No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you’re always being exposed to disease-causing pathogens. And while this may seem like a scary concept, you'll be happy to know that your immune system is working around the clock to fight off this bacteria and keep your body healthy. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to do…

Immunodeficiency, also called immune deficiency, is a state in which the body’s ability to fight infectious disease is compromised. Primary immune deficiency is one that’s inherited through genetic mutations while secondary, or acquired immune deficiency is one that’s caused by environmental factors, i.e., bacteria, viruses, or immunosuppressive drugs like cigarettes.

Recently, researchers have focused their sights on understanding the effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory conditions on the immune system and what role the immune system plays in causing COPD. While COPD is not classified as an autoimmune disease (a disease that causes the immune system to attack the body), it’s still linked to the immune system in a number of ways. According to a study published in the American Thoracic Journal, COPD patients are more prone to respiratory infection and they’re less likely to recover from it than those without the disease.

While the correlation between immune deficiency and COPD is complex, it’s important for you to understand because it has a  profound effect on your health and wellbeing. For most people, getting sick is just a part of life. However, for someone with COPD, getting sick could mean being at a higher risk for life-threatening exacerbations.

In the following sections, we’ll discuss how the immune system works, the various types of immune disorders, and most importantly, where COPD fits into all of this. Your pulmonologist and primary physician should be your first line of contact when it comes to improving and maintaining your immune system, so be sure to reach out to him/her if you have any questions or concerns.

How Does the Immune System Work?

Just like the name suggests, the ‘immune system’ isn’t one specific entity; it’s a whole host of processes that occur throughout the body that work in tandem to protect you from disease-causing microorganisms. In a healthy person, these processes are all running at full force and working together effectively as the body’s first line of defense.

The immune system is one of the most complex parts of the body because it’s made up of a variety of different organs, cells, and proteins. There are three main tasks that the immune system is responsible for in the body:

• Recognizing harmful substances in your environment and keeping them out of the body.
  
  
• Neutralizing harmful pathogens inside the body such as parasites, fungi, viruses, and bacteria, then removing them.
  
  
• Fighting cancerous cells in the body.

Innate Immune System

All immune responses in the body can be divided into one of two different categories: innate or adaptive. The first of which, innate, is characterized by the body’s natural ability to fight harmful substances. Most of the components that make up you innate immune system are present at birth, but they can still develop and adapt over time.

Physical Barriers

While you may not think of your skin, eye lashes, and nose hair as part of the immune system, all of these are considered “physical barriers” and keep harmful substances from entering the body. The skin, for example, has a very low permeability, meaning it’s difficult for foreign substances to enter the body through it. However, other parts of the body like the mouth, nose, ears and eyes are open entry points to the rest of the body, this is why they need extra layers of immune protection.

Defense Mechanisms

Other innate immune responses in the body include things like saliva, mucous, tears, sweat, and secretions. Saliva, for example, plays an important role in managing bacteria in the mouth that causes gum disease. You may simply think of saliva as “water,” which is mostly what it is. However, saliva also contains a number of other substances like electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds and various enzymes, all of which play a number of roles in protecting your oral health.

One important thing to note about your body’s natural defense mechanisms is that there’s a balance to all of it. When your body produces the ideal amount of saliva, mucous, tears, and sweat, you feel good. However, if something alters these processes, the defense mechanisms may be working against you. For example, smoking cigarettes results in high mucus production in the body. While mucus typically helps the body, too much of it can lead to airway obstruction and difficulty breathing. 

Another way smoking affects the innate immune system is through the destruction of cilia. Cilia are tiny hair-like protuberances found in the lungs and wave back and forth to keep mucus and other substances out of the lungs. Smoking temporarily disables cilia, and long-term smoking can damage them meaning you’ll be more likely to get sick or experience difficulty breathing. 

Inflammation

Inflammation is another key component of the innate immune response. Think of inflammation as a sort of signal that something is wrong. If you get an injury or an infection, inflammation occurs and white blood cells are sent to deal with the issue. Inflammation is a normal reactionary process for your body, but when it goes on for too long it may result in a chronic illness. What’s more, if inflammation never occurs, a seemingly harmless infection could become much more serious.  

Adaptive Immune System

The adaptive immune system is your body’s ability to evolve and adjust based on its circumstances. Whenever you contract a disease, your adaptive immune system “remembers” it, making it much easier to fight off the next time it’s exposed to it. Unlike the innate immune system which reacts to general threats in the body, the adaptive immune system is activated when it’s exposed to pathogens. The adaptive immune system is also a lot slower to react than the innate immune system.

Self vs Non-Self Antigens

In order for the immune system to work effectively, it first needs to be able to differentiate between self and non-self substances, organs, and cells. Self-antigens are ones that originate in the body and should not be attacked while non-self antigens are foreign and can often cause harm to the body if they aren’t neutralized.

Your immune system is largely coordinated by white blood cells called lymphocytes. When these cells come across a non-self antigen in the blood, they produce something called an antibody that allows them to detect and bind to the antigen. After binding to the antigen, the antibody engulfs and digests it with macrophages through a process called phagocytosis.

If the body has encountered a substance before, it may have stored “memory” cells that remember the microbe, allowing it to create an antibody more quickly. This is why people are less likely to contract a disease if they’ve already had it, because their immune system is better equipped to fight it off before it becomes a problem. However, an antibody that recognizes one antigen will not be able to recognize another.

Types of White Blood Cells

Lymphocytes

There are three different types of lymphocytes: T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells. T cells got their name because they’re produced in the thymus gland, a pinkish-gray organ in between the lungs. T cells are able to recognize foreign bodies and attach to them while ignoring self antigens.

B cells, produced in bone marrow, are another important type of lymphocyte. These cells have a protein on them called the B-cell receptor which generates the antibodies necessary to neutralize an antigen. B cells are part of the adaptive immune system because they develop when they’re introduced to a foreign substance.

NK cells, or natural killer cells, are the third type of lymphocyte. They got the name “natural” killers because they are part of the innate immune system. While T and B cells need to be primed by antigen presenting cells, NK cells have natural immune capabilities. NK cells are known for fighting cells that show early signs of cancer as well as virally infected cells.

Monocytes

Monocytes are the largest type of white blood cell. They’re produced in bone marrow like many leukocytes and become a macrophage when it travels to different tissues of the body via the bloodstream. These cells ingest foreign material, kill microorganisms, and remove dead cells.  

Granulocytes

Basophils

Basophils are a type of white blood cell referred to as granulocytes. A granulocyte white blood cell secretes substances called granules that play an important role in the immune system. When basophils are exposed to an allergen, they release a compound called histamine that causes dilation of capillaries and the contraction of smooth muscles.

Neutrophils

Neutrophils are usually the first white blood cells to arrive at the sight of infection because there are more of them than any other type of immune cell. Neutrophils neutralize bacterial infections through either phagocytosis or endocytosis.  

Eosinophils

These are proinflammatory cells that contain two different lobes and a cytoplasm that contains up to 200 granules. These granules contain proteins and enzymes that are needed to destroy foreign substances. While eosinophils play similar roles to other white blood cells, they also have a physiological role in the formation of organs such as the postgestational mammary gland.

Humoral vs. Cellular Immunity

Humoral and cellular immunity are the two main mechanisms within adaptive immunity. Humoral comes from the Latin word “humor” meaning “fluid” or “moisture.” So, humoral immunity refers to immune responses occurring within the body’s fluids, especially the blood. In humoral immunity, the antibody will destroy viruses through either immune cytolysis or phagocytosis.

Unlike humoral immunity, cellular immunity does not use antibodies. Instead, phagocytes, antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, and cytokines are released in response to antigens. When there is a viral infection, cell-mediated immunity can help prevent it from spreading but also results in an inflammatory response which can damage vital tissues surrounding the virus, resulting in chronic disease.

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Autoimmune Disease

An autoimmune disease is one that causes the immune system to be overactive and attack the body's tissues rather than pathogens or cancerous cells. Some autoimmune disease you may recognize include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and vasculitis. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disease, so it can be difficult to diagnose and differentiate each one.

Because autoimmune diseases cause increased immune system activity, they're often characterized by inflammation in the body. When treating these diseases, the goal is usually to reduce inflammation and reduce immune system activity. Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids or other steroids that can help with this.

COPD and The Immune System

You may recall from earlier that inflammation is one of the key functions of the innate immune system. When cigarette smoke or other airborne irritants enter the lungs, structural and inflammatory cells in the lung begin to release proinflammatory mediators. These mediators create an inflammatory microenvironment that damages the lungs and leaves the immune system in a state of disrepair. Many researchers have found that this lung state leads to more frequent and severe respiratory infection as well as a host of problems throughout the body.

