Late Summer Allergies and COPD

Late Summer Allergies and COPD

The latter part of the summer, from around mid-August to the end of September, should be a time for enjoying the last few days of beautiful weather and soaking up the sun in most parts of the world.

Unfortunately, it’s also a time when many peoples’ allergies are at their worst. It’s the time for the dreaded hay fever – or the allergic reaction caused by the pollens that are being released from grasses and weeds. Itchy eyes, runny and stuffy noses happen in differing degrees, depending on how severely you are affected.

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Exactly How Many Cigarettes Puts You at Risk for COPD?

Exactly How Many Cigarettes Puts You at Risk for COPD?

If you only smoked for a few months of your life and quit, that’s a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. Many people have tried to quit many times and either couldn’t go through with it, or they started up again later on. Even people who haven’t smoked in years have started up again, because of a traumatic event in their lives, or they were spending a lot of time around people who smoked and couldn’t help but light one up themselves. Quitting smoking is very hard, and this is a known fact.

Unfortunately, it’s been proven that it doesn’t take 20+ years of smoking to put you at risk for developing COPD. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease includes the lung diseases of Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis, and around 90% of the cases of COPD are caused by smoking tobacco. There are also plenty other risks caused by smoking, such as lung cancer, heart failure, strokes and heart disease.

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On Pins and Needles – How Acupuncture Can Help Treat COPD

How Acupuncture Can Help Treat COPD

When people are diagnosed with a chronic illness or other malady, they will most likely be open to different methods of treatment. Alternative forms of medicine, such as acupuncture and acupressure aren’t considered to be along the same lines as modern medicine, but in addition to things like surgery and medication, to help treat diseases. Recently, experts have discovered how the ancient practice of acupuncture can help treat the symptoms of COPD, and be beneficial to the body overall.

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Another Way COPD Can Effect Your Brain Health

Another Way COPD Can Effect Your Brain Health

It was already a known fact that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease can cause bleeding in the large blood vessels of the brain, but now researchers have discovered that the small blood vessels are also affected. A recent study showed that those with COPD are more likely to develop cerebral microbleeds in the deep tissues of the brain, which is often one of the main causes of Alzheimers and other types of dementia.

The study used high resolution MRIs to detect the deterioration of the small blood vessels in the brain, or the start of any microbleeds deep within the brain. There have been a few previous studies before this one, but this study was needed as a follow up to help researchers make a determination. A group of people with normal lung function were also screened to make a comparison. They also took into account factors such as age, sex, whether or not they were a smoker, if they already have large blood vessel disease, and things such as cholesterol levels. The results of this study were originally published in the online version of the American Thoracic Society’s Journal, as well as the print version.

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Safety Tips and Safe Summer Activities for People with COPD

Safety Tips and Safe Summer Activities for People with COPD

The heat of the summer months can be dangerous for people with chronic lung diseases, especially those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Our bodies have to work much harder when the temperature is considerably higher or lower than what our core temperature needs to be at all times. When our bodies have to work harder to maintain homeostasis, we use more oxygen. This is bad for people who already have a hard time getting oxygen throughout their bodies, such as the case for those with COPD (emphysema or chronic bronchitis).

Don’t let these facts stop you from having fun this summer, though. There are many things you can do to have fun and protect yourself from exacerbations or other dangers in the process. Just make sure it’s safe to exert yourself in physical activity by talking to your doctor first. At the first sign of feeling fatigued or if you start having trouble breathing, stop what you are doing and take a breather. Be sure to keep applying your sunscreen if you are out in the sun. Remember that you can even burn on a cloudy day.

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Is Your Body More Naturally Predisposed to COPD Exacerbations?

Is Your Body More Naturally Predisposed to COPD Exacerbations?

A study was conducted that showed COPD patients with higher numbers of inflammatory biomarkers had a much higher risk of having more frequent and severe exacerbations. Not everyone who has COPD has these higher levels, though. These biomarkers are fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and leukocytes.

Leukocytes are white blood cells, and their job is to fight infection in the body and fight off diseases and bacteria. C-reactive protein is present in high amounts in the body in general when there is an infection or long term chronic illness in the body, such as COPD. Fibrinogen is the protein found in blood plasma, which causes the blood to clot. Having too much Fibrinogen in your blood can lead to other problems, such as heart attacks and strokes. Excessive amounts of these in the body aren’t a good thing in general, even though they are necessary to do their jobs.

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Foods to Eat for More Energy if You Have COPD

Foods to Eat for More Energy if You Have COPD

One problem many people with COPD encounter is fatigue and low amounts of energy. Walking around your home can even be enough to make you want to sit down and take a break, also if you feel as if you are breathing fine. This is because your body is working harder to make sure you are getting enough oxygen throughout. Your lungs are working harder to take in enough air to get the oxygen to your bloodstream, which takes a considerable amount of energy, aka calories.

Those with COPD need to be sure they are getting the proper calories and nutrients on a daily basis since people with COPD use 10 times more calories than someone with healthy lungs. This doesn’t mean you can eat high calorie, unhealthy foods – you still need to eat healthy to prevent other problems, like heart attacks or type 2 diabetes.

Maintaining your energy level is important because without energy you won’t be able to do the things that will help keep you healthy, like getting an adequate amount of physical activity. Your body can’t fight off illnesses without energy, either.

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How Asthma Increases Your Risk of Developing COPD

How Asthma Increases Your Risk of Developing COPD

Those with moderate to severe asthma, especially those who were diagnosed as children, may have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). According to a 2015 study in the Journal of Thoracic Disease, 16% of people with asthma will develop “insufficient airway reversibility after 21-33 years” living with the disease. [1] This is because, if uncontrolled with medications, the inner walls of the airways can undergo “remodeling” over time, causing the airways to be irreversibly narrowed—this is where COPD comes in: when the narrowing of airways is no longer reversible. [2]

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COPD on The Rise in Women

COPD on The Rise in Women

A new health report shows that women are now 37% more likely to develop COPD, or die from smoking-related illnesses than their male counterparts. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, was more prevalent among men not that long ago, but new statistics show that more and more women have picked up the habit of smoking, but even so, men are still smoking a little more than women on the whole.

COPD (which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis), is caused mainly by smoking – 90% of COPD cases caused by smoking, while the other 10% is caused by air pollution and a very rare genetic condition known as alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. Even though on the average, men have been smoking for a longer amount of time and tend to smoke a little more than women, women are developing COPD and other smoking complications at a higher rate. Experts have a few suggestions for why this is:

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The Drug that May be Dangerous for People with COPD

The Drug that May be Dangerous for People with COPD

If you have COPD, you might know how hard it is to fall asleep some nights. This is one of the most common side effects of having COPD, besides not being able to breathe correctly. Not getting enough sleep is much more than just a nuisance and feeling tired the next day. It affects every aspect of your life, including your moods and how well you are able to deal with regular, everyday things. If you’re having trouble sleeping for extended amount of time, you feel like you would do anything for a good nights sleep.

There is one class of drugs commonly used for insomnia and depression, called benzodiazepines, which has been found to be dangerous for people with COPD in a recent study. The 2004 to 2009 study followed a group of patients with COPD to see how often benzodiazepines were prescribed to them, and whether or not their lung function decreased because of the drug. Benzodiazepines are also known as sedative hypnotic drugs, and have been suspected to worsen existing lung conditions.

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