(NAPSA)—Here’s news that should help many people with chronic respiratory diseases such as COPDbreathe eas- ier: Pulmonaryrehabilitation is a proven treatmentthat improvesquality oflife. ‘The Problem “People with COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases are often limited in many daily activities? said Carolyn L. Rochester, M.D., professor of medicine, pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine at Yale School of Medicine and past chair of the American Thoracic Society Assembly on Pulmo- nary Rehabilitation. “Some may not be able to even walk from onesideoftheir hometo the other, prepare a meal or washtheir ownhair.” Chronic lower respiratory diseases such as COPDare the third-leading disease-related cause of death in the US., just behind heart disease and cancer. Pulmonary rehabilitation can make life better for many people with chronic respiratory diseases. The survey also revealed that 40 percent of patients diagnosed with these diseases are unaware of how deadly their condition is. Respondents ranked stroke, diabetes and Alzhei- mer’s over chronicrespiratory diseases as leading causes ofdeath. In fact, 28 by Wakefield Research commissioned. percent of respondents did not rank chronic respiratory diseases in the top threeat all. In contrast with the lack of knowledge about pulmonary rehabilitation, the majority of patients with a chronic world’s leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical as medicinal interventions, including Unfortunately, many people with COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases maynot knowaboutavailable treatments. ‘According to an eye-opening survey by the American Thoracic Society, the pulmonary disorder have heard of oxygen therapy (70 percent) as well care andsleep medicine, 62 percent of long-acting or maintenance inhalers people diagnosed with a chronic respi- (61 percent), short-acting or rescue ratorydisease havenotheard of pulmo- inhalers (52 percent), and inhaled or naryrehabilitation—a proven treatment oralsteroids (52 percent) as treatments private insurance. Pulmonary Rehabilitation Can Help ‘A comprehensive six- to 12-week ered, who have heard of pulmonary thatis usually covered by Medicare and program, pulmonary rehabilitation includes supervised exercise, educa- tion and support. Research shows that pulmonary rehabilitation enhances overall quality oflife, reducing symptoms and improving physical and fortheir disease. Many patients, the survey discov- rehabilitation do not pursue thetreatmentorfail to complete the treatment. Ofthe 38 percent of respondents who had heard of pulmonary rehabilitation, only 29 percent completed the program. LiveBetter Explained Chris Garvey, FNP, MSN, ‘The American Thoracic Society partnered with the Gawlicki Family Foundation to createlivebetter.org, a dedicated website about pulmonary rehabilitation, California, San Francisco Pulmonary that is continually updated based on emotionalfunction. However,itis sig- nificantly underused. MPA, MAACVPRofthe University of Rehabilitation and Sleep Disorders, “Pulmonary rehab works by strength- ening the muscles to ease the burden on the lungs.It provides a safe environ- mentto learn how to managebreathing, allowingpatientsto notonly feel better, but to do more in theirlives, including many activities they may have been avoiding becauseoftheir symptoms” whichincludes a directory of programs feedback from the pulmonary rehabili- tation community. Learn More If you or someone you knowissuf- fering with COPD or another chronic respiratory disease, talk with your health care provider. Visit livebetter.org for more facts about pulmonary rehabilitation andto find a nearby program.
