Living With COPD – Ways to Stay Informed

Living With COPD – Ways to Stay Informed

Rate This Story

0 Votes So Far

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Living with COPD presents physical and mental challenges that feel tough to deal with. You might feel anxious, afraid, depressed, or unsure about your future. A COPD diagnosis does not mean you can’t live life to its fullest; with the right information, you can stay socially and physically active and live your best life.

Staying Informed With COPD

If you have COPD, staying informed is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Reading up on the latest treatments, medications, and lifestyle habits helps you stay up-to-date so you can slow the progression of COPD and take charge of your health.

These days, the internet provides a wealth of information about COPD, including living with the disease, the latest treatments, and how to not only cope with COPD but also thrive.

Reading Up on COPD

Our blog covers current information about COPD and oxygen therapy, but many other websites will help keep you up-to-date. The following websites are among the many that provide current and valuable information.

The COPD Foundation
The COPD Foundation commits itself to prevent and seeking cures for COPD and other lung diseases. The website provides education about COPD and real-life stories from others living with the disease.

Boehringer Ingelheim
This website provides a wide range of up-to-date medical information, including COPD. They focus on the patient’s needs, studying disease mechanisms and addressing them with the best therapies available.

The More Breathe Better Program
This national health education program takes research about lung health and translates it, making it easy to understand. They designed their resources for people with lung disease symptoms, those at risk for lung disease, adults and children with asthma, and health professionals. The website includes lung health resources where you can find information about how your lungs work and get answers to common questions about treatments, like how to use a nebulizer.

COPD Canada
COPD Canada’s mission is to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare partners. The website frequently updates its blog, providing the most up-to-date information about healthcare and lung health.

American Lung Association
The American Lung Association provides multiple resources, from education to support. They continuously update the blog to share the most current information about lung health. Easily navigate through their website to find other information, like smoking cessation support and finding others living with COPD.

Finding Professional Support

There are resources available that allow you to ask questions to professionals.

Lung HelpLine
The Lung HelpLine allows you to talk to American Lung Association experts about your lung health questions and help with smoking cessation. The team includes respiratory therapists, nurses, and certified tobacco treatment specialists.

Finding Others With COPD

Taking to others with COPD provides support. You might also learn something new from others and make some new friends.

Better Breathers Club
Provided by the American Lung Association, the Better Breathers Club offers online and in-person groups to connect with others and become informed about COPD and other lung diseases. Meetings often include guest speakers, group conversations, and social activities. Search for local meeting locations on their website

COPD 360 Social
COPD 360 Social lets you connect with other people living with COPD. The website also provides numerous free resources and educational materials.

Social Media
Social media has become the easiest way to connect with others. Facebook offers many online support groups; search for “COPD groups” to find them. One group, COPD Friends for Friends, has more than 12,000 members for you to connect with. You can also find people to follow and connect with on Instagram or Twitter. You can search for “COPD.” Once you find a post or “tweet” to comment on, you can add your comment to start a conversation.

MeetUp.com
On MeetUp.com, you can find people in your area who share common characteristics or interests, including others with COPD. Similar to other websites, you must create an account to get started. If you don’t find any COPD meetup sites in your area, you can sign up for an alert for when one becomes available.

Reading up on COPD and connecting with others will help you thrive, and these resources only scratch the surface of what you can find.

Additional Resources

Information on this page is for reference and educational purposes only. For more information about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), talk to your doctor or primary care provider.

Updated: August 18, 2023
Published: July 4, 2013

Rate This Story

0 Votes So Far

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Kristina Diaz, RRT, is a health writer and registered respiratory therapist with over a decade of emergency and critical care experience. She earned respiratory care and journalism degrees in Michigan, where she was born and raised. She now resides in Florida, where she works as a full-time freelance writer and part-time respiratory therapist.

Kristina began her respiratory career in 2011 in Saginaw, Michigan. She now works in Lakeland, Florida, in one of the busiest emergency departments in the nation, treating people with various lung conditions, like COPD, asthma, and sleep apnea, among others. She maintains her Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification and is a member of the trauma team at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. Her favorite part of being a respiratory therapist is providing relief to people struggling to breathe.

Kristina began freelance health writing in 2014, and her work is published on multiple websites, including Philips Respironics, the American Sleep Association, the Sleep Doctor, and more. She writes about lung health, sleep disorders, nutrition, and other health-related topics. Since she was a child, she’s always wanted to write, and now she gets to combine her passion for writing with the knowledge obtained from her respiratory career.

About Kristina Diaz, RRT:

Kristina Diaz, RRT, is a health writer and registered respiratory therapist with over a decade of emergency and critical care experience. She earned respiratory care and journalism degrees in Michigan, where she was born and raised. She now resides in Florida, where she works as a full-time freelance writer and part-time respiratory therapist. Kristina began her respiratory career in 2011 in Saginaw, Michigan. She now works in Lakeland, Florida, in one of the busiest emergency departments in the nation, treating people with various lung conditions, like COPD, asthma, and sleep apnea, among others. She maintains her Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification and is a member of the trauma team at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. Her favorite part of being a respiratory therapist is providing relief to people struggling to breathe. Kristina began freelance health writing in 2014, and her work is published on multiple websites, including Philips Respironics, the American Sleep Association, the Sleep Doctor, and more. She writes about lung health, sleep disorders, nutrition, and other health-related topics. Since she was a child, she’s always wanted to write, and now she gets to combine her passion for writing with the knowledge obtained from her respiratory career.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *