Month: October 2011

How Does COPD Feel?

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a common result of long term smoking. If you smoke, just plan on getting COPD. It’s just one of the many choices smokers make unwittingly when they light up that pack of cigarettes during their routine day. Let me try to briefly explain what COPD is for those without a healthcare background. Essentially COPD, or emphysema, is the destruction of your little air sacs, known as alveoli. The airways also become rather loose and will constrict upon breathing out. This traps air in the lungs, which eventually leads to poorer gas exchange with the blood. So your lungs basically become less and less efficient at their job, which is to get the good air in and the bad air out.

This isn’t the COPD 101 definition, but it will do for our purposes today. So what are the symptoms of COPD? Lets list a few of them here.

1. Shortness of breath. That feeling where you just can’t seem to get enough air in and suffocation becomes a very real concern. No matter what you do, the breath just doesn’t seem deep enough nor does it come fast enough.

2. Chronic cough. You just get that little tickle in the back of your throat, so you cough and cough, hoping to get a some relief. Right when you think you’ve got it licked, it shows up again for another round. The cough never seems to go away for very long.

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There are several environmental factors which can cause COPD. Exposure to biomass fuels and indoor wood burning stoves, pollution and second-hand smoke are all known causes. But the largest risk factor for developing COPD is smoking. I don’t think anyone is surprised by this fact. COPD is the fourth largest health concern in the world, in terms of deaths per year. Sadly, it’s rate has not declined in the last decade like the top 3 have. Smoking cessation is the best way to limit the effects of COPD.
For more information on COPD symptoms and how to stop smoking, please visit our website at stopsmokinghelper.org.
Tim Frymyer is a licensed respiratory therapist who is dedicated to keeping the public up to date on the latest stop smoking information.
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Eating Your Vegetables May Help Copd

COPD

Everyone knows that eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is important to developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  But a study published by Johns Hopkins Medical School also shows that eating certain vegetables, broccoli in particular, is now linked to lung health in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  How are the two connected?

The lungs contain several antioxidants to help defend against inflammation.  Researchers studied the levels of NRF2-dependant antioxidants, as well as their regulators KEAP1 and DJ-1.  The KEAP1 inhibits the NRF2 from working, while the DJ-1 regulates it.  In the case of a patient with COPD, their NRF2 levels are significantly lower than that of a person with healthy lungs.  The severity of COPD can be measured by how low their NRF2 levels are, which usually mean the KEAP1 levels are higher and DJ-1 levels are much lower than average.

The study found that naturally occurring substances found in broccoli can help keep NRF2 levels from disappearing or even increase them, which in turns helps prevent their COPD from becoming too severe.  By increasing these levels in the lungs, some researchers believe that this also can restore detoxifying enzymes to the lungs, which help counteract the harmful effects of cigarette smoke.  COPD is a disease that results from years of cigarette smoking.

If you are suffering from COPD and don’t have a healthy diet, now is a great time to start.  Be sure to work closely with your doctor because of your limitations.  There’s never a bad time to lose weight, and quick weight loss, when done safely, is a great way to keep you motivated.  Just remember to eat a sensible diet with plenty of broccoli, and if hunger is a problem for you consider using a natural appetite supplement like hoodia to help curb cravings.  The goal is not starvation, but to help improve your condition you will need to make some changes to see results.

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Susan Patterson has been studying alternative medicine and health for over 10 years. She loves to write to help others, especially in the area of quick weight loss, which can be accomplished safely. She has found several herbal remedies to be effective in her journey to better health without the side effects that medications cause. She is particularly passionate about hoodia for weight loss. Other interests include exercise, yoga and meditation.
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