COPD: Learning to breathe easier
Introduction
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. COPD gets worse over time. You can't undo the damage to your lungs. But you can take steps to breathe easier and feel better.
Key points
- If you have severe COPD, you may find that you take quick, small, shallow breaths.
- It's important to avoid shortness of breath. Do all you can to make breathing easier. This includes learning ways of breathing that can help the air flow in and out of your lungs.
- Breath training can help you take deeper breaths and reduce shortness of breath.
- You must practice breath training regularly to do it well.
What is breath training for COPD?
Why should you learn these breathing methods?
How do you use these breathing methods?
Where to go from here
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| Author: | Cynthia Tank | Last Updated: May 8, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Ken Y. Yoneda, MD - Pulmonology | |
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