern that since COPD is considered ‘an old man’s disease’ that women are not getting diagnosed properly,” said MeiLan Han, MD, MS, a professor of pulmonary medicine at the University of Michigan and a spokesperson for the American Lung Association.
COPD is also frequently misdiagnosed as asthma in women. Dawn DeMeo, MD, MPH, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, suggests that clinicians take a more liberal approach to testing how well their patients’ lungs are working spirometry, a diagnostic tool that “in general tends to be underutilized,” said DeMeo.
Despite the lateness of a diagnosis, women still outpace men when it comes to COPD. One possible reason is the uptick of smoking by women in the 1960s and 70s.
“For every cigarette smoked, women seem to be more susceptible to the lung-related damage that leads to COPD. And we don’t fully understand the mechanism of that susceptibility. It is an area of active research,” DeMeo said. “We know that starting from the time of lung development that estrogens and testosterones have different impacts on lung growth and development, so even from the earliest times of lung development we know that the lung is very susceptible to sex hormones. More research needs to be done to really understand the full impact of hormone biology and COPD.”
Until then, it is important that women—and all COPD sufferers—learn as much as they can about their condition and how it can be treated.
The complete story can be found here.
The COPD-Anxiety Link
The COVID-19 pandemic has made for stressful times worldwide. This is especially true for sufferers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who face a greater risk of becoming severely ill if they get infected with the virus. Studies have also suggested a link between COPD and anxiety.
While it’s unknown exactly how it happens, it could be that symptoms like cough, shortness of breath and chest tightness can kickstart a cycle of anxiety. Or people with COPD my feel anxious as symptoms begin to arise, speeding their heart rate.
Whatever the reason, there are seven things you can do to help manage your anxiety if you are a COPD sufferer:
- Know your triggers. For example, if shortness of breath from a COPD flare-up makes you feel anxious, you can identify that as a trigger and take care of it before an anxiety attack occurs.
- Plan accordingly. Staying active is important for COPD sufferers, but it is equally important that you’re as prepared as possible when doing so. Always have enough oxygen present. If you’re walking, make sure there are places where you can sit and take a break if necessary.
- Interpret your symptoms. What you tell yourself about your COPD symptoms is very important. If you’re feeling short of breath, avoid telling yourself it’s a worst-case scenario like you really cannot breathe. Doing so makes your anxiety and breathing worse. Instead, stay positive by reminding yourself that you just need some rest after getting some exercise, and you’ll be okay shortly.
- Used pursed lip breathing. While there are many effective breathing techniques, pursed lip breathing—slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth—helps COPD patients slow breathing and prevent hyperventilating. Once you rest and use pursed lip breathing, the best thing to do is focus on anything but your breathing.
- Distract yourself. Play a game on your phone, watch TV, count to 100, visualize yourself someplace peaceful—do anything to try and take the focus off your nervousness and allow your breathing to calm down.
- Be mindful. Mindfulness means being aware of your thoughts, emotions and surroundings. Being mindful allows you to reset your thoughts and take the focus off your stress. Next time you start to experience worrisome thoughts, focus on a simple task such like planning meals for the week or creating a shopping list. Doing so may help you relax and get your breathing under control.
- Attend a virtual support group. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a temporary end to large gatherings, but you can still find online support groups to help cope with COPD. Talking with someone who understands what you are going through can help you get a better handle on your anxiety.
The full story can be found here.
Easing Summertime Exacerbations of COPD
Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is never easy—especially during the summer when the increased heat, humidity and pollen can make breathing almost unbearable and possibly lead to flare-ups or other symptoms. Fortunately, there are ways COPD sufferers can participate in summertime fun while remaining comfortable and, most importantly, safe.
The first thing is to stay in the shade as much as possible. Extreme summer temperatures can make breathing difficult even for people with healthy lungs—so you can imagine what they can do to someone with COPD. If you are participating in an outdoor activity, make sure there is a shady or cool spot nearby where you can take a break. An air-conditioned building is ideal, though sometimes just the shade of a tree is enough to regulate body temperature and help you catch your breath.
When making plans, always keep your eye on the clock. Try to avoid the hottest time of day, typically between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., by organizing something in the morning or at sunset to help keep your body cool.
On days when it is really hot, staying indoors may be the safest thing. Walking the mall or going to a movie are great ways for COPD patients to keep cool. Another option is having friends over to your house or going to theirs—as long as it is air-conditioned, of course.
Staying hydrated is always important, especially during the summer when maintaining a safe body temperature can reduce the risk of a COPD flare-up. Keeping water handy is important. For example, keep a cooler stocked with bottled water in your car. And make sure you are drinking a bottle of water every two hours. If you are sweating heavily, drink one an hour.
For more on keeping COPD in check during the summer, check out the complete story.
