Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of chronic lung conditions—including emphysema, chronic asthma, and chronic bronchiti—that block airflow and make breathing difficult. During the early stages of COPD, you may have mild symptoms like cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. As the disease escalates, you may experience trouble breathing, high pulse rate, weight loss, low oxygen levels, swelling in the ankles and feet, and difficulty staying alert. Practical ways you can use to prevent COPD include:
1. Protect yourself against harmful chemicals, dust, and fumes
Chemicals, dust, and fumes can make breathing difficult if you have COPD or breathing issues such as asthma. You can improve the limit your exposure to harmful chemicals, dust and fumes and improve the quality of air in your home by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when using domestic chemicals (i.e., masks), keeping your windows open for better airflow, dusting and vacuuming regularly to prevent the build-up of dust and to reduce dust mite allergies, cleaning bedding periodically to minimize dust mites and pet hair and dander, installing an air filter, and having your home air filters cleaned or changed regularly to avoid the growth of mildew and mold.
2. Quit smoking
Smoking is one of the major causes of COPD in America and is accountable for almost 90% of deaths caused by the condition. Therefore, quitting smoking is the best way to prevent the disease or keep your symptoms from worsening. You will remain active as you enjoy a longer and healthier life. Let your loved ones know when you plan to quit and avoid individuals and circumstances that trigger your smoking behavior. Then, find things to keep you busy and live one day at a time.
3. Get support to help you quit
Since there are several remedies to quit smoking, your healthcare professional will guide you on the one to use. They will advise you to use nicotine replacement therapy or medications. You can then go for counseling or join a support group or a class to help you stop smoking. Even though it is not easy to quit smoking, you can if you put your mind to it. If you fail the first time you try, don’t hesitate to do it a second or third time. No matter how challenging the process may seem, you will eventually succeed and enjoy your journey to good health.
4. Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke
Secondhand smoke is the other contributor to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Since it damages the lungs, it is essential to take precautions to avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. Inform people who visit your home not to smoke there. The same should apply to individuals entering your car. Additionally, avoid going to your workplace smoking zone and spending time with smokers. Also, don’t go to public areas that allow smoking. You may request your bosses to set some policies about where staff members should smoke outside. They should designate a smoking section away from entrances and introduce containers where smokers can dispose of cigarette butts safely.
5. Take care of yourself
Getting regular exercise and consuming a balanced diet is important to protect the body from infection. Many COPD patients find that adopting a breathing friendly diet with the help of a registered dietician can help. Many COPD patients adopt a low carbohydrate diet, which many claim promotes better oxygenation by reducing the carbon dioxide levels produced as the body metabolizes foods. Also, drinking plenty of water can help flush toxins and inflammation from the body. So try to drink between 6 to 8 glasses of water per day.