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Welcome! Here we publish our views on new research and insights from the field of pulmonary medicine, most often focusing on topics related to exercise, nutrition, and other self-management techniques for those who suffer from chronic shortness of breath.

Whether you have COPD, currently smoke, or are just concerned about persistent shortness of breath and/or cough, read our articles to explore COPD treatment options and self-management techniques that can help you feel better NOW!



Wednesday, October 27, 2010

War of the Worlds in your lungs

Many of you have heard of the 1938 Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of the H.G. Wells classic novel, War of the Worlds, and the widespread panic it briefly spurred. Welles’ actors delivered chilling, live reports of invading aliens landing on Earth and causing major mayhem, death and destruction along the way. Many people listening on the radio had no idea that Welles was offering a theatric production and mistakenly believed that real aliens were indeed invading. Calls flooded police stations; people grabbed family, pets and guns and headed for the cellar, others hopped in cars and either fled in abject fear or went in search of aliens to attack. When the broadcast was over and the dust settled, Welles was forced to bashfully go on-air again to explain, NEVER MIND, it was all just an act.

Well believe it or not, a similar theatric production goes on in your lungs daily if you are a smoker or have a respiratory condition such as COPD.

Imagine invading bacteria are inhaled into your lungs (the aliens). Proteins in lung cells called cytokines that are charged with keeping a lookout for troublemakers (radio listeners) sense the invasion and panic. The cytokines start signaling other cytokines, sending out thousands of messages (calls flooding police stations). The message-receiving cytokines in turn call even more cytokines and so on…all putting out alerts for the body to produce white blood cells (policemen) to come and attack the invading aliens. The cells that produce white blood cells receive thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of messages from the cytokines to rush to the lungs as fast as possible and take care of the invaders. Soon the lung tissues, as the cytokines and white blood cells gather for the fight, become swelled with the particles and fluids from these defenders of the peace, all running around in a panic about the invading bacteria. They’ve brought enough ammo to wipe out millions of the invaders…but guess what? There may only be a hundred of the bacteria molecules…

You see – it’s a false alarm. An act. An over-reaction.

Cigarette smoke has messed up lung cells’ ability to appropriately detect and respond to invading bacteria. Instead of cytokines accurately sensing the number of invading bacteria/fungi and sending out signals for a proportional response to kill them, the cells fear there is a massive attack and respond with overwhelming force.

The problem with this over-reaction is that when lung tissues swell with fluid and become stiff, the airways narrow and it becomes harder to breathe. This circumstance is referred to as airway inflammation by pulmonology professionals.

Inflammation in the lungs is similar to inflammation in other parts of your body - tissues swell with fluid and become stiff. If you’ve ever sprained an ankle, knee or shoulder, you know how your damaged joint swelled and stiffened for a period of time after the injury. The pressure of the swelled tissue feels uncomfortable, like someone squeezing you. The stiffened joint makes it hard to move, restricting your activity. Well, now imagine those same effects happening to your airways…no wonder it’s hard to breathe!

Can inflammation be stopped or reduced?

Pulmonology researchers and practitioners are in an ongoing search to find effective ways to reduce oxidative stress, relieve inflammation, and prevent/reverse /minimize the damage done by cigarette smoke and other inhaled toxic agents.

If you currently smoke, the number one step you can take to reduce inflammation is to quit. Permanently. Plain and simple, it’s the single best first step you can take.

Outside of smoking cessation, physicians can and often do prescribe some combination of short-acting bronchodilators and corticosteroids for use when patients are experiencing uncomfortable shortness of breath. These medications force open the airways by shutting off the production of cytokines and similar signaling agents in the body…but only for a short time. These pharmaceutical solutions do very little to resolve inflammation long-term and they unfortunately come with common dissatisfying side effects such as persistent dry-mouth.

Physicians often also prescribe antibiotics to help COPD patients and others with respiratory conditions defeat upper respiratory infections caused by bacteria & fungi. Antibiotics do help relieve immediate shortness of breath symptoms by killing off infectious bacteria & fungi, but again, this is only a short-term fix. Antibiotics do not relieve inflammation over the long term.

Beyond Inhalers - Do Your Part!

There are some very specific, research-based action steps you can take on your own to reduce oxidative stress, alleviate inflammation, reduce shortness of breath, and feel better for the long run, including:

• Engage in a regular cardiovascular & strength training exercise program
• Ensure you are receiving adequate exposure to direct sunlight
• Increase antioxidant & key nutrient intake from food
• Increase antioxidant & key nutrient intake from dietary supplements
• Practice proven breathing techniques & airway clearing techniques

To be clear, in no way are these steps meant to replace advice provided by your physician. Further, these action steps will NOT reverse lung disease, repair lung cells, nor improve lung function, but combined they can help make a significant difference in how you feel and breathe, and are steps you can take that complement the medical care you receive from your physician. To learn more about each of these respiratory health self-management action steps, visit our Five Steps to Feel Better Now Plan by clicking here.

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