COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a condition that restricts the flow of air into and out of the lungs. People who suffer from this condition usually find themselves short of breath. They even find it difficult to exercise or perform daily activities. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this condition. However, there are some natural remedies for COPD that help to a great extent.
Some simple and easy natural remedies for COPD include the following:
1. Perform breathing exercises
Breathing exercises are very useful for sustaining a good immune system when dealing with COPD. Exercises like pranayama, pursed-lip breathing, and diaphragm breathing significantly help in improving the symptoms of this condition. This is because they help to improve the muscles used to breathe. In addition, these exercises also improve stamina.
People who suffer from COPD find it hard to do any sort of exercise. However, experts suggest that practicing breathing exercises is the best way to deal with this condition. The more breathing exercises the patient performs, the more they will be able to breathe easily. These exercises are great natural remedies for COPD.
2. Quit smoking for good
Smoking is the prime cause of COPD in the country. This addiction is responsible for 90 percent of deaths related to COPD. If a patient with COPD smokes, it will reduce the effectiveness of the steroid medications they take to cope with this condition. Natural remedies for COPD would not be of much help for a person who smokes.
Quitting the habit of smoking is the best thing to do for someone who smokes and is dealing with COPD. Once the patient quits smoking, the progression of the disease will start to slow down. Patients can consult a doctor on how to quit the habit of smoking. However, if that does not help, they can also try addiction healing centers.
3. Maintain a healthy weight
Underweight patients who have COPD are at higher risk of health issues than those who are dealing with overweight. The studies are still ongoing for the proper knowledge of what impact obesity has on patients of COPD.
COPD patients who are underweight can experience symptoms such as the reduced capability to exercise, reduced lung ability, and most importantly, weakness in their breathing muscles. Therefore, it becomes vital to maintain your weight when you are suffering from COPD.
Your focus should be on maintaining the proper weight with the help of natural remedies for COPD. This will help you in dealing with your condition in a much better way. For that, you can consult a doctor and follow their instructions. You can also try different diet plans as well. However, do not change your regular diet without discussing it with an expert.
4. Mistakes to avoid if you suffer from COPD
There are some common mistakes that patients commit, which increases the chances of health risks due to COPD. These mistakes can make a patient’s condition worse. Some of them can be:
- Taking cough medicine to stop the cough
- Being near pollutants that can affect your condition
- Not keeping an inhaler with you all the time
These mistakes should be avoided at all costs by patients suffering from COPD.
