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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Why Cigars Can be as Dangerous than Cigarettes

Why Cigars are More Dangerous than Cigarettes

It’s a popular myth that because you don’t inhale the smoke from cigars, that they are safer than cigarettes when it comes to lung function and the threat of lung diseases. You might think it’s okay to move on to cigars, if you’ve been diagnosed with COPD, because of this myth. In lieu of a recent medical study done on those over the age of 60, this is definitely not the case. More lung function can actually be lost if you smoke cigars.

In this study conducted in 2010, the lung function of 3,528 people was monitored. All of the participants were at risk for cardiovascular diseases, and most of them were in their mid 60s. Seventy-two percent of them smoked tobacco, 9% of which smoked a pipe, 11% smoked cigars and the remaining 52% smoked cigarettes.

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How Your Oxygen Needs Can Change Over Time

How Your Oxygen Needs Can Change Over Time

Your doctor prescribed to you, oxygen therapy because your lungs aren’t able to bring in enough oxygen for the rest of your body. The flow settings of your oxygen concentrator were prescribed to you, because of your individual oxygen needs. Your doctor was able to make a decision based on a few specific tests that were ran on your lungs and your blood.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a progressive disease, meaning it will get worse over time. There are things you can do to help slow the progression of the disease, but it will gradually get worse over time. It’s possible to significantly slow it down so that your quality of life won’t go down dramatically over the years.

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Why Women Need Better Testing for COPD

COPD in Women - Why Women Need Better Testing for COPD

Overall, COPD is now the third leading cause of death in the United States, trailing closely behind heart disease and cancer. A startling and increasing number of women have been dying from this disease, the numbers quadrupling over the last 30 years. Since 2000 more women than men have been dying from COPD.

Why are so many more women dying from COPD than men of the same age?

For one thing, COPD is one of those diseases that can be severely misdiagnosed, or completely overlooked until much later, when it has finally become obvious. You might not even suspect that anything is wrong, until it has progressed into the severe stage. After you’ve been diagnosed, you may have already been walking around with it for years.

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The Four Stages of COPD

Four Stages of COPD: Mild, Moderate, Severe and Very Severe

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States, preceded only by heart disease and cancer. It also encompasses two types of chronic lung diseases – emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Healthcare officials have broken COPD into 4 stages: mild, moderate, severe and very severe. The stages are determined by tests administered by your doctor, such a spirometry tests and arterial blood gas tests. From these tests, your doctor will be able to tell you at which stage it has advanced to, and how it should be treated. The earlier it’s caught, the easier it will be to treat it and hopefully stop it from progressing.

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Everything You Need to Know About CPAP Machines

Everything You Need to Know About CPAP Machines

“CPAP” stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, which is what many people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea need to sleep through the night without missing out on any oxygen. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is when muscles of the upper airway are not strong enough to stay open to allow for normal breathing during sleep. If you’ve ever heard someone sleeping, and they suddenly stop breathing for a few seconds, and continue breathing again with a sudden jerk or gasp, that is what happens with those who have Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Many people won’t realize that they have Sleep Apnea, unless someone who is with them while they are sleeping can see what is happening, and let them know. There are other symptoms that occur while you are awake, such as fatigue during the day, a dry and sore throat every morning, morning headaches and trouble concentrating. You will have to be monitored by your doctor to determine if you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

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Protect Yourself This Spring from Allergies and COPD Flareups

Protect Yourself This Spring from Allergies and COPD Flareups

Unfortunately, when the weather starts to warm up, many of us can’t celebrate the way others normally do. Those with allergies can feel the onset of spring right in their sinuses, and that can be very bad news for oxygen therapy patients who also suffer from spring allergies. However, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself this spring, so you won’t need to suffer or risk your allergies turning into something much worse.

Allergic rhinitis, or the allergy symptoms effecting the nose, can make a very negative impact on the lungs and the rest of the pulmonary tract. Those with asthma or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) who also have allergies, can attest that whenever their allergies start to rear its ugly head in the spring time, they can also feel their lungs becoming more irritated.

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Outdoor Exercise this Spring with COPD and Oxygen Therapy

Outdoor Exercise this Spring with COPD and Oxygen Therapy

It’s exciting that warmer weather is on its way all around the country. Cabin fever may have set in this winter, but now we can get out and feel more energized and alive in the fresh air and sunshine. Many people enjoy working out and getting physical activity in the outdoors, and can’t stand trying to exercise inside on a treadmill or stationary bike. If you have COPD, it really is in your best interest to some exercise either way, and you can start today with your outdoor routine.

First, you need to check with your doctor before you start doing anything fitness-wise that you haven’t done before. He or she will give you the go ahead as long as you can physically handle it, and will most likely give you some advice based on your individual condition and needs. Many patients with COPD are benefited by being outside as long as there isn’t a lot of pollution, and if you can get some light exercise.

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Oxygen Therapy and COPD in Women

Oxygen Therapy and COPD in Women

March is National Women’s History Month, and unfortunately in recent years, part of that history was added on to by the fact that women are now more likely to be diagnosed with COPD than men. COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is often why many people are prescribed oxygen therapy.

Why are more women than men being diagnosed with COPD and are ultimately prescribed oxygen therapy? There are a few possible answers to this question. A woman is often more likely to go to the doctor than a man. It’s a fact that many cases of COPD go undiagnosed for years before they become so bad that they end up in the hospital, and the disease becomes apparent. A woman is more likely to go to the doctor and describe their ailments, which usually leads to tests and diagnosis.

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Managing Holiday Stress and COPD

Managing Holiday Stress and COPD

The holidays can be a very stressful time for anyone – you want to buy presents for your friends and family, plan a trip, plan a family meal and a get-together, and handle the cold weather that you might be experiencing in your part of the world. All of this can be hard to handle for someone who is in full health, not to mention for someone who has a chronic lung condition, such as COPD, or for someone who needs to use oxygen therapy on a daily basis.

The key is to not out-do yourself. Buying presents and working yourself into a stressful situation isn’t worth taking a toll on your health. It’s important to keep in mind that your friends and loved ones would want you to stay healthy above all else this time of year. It’s true that stress can get you sick, and this is a real risk during the holiday season. We are in the midst of cold and flu season, and the flu, or even just a run of the mill cold can exacerbate your COPD.

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