Some mornings in these mountains start with a heaviness I can feel before I even swing my feet out of bed. Not the heaviness of sorrow, though life hands us plenty of that, but the heaviness of breath. The kind that tells me my lungs are already negotiating with…
Discussion
Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has made me pay closer attention to the small, unexpected comforts that steady us. The quiet moments that teach us how to accept help, how to rest, and how to let gentleness find us. I didn’t recognize those lessons when I was…
Discussion
Ragweed season has rolled in again, announced by the weather service with all the drama of a storm warning. They call it a “pollen outbreak,” but anyone living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) knows it’s more than a line in the forecast. It’s like someone shook a dusty…
Discussion
Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) means living by a rhythm — a quiet, steady kind that keeps the breath moving and the body from slipping into trouble. For years, my morning and evening routine from pulmonary rehabilitation had been my anchor. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked.
Discussion
Choosing the right inhaler to deliver treatment for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may require considering their cognitive function, hand dexterity, and ability to breathe in forcefully, according to data from a large observational study in the U.S. Researchers found that nearly three in every 10 participants…
Discussion
Some mornings, before the world has fully awoken, I sit on my back deck in an old rocking chair and sip what I call my magic coffee. The mountains behind my house are still holding on to the last threads of night, and the air carries that soft hush that…
COPD is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs, in which the airways become blocked, causing cough with mucus, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
The causes of COPD are not fully understood. However, long-term exposure to lung irritants is known to damage the lungs and the airways.
Some people may also experience exacerbations, or episodes of sudden disease worsening, that may persist for several days.
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