Popular Science | "Lungs are life", the pain of breathing in life

Shocked! Do you know you have COPD? There are nearly 100 million COPD patients in my country, but a considerable number of them do not know they are ill!

November 16, 2022 is the 21st "World COPD Day" with the theme "Lungs are life". Toutiao Health, Science Popularization China and Guangdong Zhong Nanshan Medical Foundation jointly planned and launched a COPD knowledge grid to popularize common knowledge about COPD-related diseases, enhance people's awareness of COPD management and prevention, and protect people's lung health.

What is COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)?

"Slow" means that the disease exists for a long time, not that the disease is less dangerous or less severe!

"Obstructive" means the airway is blocked and breathing is not smooth, making it impossible for air to flow freely in and out of the lungs.

COPD is not a single disease, but a general term used to describe chronic lung diseases that can cause limited airflow in the lungs. It is characterized by three "highs": high incidence , high disability rate , and high mortality rate .

How to detect COPD?

First, please answer a few questions:

1. Do you cough often?

2. Do you cough up phlegm frequently?

3. Do you often feel short of breath after activities?

4. Are you older than 40?

5. Do you smoke now or have you smoked regularly in the past?

If you answer "yes" to 3 or more of the above questions, you should go to a regular hospital to consult a respiratory physician and have a lung function test.

Academician Zhong Nanshan pointed out at the 18th National Respiratory Diseases Society Conference: COPD has no symptoms or only mild symptoms in the early stage. When symptoms such as shortness of breath appear, lung function has often been lost by more than 50%, and the best time for treatment has been missed. (Lung function loss of more than 50%: feeling breathless when climbing stairs, or feeling powerless after activities).

What are the main symptoms of COPD?

1. Chronic cough: As the disease progresses, it may not be cured for life. The cough is often obvious in the morning, and there are paroxysms of coughing or expectoration at night.

2. Sputum: generally white mucus or serous foamy sputum, occasionally with blood, more sputum in the early morning. During the acute attack period, the amount of sputum increases, and there may be purulent sputum

3. Shortness of breath or dyspnea: It occurs during exertion in the early stage and gradually worsens, so that shortness of breath is felt during daily activities or even rest. It is a hallmark symptom of COPD.

4. Wheezing and chest tightness: Some patients, especially those with severe disease or acute exacerbation, experience wheezing.

Common misunderstandings in the treatment of COPD patients:

1. Ignoring early symptoms: If the patient has coughing and sputum production for several months each year, he or she is very likely to have COPD. However, these symptoms are often not taken seriously, and the best treatment period is missed. In fact, if the disease can be discovered in time and treated early at this stage, COPD can be completely avoided.

2. Blind medication: Some patients listen to the so-called experience of relatives and friends, and do not go to the hospital for formal treatment, but blindly take medication privately, which is not worth the loss. Therefore, it is best to go to the hospital for formal COPD treatment and rational medication, and accept the advice of experts, so that the possibility of adverse reactions is small.

3. Lack of long-term and standardized understanding of the treatment of COPD: Because COPD is already a substantial lesion in the lungs, patients lose confidence in treatment, or even give up treatment after a period of treatment with no effect, leading to disease progression. However, the treatment of COPD, especially traditional Chinese medicine, is generally slow to take effect, but the effect is better.

4. Lack of exercise: COPD patients will pant when they move. Once they have difficulty breathing, they will be even less willing to move their bodies. Physical inactivity will cause muscle atrophy, which will further reduce the ability to move, and as a result, further aggravate the difficulty in breathing, causing a vicious cycle. Within the tolerable range, appropriate activities can increase physical strength and improve the vicious cycle, which is of great significance.

Warm reminder: In order to recover health as soon as possible, patients must actively seek treatment, avoid seeking medical treatment without hesitation, and pay attention to avoiding treatment misunderstandings. The treatment of COPD requires a long-term process. Patients need to understand their disease in detail and cannot rely solely on doctors or family members, but should actively face the disease themselves.

Finally, the pharmacist gives you some tips on how to take care of your lungs in autumn and winter. Remember to like, collect and forward them~

1. Laughing nourishes the lungs: For the respiratory system, laughing can expand the lungs. When people laugh, they will unconsciously take deep breaths, which clears the respiratory tract, makes breathing unobstructed, expands lung capacity, and improves lung function.

2. Exercise to protect the lungs: The best time to nourish the lungs is from 7 to 9 in the morning, when the lungs are most functional. Exercise at this time will achieve twice the result with half the effort. You can choose the appropriate exercise method according to individual differences, such as jogging, walking, Tai Chi, Qigong, etc.

3. Drink water to moisten the lungs: The dry climate in autumn causes the human body to lose a lot of water. Therefore, in autumn, you can increase your water intake appropriately to maintain sufficient body fluids and normal moisture in the lungs and respiratory tract.

4. Eat white food to nourish the lungs: Yam, lotus seeds, white fungus, lily, white radish, almonds, pears, etc. are all good ingredients for nourishing the lungs and can be used for making soups, stews, etc.