COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, is one of the most common lung diseases in the United States. It typically begins with emphysema, a condition that causes the airways to become swollen and therefore constricts airflow. After this, the lungs lose their elasticity and begin to lose air. This causes shortness of breath and coughing. Over time, COPD can cause serious damage to the heart and lungs.
COPD treatment works to relieve symptoms and to improve overall health. There is currently no single cure for COPD, but there are treatments that can help patients who suffer from COPD breathe better. There's no conventional cure for COPD, but instead there is a series of treatment methods that are used to help COPD patients are able to control some of the effects of COPD, such as helping them manage symptoms and reduce their chances of COPD complications. The more improvement in a patient feels, the more likely they are to have a positive outcome and begin to recover.
The most common form of COPD Treatment is a form of medicine called a 'short-acting' medication. These medicines will provide a quick fix, allowing you to feel relief without any of the serious side effects that long-acting medications can bring. There are two major types of short-acting medication; the first is called an inhaled corticosteroid. These drugs are taken in pill form and should be taken whenever you feel your COPD symptoms becoming severe. These will usually be prescribed to keep the inflammation down and help you breath better.
Another form of COPD treatment is called a long-acting, oral medication. These medicines must be taken by mouth and have to go through your digestive system before being absorbed by your body. Because they are put into your system so quickly, they do carry certain risks associated with them, including stomach problems and other possible interactions with other medications you are taking, so you should check with your doctor or health care provider to see if you are a suitable candidate for a long-acting medication.
There are also some experimental forms of COPD treatment available, including immunotherapy. This form of therapy involves the use of medicine to try and help boost your immune system to combat COPD, although this has not been proven successful in clinical studies. Another form of therapy being tested is called Chronic Lung Disease Therapy (CLD) and involves the use of medicinal inhalation therapy to try and improve your COPD symptoms and also lessen the effects of lung disease on your overall health. Although this is an innovative approach that is still undergoing clinical trials, it does represent an alternative form of COPD treatment that may help more people than would traditional medicine.
If you suffer from COPD and use oxygen as your primary method of breathing, you need to pay close attention to how you are taking it. Even if your doctor does not recommend oxygen therapy, you should still always follow his or her advice about the amount of time you should take to recover between sessions. Aspirin and other medicines that fight COPD, such as Albuterol, are known to shorten recovery times, so you should also be careful about taking too much medicine, especially when healing has already begun. When your COPD doctor recommends oxygen therapy, he or she will likely recommend an accelerated program of rest, diet and exercise, so be sure to follow his or her advice carefully.
