Breathe Easier With These 7 Doctor-Approved COPD Treatments, From Medications to Tai Chi

Sure, having a cold or respiratory infection can temporarily make it harder to breathe. But if excessive coughing and wheezing are part of your everyday life, you may have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Since this is a progressive disease, having a COPD treatment plan is key to breathing easier in the long term.

What is COPD?

COPD is a lung condition that restricts airflow, making breathing more difficult. It’s an umbrella term that includes two main conditions: emphysema and chronic bronchitis (more on that below). The common COPD symptoms include a cough that produces large amounts of mucus, shortness of breath and chest tightness that tend to worsen over time.

“The disease is largely caused by inhalation exposures such as tobacco smoke, indoor and outdoor air pollution and can be accelerated by other factors like abnormal lung development in utero or in early childhood,” says Megan Conroy, MD , a pulmonologist and a clinical professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, OH.

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for the condition. But the right COPD treatment helps control symptoms and makes everyday activities much easier.

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How COPD affects your breathing

Both emphysema and chronic bronchitis can trigger COPD symptoms. Here’s how the two conditions differ:

COPD caused by emphysema

“Emphysema develops when the walls between the air sacs in the lungs become damaged and begin to break down and dissolve,” says Thomas Michael Kilkenny, DO , the director of critical care and pulmonary medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, NY. “The lungs start to become inefficient, and this worsens over time.”

With emphysema, it becomes harder for your lungs to move air out of your body. “The air becomes trapped and the lungs have difficulty moving oxygen into your bloodstream,” Dr. Kilkenny says.

COPD caused by chronic bronchitis

The second kind of COPD, chronic bronchitis, is caused by constant irritation and inflammation in the mucous membrane lining of the airways, says Dr. Kilkenny. “The cells in the airway develop hypertrophy (an increase in size) and start to produce thick mucus, which can eventually clog the airways and make it harder to breathe.”

Most people with COPD have a mix of emphysema and chronic bronchitis in different proportions, and the severity varies from person to person.

Women are more likely to develop COPD

Nearly 16 million adults in the US have COPD, and many more don’t even realize they have it. COPD affects women more than men , and deaths from COPD are also higher in women.

Why? Women have smaller lungs, making them more vulnerable to developing lung damage from cigarettes and other pollutants. Estrogen may also make lungs more sensitive to tobacco smoke, says the Office on Women’s Health .

7 effective COPD treatment options to help you breathe easier

COPD “treatment is personalized to an individual’s lung function, symptoms, frequency of exacerbation and markers of inflammation,” says Dr. Conroy.

In severe or advanced cases, lung volume reduction surgery or a lung transplant may be necessary. That said, many milder cases of COPD can be managed with conservative treatment options . Here, our experts’ top picks:

Quit smoking

S moking accounts for as many as 80 percent of COPD-related deaths and 38 percent of US adults who are diagnosed with COPD are current smokers. “If someone continues to smoke, the disease will worsen over time no matter what the medical treatment,” says Dr. Kilkenny.

Dr. Conroy agrees. “The most important thing to prevent further loss of lung function in COPD is to quit smoking,” she says.

Case in point: A study in the Deutsches Ӓrzteblatt International found that for 33 percent of smokers with medium-grade COPD, quitting smoking can prevent the progression to severe or very severe COPD over the following three years. The study also found quitting smoking significantly reduces mortality and hospital admissions for COPD.

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Try prescription COPD medications

Medications are the mainstay of treatment for COPD, says Dr. Kilkenny. “They are usually inhalers and can include bronchodilators, inhaled steroids as well as other anti-inflammatory agents.”

The goal of COPD medications is to control or prevent symptoms and make breathing easier. Medications to treat COPD can relax muscles around your airways, reduce swelling in the airways and help your lungs to function better.

Consider pulmonary rehabilitation to treat COPD

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a structured, supervised medical program for people with COPD.  It’s a therapy that combines exercise, education and self-management strategies, says Dr. Conroy. “These interventions help improve physical fitness , psychological health and encourage positive behavior changes,” she notes.

These rehab programs typically last a few months, and can occur at an outpatient hospital or clinic or be done at home. With pulmonary rehabilitation, you’ll learn various breathing and physical exercise techniques.

Other aspects of pulmonary rehabilitation may include nutritional counseling to help manage weight and enhance muscle mass and time with a mental health professional to help you deal with depression or anxiety, which often occurs as a result of COPD.

Use oxygen therapy for COPD as needed

People with more severe COPD may receive oxygen therapy, supplemental oxygen through a mask or two small nasal prongs or tubes. Oxygen therapy is for people who have low levels of oxygen in their blood that makes breathing harder.

The amount of oxygen therapy differs among patients: Some need it all the time while others only need it during certain times, for example, during sleep or exercise.

Practice tai chi to help treat COPD

“Tai chi is an ancient Chinese exercise of gentle movements that works well for people with advanced COPD,” says Dr. Kilkenny. “It's a very mild workout for your lungs and helps tone your muscles.”

One study in the Annals of Palliative Medicine found that regular tai chi may improve exercise capacity, lung function and quality of life in people with COPD. Those who practiced tai chi had significantly better breathing compared to those who just did breathing and walking exercises.

Not familiar with tai chi? Check out our tai chi for beginners video:

https://www.womansworld.com/online-fitness/watch?class=rK8Axlqo

Add beet juice to your smoothie

One study in the European Respiratory Journal found people with COPD who drank about 2.5 oz. (⅓ cup) of beet juice every day for 12 weeks improved how far they could walk in six minutes. They also lowered their blood pressure , an important finding since COPD can increase the risk of heart attack and strokes, the study notes.

The researchers say beet juice is rich in a nitrate that helps blood vessels relax. It also increases muscle efficiency, meaning the muscles need less oxygen to do the same work.

Switch on an air purifier with a HEPA filter

Pet dander, dust, mold and pollen can all make COPD worse, says Dr. Kilkenny. “Research has shown that microscopic particles in the home are able to travel to the deepest part of the lungs and even into the bloodstream, and this can have an adverse effect on lung and heart health,” he cautions.

Indoor particles are associated with worse outcomes of COPD, and one solution may be using a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA filter, found a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine .

The study gave former smokers with moderate-to-severe COPD a portable HEPA filter. After six months, researchers found participants had a greater reduction in respiratory symptoms such as breathlessness and coughing, a lower rate of COPD exacerbations and less need for quick-relief medication. Two options with a HEPA filter to try: Clorox Ultra HEPA Air Purifier with UV-C Light and Rabbit Air A3 SMART Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier .

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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan .