About.com COPD

Top 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for the COPD Patient

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:06:31 +0000

Are you wracking your brain to find the perfect Christmas gift for someone you know and love who has COPD? Look no further! I have put together a list of some of my favorite� must-haves for the season,�which includes a variety of essential items that every COPD patient will love and appreciate. From keeping warm to keeping fit, this list has it all:

Top 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for the COPD Patient

Top 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for the COPD Patient originally appeared on About.com COPD on Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 13:06:31.

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Managing Shortness of Breath During Thanksgiving Dinner

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:56:56 +0000

While many of us don't think twice about getting through our holiday meals with ease and enjoyment, people with COPD may be facing their turkey dinners with great apprehension. Why? Because, put simply,�shortness of breath gets in the way of everything a COPD patient does, including eating.

If you are a COPD patient, the good news is, you don't have to avoid the dinner table this year. You can learn to manage shortness of breath, before it manages you.� Here are some�handy, holiday mealtime tips:

Tips for Avoiding Shortness of Breath During Meals

Breaking the Dyspnea Cycle

Exercises To Help You Breathe Better

Managing Shortness of Breath During Thanksgiving Dinner originally appeared on About.com COPD on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 18:56:56.

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Smokers Urged to Have Lungs Checked

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:47:56 +0000

Are you a smoker experiencing the typical "smoker's cough" or other smoking-related symptoms like shortness of breath or increased mucus production? While you may think these are common side effects associated with smoking, they may be signs of a serious, underlying lung disease like COPD. So, what can you do about it? That's simple...get a spirometry test.

In a study performed by the British Lung Foundation, 73% of smokers surveyed had NOT had a spirometry (lung function) test to test for COPD, in spite of many of them having COPD symptoms. It is for this reason that smokers are urged to undergo spirometry to test for the presence of lung disease. The test, non-invasive and very simple, only takes about 10 minutes and can be completed in the privacy of your doctor's office. So, why bother, you say?

Spirometry helps doctors diagnose COPD early on in the course of the disease, before a whole lot of damage has been done. Early diagnosis leads to earlier treatment, which can help lesson the debilitating effects of the disease.

To learn more about spirometry testing and other pulmonary function tests, visit:

The Importance of Pulmonary Function Tests

Smokers Urged to Have Lungs Checked originally appeared on About.com COPD on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 18:47:56.

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November 18, 2009: World COPD Day

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:41:10 +0000

November 18, 2009 marks World COPD Day, a day celebrated across the nation to help raise awareness about COPD. This year, nationwide events are happening, including a Country Music Festival and Barbecue in Lexington, Kentucky and a Festival in the Park, in Nashville, Tennessee. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

For more information or to find an event in your area, visit:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/event-listing/index.htm

November 18, 2009: World COPD Day originally appeared on About.com COPD on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 13:41:10.

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Raise COPD Awareness: Send a Free E-Card

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:23:21 +0000

In honor of COPD Awareness Month, the NHLBI is asking that each of us do our part in spreading the word about COPD by sending a free COPD E-Card to friends and family members who may be at risk, or know someone who is at risk for the disease.

The Learn More Breathe Better Campaign wants people to know that COPD is treatable, and that those at risk should get a simple breathing test administered by their doctor. Diagnosing COPD early in the course of the disease is optimal for COPD management.

To access your free COPD E-Cards, visit:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/copdcards.htm

Raise COPD Awareness: Send a Free E-Card originally appeared on About.com COPD on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 13:23:21.

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Get Your COPD Toolkit From American Lung Association

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:13:09 +0000

The American Lung Association (ALA) has paired up with AstraZeneca to create a new COPD toolkit designed to help people accurately report their COPD symptoms to their health care provider. Their goal -- to help COPD patients better manage their disease.

The toolkit includes a COPD Action Plan and COPD Report Card designed to foster communication between doctor and patient. Not only will the toolkit help COPD patients better understand their disease, but it will teach them to recognize when their COPD may be getting worse (a condition known as COPD exacerbation), and what steps to take if this occurs.

The American Lung Association is committed to improving the lives of COPD patients through education and early detection. To download a copy of the toolkit, visit COPD Management Tools.

To learn how to better cope with COPD, visit:

Living With COPD

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Get Your COPD Toolkit From American Lung Association originally appeared on About.com COPD on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 12:13:09.

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November Is COPD Awareness Month

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:27:45 +0000

Have you heard the news? November is no longer just for turkey lovers! Each year, November marks COPD Awareness Month where the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will be soliciting your help to spread the word. And what does the NHLBI want you to do? That's simple -�get involved.

�The Learn More Breathe Better Campaign seeks to raise�awareness about COPD as a serious lung disease, increase the understanding that COPD is not curable, but is treatable, and encourage people, especially smokers and former smokers, to get an annual spirometry test measuring their�lung function. Why? Because early screening leads to earlier diagnosis, which ultimately leads to earlier treatment and a higher qualify of life.

For more information and to find out how you can partner with the NHLBI,�visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/index.htm.

November Is COPD Awareness Month originally appeared on About.com COPD on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 16:27:45.

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6 Tips For Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:31:26 +0000

Enough about swine flu already, isn't it time we started talking about something else for a change -- like the approaching holidays! With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, temptations of overeating will undoubtedly run rampant. And, for COPD patients, overeating can lead to a worsening of COPD symptoms.

The following tips are geared towards the COPD patient who wants to watch his or her waistline this holiday season:

6 Tips For Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

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6 Tips For Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain originally appeared on About.com COPD on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 17:31:26.

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Pneumonia Vaccine: Do You Need a Second Dose?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:04:21 +0000

According to the CDC, there have been a number of swine flu deaths related to bacterial pneumonia -- deaths, which may have been prevented by getting the pneumococcal polysccharide vaccine (PPV).

For those of you who have gotten their pneumonia vaccine, great news! Way to go! But, there are some people who actually need a second dose. Are you one of them? Let's find out.

You should have a second dose if you are in the following groups:

Anyone 65 years of age or older who got their first dose before they turned 65, if at least 5 years has passed since the initial dose was given.
Anyone who has a damaged or no spleen, sickle cell disease, HIV, AIDS, cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, an organ or bone marrow transplant, or who is taking medication that may lower their immunity, such as chemotherapy or long-term steroids.

If any of you fall into the above categories, talk to your health care provider about getting a second dose.

For more information about the pneumonia vaccine, visit COPD and the Pneumonia Vaccine: What You Need to Know.

Pneumonia Vaccine: Do You Need a Second Dose? originally appeared on About.com COPD on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 20:04:21.

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The Health Hazards of Wood Burning Stoves

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:01:30 +0000

I love my wood burning stove, but the other day as the rain set in and I became so chilled I could break icicles off my chin, I decided to burn some wood. When I did so, I noticed that I smelled smoke, which was very irritating to my lungs, and the lungs of my husband, who has COPD.

After breathing in the smoke for much of the day, I figured something HAD to be wrong. I decided to do some research to see exactly what consequences I could suffer from a wood burning stove and how I could burn wood in it safely and more efficiently. Hence, I've written a new article with a wealth of information about wood burning stoves. I hope you find it useful:

The Health Hazards of Wood Burning Stoves

Do you have a wood burning stove? Have you ever noticed a worsening of your COPD symptoms when you used it? Please drop a line and share your comments.

The Health Hazards of Wood Burning Stoves originally appeared on About.com COPD on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 17:01:30.

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