6 Tips for Managing COPD

The CDC estimates that 16 million Americans suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This condition can make it extremely hard to breathe under normal resting conditions, and even harder anytime you attempt being active. 

At Healthstone Primary, with locations in Weston, Pembroke Pines, and Davie, Florida, Dr. Hector Fabregas provides chronic disease management and advice for handling conditions such as COPD.

COPD basics

COPD can be caused by several different lung conditions that create swelling and congestion, blocking the airway and making breathing very difficult. Common culprits are emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and smoking.

If you have COPD, you're familiar with feeling out of breath most or all of the time. You’ll also have trouble taking deep breaths, and can experience frequent and/or prolonged bouts of coughing and wheezing due to built-up mucus in your lungs and respiratory passages. 

COPD is chronic, but you can leverage lifestyle changes to improve your breathing and quality of life. Here are six tips for managing your COPD.

1. Exercise your lungs

The first step toward combating COPD is to work on making your lungs stronger. Pulmonary rehabilitation shows you how to control and improve your breathing with simple exercises, like breathing through pursed lips or practicing deep slow breaths from your lower abdomen.

2. Give up cigarettes

While you don’t have to have been a smoker to get COPD, smoking is the leading cause of this condition. If you’re still smoking when you receive your diagnosis, news of your condition should give you the impetus and motivation to stop. If you don’t, the exposure to cigarette smoke can trigger COPD flare-ups. 

3. Tweak your diet

Your bodily functions, including breathing, are supported by nutrients from the foods you eat. When foods that are high in carbs are metabolized, they create more carbon dioxide, which must leave your body through exhalation. If you have COPD, breathing is harder, and you may breathe more shallowly. Switching to a diet that’s lighter in carbs can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you have to get rid of, and lessen the load on your respiratory function. 

4. Stay active

A rigorous workout routine may not be possible with COPD, since hard breathing can trigger a coughing and wheezing attack. However, you can keep your circulation going, support your pulmonary system, and make breathing easier if you keep yourself moving every day, whether you choose light resistance training, walking, cycling on a stationary bike, or water aerobics.

5. Stay up-to-date on immunizations

If you have COPD, you’re at high risk for lung infections and complications from lung infections. Getting your shots when they come due, especially vaccines for the flu and other respiratory infections, can help you prevent potentially life-threatening illnesses.

6. Make and keep regular doctor visits

Don’t skip your annual exam or follow-ups after a visit concerning your COPD. Managing this illness is best done as a team, and we’re here to help. 

Have you recently been diagnosed with COPD or believe your COPD is getting worse? Call our office, or request an appointment online today.