But symptoms like shortness of breath or a chronic cough shouldn’t be ignored because they could be a sign of COPD or progression of the disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. People with COPD have damaged airways, causing less oxygen to get into the body. It also gets harder to get rid of carbon dioxide. COPD isn’t curable, but there are treatments to manage its symptoms as well as ways you can slow down its progression to help you live longer and better. Lifestyle changes can help you avoid exacerbations, which are periods where COPD symptoms can become much worse and may require a trip to the emergency room. Not only can these episodes be painful and potentially life-threatening, they can also cause further damage to the lungs. “Oftentimes, an exacerbation will lead to a new lower baseline for lung function than the prior baseline before the exacerbation,” says Dr. Khabbaza. That’s because of the inflammation, lung damage, and subsequent healing that comes along with a more severe exacerbation. The following tips can reduce the risk of exacerbations and slow down the progression of COPD.
1. If You Smoke, Stop
“The most important step in slowing down COPD progression is to quit smoking,” says Khabbaza. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 8 out of 10 COPD deaths are a result of smoking. In certain age groups, women smokers can be 38 times more likely to develop COPD compared with women who never smoked. Smoking isn’t the only cause of COPD, however; as many as 1 out 4 people who have COPD never smoked, per the CDC. People who began smoking as teenagers can be at an even higher risk because the chemicals in cigarette smoke keep the lungs of young people from growing to their potential size. As a result, their lungs can’t perform at the same capacity as those in someone who never smoked.
2. Avoid Breathing in Pollution or Toxins
Cigarette smoke isn’t the only culprit when it comes to damaging the lungs. There is a subset of people whose COPD is caused or worsened by different exposures at work or at home, or both, says Khabbaza. “It’s very important to know your environment,” he says. “If you’re around any kind of fumes or dust, it’s important to know what they are.” No matter what the origin, you should wear a mask in that setting or find a way to avoid the environment completely, he says. “It’s really about trying to make sure you’re breathing normal air without any other particles in it,” says Khabbaza.
3. Enroll in Pulmonary Rehabilitation
“At my clinic we recommend that everyone with COPD enroll in a program called pulmonary rehabilitation,” says Khabbaza. “It’s a 12-week program that meets twice a week for 90 minutes that’s essentially physical therapy specifically designed for people with COPD.” The program utilizes exercises that not only make the muscles more conditioned but also help them use oxygen more efficiently, he says. Pulmonary rehab teaches breathing techniques that can be used in response to certain situations, like when a person feels short of breath, and can improve symptoms. “There’s lots of value for pulmonary rehab,” says Khabbaza. “It might not slow down decline of lung function, but it does slow down the health decline in COPD.” “Pulmonary rehab is considered so helpful and important for managing COPD that many hospitals will not even consider a COPD patient for lung transplantation unless they’ve completed the program. That’s how beneficial it is,” says Khabbaza.
4. Strengthen Your Core
Core strength may not directly affect lung function, but these muscles that we use for everyday activities are very important. “When that part of the body is weak, the symptoms of COPD, such as shortness of breath, can feel worse,” says Khabbaza.
5. Eat Nutritious Food
Follow guidelines for healthy eating, such as the heart healthy recommendations, says Khabbaza. “Many people with COPD also have heart disease, but even if you don’t, there are benefits to eating a balanced and nutritious diet,” he adds. Although there aren’t specific foods that have been shown to slow down COPD, there’s a growing school of thought that plant-based diets may be beneficial, says Khabbaza. “These diets have very little processed food and instead focus on natural, unprocessed foods that come from the earth,” he says. This way of eating may have favorable effects on lots of conditions in the body, although there’s not enough data out there yet though to say that that’s the diet that everyone should be on, says Khabbaza. A recent study published in May 2016 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society suggested that eating foods rich in fiber may play a role in improving lung health.
6. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Eating healthfully and maintaining a healthy weight are both very important in COPD, says Khabbaza. People with more severe COPD can be underweight, which can put them at a higher risk for exacerbations and mortality, according to a study published in July 2016 in the journal ERJ Open Research. “We know as muscles get weaker, muscle mass gets lighter; people who are more malnourished tend to do worse in COPD,” says Khabbaza. Being overweight with COPD is risky for different reasons. “That puts extra weight around the chest wall, which can appear to lower lung volumes,” says Khabbaza. Diet and exercise are recommended to help with weight loss to reduce some of that external pressure around the lungs and chest wall.
7. Make Sure You’re Taking Your Medicine as Prescribed
Using inhalers incorrectly is fairly common, says Khabbaza. Inhalers can be confusing because there are so many different kinds. Although they all work in generally the same way, how you prepare, inhale, and clean each device can be different. “Using an inhaler incorrectly certainly can raise the risk of exacerbations,” says Khabbaza. Proper usage of your long-acting inhaler as prescribed by your doctor not only reduces your risk of exacerbation, it has also been shown to help improve your baseline lung function, according to Khabbaza.
8. Avoid Germs Whenever Possible
Many exacerbations are due to infection, either viral or bacterial, says Khabbaza. “It’s very important to practice strict hand hygiene and always wash your hands regularly, especially when touching other surfaces,” he says. If you’re around anyone who is sick, you may want to wear a mask or avoid any contact, he says. Sometimes avoiding germs may mean changing plans in order to stay healthy. “I have some older patients who have come to realize that being around their grandkids when they have colds may not be in their best interest,” says Khabbaza.
9. Get Immunized
Protecting yourself against preventable diseases is vital in slowing the progression of COPD, according to Khabbaza. “The flu shot is recommended every year, and you should be getting the vaccine the moment it becomes available if you have COPD or other chronic lung disease,” he says. Pneumonia vaccinations are very important for people with COPD as well, says Khabbaza. The two different pneumonia vaccines are given at age 65 or later, but if you have COPD you qualify for these immunizations regardless of age because of the high risk that pneumonia poses to people with the disease. “Both the flu and pneumonia vaccinations are very important in COPD,” says Khabbaza.