While most medical professionals don’t label COPD as an autoimmune disease, most acknowledge that it has autoimmune components. Think of inflammation as a catalyst for adverse side-effects throughout the body. Because your immune system is preoccupied with chronic inflammation in the lungs, it has fewer resources to use in other areas of the body that may need it. 

Immune Dysfunction and COPD are a Two-Way Street

Another important thing to note about COPD and the immune system is that they’re a two-way street. In other words, a compromised immune system will lead to increased COPD symptoms, and COPD symptoms will lead to a compromised immune system. Like we mentioned before, smoking is the primary cause of COPD making up about 90 percent of COPD patients. Continuing to smoke with COPD will not only increase inflammation in the lungs, it will also weaken both your innate and adaptive immune system.

On the other hand, you should remember that only a small percentage of people who smoke actually develop emphysema or chronic bronchitis. This means that there are other factors at play in determining whether a smoker or someone exposed to lung irritants develops COPD. Researchers have found that both genetic makeup and the immune system play a role in determining whether someone develops the disease. 

Mucus Hypersecretion

Mucus is a substance created by mucosal glands lining the nasal passages. Its function is to lubricate, moisten, and filter debris that enters the airway, preventing it from reaching the lungs. But mucus isn’t the only substance secreted in the upper body. There are also fluids created by cell membranes in the nose and sinuses. When you get sick or your immune system is compromised by something like smoking or seasonal allergies, these substances are thrown off balance. This means you may experience thicker mucus in the airways making it much more difficult to breathe. 

Damaged Cilia

Unfortunately, many of the same things that cause COPD simultaneously damage your immune system. Cilia, tiny hair-like protrusions in the airways are one of the innate immune functions of the body that’s affected by cigarette smoking and air pollution. Much like mucus, cilia are part of a large ecosystem in your body that’s designed to prevent infection. While people who have never smoked or been exposed to a significant amount of pollution may have healthy cilia, most people who have COPD already have damaged cilia.

Another function of the cilia is to remove mucus and other substances from the airways. So, when the airways are inflamed due to bronchitis or the cilia are damaged and aren’t able to flow freely, congestion symptoms are likely going to stick around longer in someone with COPD and they may be more severe. This is one of the things that trigger a seemingly never ending cycle of sickness in people with chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  

Overactive Immune System

If you’ve ever heard the term “progressive disease,” you may have wondered exactly what that means. What this means is that the disease can’t be cured or reversed. While COPD is a progressive disease, it is still very treatable, meaning symptoms can be reduced and you are able to slow the progression of inflammation in the lungs.

Normally, you think of the immune system as something that protects your body from infection and harm. However, when you have COPD, your immune system is overactive. Something that may cause temporary airway inflammation in a healthy person may cause permanent and irreversible damage to a COPD patient’s lungs because the slightest irritant may result in prolonged inflammation.

High White Blood Cell Count

While a high white blood cell count in and of itself is not harmful, it is a sign of inflammation, chronic disease, and other symptoms. Since white blood cells are what combat infections, cancerous cells, and viruses in the body, a high WBC count is an indication that your body perceives a threat and is trying to eliminate it.

A study published in the National Center for Biotechnical Information looked at WBC counts between 1,227 COPD patients and 8,679 non-COPD adults over the age of 40. It concluded that high WBC counts were negatively associated with forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expired volume in one second (FEV1), both of which are crucial for quality of life in COPD patients.  

When an inflammatory response is triggered, phagocytes are what accelerate the amount of inflammation needed to treat the infection. They recruit alveolar macrophages that combat and control the inflammation. While alveolar macrophages are increased in patients with COPD, their ability to fight infection is impaired. This, along with a high survival rate of neutrophils leads to a high neutrophil load in the airway and a higher white blood cell count. 

Reduced Number of Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells are responsible for processing antigens and presenting it to the T cells. They are also the primary line of communication between the adaptive and innate immune system. While researchers have yet to determine exactly how dendritic cells are affected by COPD, some studies have shown that nicotine exposure can reduce the number of dendritic cells in the body while reducing their functionality, thus compromising both the innate and adaptive immune  systems and their ability to work together effectively.

The Immune System and Acute Exacerbations

An acute exacerbation of COPD is a sudden worsening of respiratory symptoms and can last as short as two days or as long as a week. Acute exacerbations are more common in later stages of the disease and exhibit signs such as increased sputum (a mixture of saliva and mucus), breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, and more. Acute exacerbations are typically triggered by environmental factors such as air pollution, dirt, dust, or pollen, and infectious disease     

Studies have shown that the majority of exacerbations are caused by respiratory illness like the human rhinovirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus. More specifically, around half of the infective exacerbations caused by bacteria are the result of Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) which, despite its name, is not the same thing as influenza (the flu). Due to a changing lung microbiome, impaired airway system, and unusual inflammatory response, this provides an ideal environment for it to survive in the lower respiratory area.

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How To Avoid Getting Sick

Now that you know a little bit about how the immune system works and how COPD impairs your immune system, you need to know what you can do about it. No matter what stage of COPD you are in, your age, or your overall health, you should adhere to a strict routine that will keep you from getting sick and keep you breathing freely and effortlessly. While you should be doing everything you can to prevent respiratory infection, you’ll need to know how to react if you do get sick.

Quit Smoking

Smoking cessation should always be your first step in getting healthy and preventing respiratory infection. Cigarettes are what’s called an “immunosuppressive drug.” What this means is that when you smoke cigarettes, your immune system is weakened, and your body will be less prepared to fight off harmful viruses and bacteria.

According to a study published in the Oncotarget Open Access Journal, cigarette smoke damages adaptive immune cells like regulatory T cells, B cells, and memory T/B lymphocytes while damaging innate immune cells such as natural killer cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. What’s more, smoking increases mucus production and makes it more difficult to clear meaning harmful pathogens are more likely to build up in the lungs. 

Get Plenty of Sleep

A great night’s sleep every night helps ensure your immune system is working its best. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation mainly affects one protein in the body: cytokines. This protein targets and prevents infection and inflammation in the body and they’re mainly produced and released while you’re sleeping.

If that’s not enough, when you slack on sleep, you’ll be more sleepy and less prepared to handle any symptoms of breathlessness or fatigue related to COPD. Getting enough sleep will give you the energy you need to follow your treatment plan to a T without making any mistakes. 

Stay Hydrated

There’s no understating the importance of hydration for COPD patients. Although everyone, regardless of whether they’re healthy or sick should be getting enough water, it’s especially important for anyone with a respiratory condition. Every cell in the body needs water in order to function, including all of the immune cells that we discussed above. The human body is made of more than

Studies show that people with COPD are about twice as likely to experience chronic pain compared to people with no chronic disease. In fact, researchers found that the pain experienced by many COPD patients is severe enough to rival arthritis pain and often requires opiate medications to manage.

If you have COPD it's important to understand that the disease doesn't just affect your lungs; it has many direct and indirect effects on the body. COPD can spawn several types of temporary and chronic pain, including pain in your chest, spine, muscles, joints, and even your bones.

Some chronic pains are the result of respiratory strain and lung damage, while others are caused by poor exercise, malnutrition, and even medication. Many COPD patients struggle to eat enough and get enough physical activity, and neglecting these vital habits is a common reason for chronic muscle and joint pain.

If you or someone you love has COPD, then you'll need to know what kinds of pains COPD can cause and how to treat them. More than 45% of COPD patients are plagued by chronic pain, and some of those pains can be relieved with professional support, proper diet, exercise, and other at-home therapies.

COPD is a difficult disease to manage, and it's even harder when you have to deal with chronic aches and pains. That's why, in this article, we're going to help you understand how COPD causes pain in different parts of the body and what you can do to manage and relieve these pains.

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What Kinds of Chronic Pains are Caused by COPD?

COPD can cause many different types of pain, and every patient's experience with chronic pain is different. However, there are a few particularly prominent causes of chronic pain that affect a large percentage of COPD patients.

Disuse Syndrome

Photo by Kristina on Flickr

COPD symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath can be very hard on your body. These symptoms are unpleasant on their own, but they can also cause a variety of chronic and acute pains.

Struggling for air during exercise or bouts of breathlessness is a common cause of chest pain and tightness for COPD patients. Coughing, especially a chronic cough, can also cause serious chest pain and strain the muscles in your shoulders, neck, and back.

However, the most damaging effect of these symptoms is that they make physical activity challenging and uncomfortable. Breathlessness, coughing, and chronic pains all discourage people with COPD from exercising, practicing breathing exercises, and participating in other forms of physical therapy.

Unfortunately, these physical activities are necessary to reduce COPD-related pain and improve patients' ability to breathe. Avoiding exercise only accelerates muscle wasting, loss of mobility, and serious physical decline.

