Palliative Care and How it Benefits Anyone with Chronic Illness

Palliative Care and How it Benefits Anyone with Chronic Illness

When one part of our bodies gets sick, it’s usually not confined to that part of the body. Everything in the body is connected in one way or another, which means everything, can be affected. If you have COPD, other parts of you can be affected, such as your heart, circulation, and even your mental state.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic illness or something like cancer, your body will go through some changes. If you have severe asthma, you will probably find yourself unable to exercise, which can cause weight gain and even make you have trouble sleeping. The fact is something serious like this can cause a chain reaction of other medical problems. If we know this, why not prevent them or treat them right away?

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Chronic Pain and COPD – The Causes and the Solutions

Chronic Pain and COPD – The Causes and the Solutions

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can affect every part of your life, not just how you breathe. Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema fall under the umbrella term of COPD, but they’re characterized by the damage dealt to your lungs. If your lungs have been damaged, it means you’re unable to bring in enough oxygen into your body.

Our bodies are so dependent on oxygen, that when a little is missing over a period of time, everything starts to suffer. Your doctor might prescribe the use of oxygen therapy to make up for lungs’ inability to bring in enough oxygen to fuel your body. Aside from getting enough oxygen, you can have another problem that is much different, but still connected to your COPD – chronic pain.

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How COPD and Chronic Pain Might be Linked

How COPD and Chronic Pain Might be Linked

A recent study produced results which suggest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and chronic pain are related. The study was conducted between the years of 2006 and 2010, and two groups of people were closely monitored – people with COPD, and those with no chronic diseases.

Those with COPD were found to have the same sort of pain as patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. They were also found to be using opioid pain killers more than any other type of pain medication to relieve it. They also concluded that the pain didn’t seem to be a result of a lack of oxygen flow throughout the body.

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