Rehab goals and who needs rehab- Lovego weekly report

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Rehab goals and who needs rehab

Rehab Goals:

The goals of any pulmonary rehab program are to control and ease symptoms of COPD and, therefore, to improve the patients quality of life-and maybe even extend the patients’ life expectancy. Research indicates that the multidisciplinary approach does a pretty good job of attaining those goals, too. Patients who take part in rehab improve their tolerance for movement and activity and are enable to engage in movement and activity for longer periods. They also report fewer episodes of feeling short of breath and a better quality of life. Finally, and significantly, rehab reduces healthcare costs because those patients typically don't use emergency and hospital services as much as COPD patients who aren't in a rehab program.

There's no evidence that your lung function actually improves with pulmonary rehabilitation when you have COPD. However, it does help you maximize your existing lung function, and the other health benefits of exercise, nutrition, and counselling help make breathing easier and improve your quality of life.

A formal rehab program may include exercises and therapies that you wouldn't otherwise use, and some that you may already be using. For example, most pulmonary rehab programs include training in controlled breathing techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing or pursed-lip breathing. But you're likely already using one or more of these breathing techniques: COPD seem to instinctively find the method that works for them to ease their symptoms.

Other techniques do require training if you're to do them properly and without risking injury. Techniques like postural drainage and chest percussion are effective ways to clear the airways of mucus, but, to be safe and effective, you need specific instructions from a rehab specialists who is similar who is familiar with the technique. And, until you're completely comfortable with it, you shouldn't use these techniques except under the supervision of your rehab specialist.

Who Needs Rehab:

Many doctors and pulmonologists routinely recommend rehab only for their patients with severe, late stage COPD. Research shows that even patients who are so sick that the need lung surgery or a transplant can improve their overall fitness and lung function with the proper rehab program.

There's also a growing body of evidence that early rehab can at least delay and perhaps even prevent the progress of COPD. Like most disease's, the earlier COPD is diagnosed and properly treated, the less likely it is to cause severe disruptions in your life. And, of cause the less severe the disease, the lower the costs-in time, money , and energy-of treating it effectively.

Even if your COPD is in the mild or moderate stage, ask your doctor about pulmonary rehab. If your doctor seems reluctant to recommend it for you, ask him if it makes sense as a preventive measure-a way to help slow the progress of your COPD.

The key to a successful rehab program is an individualized structure. Every element of your rehab program should be geared towards your specific needs, from your tolerance for certain forms of exercise to your diet to your goals for everyday living.

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Keeping Up Your Mental Energy-Lovego weekly report

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Keeping Up Your Mental Energy 

Just as depression can put you in a cycle of ever-worsening health and declining energy, a positive outlook can help you manage COPD better, and perhaps even slow its progress.

Mounting research shows that a positive mental outlook has definite health benefits. Optimists have stronger immune systems and recover more quickly from illness, injury, and surgery. When it comes to chronic illnesses like COPD, they tend to have less frequent acute attacks.

So how do you cultivate a positive mental outlook? Here are some tips below that can help you feel more cheerful and upbeat.

Exercise. Part of the reason your doctor wants you to exercise, even if only a tiny bit, is because exercise does wonders for your mental health. Movement stimulates the natural feel-good chemicals in your brain, and the more of those feel-good chemicals you can release, the less severe your physical symptoms seem.

Keep Up Your Social Connections. Isolation and loneliness, especially among the elderly, can be just as debilitating as physical ailments. Make an effort to keep in touch with friends and family. If you can't go out on the town like you used to, ask people to visit you in your home. Use the telephone and email to stay connected with the people who mean the most to you.

Count Your Blessings. It sounds trite and corny, but research has shown that people who focus on good things in their lives feel happier and more satisfied. You can use several techniques to remind yourself of the things that make life good for you. You can try to keep a gratitude journal, in which you write down events and things that you're grateful for or that make you feel happy. Or, before you go to sleep each night , think of three good things that happened that day ; if you can think of more than three , even better.

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COPD is not a death sentence-Lovego weekly report

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COPD is not a death sentence

"COPD is not a death sentence.” These are the words of the late Bill Horden, COPD patient advocate and writer. And these are the words I clung to when diagnosed with severe COPD in August 2000.

That summer I began to have spells when I couldn’t catch my breath while doing the simplest of activities. I was extremely short of breath most of the time, and I was smoking way too many cigarettes.

Following a battery of tests, including a spirometry and arterial blood gas, my family doctor said, “It’s bad, very, very bad.” The words didn’t scare me as much as the sombre look on his face and the sad tone in his voice. “You have severe emphysema,” he said, “which is progressive and incurable.” The next few minutes were a blur as he explained the diagnosis, interspersed with instructions for the nurse to order oxygen to be delivered to my home that very afternoon.