What's worse, inactivity on its own causes even more chronic pain and discomfort due to a phenomenon known as disuse syndrome. Disuse syndrome refers to a variety of chronic pains, illnesses, and even mental disorders that result from a lack of physical activity.

Disuse syndrome occurs as a result of muscle wasting, cardiovascular disease, and nervous system changes that happen when you live a sedentary lifestyle and don't use your body enough. Luckily, disuse syndrome can be reversed with regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

Osteoporosis

At least 20 percent of people with COPD also suffer from osteoporosis, a condition that occurs when your bones become thin, weak, and prone to breaking. This is a result of a variety of COPD-related factors, including malnutrition, lack of exercise, chronic inflammation, and even corticosteroid medications.

Your bones are made of living tissue that is constantly being worn down and built back up again, but age and illness can hurt their ability to fully regenerate. Osteoporosis occurs when your body lacks the nutrients it needs to build up your bones at the same rate as old bone tissue is broken down.

Often osteoporosis is “silent,” having no outward signs or symptoms. Many people don't realize that their bones are weakened until they get a minor injury that fractures a bone.

However, once osteoporosis becomes severe it can lead to frequent injuries that cause chronic aches and pains. People with osteoporosis are particularly prone to spinal compression fractures, which can cause severe back pain and spine disfigurement.

If you have osteoporosis even minor actions like twisting, lifting, or minor falls can cause bone fractures that take months or longer to mend. Until they heal, fractures cause chronic pain that often requires prescription pain medication to manage.

Osteoporosis is more common than usual in all subsets of the COPD patient population, but it becomes more likely with age and in the later stages of the disease. COPD patients who have had many exacerbations, have a history of smoking, or who take inhaled or oral corticosteroids are most at risk than others for osteoporosis.

Chest Pain

Moderate to severe chest pain is common ailment that affects COPD patients, especially emphysema patients, day after day.

Emphysema is a common form of COPD that results from damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. Over time, emphysema causes your lungs to balloon and over-inflate, which hurts their ability to push all of the air out when you exhale.

Emphysema patients' lungs can become so large that they press on their rib cage and diaphragm, which causes  severe pain. The pain can strike at any time and can be triggered by activities as light as walking.

Although lung over-inflation is one of the most common reasons for chest pain, another common cause is muscle tightness and fatigue. COPD symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath over-exert the muscles in your chest that you use to breathe, making them tired and sore.

Chronic coughing and gasping for air can also strain the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back. Luckily, chronic chest, neck, and back pain can often be lessened with regular exercise, good posture, breathing techniques, and proper symptom management. 

Muscle Cramps and Soreness

Muscle soreness and cramps are also common pains that affect people with COPD. These pains can result from a variety of COPD-related conditions, including malnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle.

Because COPD is an age-related disease, many patients are elderly with muscles that can't stand up to the same amount of activity and strain that they used to. This puts COPD patients at a much greater risk for muscle weakness, cramps, and pain, especially when combined with a greater risk of muscle wasting due to the disease.

Muscle cramps can also be caused by poor blood circulation, which can occur along with other cardiovascular complications in the later stages of the disease. And since COPD makes it very difficult to exercise, many patients avoid physical activity, which makes muscle weakness and pain even worse.

What's more, certain medications like corticosteroids can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances in your body that starve your muscles of the nutrients they need to function. This can lead to severe muscle cramping and weakness, adding yet another risk factor for muscle problems in people with COPD.

While muscle cramps tend to be sudden, acute pains, rather than chronic pains, they can come as an indirect consequence of chronic pain. It happens like this:

• Chronic muscle soreness and weakness makes it difficult to exercise, leading to inactivity.
  
  
• Lack of physical activity and stretching exercises causes your muscles to get even more stiff and painful to move.
  
  
• You then become even more prone to getting additional muscle injuries and pains, including cramps, because your muscles are stiff and under-used.
  
  
• This can then lead to even more exercise avoidance out of fear that you will experience more painful muscle cramps and soreness.

Muscle pains are very important to treat because they make it more difficult to exercise, leading to an even more unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle. This compounds the problem, making your muscles and joints even more stiff and cramped from inactivity.

In fact, strengthening your leg muscles and treating chronic pains that make it difficult to move around are some of the most important things you can do for your COPD. Any intervention that makes your body stronger and improves your capacity for exercise has the potential to significantly improve COPD symptoms and even delay the progression of the disease.

Treatment for muscle cramps and soreness usually includes pain relievers, gentle stretching, and physical activity to reduce stiffness and improve limb mobility. We'll go into these treatments in more detail in the next sections so you can learn how to treat muscle pains and stay active with COPD.

General Treatments for Pains Caused by COPD

Over the Counter Pain Relievers

Photo by Briana Jones

Over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen and Aspirin aren't usually strong enough for severe pains, but they can be very effective for minor ailments. If you experience muscle cramps, chest pain, sore joints, or other small pains, these non-prescription medications could help.

For example, you could use mild pain relievers to treat sore muscles after a workout or a particularly active day. You could also use them to reduce mild chronic joint pains and muscle cramps so that you can exercise and perform daily activities without significant discomfort.

If you have COPD, you should always talk to your doctor before taking any new medication, even over-the-counter medications. Your doctor can ensure that they won't interfere with any of your other prescriptions or treatments and warn you about any side effects or complications you should look out for.

Mental Health Support

It's well-known that people who are anxious and depressed experience more aches and physical pains than people with good mental health. Therefore, one way to reduce chronic physical pain is to treat the emotional pain that amplifies it.

It's not difficult to understand why mental health support is so important for people living with COPD. A COPD diagnosis is extremely distressing to receive and can cause a great deal of fear, anxiety, sadness, and regret. Most people need as much extra support as they can get, both practical and emotional, to get through this difficult time.

Even after the initial diagnosis, people with COPD have to devote a significant amount of time and mental effort to managing their disease and its symptoms, which can cause even more worry and stress. Without professional help, the severe anxiety and emotional distress that many COPD patients feel can develop into more serious conditions like chronic anxiety and clinical depression.

If you feel depressed, anxious, or are struggling with increased chronic pain, don't hesitate to seek help from a therapist or psychiatrist. They can give you emotional support, help you manage negative thoughts and emotions, and prescribe you medication like antidepressants if you need them.

Once you take care of your mental health, you will likely notice that your chronic aches and pains have lessened as well. And without the burden of chronic emotional distress, it is much easier to stick to an exercise schedule and treatment plan to properly manage your disease.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a special class designed to help people with respiratory diseases like COPD take charge of their health. It includes instruction on how to exercise right, breathe better, and use medications effectively, along with a variety of other practical advice for managing chronic lung diseases.

Pulmonary rehab is a great opportunity to practice effective exercise techniques and breathing exercises that can improve your endurance for physical activity. It includes COPD-specific physical therapy lessons and tailored exercise classes that can help you reduce a variety of chronic pains, especially chest and muscle pain.

Pulmonary rehab also teaches you to strengthen the muscles in your chest and abdomen that you use to breathe, which can reduce chest tightness and pain that comes from over-inflated lungs and struggling to breathe. You can reduce muscle strain, cramps, and joint aches over the course of pulmonary rehab by learning exercise techniques that strengthen your muscles and joints.

Physical Therapy

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Kristopher Levasseur

If aches and pains in your muscles and joints are preventing you from exercising, you might need some physical therapy before you start working out on your own. Especially if you've been sedentary for awhile, your body might not be ready to jump into action just yet.

That's what physical therapy is good for; it helps you work with and around any physical conditions that limit your ability to move. A good physical therapist will teach you how to safely stretch and move the parts of your body that ache and help you recover from injuries and pains.

Through physical therapy, you can improve your muscle strength, flexibility, and overall range of motion. In many cases, this is enough to significantly reduce aches and pains in your muscles and joints and make it much easier to tolerate exercise and daily activities.

If you're suffering from any of the chronic aches, pains, or mental effects of disuse syndrome, physical therapy is one of the best ways to jump-start your recovery. Anything that makes it easier to exercise and move your body, like physical therapy and pulmonary rehab, can help you fight chronic pains and other symptoms caused by COPD.

Massage

There's no doubt that massages are relaxing and feel wonderful, but research shows that it's an effective treatment for muscle and joint pain, too.

Massage therapy is great for COPD because it helps relax sore muscles, limber up stiff joints, and reduce chronic pain. It can also help improve your range of motion, which makes it easier to exercise and do other everyday activities.

If you suffer from chronic pain in your muscles and joints, consider getting a massage once or twice a month. Depending on your insurance provider, your policy might even cover some of the expense. Just make sure to tell your massage therapist about any and all of your health conditions so that you can have a safe and pleasant experience.

Better Posture

Poor sitting, standing and sleeping posture can lead to a variety of chronic aches and pains. If you have COPD, it's especially important to practice a healthy, straight posture to keep your spine, muscles, bones, and joints healthy.

Bad posture leads to muscle and tendon strain that can severely limit your mobility and physical endurance. Since people with COPD are especially prone to sedentary living and exercise avoidance, they are also more prone to bad posture and the negative consequences that come with it. These negative effects include muscle wasting, stiffness, chronic pain, and permanent changes to the shape and curvature of the spine.

To practice good posture, you should always keep your back straight, your chin up, and your shoulders parallel with your hips. This will prevent you from leaning, slouching, and hunching, which put enormous strain on your spine, shoulders, and neck.

To learn more about how posture affects your COPD, visit our previous article here. It will show you in more detail what good posture looks like and give you a variety of tips and advice for building better postural habits.

Targeted Treatments for Pains Caused by COPD

Now that you've read some general tips for reducing chronic pains and keeping your body strong, we're going to introduce you to some targeted treatments and techniques for treating specific aches and pains. We'll show you techniques for relieving a variety of common COPD pains, including chest pain, joint aches, and muscle cramps.

Breathing Exercises

One of the best ways to prevent COPD-related chest pain is to strengthen the muscles in your chest and improve your breathing efficiency. Exercise is the most effective way to do this, but breathing exercises can help, too.

There are a variety of breathing exercises designed to help people with COPD and other respiratory illnesses breathe easier and more efficiently. Some of the most common are pursed lips breathing and diaphragmic breathing, which you can read about in more detail here.

Practicing these breathing exercises every day can help you change how you breathe on a daily basis and help you better control other respiratory symptoms like breathlessness and wheezing. Both techniques also reduce the amount of strain that breathing puts on your chest muscles, reducing chest pain and making it easier to breathe

Mucus Clearance Techniques

A chronic cough is a major source of chest pain for people with COPD. If you find yourself sore because of a chronic cough, especially if your cough usually brings up mucus, there are a variety of mucus clearance techniques that can help.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive at first, taking the time to cough intentionally can actually prevent more painful, more exhausting coughing fits later. Controlled coughing and huffing techniques clear the same mucus out of your lungs that is often the culprit behind a chronic cough. This allows you to breathe better and exercise better without worrying about excess phlegm triggering another coughing fit.

Common mucus clearance techniques include huff coughing, chest physiotherapy, and the active cycle of breathing technique. You can also use medical devices like positive expiratory pressure (PEP) devices, high-frequency chest wall oscillation, and lung flutes.

To learn about these and other ways to reduce mucus in your lungs and airways, visit our article on mucus clearance techniques here.

Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is a favorite home remedy used to treat a variety of aches and pains. It's one of the most simple ways to reduce bone and joint pain, and it works on stiff and sore muscles, too.

Heat therapy works by increasing blood flow to the affected bone or joint, which allows the body to transport extra oxygen and nutrients to the area. This can help the injury heal faster and also provides a soothing, warming sensation that temporarily reduces pain.

To apply this treatment, you'll first need a convenient, portable source of heat, such as a hot water bottle. Then, wrap your heat source in a towel to protect your skin from the extreme temperature. Next, press the hot pack on to the affected muscle, bone, or joint for up to thirty minutes at a time. With any luck, you should experience pain relief after only fifteen or twenty minutes.

What makes heat therapy so great is that it is simple, convenient, and has an immediate soothing effect. And if you don't have a heat pack at home, you can easily make one with items around the house.

Here are some ideas for heat sources you can use to relieve pain in your muscles, bones, and joints:

• Electric heating pad
• Hot water bottle
• Single-use heat packs (e.g. Hot Hands packets)
• A hot shower or bath
• Fill a sock or other fabric pouch with rice, then microwave for a couple minutes until hot.

Increase Calcium and Vitamin D in Your Diet

A major contributor to osteoporosis is a lack of calcium in your diet. It can also be caused by too little Vitamin D, which your body requires in order to absorb and utilize the calcium your eat.

While extra calcium is not a cure for osteoporosis, it can help prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone density loss. If you have COPD, you are at a very high risk for osteoporosis and you should be especially careful to get the recommended amount of calcium in your diet, which is usually about 500-1000 mg.

Here are some good sources of calcium you can add to your diet to protect against osteoporosis:

• Dairy (e.g. milk, cheese, and yogurt)
• Collard greens
• Kale
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Foods fortified with calcium (e.g. tofu, orange juice, cereal, and almond, rice, or soy milk)

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From the novel coronavirus to devastating wildfires, 2020 has been a challenging year for us all. But for people with chronic respiratory illnesses like COPD or asthma, this year has been the ultimate test. The good news is that, by following all COVID-19 safety precautions stated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and by checking the air quality index (AQI) before leaving the house, many COPD patients have adjusted nicely to a new way of life.

With the holidays coming up, you may be wondering how you can stay safe while still catching up with friends and loved ones. Whether you’re flying across the country or you’re just going down the street, it’s important to prepare well enough in advance so that you can stay healthy and happy and avoid emergencies like COPD flare-ups and exacerbations. Conversely, if you are having relatives over to your house, you should ensure your home is safe for you and your guests.

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In this post, we’ll take a look at several of the most important safety tips you should take into consideration. As always, if you have any questions for us, feel free to leave them in the comment section and we’ll do our best to answer them as soon as possible. What’s more, if you have any questions about your COPD treatment plan or you’re thinking of making changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medication, please consult your doctor beforehand.

Upgrade to a Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Chances are, you know exactly what it’s like to use an oxygen tank during the holiday season. First and foremost, you have to have a plan as to how you will refill your oxygen tank while you’re away from home. This could mean bringing a spare tank or researching oxygen companies in the area that can deliver oxygen to you. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to find an oxygen company that’s actually open during the holiday season.

The next thing you have to consider is how you will actually transport your oxygen. Oxygen tanks are banned on all airlines, so taking a flight is out of the question. It’s also very dangerous to travel with an oxygen tank in your car, so you will have to take a number of safety precautions in order to ensure that it doesn’t move around while you’re in transit. Last but not least, you’ll have to spend your whole holiday keeping a close eye on your tank, making sure it’s not exposed to any open flames or anything that could damage the fragile components.

Fortunately, using a personal oxygen concentrator is much easier and safer. Travel size oxygen concentrators like the Caire FreeStyle Comfort are lightweight, compact, and most importantly, they’re much safer to use than a standard oxygen tank. Portable oxygen concentrators are electronic devices that draw in ambient air, remove unneeded gases, and then put out medical grade oxygen. As a result, they don’t store oxygen at high pressures like oxygen tanks do. 

Another reason they’re safer is that they have an implemented “breath detection technology” which cuts off oxygen flow if no breath is detected. Since oxygen increases the flammability of everything it comes in contact with, you can rest assured you’ll be safe if you accidentally drop your nasal cannula and leave it for an extended period of time.

One final reason that portable oxygen concentrators are safer to use during the holidays is that they don’t create a tripping hazard. If you use an oxygen tank, you will have to wheel it around on a carrying cart meaning your nasal cannula will have to run from the tank to your nose. However, portable oxygen concentrators like the Inogen One G5 can be slung over your shoulder and tucked under your arm so that it’s always accounted for. What’s more, you can keep your oxygen tubing nice and short so that it’s not dragging on the ground.

Have a Plan for Dealing with Exacerbations

According to the American Thoracic Society (ATS), a COPD exacerbation is a period of worsening symptoms, most commonly caused by infection. And unfortunately, being around your family and extended family during the holidays will put you at a higher risk of contracting illnesses like the flu, the common cold, and even the coronavirus. Contrary to popular belief, most medical experts recommend wearing a mask if you have COPD. As long as you’re using supplemental oxygen therapy as prescribed and you’re checking your blood oxygen levels regularly, the mask should not affect your symptoms.   

If you’re someone who experiences anxiety or claustrophobia while wearing a mask, there are a number of techniques you can try to alleviate this. Since claustrophobia is closely linked to how you breathe, taking the time to learn breathing techniques like diaphragmatic breathing can help you in the long run. This involves concentrating on using your diaphragmatic muscles to breathe rather than your chest muscles. Another thing you can try is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which can help you pinpoint the root cause of anxiety and learn ways to cope with it in a manageable way.

Aside from wearing a mask, you should follow all other COVID-19 safety guidelines. This means maintaining 6 feet of distance between other people, washing your hands regularly throughout the day, and making others aware that you’re a high-risk individual. Making others aware of your condition is important because if there was an emergency, they would need to know how to help. If you want, you can even write down an action plan to help you out in a difficult situation. If you’d like to learn more about COPD action plans, read through this post.

Don’t Fall Back on Old Habits

When you were diagnosed with COPD, you likely had some significant obstacles to overcome. Smoking cessation, an improved diet, and a consistent exercise routine are all necessary to get back on track and slow the progression of COPD. Unfortunately, all the bad habits you dropped when you were diagnosed with COPD can come flooding back when you’re around people you haven’t seen in a while.

Before leaving the house for the holidays, it’s important to mentally prepare. While the holiday season is all about relaxing and letting go, you don’t want to be so relaxed that you forget about your COPD treatment plan. One thing most people do on Thanksgiving and Christmas is overeating. This may be relatively harmless for someone who’s healthy, but for someone with COPD, this could mean exacerbating your lung symptoms. 

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The main reason you don’t want to overeat during the holidays is that it can lead to bloating. When this happens, you’ll notice that you have a harder time breathing and you’ll be more likely to experience chest pain or a chronic cough. Secondly, COPD patients have a hard time processing a lot of food all at once. This is why doctors recommend eating smaller meals spread throughout the day because it is easier for your body to manage. Eating large meals can also lead to weight gain. 

According to U.S. News, being overweight has a number of negative effects when it comes to managing your disease. Overweight individuals will get out of breath faster and excess body weight on the stomach and chest can interfere with breathing. Another problem is that overweight people tend to maintain a diet high in carbohydrates which get converted to carbon dioxide (CO2) during digestion. This means you’ll be struggling to get the oxygen you need to maintain your blood oxygen levels. So, if you want to eat healthy this holiday season be sure to focus on portion control and avoid foods that are high in carbs.

Another habit you may be tempted to fall back on is smoking. Cigarette smoking causes around 85 to 90 percent of all COPD cases and continuing to smoke with COPD will worsen the disease and trigger exacerbations. If you’re spending time with relatives that you used to smoke with or people who currency smoke this holiday season, this could cause you to slip back into an old habit. And even if you don’t smoke with this person, being around them will still expose you to secondhand smoke which can be just as bad.

Take Time Packing Your Medication

If you’re a COPD patient, your medication is paramount to your health. Whether you take orally administered medication, inhaled medication like nebulizer therapy or inhaler therapy, or some combination of the two, you’ll need to ensure that everything is packed and ready to go before you head out the door. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to renew your prescription for all of your medications so that you don’t have to worry about that when the time comes to leave.

Long-acting bronchodilators are designed to relax the airways and help you breathe easier throughout the day. This includes drugs such as tiotropium, salmeterol, indacaterol, formoterol, arformoterol, and aclidinium. Short-acting bronchodilators, on the other hand, are designed to work quickly in the event that you experience a COPD exacerbation. Short-acting bronchodilators include albuterol, ipratropium, ipratropium bromide, and levalbuterol.

Plan a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Schedule

Pulmonary rehabilitation has been one of the most hotly debated aspects of COPD treatment plans. In the past, it was believed that any form of exercise would exacerbate respiratory systems. However, within the past several decades, studies have shown that a carefully planned and consistent exercise routine can improve lung strength and slow the progression of COPD.

While it’s tempting to forget about exercising and practicing breathing exercises while you’re away for the holidays, this will only put you behind on your treatment regime. Rather you should take the time to plan out your day and ensure that you follow all of your doctor's instructions. It may not seem like it, but even a small amount of moderate exercise can go a long way towards improving your long term prognosis and helping you feel better.

Check the Air Quality Index (AQI)

You may believe that, since the temperature is starting to drop, there’s no need to check the air quality index before you go outside. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. Cold weather actually causes things like car exhaust and other types of air pollution to stick closer to the ground since the air is denser and moves more slowly. This means it’s more important than ever to check the air quality. What’s more, there are a number of wildfires still raging across the country which are filling the air with smoke.

According to this study, the most common types of pollution during winter months are PM10 (particulate matter that is 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Wildfires are a complex mixture of pollutants including fine particles, water vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, organic chemicals, and more. When you go to check the AQI in your area, be sure to keep an eye out for these.

COPD patients are considered part of the “sensitive group” when it comes to air quality. Generally speaking, COPD patients should not go outside if the AQI is over 100, but if you have late stage COPD, an AQI under 50 will be ideal. Like we discussed in our last blog post, there is an AQI mobile application that you can download on either your Android or iPhone that makes it simple and easy to check the air quality in your area.

Bring Clothing That’s Appropriate for the Weather

The weather has an immense impact on COPD symptoms. Extreme conditions, typically over 90 degrees Fahrenheit or below freezing can cause flare-ups and lead to unexpected side-effects like increased mucus production. Of course, the best way to cope with these weather conditions is to remain inside with the heater on, however, going outside may be unavoidable if you’re visiting relatives. 

One of the best ways to keep your body temperature high while out in the cold is to wear multiple layers. Unfortunately, simply wearing a heavy jacket won’t do much to keep you warm and it could even restrict your breathing. Rather, you should wear several layers of flexible clothing that don’t add any unnecessary strain to your chest or stomach. Also, be sure to wear gloves, a hat, and a scarf. 

For more information on managing COPD in cold weather, read our article titled, “The Complete Guide to Managing Your COPD in the Winter”. 

Conclusion

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner. In just a few weeks it will be time to pack the bags and head to the relatives’ house. And whether you’re planning on traveling across the country or next door, there’s a lot of planning COPD patients need to do in order to stay safe and healthy during this time. Follow the tips above to get you started and don’t hesitate to leave a comment below if you have any questions for us.

If you’re looking for a lightweight portable oxygen concentrator for your holiday trip, feel free to reach out to our respiratory specialists here at LPT Medical. We are happy to provide COPD patients with plenty of options from the most reputable brands in the industry like Caire Inc., Inogen, and Respironics. Some of our most popular units include the Caire FreeStyle Comfort, Inogen One G5, and the Respironics SimplyGo.

November is COPD awareness month, a time to come together and educate people of all backgrounds about the global impact of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD awareness month is marked by an orange ribbon and can be observed in a number of different ways. Despite being the third leading cause of death in the United States, COPD suffers from a severe lack of awareness. According to a Health Union survey, only about 38 percent of patients were aware what COPD was or what its risk factors were before being diagnosed.

Believe it or not, November is also lung cancer awareness month. And while these two diseases share many symptoms, causes, and risk factors, they are not the same disease. To put this into perspective, about 16 million people have COPD in the United States, yet only about 541,000 people have lung cancer in the United States. Generally speaking, more people are aware of the impact of lung cancer and they’re more educated about the symptoms than those of COPD.

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No matter whether you’ve just been diagnosed with COPD, you’ve had COPD for years, or you’ve never been diagnosed with COPD, we’re going to take a look at seven of the best ways to celebrate COPD awareness month. If you have any questions about anything you’ve read here, please feel free to leave a comment or reach out to us.

Participate in Local Events

The novel coronavirus has made 2020 a difficult year for in-person events like concerts, fundraisers, and more. In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many of these events have been canceled in order to limit or outright prevent human-to-human contact. But that doesn’t mean that these events have stopped entirely, it just means that people have had to adapt to a new way of doing things. For most people, this has meant relying more on technology than ever before and embracing things like social media and video conferences.

Because COVID-19 specifically targets the respiratory system, it’s more important than ever for COPD patients to be aware of what’s going on in the world of COPD research. According to COPD News Today, although respiratory patients have a high survival rate when contracting COVID-19, they’re still at a much higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms from the virus than the general public. COPD patients are more likely to experience exacerbations such as increased dyspnea, phlegm production in the airways, and chest pain.   

Mentor Youth to Prevent Smoking and Vaping

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking rates have declined from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.5 percent in 2016 among adults 18 years of age and older. While this is certainly great news, there are still many battles to be fought when it comes to smoking prevention, especially among people who are most vulnerable such as the youth. According to Heathline, about 8 percent of teens smoke cigarettes and about 21 percent use e-cigarettes or vape pens.

Vaping has often been touted as the “best option” for weaning people off of cigarettes and onto a substance that’s less harmful for your health. However, vaping has been linked to a number of illnesses commonly called E-cigarette or Vaping product use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI). What’s more, many people argue that vaping can be used as a “gateway drug” leading to the use of cigarettes and marijuana, especially in younger generations.

If you have COPD, you likely agree that any amount of drug use among American youth is too much. This is why COPD awareness month is the perfect time to mentor kids and teens about the dangers of cigarette smoking. If you know what it’s like to live with COPD and you’ve spent time researching and understanding your disease, this puts you in a great position to mentor younger generations and teach them about a disease they may know little or nothing about.

