There are several COPD treatment options that are available to people diagnosed with this disease. Almost all of these are drug therapy options, but there is now strong evidence to suggest that pulmonary rehabilitation is an essential adjunct to treatment for anyone wanting to maintain, and in many cases improve, their health status and quality of life.
Many people diagnosed with COPD feel as though they have been given a death sentence. Doctors tell them the disease is progressive and will eventually kill them. This unnecessarily incites much fear, anxiety and hopelessness. Oftentimes drug therapy is the only treatment option offered, but you should ask your physician about pulmonary rehabilitation as this is an extremely important part of COPD treatment.
Breathlessness, or dyspnea, is the most common symptom affecting people with COPD. When everyday activities make you breathless it is natural to avoid those activities because breathlessness is frightening. However, the best way to control dyspnea is, in fact, to exercise. If you can build overall endurance and increase the strength in your peripheral muscles you will be able to do more with less effort and experience less breathlessness. Community-based pulmonary rehabilitation programs include training and conditioning components that increase exercise tolerance so you can continue to perform your regular daily activities without distress. You will also learn breathing strategies aimed at decreasing the work of breathing and coordinating breathing with daily activities in order to limit breathlessness.
Effective pulmonary rehabilitation programs focus on the needs and abilities of the individual. Oftentimes this may involve a therapist visiting you in your home in order to establish the best possible exercise and daily living practices. Community-based programs like this ensure that your specific needs and concerns are addressed so you are not compromising your daily activities and quality of life. There is no reason why someone diagnosed with COPD cannot remain fit and active with minimal disease progression given the right mix of education, exercise, lifestyle modification and drug therapy. This usually requires input from a multidisciplinary team - a primary care physician and/or pulmonologist; a pharmacist; physical therapist; occupational therapist and dietician. All these professionals have important information to impart to ensure the best possible COPD treatment outcome, but many people fail to access this type of coordinated care.
No one is as invested in your COPD treatment as you are and you have to be the one driving the process. It is essential that you ask about the availability of pulmonary rehabilitation programs in your area. These programs are ideal as it means that the input from the multidisciplinary team is coordinated and your progress is measured and monitored. However, pulmonary rehabilitation programs are expensive to operate and many hospitals have stopped offering them. If this is the situation in your area this may mean you need to become your own case manager and put together a customized pulmonary rehabilitation program with the help of your doctor. Ask him or her for a referral to a physical therapist experienced in cardio-respiratory care; seek out the services of a dietician to ensure your diet is meeting your energy requirements; talk to your local pharmacist about possible drug interactions and side effects; ensure you get to see an occupational therapist if you are experiencing any difficulties with daily activities. There is a lot of expert help and advice out there and asking for it is always the smartest thing to do.
For every problem you are experiencing you can rest assured that someone has experienced it before you and there is a solution or strategy available to help the situation. Effective COPD treatment is community-based, targeted toward the needs of the individual and best delivered by a multidisciplinary team. Coordinated care is not always what is offered to people diagnosed with COPD and you may need to be proactive and seek out the professional help you need yourself.
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