Tools & Resources

• 7 Signs of COPD
• Bronchitis: A Visual Overview
• Energy-Boosting Foods for COPD
• COPD Myths & Facts
• Is It Bronchitis or a Cold?
• Types of Lung Diseases

Medical ReferenceRelated to Lung

141. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Cal's story
     
     Why me? That’s what Cal asked himself over and over after he was diagnosed with severe COPD 5 years ago. "I spent the first 2 years moping around the house,feeling sorry for myself," he says. "I didn't go anywhere,I didn't do anything. I just sat in front of the TV and tried not to think about anything." Then one day Sonny,his 5-year-old granddaughter,walked up to him as he sat in his ...
     
142. History and Physical Exam for COPD
     
     Your medical history provides important clues that can help your health professional diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In taking your medical history, your health professional will ask questions about:Shortness of breath. When were you first short of breath (at exercise or at rest)? How often are you short of breath?How long have you been short of breath? Is it getting ...
     
143. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Topic Overview
     
     People with cystic fibrosis can get lung infections and other respiratory problems because of the buildup of thick, sticky mucus that traps bacteria. Talk to your doctor or respiratory therapist about airway-clearance methods and medicines that you can use to help get rid of mucus. Your doctor or respiratory therapist may suggest some things that you or your child can do at home to help clear mucus from the lungs. These include:Postural drainage and chest percussion, to help with coughing up mucus from the lungs. For specific instructions, see: Cystic Fibrosis: Helping Your Child Cough Up Mucus.Deep breathing exercises, to help with breathing out completely and to strengthen the muscles used for breathing. Directed cough, to help clear mucus by breathing and coughing in specific ways. Exercise. Aerobic exercise can improve how well the lungs work. Ask your doctor about what kinds of exercise you or your child should do.Other methods use mechanical equipment to help clear mucus from
     
144. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) - Treatment Overview
     
     Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cannot be cured, it can be managed. Treatment for COPD focuses on:Slowing the progression of the disease by avoiding tobacco smoke and other environmental factors, such as air pollution.Reducing and controlling symptoms, such as shortness of breath.Increasing your activity level.Improving your overall health.Preventing and treating a COPD ...
     
145. Respiratory Problems, Age 12 and Older - Prevention
     
     There are a number of steps you can take to help prevent getting pneumonia. Stop smoking. Smoking makes it more likely you will get pneumonia. Avoid contact with people who have respiratory tract infections, such as colds and influenza (flu).
     
146. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Topic Overview
     
     Postural drainage and chest percussion are often used together to help loosen and remove mucus from the lungs. These airway clearance techniques help people who have a spinal cord injury, cystic fibrosis, or another condition that makes it hard for mucus to drain from the lungs. When mucus collects in your lungs, it increases your risk for lung infections.Postural drainage uses gravity to help drain mucus into the mouth by placing the body in specific positions. Each position drains different areas (lobes) of the lung. The mucus can then be spit or coughed out.Chest percussion (chest physiotherapy) uses clapping of the chest with a cupped hand to vibrate the airways in the lungs. This vibration moves the mucus from smaller airways into larger ones where it can be coughed up. Chest percussion is done with the help of a partner, special electronic devices designed to vibrate the chest, or other instruments that a person can use to vibrate the chest safely.A doctor or respiratory
     
147. Beta2-Agonists for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
     
     Drug details for Beta2-agonists for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
     
148. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Prevention
     
     Daily use of anticoagulant medicines may help prevent recurring pulmonary embolism by stopping new blood clots from forming and stopping existing clots from growing.
     
149. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Topic Overview
     
     Traveling while you are on oxygen therapy usually is possible if you plan ahead. Travel by plane: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved several models of portable oxygen concentrators that can be brought on an airplane. If you have a portable oxygen concentrator,make sure it is FAA-approved before you bring it on an airplane. You cannot take your own oxygen tanks on an ...
     
150. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Treatment Overview
     
     Read about the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.