There are many ways to get involved with youth mentoring. First and foremost, you can simply speak with friends or family members and tell them your story of coping with COPD. Another thing you can do is support tobacco-free schools and programs. While most schools do promote a smoke-free lifestyle, the more engagement there is from parents and previous smokers, the easier it will be to create a truly smoke-free generation. In short, smoking trends have decreased significantly over the decades, and it’s mostly due to people like you who want to make a difference in someone’s life. 

Create an Online COPD Group

In this day and age, it’s easier than ever before to stay connected to the outside world. With social media sites like Facebook and online COPD communities like COPD360Social made by the COPD Foundation, you can be connected with thousands of other COPD patients around the world in a matter of minutes. As long as you use discretion when you read something, this can be an incredibly powerful tool for helping you understand your disease and learn about possible treatment options that you may not have heard of otherwise.

If you can’t find the right community for you, however, COPD awareness month may be the perfect time to start your own online COPD community. This is a great idea if you have a close group of friends with COPD who want to stay connected despite the pandemic we’re currently facing. You’ll also have the option of keeping the group closed or open, allowing people all over the world to join in on your conversations about COPD. Keep in mind that your social media group doesn’t have to focus on COPD. You could also discuss things that keep your mind off of your disease and the current state of the world.

Reevaluate Your Short- and Long-Term Goals

Goal planning is extremely important if you live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or any other type of respiratory impairment. Long-term goals focus on broad accomplishments such as smoking cessation, exercise goals, and diet goals, whereas short-term goals are like baby steps that you will use to achieve your long-term goals. Being faced with a COPD diagnosis often means drastically altering your goals as well as changing your outlook on life. 

Since COPD awareness month comes around once a year, it’s the perfect time to reevaluate your goals and make sure that you’re on track to meet them. COPD plans are oftentimes confusing and multifaceted, so it’s best to assume that you can always make improvements to it. For example, if you’ve already drastically changed your diet think about other ways to benefit from your diet like eating smaller meals throughout the day, creating a meal plan so that you are more consistent with your diet, or contacting your doctor to see if there are any additional changes you can make. Ultimately, you don’t want to feel overwhelmed by your treatment plan, but you also want to always feel like you have something to work towards.

Participate in a Clinical Trial Program

A clinical trial is a research project aimed at determining the safety and efficacy of a particular medicine or medical procedure. Clinical trials are overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and they’re divided into four different phases. Phase one clinical trials typically test the safety of a drug or medical procedure and phase two clinical trials are focused on their efficacy. Phase three tests the drug in diverse populations and in different dosages or in combination with other drugs. Last but not least, phase four trials are aimed at monitoring drugs after they’ve already been approved for the market.

There are many reasons to participate in clinical trials this COPD awareness month, but the main reason is that it helps researchers learn more about the lungs and how to treat chronic illnesses like COPD. In order to learn more about COPD and how to treat it, researchers need people of all backgrounds to test their medication. By doing this, they are able to understand who might benefit from it in the future and who should avoid it due to negative side-effects.

Another reason you may want to participate in a clinical trial is because it affords you the opportunity to use COPD medication that is not available to most people. You’ll also be happy to know that most clinical trials are free to participate in and you may even get paid for the time you put into it. Before offering you any type of medication, clinical trial organizations are required to perform a medical examination to ensure there isn’t a high risk of harm, so you can rest assured that clinical trials are safe. To learn more about clinical trials in your area, visit clinicaltrials.gov. 

Take Up a New Hobby

Hobbies are the meaningful tasks that we use to fill our day-to-day life. They’re separate from our life-long goals and aspirations, but they can also be a significant part of who we are and what our purpose is in life. A hobby can be something as simple as doing a crossword puzzle or something more complex and involved like scrapbooking or playing music. Unfortunately, many COPD patients define themselves by their disease rather than by the things that are important to them. This is why COPD awareness month is a great time to pick up a new hobby and discover something that’s important to you.

One of the biggest issues facing the COPD community is anxiety and depression, so it’s best to find a hobby that combats these issues. According to Healthline, one of the best ways to prevent depression is through exercise so if you can find a hobby that gets you up and moving, it’s likely to keep you happy and healthy. Since your COPD treatment plan already requires you to perform pulmonary rehabilitation it might be worth it to find a way to combine your hobbies and your exercise routine. Hobbies like reading or playing games are also great because they keep your mind engaged and prevent your thoughts from wondering.  

Raise Awareness for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

It’s so easy to get caught up in conversations about smoking and air pollution and forget about the primary genetic cause of COPD: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AAT deficiency). Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a type of protein that’s created by the liver. Its job is to protect the lungs from inflammation. When this protein is distributed in low quantities it can make the patient more susceptible to lung damage from smoking, air pollution, and lung infection. Alpha-1 deficiency is known to contribute the pathogenesis of lung disease in people who have never smoked and have lived otherwise healthy lives.

Alpha-1 deficiency is genetic, meaning it’s inherited from the parents and it does not appear in offspring unless both parents have this trait. As a result, alpha-1 deficiency is a fairly rare condition, affecting about 100,000 people in the United States. Alpha-1 deficiency is more common in people of European descent and less common in people of Asian descent. If Alpha-1 deficiency results in the liver retaining this protein, it can also lead to the development of scar tissue in the liver.

While alpha-1 deficiency only causes about 3 percent of COPD cases, it’s still an important risk factor to know about. Many people with alpha-1 deficiency are undiagnosed and resulting lung damage is often misdiagnosed as asthma. So, the more aware the general population is of this rare disease, the more likely it can be treated before doing severe damage to the respiratory system. Read our blog post about alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and share it with a friend if they would benefit from it.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, contrary to its prominence in the United States, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suffers from severe underrepresentation and lack of awareness among the general population. This is due to several reasons. First and foremost, the majority of people who smoke never contract COPD. Rather, smokers are more likely to contract other illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, all of which can detract from the national conversation about chronic bronchitis and emphysema. 

Another reason there is a lack of awareness around COPD is that it shares the same awareness month as lung cancer. While it’s certainly important for COPD patients to understand their high risk of contracting lung cancer, it’s also important to remember that COPD is a silent disease in many ways since it is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Helping people to understand that COPD and lung cancer are two different diseases may help shed more light on the unique problems associated with each.

Ultimately, COPD awareness month is a month that should be observed by everyone, regardless of whether or not you have COPD or you know someone who has COPD. Take some of the aforementioned tips into consideration as you plan for the weeks ahead and be sure to leave a comment below if you have any questions or concerns.   

Headaches are a problem that we all deal with whether we’re young or old; healthy or not. A mild headache can detract from our daily life causing us to feel distracted, unmotivated, or restless. But at their worst, headaches can leave us completely unable to function in our daily lives. Many COPD patients may find themselves somewhere in between. You might get headaches periodically with varying degrees of severity, and experience periods of relief.

If you’ve noticed that you experience more headaches or more severe headaches since contracting COPD, the two conditions are most likely linked. In other words, focusing on treating your underlying COPD symptoms may help you to manage or completely eliminate your headaches as well.

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In the following article, we’ll take a look at some important steps you should take to treat headaches if you have COPD. As usual, if your headaches persist or you believe they may be caused by some other health issue, be sure to schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss the potential cause.

How COPD Causes Headaches

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a group of lung diseases that cause difficulty breathing. It’s called an “obstructive” disease because it makes it more difficult for a patient to expel air from the lungs. Diseases that make it more difficult for patients to inspire air are called “restrictive” because they’re caused by lungs that are unable to expand completely.

Your lungs have two functions: to bring in oxygen-rich air and to remove carbon dioxide-rich air. If one of these functions is out of balance, it can lead to a lot of problems. For example, hypoxia can occur when your blood has low oxygen levels. Over time, this can lead to severe symptoms, because your tissues are being deprived of a basic component that they need to function.

Another problem that can result from a chronic lung disease like COPD is hypercapnia. This is a condition that happens when you retain too much carbon dioxide. Having too much carbon dioxide in the blood can lead to similar symptoms as hypoxia by damaging organs and slowing the rate at which oxygen gets to your body’s tissues.

The most common cause of headaches in COPD patients is a low blood oxygen level due to either hypoxia or hypercapnia. While the brain only makes up about 2 percent of your body’s weight, it receives 15 to 20 percent of the body’s blood supply. As such, you’re likely to experience a headache due to low blood oxygen levels before any other symptom. 

Many COPD patients experience headaches in the morning after waking up and this is likely due to sleeping problems such as sleep apnea which can be exacerbated by a chronic lung condition. When these two conditions occur together simultaneously, it’s called COPD-OSA overlap syndrome. If you have overlap syndrome, your doctor will likely prescribe both supplemental oxygen and CPAP or BiPAP therapy to help you sleep better at night.

