The Best Diet for COPD Patients

A healthy diet can play an important role in the management and treatment of COPD.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Finding the right diet can be tricky for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), since they need to eat a healthy diet and maintain their optimal weight to keep COPD symptoms in check.

COPD: The Impact of Body Weight

For COPD patients, maintaining a healthy weight is important for controlling symptoms.

"If you're overweight, you have to carry more of your weight around," says Barry Make, MD, co-director of the COPD program at National Jewish Health in Denver and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. Having more weight to carry around can increase shortness of breath, which is one of the primary symptoms of COPD.

With that said, it’s even more crucial for COPD patients not to be underweight. "Being overweight is bad, but being underweight is probably even worse in COPD patients," says Dr. Make. "A lot of COPD patients want to lose weight, but we tell them not to lose too much." According to Make, losing too much weight when you have COPD is associated with a poorer prognosis, or worse long-term outlook. In addition, not weighing enough can zap your energy, making it difficult to adhere to your COPD management plan.

COPD: Nutrition Tips

Talk with your COPD medical team about the nutrition plan that is best for you. They may recommend that you see a nutritionist, who can work with you to develop a meal plan to best meet your needs and monitor your progress along the way.

In general, people who have COPD should consider the following to maintain an optimal weight:

• Monitor calories: If you are overweight, you can lose weight by eating fewer calories. But don't eat so few calories that you feel fatigued and hungry all of the time. If you need to focus on maintaining your body weight, talk with your medical team or nutritionist about the foods you should be eating to keep the weight on.
• Avoid fad diets: "Fad diets are not appropriate for COPD patients," says Make. Make recommends that COPD patients eat a healthful, balanced diet instead of going on fad diets to control weight.
• Focus on protein: Work with your medical team and/or nutritionist to determine the amount of protein you need. "A lot of people do not get enough protein in their diet," says Make. Make says that protein is particularly important for COPD patients who are exercising as part of their pulmonary rehabilitation plan.
• Watch your portions: "We tell our COPD patients to eat small meals frequently, rather than large meals," says Make. Eating several small meals throughout the day instead of two or three large meals can help lessen shortness of breath.
• Get balanced: Focus on consuming fruits, vegetables, dairy products, whole grains, and lean proteins.
• Limit salt: Consuming excessive sodium can lead to fluid retention, which can worsen your shortness of breath.
• Remember your oxygen: If your medical team recommends it, use supplemental oxygen during and after meals to aid in digestion.

A healthy diet is an important part of a COPD patient's treatment plan. Eating the right foods can help manage your symptoms, make you feel better overall, increase your energy level, and give your body the fuel it needs to fight infection. It takes energy to breathe when you have COPD, so feed your body well.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/diet-for-copd-patients.aspx

COPD Myths and Truths

COPD is often misunderstood because symptoms can be caused by three different diseases. Separating fact from fiction will help you live better and better manage COPD.

By Chris Iliades, MD

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be confusing because it isn’t a single condition — it actually refers to a group of lung diseases that makes it difficult to breathe.

"COPD is an umbrella term for three different diseases," says Timothy R. Wu, MD, director of the COPD Center at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. Emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and chronic asthmatic bronchitis can all cause COPD symptoms. What these diseases have in common is obstructed air flow through the lungs.

Common misunderstandings about COPD include that it only occurs in older smokers and that nothing can be done about it. However, that’s not necessarily the case. To better understand COPD and how to live with it, start by learning how to separate the myths from the facts.

Myth or Truth: Only Smokers Get COPD

COPD symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and frequent lung infections are among the most common symptoms experienced by long-term smokers. While emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthmatic bronchitis are usually caused by smoking, there are other causes as well. "Smoking is almost always the cause of COPD in the United States, but in many parts of the world, COPD may be more commonly caused by wood smoke from cooking fires," says Dr. Wu. Other non-smoking causes include:

• Some progressive forms of asthma
• Being born without a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin
• Workplace exposures to gases and fumes
• Heavy exposure to secondhand smoke or air pollution

Myth or Truth: COPD Only Occurs in Older People

COPD is more common in older people who have smoked for many years, but a simple test called spirometry may detect early changes from COPD in younger people. Spirometry is a lung function test that involves blowing into a small machine that measures lung capacity. This test can be read immediately, and it is a reliable way to make a diagnosis.

"Even before COPD symptoms develop, the early changes of emphysema or bronchitis may be present," says Wu. "If younger smokers are screened with spirometry, COPD may be diagnosed in people as young as 30 or 40."