Oxygen! I thought. No, he can’t be serious. Too stunned to ask questions, I nodded as he referred me to a pulmonary specialist and told me I needed to be in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

That day my life changed forever. In a blink of an eye, I went from an independent, energetic newspaper editor with a bright future to a disabled, chronically ill patient, who had to rely on oxygen at night and medications by day to breath more easily.

I tried to keep up with my fast-paced lifestyle, which now included 3 days a week at pulmonary rehab, but I couldn’t. I simply did not have the energy. I took a leave of absence from work and fell into a deep depression.

I felt like I had become my illness. I had no life of my own—merely a life of survival—racing from doctor to doctor only to confirm what I already knew: at age 54, I had end-stage COPD caused by more than 30 years of smoking. I suffered in silence, wondering how long I had to live. 3 years? 5 years? I didn’t know and was too afraid to ask. After months of living in limbo, I got downright angry and vowed I would not settle for a life that was defined by this illness. I turned to the internet to learn all I could about COPD. The one thing I already knew was that pulmonary rehab was beginning to work miracles on my breathing and overall health.

While researching COPD online, I stumbled across the website of the late Bill Horden, known as the COPD Advocate. His positive words of wisdom gave me hope that I could not only live with COPD, but live well by becoming an informed patient and learning how to manage my disease.

I joined an online support group, where members shared their experiences on living with COPD. I learned that quitting smoking was the best thing I could do to slow the progression of my disease and that exercise was the key to keeping my energy levels up. I developed an attitude of gratitude, as many members were sicker than I was. When depressed, I spent time in the chat rooms with people who knew exactly how I was feeling.

Today my lifestyle does not revolve around my illness. I have adjusted to the fact that I have physical limitations and spend my precious energy wisely doing the things that are important and meaningful to me. I am grateful for what I can do—even on the days when I must slow down and rest because my breathing is more labored than usual.

My pulmonary function tests are almost the same as when I was first diagnosed 4 years ago. I attribute that gift to staying physically, mentally, and socially active and to staying connected to others who suffer from COPD.

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Targeted Exercises For Your Goals-Lovego weekly report

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Targeted Exercises For Your Goals

COPD often is associated with muscle weakness , especially in the Upper Body and in the Legs. Targeted exercise can help preserve and improve muscle strength , which in turn , enables you to do more and to remain independent longer . Your occupational therapist will show you how to do certain exercises and explain how to help.

Upper Body Strength:

Your body uses more energy-and puts a higher demand on your lungs-when you use your arms, shoulders, chest , and neck. This is why some daily activities like bathing, dressing , and grooming yourself can be tiring when you have COPD . It's also why carrying things groceries and laundry baskets can be difficult, and why you may feel nervous about pulling heavy objects from upper shelves in the kitchen or closet.

Upper-body exercises typically are designed to improve flexibility, strength, and range of motion. Your therapist may have you place a long, wide band of resistant rubber under your feet and pull up with both hands , for instance to strengthen both your grip and the muscles in your arms and shoulders.

The goal of any exercise program is to increase your tolerance for and ability to move around. Even if you have the strength to do your exercises for only a couple of minutes each day, investing those couple of minutes is important. A regular exercise routine will help you keep whatever strength you've got and eventually, make you stronger.

Lower Body Strength:

Weakness in the legs is common with COPD, and that's not surprising. After all, if you have trouble breathing, you’re not likely to increase your activity level , and the lack of activity leads to loss of muscle tone and mass. Then, when you try to increase your activity level , you find yourself fighting harder for breath at even lower levels of exertion , and you feel so weak that you can't do much anyway.

Research indicates that COPD patients benefit more from an exercise program that includes specific arm and leg exercises than from a generic program. Breathing capacity and quality of life both are higher in people with COPD who use a targeted exercise program.

Treadmill walking and stationary cycling are often recommended for COPD patients, but make sure you're ready and able to undergo this type of exercise. If your COPD symptoms don't seem to be well controlled, talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program.

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Heart problems and copd-Lovego weekly report

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Heart problems and copd

There's no question that copd can be associated with heart problems. Like copd, heart failure is often a long term disease that gets worse over time, and not just from the effects of aging. The term chronic heart failure means that the heart, little by little, loses its ability to pump efficiently, which may lead to symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue.

But the exact relationship between COPD AND heart problems isn’t fully understood. Certainly, when you have copd, your heart has to work harder to distribute oxygen rich blood to the rest of your body.

