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

Enjoy Sexual Intimacy With COPD

Don't let fatigue and shortness of breath rob you of intimacy.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

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For people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sexual intimacy can be difficult. COPD can lead to fatigue and limit your ability to exert yourself. COPD can also cause you to feel emotionally distant from your partner. With a little extra effort, though, you can still enjoy sexual intimacy despite COPD.

COPD: Effects on Sexual Activity

There are a number of reasons why COPD can impact your sex life, including:

• Shortness of breath: The most obvious way COPD impacts sexual relations is that it can cause shortness of breath when people with COPD overexert themselves. This makes it difficult for a person with COPD to enjoy intimacy.
• Fatigue: People who have COPD often have less energy, which can also make it tough to "get in the mood" for sex.
• Emotions: COPD can lead to depression and anxiety, which can be emotional barriers to sex.
• Nerves: The pressure of having to perform during sex and concern that your symptoms might flare up can cause you to feel nervous about having intercourse.

COPD: Tips to Stay Intimate

If you have COPD, here are some suggestions to help preserve your sex life:

• Think outside the box: "It is important to think about sex in a broader perspective," says Barry Make, MD, co-director of the COPD program at National Jewish Health and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. Dr. Make recommends kissing and cuddling when you don't feel up to having actual sexual intercourse. Simply touching each other can be just as fulfilling as, and sometimes even more intimate than, intercourse for you and your partner.
• Use less energy: "Think about how to reduce the work that is being done by you if you are the COPD patient," says Make. He suggests you find a position that is the least physically demanding for you. Have your partner do a little more of the work so you are able to preserve your energy.
• Take medications: Taking prescribed medications and using supplemental oxygen prior to sex can be beneficial, says Make. Some people are able to manage their symptoms by using bronchodilators right before having sex.
• Get educated: Take your partner to one of your medical appointments and talk with your doctor, nurse, or respiratory therapist about whether sex is safe for you and what modifications will make having sex easier. Sometimes your medical team can help alleviate your or your partner's fear that sexual activity could harm you.
• Exercise: Regular exercise can build up your strength and endurance so that you will be able to tolerate the physical exertion of sexual activity with less shortness of breath.
• Rest when you need to: Get plenty of rest before you have sex, and take breaks during sex so that you don't overexert yourself.
• Clear your airways: Try to rid yourself of any excess bronchial secretions before sex.

You shouldn't have to give up sex because you have COPD. Talk openly with your partner and your medical team and make adjustments so that your sex life doesn't go by the wayside because you have COPD.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/sexual-intimacy-with-copd.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:
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  • 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