COPD, Life style,Support and Prevention

Life style factors, Support and Prevention

Your COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) has already jeopardized your well being. It has caused enough damage to your lung’s structure and function, which is irreversible. Now is the time to bring stability in your overall general health and pulmonary functions. This can be achieved by giving up habits and surroundings that have played a major role in causing your COPD. Following measure can help you halt the progress and improve your lung capacity and working.

Ÿ  Quit smoking, as it will stop further damage and help the medical treatment have its maximum effects. It will also reduce the effects of carbon monoxide in smoke on oxygen carrying of your blood. This toxic gas in smoke decreases red cells oxygen carrying capacity to your vital organs like brain and heart. The quicker you stop smoking the more faster your COPD disability starts stabilizing. If you find it difficult to stop smoking your health care provider may advise nicotine replacement substances (nicotine gums, patches, nasal sprays).

Ÿ  Avoid getting exhausted by resting when you feel out of breath or tired. Learn to exhale slow and longer, don’t put force into it. Your doctor will guide you some good breathing techniques to improve your early exhaustion and easy intake of fresh air. Pursed lip breathing is one such way to have better air entry which increases your lung capacity. Inhale deep and close your lips. Slowly exhale evenly through your pursed lips making whistling sound. Repeating the procedure 4-5 times will relieve your shortness of breath. This alone will gradually minimize breathing hardship. Learn to breath by using your diaphragm muscle. Inhale slow while you lie down, inflate your abdomen outwards. That brings your diaphragm down, making more room for your lung expansion. These techniques of breathing will increase your exercise tolerance as well as improve air entry in your lungs.

Ÿ  Eat well balanced and nutritious diet. This should have more fresh fruits and vegetables. Diet rich in legumes, nuts, meats will supply proteins. They will help you maintain good repair speed from COPD and make your muscle more stronger.

Ÿ  Fluids should be taken liberally. They keep a good hydration and make mucus in your airways less viscous. Less viscous mucus is easy to be coughed up and expelled to clear your airways.

Ÿ  Getting vaccinated will reduced the risk of further damage to your COPD effected lungs from viral and bacterial infections. Flu and pneumococcal vaccination generally help avoiding most common infection.

Ÿ  Keep yourself active socially by visiting friends and family members. This will lift up your mood which may generally get depressed by COPD handicap.

Ÿ  Avoid triggers like indoor or outdoor pollution. Cold dry weather and high altitude will make your breathing effort more tiring, keep away from such triggers. If your work has been with exposure to fumes and dust related industry, changing occupation will stabilized your COPD.

Ÿ  Good hygiene is best way to keep you clean and protected from common bacteria and viruses. Common liquid dish wash should be used, which has been proved to kill RSV(respiratory syncytial virus) very effectively, know cause of pneumonia.

Ÿ  Keep a lean and healthy weight. Obesity has negative impact on general health. It may further increase burden your compromised breathing and lung capacity. Reduce weight if obese or over weight.

Ÿ  Eat small and frequent meals. As eating large meals at one time is not possible due to breathing difficulty and general weakness of COPD. That will surely keep your nutritional status at healthy levels.

Coping and support

You should not let your suffering from COPD get the best of you. Since you are now under care of your doctor. Take it as a challenge and with his guidance you must learn to live with situation. You may at times feel severely depressed and disabled by COPD. But things like caring for your safety, communicating with your loved ones, joining groups with same problem. Share your thought and get to know anything on new treatment methods for COPD that may have beneficial effects. Knowing that you may get short of breath, take rest between chores. Don’t push yourself for hard tasks. Take physical therapist advise on degree of physical exertion you should be taking at a given pace and time.

Prevention

Smoking is the major cause of your COPD. It is also a well established fact that keeping away from smoking will not only prevent respiratory illnesses but many other health problems. Quitting smoking will bring some normalcy to your life if you have COPD. Quitting smoking is the single most benefit factor for your COPD, as it is the major cause of your health disability. Don’t smoke if you haven’t started, is the clear message you will get from your healthcare provider. As there may be some other reasons involved. Smoking will aggravate your disease.

Ÿ  Avoid fumes and dust and occupation place by taking standard safety measures. That includes wearing mask all the time while at work. Avoid second hand smoke by keeping non-smokers company.

Ÿ  If you have any sibling with history of COPD or alpha-1 antitrypsin  deficiency, you have greater risk of COPD development later in life. Get timely shots of deficient enzyme. Weekly I/V infusion alpha1-antitrypsin protein will bring its concentration in alveoli to normal. This will help in preventing development of COPD along with keeping away from smoking all your life.

6.0     Natural treatment

Acetyl-L-Carnitine.  

Acetyl-L-Carnitine, also called MRM, is an anti-oxidant with a basic form of L-Carnitine. Carnitine plays a major role in the conversion of body fat into energy. Beef is the highest source for carnitine, though there is no major dietary requirement as carnitine is essentially manufactured by the body itself. Carnitine helps improve the tissues ability to produce energy, thus theoretically supplemental carnitine can improve muscular efficiency. Due to this, carnitine is linked to treatments for angina, Alzheimer disease and COPD. A research conducted on 49 individuals in a blinded placebo-controlled study showed visible improvement in COPD tolerance(Dal Negro R, 1986). 

Boswellia

Arising from a family of trees in the Sapindales order, Boswellia is a plant used in many medications due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Trials on humans have revealed the effectiveness of Boswellia extracts for the treatment of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and COPD (Ammon HP, 2002). Compelling data shows that the boswellia extracts successfully inhibit 5-lipoxygenase, which is an enzyme that causes an inflammatory response in the body. On a long term treatment basis, Boswellia has not been shown to cause any adverse reactions as opposed to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Though future studies are needed to gauge the safety and efficacy of Boswellia with other remedies.

CoQ10 

Also known as vitamin Q10 and ubiquinone, CoQ10 is a co-enzyme, similar to a vitamin. It functions as an anti-oxidant helping the cells in the production of energy and also for cell maintenance. Supplements of CoQ10 help in improving your general cardiovascular health. Studies conducted on the efficacy of CoQ10 on smokers and patients with COPD has shown positive results. Patients suffering from hypertension and heart disease have markedly improved their exercise tolerance on the consumption of CoQ10 supplements. A study conducted concludes, “Oral administration of co-enzyme Q10 improved subjective fatigue sensation and physical performance during fatigue-inducing workload trials and might prevent unfavorable conditions as a result of physical fatigue” (Mizuno K., 2008).

Ginseng

Panax Ginseng is a perennial plant whose roots are used to treat various illnesses including COPD. When administered in patients during a study, ginseng was shown to have no side effects hence it is recommendable (Monaldi Arch Chest Dis. 2002 Oct-Dec;57(5-6):242-6). Since coughing and shortness of breath are the symptoms of COPD, the tonic made from the roots of ginseng is beneficial for the lungs and helps relieve them (collaborative study carried out by RMIT University, the Box Hill Hospital and Austin Health).

Omega-3

Found in oily fish such as mackerel and salmon, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, omega-3 is acknowledged to improve the symptoms of COPD (Kagoshima University Hospital). Though COPD cannot be cured entirely, research proves that considerable relief can be provided to patients with COPD with the administration of omega-3. A diet rich in omega-3 lowers inflammatory cytokine levels  (Chest. 2005 Dec;128(6):3817-27).

Resveratrol

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is mainly characterized by airway inflammation, which occurs due to oxidative strain in the body (Antioxid Redox Signal. 2010 Mar 9). Here, the role of resveratrol, being the antioxidant, becomes quite clear. Found in red grapes, berries and peanuts, resveratrol reduces inflammation and is known to be far more effective than corticosteriods in COPD treatment (J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2010 Dec;335(3):788-98. Epub 2010 Aug 26). It also eliminates the production of interleukin in smokers with COPD by 94% (Thorax, October 2003).

Sulforaphane

Found in broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, sulforaphane contains disease-fighting compounds. It restores “antioxidant gene expression” in COPD (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, September 2012). It is also known to reduce inflammation (Clinical Immunology, 2009). The supplementation of sulforaphane improves the macrophage phagocytic function of the lungs.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is commonly found in tuna, salmon, sardines and milk but the easiest way to obtain it is to spend at least fifteen minutes in the sun daily. This vitamin is known to improve breathing for COPD patients (Thorax, 2010). Although vitamin D is commonly known to strengthen the bones, researchers believe it toughens the muscles too - thus, making it easy for patients with COPD to breathe. A study shows that high doses of the vitamin keep COPD patients’ health from worsening (Ann Intern Med. 2012 Jan 17;156(2):105-14).

Vitamin E

Since it has been established COPD is caused due to oxidative stress, vitamin E helps relieve the lungs of that stress because it is a natural antioxidant. Obtained from spinach, almonds, sunflower seeds, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens and bell peppers, vitamin E has been found to reduce the risk of COPD especially in women 45 years and older (researchers at Cornell University and Brigham and Womens' Hospital, April issue of Thorax, Vol. 66: 4). It improves the endurance capacity of DNA in the blood against COPD oxidation (Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2007 Jul;77(4):272-9).

Zinc

Zinc is found in oysters, toasted wheat germ, veal liver, roast beef, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, dark chocolate and crab. This mineral has anti-oxidative properties and promotes the betterment of a COPD patient’s health (Respir Med. 2008 Jun;102(6):840-4. Epub 2008 Mar 4). One study has concluded that supplementing zinc to COPD patients is helpful to counter the inflammation and airways restriction of this illness. It is based on finding of low serum levels, plasma levels and in hairs in patients with COPD. Zinc has been shown to keep a good balance between oxidant and anti-oxidant in your cells (Lang CJ, Bimetals published on 29 August 2010, sub. Of  dietry zinc and effects on inflammation).

Your COPD like so many other diseases is more preventable than treatable.The positive impact of quitting smoking or not smoking at all, getting alpha-1 anti-trypsin for compensating its lack, maintaining diet rich in vitamin sources and in case of any deficiency using supplements, are all measures which can help you prevent this debilitating illness.