Focus on Your COPD Treatment Plan

A COPD treatment plan is a set of steps you take to treat the underlying symptoms of COPD. Most doctors will recommend some combination of supplemental oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, an improved diet, and a revised sleep schedule. However, depending on the severity of your COPD and whether or not you have comorbidities may affect how you should be treating your disease.

The reason that you should start with your treatment plan is that it will rule out COPD as the cause of your headaches. If you’re doing everything that you should be doing to manage your respiratory health and you’re still experiencing headaches regularly, it’s safe to say that there is something else causing the issue. On the other hand, if you’re experiencing headaches in the morning, they could be due to a drop in blood oxygen levels at night. In this case, you may need to talk to your doctor about having a sleep test done.

Supplemental Oxygen Therapy

The vast majority of people with COPD are prescribed supplemental oxygen. Some people are only required to use it several hours a day or as needed when blood oxygen levels are low. However, a large number of COPD patients need to use oxygen for 16 hours or more each day. Unfortunately, some people find themselves either falling back on the supplemental oxygen plan their doctor set for them or they are unknowingly using their oxygen device incorrectly.

Oxygen tanks have been the industry standard for oxygen therapy for a long time. But they don’t meet the needs of every oxygen patient because they’re heavy and bulky. As a result, oxygen tank users frequently feel like they aren’t able to get where they need to go without help from a friend or loved one. Carrying around a heavy oxygen tank can also lead to breathlessness, low blood oxygen levels, and thus headaches, so it may be worth it to look for a different oxygen therapy device.

Portable oxygen concentrators offer a much more convenient way to use oxygen. Since they’re both small and lightweight, they help you ensure that your oxygen needs are met wherever you go. POCs are battery-powered, so you’ll never find yourself where you run out of oxygen. Simply plug it into any car or wall outlet and you can continue using it and charging your batteries.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a fancy way of saying exercise that’s focused on your lung health. Pulmonary rehab is a supervised program meaning you will work with a medical expert who will show you the proper way to exercise if you have impaired lung function. However, once you know how to exercise correctly, you can perform pulmonary rehabilitation in the comfort of your own home.

The reason pulmonary rehab is so important in preventing headaches is that a sedentary lifestyle and poor posture can make you more susceptible to headaches. Consistent moderate exercise is one of the best remedies for headaches because it keeps blood flowing to the brain and the rest of the body. Exercise also helps you improve your posture which is another thing that can affect your body’s circulation.

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Healthy Diet

Your diet plays an immense role in your body’s ability to ward off headaches. According to migrainetrust.org, skipping meals, dieting, eating high-sugar foods, and fasting can all contribute to or cause headaches. What’s more, according to COPD News Today, studies suggest that inflammation caused by COPD can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. This condition is known for causing low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and as a result, headaches.

As a COPD patient, your diet should be strictly regulated. First and foremost, you should be eating smaller meals throughout the day rather than one or two big meals. Your body may struggle to digest larger meals, so the more you can spread out your meals, the better. Secondly, you need to be eating the right types of foods. COPD patients need food that is high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, but low in added sugar and salt, as well as highly processed or fried foods. This will ensure that your lungs remain healthy and strong and you don’t have any bouts of hunger or energy loss that could lead to headaches.

Smoking Cessation

Smoking is likely one of the most common causes of headaches in COPD patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 38% of COPD patients are current smokers. While smoking temporarily alleviates stress, anxiety, and headaches, the withdrawals you experience after the fact can be particularly painful. According to WebMD, insomnia, cravings, and headaches due to nicotine withdrawal typically begin 3 to 5 days after you last smoked. If you’re trying to quit smoking but keep falling back on your plans, this could be why you’re experiencing headaches.

Avoid COPD Triggers

A COPD trigger is anything that can cause a flareup in your COPD symptoms. Some common COPD triggers include cigarette smoke, car exhaust, indoor cleaners, dust, pollen, and more. COPD triggers can cause your airways to constrict, increase inflammation in the lungs, and increase the production of mucus, all of which make it more difficult to breathe. Additionally, COPD exacerbations can lead to a high degree of stress and anxiety, all of which can contribute to headaches.

Ideally, you should be conscious of the quality of air that you are breathing throughout the day. When you’re indoors, make sure you are not exposed to dust, mold, or toxic cleaning supplies. And before going outside, be sure to check the air quality index to make sure the air is clean enough for someone with a chronic respiratory illness. Also, be sure to have a plan for dealing with flare-ups and exacerbations.  

Drink Lots of Water

According to the H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry, the heart and brain are composed of 73% water and the lungs are composed of 83 percent water. What this means is that depriving your body of water doesn’t just prevent your brain from getting the water it needs, but it also makes it more difficult for your heart and lungs to bring oxygen-rich blood to your brain. While every tissue in your body needs water, your brain needs it most of all. 

COPD Medications

The medications that you take for COPD can be both the cause of, and the cure for your headaches. Generally speaking, taking medication as it’s prescribed by your doctor will help stabilize your blood oxygen level and mitigate the chance that you will experience an exacerbation or other COPD-related complication. However, some COPD medications have “headaches” listed as a side-effect, so this isn’t something you should rule out.

Fast-acting bronchodilators (also known as rescue inhalers) are an important part of any COPD treatment plan. They include drugs like albuterol, albuterol sulfate, and levalbuterol, and they’re responsible for quickly alleviating COPD symptoms like chest tightness and excess mucus production. However, fast-acting bronchodilators are also known for having a lot of side-effects like headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

Be Careful With Pain-Relief Medications

Unfortunately, most discussions around COPD are focused on alleviating the symptoms of the disease and less on alleviating pain that’s associated with those symptoms. While pain medication can be used safely and effectively in COPD patients, it should not be seen as a cure-all or something that’s used on a daily basis. What’s more, you have to be careful about what pain relievers you’re using and how they will interact with your COPD medications.

Consult Your Doctor

While you can continue to research the potential cause of your headaches, the best way to deal with this problem as quickly as possible is to consult your doctor. While it may seem like a hassle to go to the doctor just to ask about your headaches, there could be a very simple solution to your problem or there may be a more serious underlying problem that your doctor needs to know about. Be sure to write down the following information before you schedule an appointment:

• The frequency and severity of your headaches
• What time of day or night your headaches occur
• The location on your head that you feel the most pain
• What foods you’re eating each day
• How much water you’re consuming daily
• What your sleep schedule is like
• Any additional medication you’re taking (that wasn’t prescribed by your doctor)

Conclusion

Headaches are not an uncommon side-effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Likely one of the first symptoms you will experience if your blood oxygen levels are low is a headache. But there’s also a chance that the pain you’re experiencing is completely unrelated to your respiratory condition. 

Start by trying a few of the tips listed above and if they don’t work, be sure to consult your doctor. While there may be a simple solution to your headache problem, they could be a sign of a more serious underlying condition, so it’s best to speak with your doctor sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a new mobile oxygen machine to manage your respiratory condition, feel free to browse our portable oxygen concentrators here at LPT Medical. We offer all of the most popular and reliable units including but not limited to the Caire FreeStyle Comfort and the Inogen One G5. Both of which weigh under 5 pounds and offer outstanding battery life to keep you out and about for longer. Speak with one of our respiratory specialists to learn more.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that affects around 16 million people in the United States alone. While there is no “cure” for COPD, the rate that it progresses can be slowed significantly with healthy lifestyle choices and therapy options such as pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and nebulizer therapy. COPD is a debilitating condition meaning it can affect your ability to get around. But despite this, many people with COPD have been able to live active lives.

One activity in particular that many COPD patients may have trouble doing is grocery shopping. Many people enjoy going to the store because it can be therapeutic and it allows them to plan their own meals. However, on the other hand, grocery shopping requires a lot of walking and lifting which can be made more challenging by increased breathlessness, chest pain, and chronic fatigue.

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In this post, we’ll take a look at some actionable tips for making grocery shopping a little bit easier and accommodating of your lung condition. And if you are unable to make it to the grocery store, we’ll provide you with some interesting alternatives that you can try. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

Speak With Your Doctor

Before you start planning your trip to the grocery store, it’s very important that you speak with your doctor. While it would be nice if there was one simple dietary plan that every COPD patient could follow, the truth is, no two people have the same nutritional needs. Your doctor will work closely with you to determine what foods you should be eating based on the severity of your COPD, your age, and whether or not you have any comorbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, or cardiovascular disease.

Diet and respiratory health are inextricably linked. Whenever you eat, the food consumed is used as raw materials in a process called cellular respiration. This is when the oxygen that you take into your lungs is used to break down food and turn it into usable energy for your entire body. If you eat unhealthy foods or you don’t have the proper balance of nutrients, your lungs will not have the energy and strength they need to function properly.