Keep an eye on your ankles. Your ankles may swell occassionally for all kinds of reasons, but if they are consistently swollen, that could be an indication that your heart isn’t pumping blood the way it should. When your heart loses its efficiency, blood tends to pool in the lower part of your body, especially in your feet and ankles. If your ankles are regularly swollen, discuss this with your doctor.

Right heart disease is the most common form of heart trouble in copd patients, because of the way the circulatory system works. As your blood circulates through your arteries, it distributes oxygen and collects carbon dioxide and other wastes. Usually the pressure in the blood vessels surrounding your lungs is quite low. But with copd, your pulmonary blood pressure increases because many of the blood vessels in your lungs are damaged or destroyed, so there are fewer routes to carry the same amount of blood. This increased pressure means the right side of your heart has to work harder to do its pumping. Over time, that extra work can strain and weaken the right heart muscle.

Just having copd can double your risk of developing cardio vascular disease , even if you don’t smoke and your blood pressure is normal. This is another reason exercise is so critical to treating your copd symptoms. Not only does it help preserve your lung function, but it helps your heart. There is a popular misconception that because copd can’t be cured, it can’t be treated. There is a difference between curing a disease and managing virtually every aspect of your physical and mental health. Your health care team can help you do just that.

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Why Women Are More Susceptible to COPD-Lovego Weekly Report

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Why Women Are More Susceptible to COPD

Recent research indicates merely being female puts you at higher risk for COPD. This could be so for a number of behavioral , and environmental reasons. Women are more likely than men to smoke , for instance , and smoking is a major factor in COPD. Women also seem to be more susceptible to the harmful effects of smoking , possibly their lungs and airways are smaller than men's , so they get a bigger jolt per puff of the toxic elements in cigarette smoke.

As women,we dont always go easy on ourselves. Dont push yourself to do everything you did when you were 20 or raising a family. Make life easier on yourself by slowing down your pace to conserve energy. Sit when you can to do tasks like prepare meals, folding laundry etc. Start doing things you enjoy...One of the reasons Copd female patients, in particular suffer depression is because the disease limits their ability to pursue hobbies and other enjoyable activities. Finding activities that you can do without overtiring yourself and that will provide you with some enjoyment is so important for mental health.

Genetic factors may also make women more susceptible. Women's immune systems may respond differently than men's to the assault of cigarette smoke. This may be true of environmental factors too; women's lungs may be more sensitive to dust, ozone , and other airborne irritants. This seems to be particularly of biological dust. A recent study found that, in woman there is a significant link between exposure to biological dust and chronic bronchitis , emphysema , and COPD. No such link was found in men

Certain women-dominated occupations have high exposure risk to biological dust: artists who come in contact with textiles , animal hair brushes and other tools. The statistics for women with COPD are discouraging. Nonsmoking women are more likely than nonsmoking men to develop COPD . Woman develop the disease at a younger ages than than men do, and they feel the severe effects of it than men do. Woman with COPD are more likely than men with the same severity of the disease to describe themselves as depressed and to rate their quality of life as poor.More woman than men seek emergency medical care for their symptoms, and more women than men die from COPD each year.

As women sufferers, you may have to get a little creative or delve into your memory to discover or reawaken other interests, but you should consider it an essential part of your copd therapy.

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Building Your Healthcare Team-Lovego weekly report

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Building Your Healthcare Team

There's a popular misconception that, because COPD can't be cured , it can't be treated. There is a difference curing a disease and managing it , and when it comes to COPD , managing the disease well means managing virtually every aspect of your physical and mental health.

Your healthcare team can help you do just that. It starts with your primary- care physician, who is familiar with your overall health and can provide you with information, tests and checkups to make sure other potential health concerns, don't get forgotten in the efforts to treat your COPD symptoms.

Your primary-care physician also is an invaluable contact for referrals to specialists and programs that can help you with your COPD. Specialists may include 

a pulmonologist , who has additional training and expertise in treating lung disease; 

a nutritionist or registered dietitian , who can help you design a healthy eating plan that suits your your needs and lifestyle; 

an occupational therapist who can show you ways to adjust your routine and the way you move your body to conserve energy; 

and perhaps a counselor or therapist, who can help you cope with the common emotional and mental aspects of being diagnosed with a chronic disease.

In case you don't have a doctor yet you see regularly we start off with a quick guide to finding the right primary-care doctor for you.

When you have COPD, or suspect you may have it, it's time to get serious about finding a doctor you're comfortable with. For one thing , your health insurer may not pay for the care of a specialist unless your primary-care physician first makes a referral. For another , even if you've never gone in for regular checkups before , you're going to have to build them into your schedule now, and regular checkups are more useful -and a lot less hassle-if the same doctor sees you each time.

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service@oxygencare.cn

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Add: Building B, LC Hi-tech Park, Longhua District, Shenzhen, China