In observing Mental Health Awareness Month in May, I’d like to offer some insights into some symptoms we may overlook. Depression and anxiety, for example, are common for those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — as I learned through personal experience. In my case, I had…

As a gardener, I sometimes imagine my mind as a garden full of various plants. Advocating for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients while living with the disease myself sometimes causes a few weeds to grow in my mind. I’ve written about how advocacy helps me stay motivated.

May brings sunshine and Mother Nature’s renewal with the blooming of flowers and the greening of leaves. This month has also brought the parting of the clouds of my oppressive thoughts, and the sunshine has lightened my dark mood. I am no longer struggling to stay positive, but wake with…

When living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it can be hard to keep a sunny disposition. When you have trouble breathing, it’s hard to feel positive. One of the best ways I compensate is to spread some sunshine to others. Beyond my COPD issues, the past two months…

I was scrolling through Facebook recently and found a friend’s post that shared his life philosophy. That philosophy? Forget yesterday, live for today, and hope for a better tomorrow. If yesterday was a bad day because of the weather, for example, we should forget about it. But those of us…

I’m fortunate to be a glass-half-full person. Since being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), I’ve had to take deliberate actions to keep myself on the positive side of the spectrum. One of the tactics I employ for this purpose is to keep my mind occupied and my…

Papa, an at-home companionship and support platform, has partnered with Highmark Wholecare, a managed care organization, to address the social needs of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable populations, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and people at risk of isolation. The collaboration, touted as a new approach to…

Psychological distress, even at low or moderate levels, increases the risk of arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers have found. This finding was reported in the study, “The effects of psychological distress and its interaction with socioeconomic position on risk of developing…