COPD

By Penelope A. Domogo,MD

COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is also called COLD – chronic obstructive lung disease. I like this second one better because any lay person can understand that it is a problem with the lungs. Not everybody knows that “pulmonary” pertains to the lungs, eh? But we like to complicate things so the more popular name of this disease is COPD.
COPD is a condition whereby the lungs are not functioning as well as it should leading to cough usually with a lot of sputum and shortness of breath. Why? Let us review first basic things we need to know about our lungs.
We have two lungs, the left and the right. Part of the lungs are the airways- from the big airway or the trachea or windpipe (you can feel part of it in your neck), this branches into two – the left and right bronchi. These further subdivide into many smaller and thinner bronchioles and at the end of each bronchiole are tiny very thin air sacs called alveoli. Around each air sac is a tiny blood vessel. When we inhale and the air reaches this air sac, oxygen miraculously crosses the wall of this alveoli and wall of the blood vessel and is loaded in the blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide which is considered waste of our body is released from the blood and crosses these same walls and is exhaled out to the environment where it is absorbed by plants. (Plants then release oxygen into the environment.) And the cycle goes on. Visualize this gas exchange occurring in the million air sacs in our two lungs. Visualize also that all these processes are synchronized. Try to mind your breathing- slowly breath in, feel your tummy enlarge (not your shoulders going up) and imagine oxygen and carbon dioxide being exchanged and making you feel good. Amazing!
Oh, there’s an important characteristic of these airways and air sacs. They are normally elastic or stretchable. When you breathe in, each air sac fills up with air like a small balloon. When you breathe out, the air sacs automatically deflate and the air goes out smoothly.
In COPD, this process of gas exchange is compromised because of any or all of the following:
The airways (bronchioles) and air sacs lose their elasticity.
The walls between the air sacs are destroyed.
The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed.
The airways make more mucus than usual, which can clog them.
When these above four conditions occur, then naturally, we expect a decrease in lung function. Our body is a wonderful, dynamic machine. It can cope with small damage but only up to a certain point. When that limit is reached, our body will shout “TAMA NA, SOBRA KA NA!”. Then symptoms of ill health will be felt- as we mentioned earlier, there is shortness of breath on exertion, long-standing cough with phlegm. Pagod na ang katawan na nagtitiis sa abuso. These symptoms will set in slowly that the person will dismiss it as common cough, change of weather and anything but the real problem.
And if the patient does not change his lifestyle, the condition will get worse and even just sitting down or breathing will take effort. If the COPD is advanced, the patient will need to take medicines and will need supplemental oxygen especially when the disease is exacerbated.
What causes these damages in the lungs?
Research points to smoking as the most common cause for COPD. Come to think of it, smoking never did any good to anybody, except put more money to the seller and producer. If it doesn’t damage your heart, smoking will damage your lungs. If not your stomach or your urinary bladder, etc etc. And surely it will also make a hole in your pocket. The modern cigarette contains more than a thousand bad chemicals. And the smoker inhales in all those bad chemicals and even shares them to those around him and to the whole environment. Geez.
Another factor that is implicated as the cause of COPD is environmental pollution- like smoke from burning plastics, fumes from vehicles, factories, textile dust, dust in the mines, etc.
One other factor that is implicated in the development of COPD is bad diet, especially, consumption of dairy and dairy products. For many people, milk produces a lot of mucus. There are also studies to show that even non-smokers can develop COPD and milk and milk products are implicated. Why insist on drinking milk everyday?
So what do we do to prevent COPD and also to relieve or at least lessen symptoms of COPD?
Quit smoking if you are a smoker. We help smokers quit by making our homes and offices and public places no smoking areas. The less areas for smoking, the better for everybody. If the trees and other plants could speak, I am sure they will say “no” to smoking.
Eat well. This means, eat a variety of organically-grown food as much as possible in their most natural state. Eat more beans as these will strengthen your lungs and eat less or no dairy. The less food processing, the better. May I call on government agencies like DTI and DA to promote this to lessen the burden of the health sector.
Don’t burn your garbage. Burning garbage does not only produce poisonous smoke, it also produces poisonous ashes.
Walk as much as possible and be physically active. Have less use of vehicles or machines that use diesel, gasoline or fossil fuels. This will decrease environmental pollution and make pedestrians, like me, happier.
Here’s to easy breathing and strong lungs!**
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“But it is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.” Job 32:8