Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - Community Healthcare - 21
UNDERSTAND
YOUR CONDITION
Education about what COPD is can be
very helpful, says Dawn Lesley Fielding,
respiratory therapist, educator and author
of The COPD Solution. Sometimes people
know their doctors have put them on
medication or oxygen, but they don't
understand why, she says.
"The first thing we always do is talk
about the disease itself," she says. "Once
they understand what's going on and
why they need the medication or oxygen,
it relieves a ton of anxiety."
So what is happening? The airways in
the lungs become inflamed, and less air
flows in and out of the lungs, says Albert
A. Rizzo, MD, senior medical advisor for
the American Lung Association.
As the flow of air decreases, there
is less oxygen going to the cells in the
body and expelling carbon dioxide gets
harder and harder.
COPD is a broad term, and depending
on your particular illness, you may have
different symptoms from someone else.
STAY ACTIVE
"When you have any lung condition that
affects your breathing, the tendency
is to do fewer things that cause you to
be out of breath," Rizzo says. "But getting deconditioned actually makes your
breathing worse."
Participating in a pulmonary rehabilitation program with a clinical
professional can help you learn how
to exercise safely, Fielding says.
Ultimately, when you're in better
physical condition, flare-ups won't be
as severe as they otherwise could be,
Rizzo says. And if you're able to find
ways to continue to do the things you
love, you'll have greater quality of life
and be less susceptible to depression.
QUIT SMOKING
Smoking very often causes COPD, and
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the best way to
prevent COPD is to not smoke (or to quit
HELP KICKING THE HABIT
The hospitals of Community Healthcare
System offer American Lung Association®
Freedom From Smoking® classes for
those trying to quit smoking. This
eight-week program provides low-cost
education led by a registered nurse and
smoking cessation facilitator trained
by the association. The program helps
participants ease the transition into a
healthier, smoke-free life. Participants
are provided with coping advice, counseling, behavior modification techniques
if you already do). Smoking is to blame
for upward of 80 percent of COPDrelated deaths. (Other causes include
genetics, exposure to irritants, including
secondhand smoke and air pollution, and
workplace exposure to dust and fumes.)
But knowing all of that doesn't diminish the task at hand.
"There are ways to quit," Rizzo says.
"But it's not easy by any means."
Your doctor can provide you with
resources for quitting-be sure to ask.
Seek out support groups and a quit
counselor. And talk to your friends and
family, too, says Rizzo: "People need to
understand they can't smoke around
someone with COPD."
MIND YOUR
MEDICATIONS
Working with a respiratory therapist
or a physician, walk through your prescribed medications. Understand which
ones are for emergencies and which are
for regular use.
Most important, learn how to take
them correctly. Some inhalers require
one quick breath, while others call for a
long, slow one, Fielding says. To allow
the medication to work properly, you
need to follow instructions.
and more to help them kick the habit
for good.
"Our smoking cessation program
helps participants gain a better understanding of their habit and the reasons
they smoke," says Melissa Arangoa,
smoking cessation instructor at
Community Hospital. "Quitting is not
an easy journey and may take several
attempts before achieving success. This
program provides a great opportunity
to change your life-for the better!"
CLASS
Freedom From
Smoking
Learn more about the Freedom
from Smoking® program in
Munster and Hobart and start
your journey to a smoke-free life.
Call 219-836-3477 or toll-free
866-836-3477.
TRY BREATHING
EXERCISES
Take the time to learn techniques that
will help you breathe better in the long
run. Knowing how to bring breathing
under control when you're out of breath,
for example, could prevent a hospital
stay. Other exercises are designed to
help strengthen your diaphragm-the
main muscle involved in breathing.
Ultimately, Fielding says, every person
with COPD is different.
"They have to listen to their body
and what their body is telling them they
need," she says. n
WIN TE R 2016
21
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - Community Healthcare - Cover1
Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - Community Healthcare - Cover2
Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - Community Healthcare - Contents
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