Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD cures are not there as it cannot be treated permanently however, there are prevention methods that can be used for relieving the symptoms and slow the progress. These prevention techniques consist-
- Medications
- Therapy
- Surgery
- Healthy lifestyle changes
These treatments can make do the following things for you-
- Make you feel better
- Helping you to participate in more activities in life
- Help you stay active as compared to the earlier situation
- Help in improving the overall quality of life
Medications
There are various medicines and sedatives which can be used for treating COPD
- Bronchodilators- Bronchodilators usually comes in the form of either an inhaler or a humidifier. Inhaling the medication can directly affect your lungs and airways. These medications help you open airways easily so that you could breathe effortlessly.
There are two categories of bronchodilators- Beta-agonists and anticholinergics.
Beta-agonists bind with beta receptors directly on smooth muscle cells to mediate their Broncho dilatory effect. Beta-agonists might be short-acting and long-acting.
- Antibiotics- Respiratory infections can make your symptoms even worse. If you are suffering from an infection that gets worse after a point, your doctor might prescribe you an antibiotic.
Antibiotics can kill bacteria however, they are unable to kill viruses. Your doctor might ask you to go under some examination to determine what kind of infection you have had and know what kind of antibiotic will be most effective.
Smoking leading medications
If you smoke, you must stop smoking immediately. If you quit smoking your health and your quality of life might improve effectively, even if you do not have COPD. Because of nicotine, one of the main substances used in making cigarettes is highly addictive. Some doctors give nicotine replacement therapy to people to ease their nicotine cravings.
Recommended nicotine replacement treatment is used in the following forms-
- Gums
- Patches
- Inhalers
Some kinds of antidepressants have been approved by doctors which can eliminate tobacco cravings.
Pulmonary Therapy and rehabilitation
Here is the list of COPD therapy and rehabilitation options and their benefits-
Oxygen therapy
Continuous obstructive pulmonary disease interferes with your ability to breathe. If you do not have enough oxygen in your blood and you won’t be able to transfer oxygen to your lungs. There are medical devices that are available to deliver oxygen to your lungs.
These devices are mostly small and portable which are convenient to carry and can be taken everywhere you go.
Your doctor might ask you to use oxygen therapy all the time. Or you might need to use it only when you’re sleeping or doing certain activities.
Oxygen therapy can help you in the following activities-
- Stay active with lesser signs and symptoms.
- Protect your heart and other organs from further damage caused due to sleep deprivation.
- Sleep better and be more alert.
- Live for longer periods.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Pulmonary rehabilitation consists of the following activities-
- Regular workout
- Nutritional and psychological counseling.
- Knowledge in the management of COPD.
Surgery Options
Surgery is only beneficial for a limited number of people with COPD and it’s the last resort for treating Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.
Mentioned above were COPD causes, cures and treatment methods.