You not only need to know what to eat but how much to eat as well. If you don’t eat enough food and you’re malnourished, you likely won’t have the energy to go about your daily life and do things like grocery shopping or cooking. Many COPD patients are underweight because eating can lead to bloating, chest pain, and fatigue. If this is the case, your doctor may closely manage your diet to ensure you’re getting enough protein and healthy fats in your diet. He/she may also prescribe you medication that helps you cope with bloating and fatigue after eating.

On the other hand, being overweight can also cause a lot of problems in COPD patients. While overweight is far less common in COPD patients, the added weight can lead to obstructed breathing. If you are overweight, your doctor will likely make adjustments to your fitness routine to ensure you’re getting the right amount of exercise. Spreading meals throughout the day and implementing portion control can also help alleviate weight problems. Atrophy (muscle wasting) is a common cause of weight loss in COPD patients, so it’s important to lose weight in a healthy way that burns fat rather than muscle.

Last but certainly not least, you should not hesitate to address any questions or concerns you have about grocery shopping, cooking, and diet with your doctor. If you think you have a “weird” question, chances are, there are many other people out there who have the same question, so it’s best to just speak your mind. One good way to do this is to keep a notepad handy as you go about your day and write down any questions you have as you think of them. Once it comes time to visit your doctor, simply hand him/her the notepad.  

Take Time to Plan Ahead

Going to the grocery store with COPD is all about planning. The more prepared you are, the better you will be able to deal with complications as they arise. Before heading out the door, you might want to create a list of emergency contacts that you can call if you experience a flare-up in your symptoms and need someone to come get you. According to Healthline, the average COPD patient experiences between 0.85 and 1.3 exacerbations a year so it’s best to be prepared no matter where you’re going or what you’re doing.

COPD is an invisible disease in many ways meaning nobody is going to know that you have COPD just by looking at you. This is why it’s important to have a plan rather than relying on strangers in the grocery store if you experience a flare-up. If you’re able to, you might consider reaching out to a friend and schedule days to go to the grocery store together. This could be another person with COPD or a healthy individual, but what matters is that they understand your disease and how to deal with a flare-up or exacerbation.   

Research Nutritional Information and Brands

One thing you should get in the habit of doing is being more careful about the brands you buy and the nutritional labels on the back of each product. Unfortunately, there is a lot of deceptive advertising out there to make you think that you’re eating healthy food when you’re really not. According to Truth in Advertising, 70 percent of consumers make buying decisions while they are in the store making them more susceptible to false advertising.

Remember that stores are specifically designed to get shoppers like you to spend more money. But “spending more money” doesn’t always mean getting healthy and nutritional food. If you’re in the store looking at a wall of different products, don’t just take the first one you see. Take some time to read the nutritional label on each of them and determine which one is best suited for your dietary needs. Also, be sure to write down which ones you choose so that you know for next time.

Find the Right Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Medical oxygen is a core aspect of most COPD treatment plans. Using supplemental oxygen throughout the day as prescribed allows COPD patients to keep their blood oxygen levels stable while preventing breathlessness, chest pain, and coughing. The problem, however, is that oxygen tanks are very bulky and the longer you want to stay out of the house, the heavier your tank will be.

Fortunately, there is a better alternative to oxygen tanks called portable oxygen concentrators. Unlike oxygen tanks which store compressed oxygen, oxygen concentrators are electronic devices that take in ambient air, remove nitrogen, argon, and other gases, then put out medical-grade oxygen. The benefit of this is that you don’t need to buy a large, heavy oxygen tank just to get out of the house, you just need enough batteries to last the duration of your trip.

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One of the most popular portable oxygen concentrators on the market in 2021 is the Caire FreeStyle Comfort. This unit weighs in at only 5 pounds making it one of the lightest portable oxygen concentrators ever produced. But that’s not all that it has going for itself. The FreeStyle Comfort has a maximum oxygen output of 1,050 milliliters per minute (ml/min) of medical grade oxygen (5 pulse flow settings) and offers up to 16 hours of battery life on one charge while using the 16-cell battery.

Another great affordable portable oxygen concentrator is the Inogen One G5. Much like the FreeStyle Comfort, the G5 is lightweight, weighing in at only 4.7 pounds. It also has the highest oxygen output of any pulse dose portable oxygen concentrator with 1,260 ml/min of medical-grade oxygen. Last but not least, it offers up to 13 hours of battery life on one charge using a 16-cell battery.

Needless to say, there are plenty of options available to you in terms of portable oxygen concentrators. Rather than going with the first one you find, you should take the time to speak with a respiratory specialist who will be able to align you with the POC that best meets your wants and needs. Remember that you will need a prescription from your doctor or pulmonologist in order to purchase or rent a medical-oxygen device. 

Bring Your Rescue Inhaler

A rescue inhaler is a small portable device used to administer inhaled medications. Most respiratory patients including people with asthma and COPD are prescribed an inhaler because it provides quick relief during respiratory exacerbations. Fast-acting bronchodilators act quickly to open up the airways, clear mucus, and alleviate breathlessness so it’s important to carry yours with you and keep it handy whenever you go to the grocery store.

Unfortunately, inhalers are notoriously difficult to use. Unlike nebulizers which deliver medication in a constant stream, allowing you to breathe at your own pace, inhalers require you to inhale sharply in order for the medication to reach your lower respiratory system. This can be really challenging for some COPD patients, especially people with more severe lung impairment. One great way to combat this is to use an inhaler spacer. A spacer is a plastic piece that attaches to your inhaler mouthpiece and holds the medication for longer, giving you more time to inhale it. If you’d like more information on using an inhaler more effectively, please read this article. 

Use Mobility Aids

A mobility aid is a device that helps you get around more easily. Devices like walking canes, walkers, manual wheelchairs, and electric scooters can be invaluable tools for anyone with COPD. Many grocery stores have electric scooters at the door to make it more accessible for people with disabilities. These scooters usually have a basket on the front or back so that you can store your groceries, so be sure to take full advantage of these if you see them in your store. 

Choose the Right Time and Day

Choosing the right day and the right time to go to the store can make a world of difference. Going during peak hours will mean spending more time in lines and you might be forced to rush through your grocery shopping. For someone with COPD, this is not ideal because you need to be careful about the products that you’re buying. Additionally, there’s usually added stress and anxiety when you go during the busiest hours.

According to Thrillist, the busiest times at grocery stores are Saturday afternoons between 1 pm and 3 pm and weekdays after 4 pm or 5 pm. The least busy time is Monday mornings and any weekday before noon. Planning your grocery store trip during these times will make your shopping experience much more pleasant and you won’t feel the need to rush through what you’re doing just to get out of someone’s way. 

Learn the Store’s Layout

As you go through the store for the first time, you should take note of where everything is located. You don’t need to write down everything, but you should keep track of what isle number your favorite products are located in. This will make it much easier to plan your shopping list next time you go to the store.

Consider Grocery Delivery Services

Last but certainly not least, you may want to consider either doing grocery pickup or have your groceries delivered to your home. Grocery pickup is where you order your groceries online and then you simply have to drive to the store to pick them up. This will save you a lot of time and you won’t need to worry about walking around the store to find the groceries you need. Simply pull up, load the groceries into your car, and you’re all set.

Another option is grocery delivery. Grocery delivery is usually done by third-party companies like Instacart or Shipt and will provide you with even more convenience than in-store pickup. However, the one downside to having your groceries delivered is that you will have to pay a delivery fee, so this is not a great option if you just need a few things.

Conclusion

Grocery shopping and cooking are two activities that many people love to do. However, if you’re living with COPD or any other type of chronic lung disease, you may find it difficult to find the energy to do these things. What’s more, you might worry about not having enough medical oxygen to last the duration of your trip to the store. Follow the tips above to get you started with grocery shopping in a way that’s safe and accommodating for your respiratory illness.

Here at LPT Medical, we strive to provide as many oxygen patients as possible with high-quality, lightweight, and easy-to-use portable oxygen concentrators. Unlike old outdated oxygen tanks, portable oxygen concentrators enable you to go wherever you please without restriction. With long-lasting lithium-ion batteries, you’ll never have to worry about running out of oxygen while you’re out of the house. And taking a trip to the grocery store will be a breeze with POCs like the Inogen One G5 or Caire FreeStyle Comfort. 

Whether you simply have a question about portable oxygen concentrators or you’re looking for a great deal on a new or used portable oxygen concentrator, don’t wait to reach out to our respiratory specialists here in Denver, Colorado. You can reach us by phone at 1-888-416-3855 or by email at info@lptmedical.com. Alternatively, you can leave a comment below expressing your interest in an oxygen concentrator and we will reach out to you with more information.