Treat COPD and Asthma in 6 Easy Steps

Cardiopulmonary Obstructive Disease is life-changing. If you are uncertain about how to cope, be encouraged. You must make some changes, but COPD need not define your life. Follow a step-by-step guide to staying healthy. Good exercise and diet, using new skills, quitting smoking if you haven't done so already, committing to a rehabilitation program, and conserving energy will help.

In a 2009 issue of Clinical Science Journal, Dr. W.D. Man emphasizes the importance of your COPD wellness plan.

"Skeletal muscles represent a potential site to improve patients' level of function and quality of life," he notes in Exercise and Muscle Dysfunction in COPD: Implications for Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Implementing a plan with an occupational therapist is "the most effective non-pharmacological intervention in improving...health status."

Begin by consciously using your breathing muscles. Special exercises target those critical to respiration. Pursed-lip and diaphragmatic breathing techniques quickly increase blood oxygen saturation. With practice, they also calm you. Both exercises slow breathing to empty and fill lungs completely. You avoid obstructing air sacs using proper posture-standing or sitting up straight, aligning hips and knees, and holding your chin level. Most importantly, the muscles that move your chest and lungs get a workout.

Proper nutrition is another building block. Increase your energy level, support tougher bones and muscles, bolster immune function, and manage weight. Get plenty of vitamin B1 (dark green vegetables, tomato juice) which aids metabolism. A balance of vitamin E, (apples, olive oil, whole grain pasta), complex carbohydrates, (grains, broccoli, nuts), and protein (lean meats, peanut butter, eggs) builds muscle tissue. Prevent bone weakening with vitamin D (whole milk, fish), vitamin A, (squash, carrots), and calcium (cheese, spinach). Increase your red blood cell count. Vitamin B6 in bananas and white rice helps transport oxygen. Resist illness with magnesium in black eyed peas, or halibut. Maintain low fat, sugar, and calorie intake to manage weight.

Your COPD therapy regimen includes individualized advice for activities of daily living. Breathing easier requires good body positioning. Get tips for more comfortable standing, sitting, lying down, and sleeping. Elevating your head with pillows can decrease symptoms during sleep. Stronger muscles support you to prevent slouching and leaning that makes breathing more difficult. Remember to follow only advice from a licensed health professional.

Next, try gentle exercises for your heart and lungs and listen to your body to determine how challenging you exercise. You want to challenge yourself but not to the point where you can't exercise and breath. If possible, purchase a pulse oximetor and keep track that your oxygen does not go below 90 during your workout. Stretch the sides of your neck to give your scalene muscles in your neck relief from the strain of labored breathing. Leg lifts and a very light ankle weight are another option.

Weight shifting activity is essential. Bones stay strong when they support body weight. Otherwise, skeletal tissue softens, and fracture risk is high. Weight-bearing activity does not require standing and your entire session can be completed sitting on a chair. However if you're able to stand, include standing exercises for short intervals to build tolerance and gradually increase your amount of time standing.

Put your COPD wellness plan to use every day. Notice how renewed strength brings independence. Climbing stairs, light lifting, or standing becomes easier. Decide how to invest your energy. Conserve strength by organizing belongings for easier access. Substitute sliding cookware for lifting it. Consolidate activities. Eliminate unnecessary tasks. Plan ways to become more efficient.

Understandably, you will sometimes feel anxious about COPD symptoms. Knowledge and positive action put you in control, and help you live well.