Myth or Truth: People With COPD Need to Slow Down

COPD symptoms may make some types of activity difficult, but slowing down is not good for those with COPD. Physical therapy, including breathing exercises and exercises to strengthen the arms and shoulders, can be an important part of treatment. Regular exercise along with a healthy diet helps muscles stay strong, and that reduces the demand placed on the lungs.

People with COPD should also try to stay active socially. Isolating yourself at home can lead to depression, which can make symptoms worse. It is important to stay in touch with friends and family and maintain a good support network. Many people with COPD also benefit from participating in support groups.

Myth or Truth: There Is No Treatment for COPD

The biggest myth about COPD is that you can't do anything about it. Although there is no cure for COPD, it can be treated and managed in many people. "How well COPD can be treated depends on how advanced it is and what other diseases may be present, such as hypertension and heart disease," says Wu. You can slow down the progression of COPD by:

• Taking medication as directed
• Getting pulmonary rehabilitation
• Using oxygen as needed
• Stopping smoking

With these changes, many people are able to manage their COPD symptoms well. If you smoke, even if you are still in your 30s, ask your doctor to check your lung capacity. Many of the irreversible effects of chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic asthmatic bronchitis can be avoided with early diagnosis and treatment.

"It is never too late to stop smoking. As soon as you quit, your lung function starts to improve," says Wu, although lung function will never get back to normal once COPD starts. COPD symptoms develop over time, and changes in your lungs may have already started without you knowing it. The best time to stop smoking is right now.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/copd-myths-and-truths.aspx

Caring for a Loved One With COPD

What's involved in home care for the COPD patient?

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

When you care for someone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at home, you may have numerous responsibilities.

One of the most important things to do when your loved one is diagnosed with COPD is to learn as much as you can about the disease, says Barry Make, MD, co-director of the COPD program at National Jewish Health and professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary sciences and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. COPD caregivers "need to understand the disease as well as the patient does," he says.

Talk to your COPD patient's doctors about what tasks you will need to perform. It is also important to seek support from your loved one's medical team, and other friends and family members.

COPD Home Care: Specific Tasks

Some tasks you may need to perform as a COPD caregiver:

• Encourage pulmonary rehabilitation. Pulmonary rehabilitation consists of prescribed exercise, nutrition counseling, and disease education. Rehab can improve quality of life, increase strength, and reduce shortness of breath and other COPD symptoms. As a caregiver, you can encourage your loved one to go to rehab and even attend rehab sessions with your loved one. "Not only should the patient be in [pulmonary rehabilitation], but their spouse or significant other should attend as well," says Dr. Make.
• Help with medications. Depending on your loved one's symptoms and severity of disease, he may need to take multiple medications at a variety of times throughout the day. You can help keep track of these medications and make sure your loved one is taking them by creating a chart that tracks each medication, its dosage, and time of day it is to be taken. You can use the chart to check off when the medication is taken as directed.
• Attend doctor's appointments. "I think that the spouse or significant other of the COPD patient should go into the physician visits as well as the patient," says Make. You can help your loved one remember what the doctor said and make sure all questions are answered. "One of the best things a caregiver can do before they bring home their newly diagnosed COPD patient is ask a lot of questions," says Kitty Weary, of West Yellowstone, Mont., who provided COPD care for her father, husband, and mother.
  Weary suggests writing down all of the questions you and your loved one have in a notebook and leaving spaces to fill in answers from the medical team. "All of this new stuff is getting fired at you, and there is a good chance you won't remember anything," she says. At the visits, you can learn how to use any prescribed equipment, which may include supplemental oxygen, a handheld bronchodilator inhaler, or a nebulizer.
• Monitor your loved one's condition. Talk with the medical team about the warning signs of an exacerbation (an episode of worsened symptoms), and when you should seek medical help. In general, you should call the doctor when your loved one has:
• 
  
  • Excessive trouble breathing during everyday activities
  • Greater than usual coughing or coughing-related chest pain
  • Increased mucus production or change in appearance of mucus
  • Swelling in the hands or feet
  • Cramping of muscles
  • Tiredness or weakness
  • Trouble sleeping that is related to shortness of breath

Caring for a COPD patient at home can be challenging. But by following the medical team's instructions and encouraging your loved one to adhere to her COPD treatment regimen, you can play an important role in improving your loved one's quality of life.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/caring-for-loved-one-with-copd