Care Giving To Individuals With COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease. Persons living with it are often too disabled and are unable to take control of their health. This requires care-givers to assist with decision making and Self-Care.

Care-givers can improve the quality of life of the loved one by assisting with their receiving treatment.

Care givers can contribute by being knowledgeable, by:

• Knowing the risk factors for the disease is a first step.
• Knowing what medications the love one is taking.
• Knowing when to call a doctor
• Knowing what health professionals are available

COPD is a non-communicable disease the risk factors are, smoking, indoor and outdoor air pollution, overweight and unhealthy eating. Once a diagnosis is made, support and encouragement to eliminate these risk factors will go a long way  to aid recovery.

Care givers care can be a substitute for self-care by:
-Giving support and encouragement during difficult times.
-Giving support and encouragement to change unhealthy habits
-Involving the love one in his own care
-Encouraging his independence whenever possible
-Assisting with transportation and mobilizing
-Help with keeping appointments

This is an excellent article on how care givers can help with treatment, it covers the health care team, visits to the doctor, common treatments and when to call a doctor.

Click to read the article on how care-givers can help with treatment.


COPD is a chronic disease,  prevention is better that cure and more effective in not having the disease. Self Care at home before symptoms of the disease develop is a preventative action.


After developing COPD, Self Care at home will improve quality of life of the individual and prevent worsening of the disease.


For details about how we can all Self Care and be our first health insurance, Click Here

Alcohol Use Links to Smoking

Are you a smoker trying to quit?
Here is a tip:Stay away from alcohol if you want to succeed.

A health study has linked smoking cessation with the use of alcohol.   According to the study alcohol may be used as a coping mechanism rather than the cause of a problem.

The study was done to examine the relationship between the urge to smoke and alcohol use by adults trying to quit. Women were chosen because it is believed that it is more difficult for them to quit that men.

The participants were 302 female ages 18-70, they were all trying to quit. They kept a record describing their urges to smoke and they completed assessments when they felt the urge to smoke.

Result
The participants reported:

1. A stronger, higher urge to smoke on the days that the drank alcohol and that the urge began before they drank
2. On the day that they woke up with stronger urges to smoke, alcohol was more likely to be consumed

The researchers believe that  the alcohol consumption was a result of the urge to smoke and used as a coping mechanism.
Click here to read more on this.

Based on the result of these findings alternative coping strategies could be beneficial in any smoking cessation.

Quitting the smoking habit isn't easy and many people return to it before giving up completely.

Want to quit? TRY this free program. It is an eProgram that educates and motivates.
Click Here

Strokes And Their Risk factors

A stroke is a cardiovascular disease(CVD) which is the number 1 killer globally. Millions of people die each year due to a stroke.

Types of Strokes
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, the blockage could be due to a blood clot or fatty deposits in the lining of the blood vessels. The obstruction prevents the flow of blood to the brain.

About 85% of strokes are of this type, they are ischemic strokes.

A stroke can also occur when an artery ruptures or when there is bleeding between the brain and the tissue covering it. This is a  hemorrhagic stroke.

Risk factors
Some risk factors are avoidable, some are not. The major risk factors are fortunately the avoidable ones, they are:


Physical inactivity- Physical inactivity is the cause of 20% of cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Physical inactivity increases one's risk for a stroke by 50%.

The recommended physical activity to prevent non-communicable diseases such as strokes is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobics each week.  Brisk walking is an example.


Unhealthy eating- When salt, saturated and trans fat are consumed without limits, they turn any diet into an unhealthy one. There are daily recommendations to control their use and to prevent chronic diseases such as strokes.  A diet deficient of vegetables and fruit is a major risk factor.

Unhealthy eating is the cause of 11% of strokes.

Hypertension-High blood pressure, a reading of 140/90 or more accounts for about 1/2 of all cases of strokes.  The risk for CVD's doubles as the reading  increases.


Other Risk Factors:

• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• Smoking- Your chances of another or dying are increased if you smoke
• Age- The risk doubles every decade after 55
• Hereditary- The risk is increased if a first blood relative has had one
• Diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle

A patient who has suffered a stroke will be given: emergency care, treatment to prevent another stroke and /or treatment for the complications of the stroke.

Prevention
Prevention starts early in life. Those who pursue a healthy lifestyle working towards reducing risk factors will decrease their chances of ever developing CVD's.

These habits will do it:

• Quit Smoking
• Keep physically active
• Reduce sedentary time 
• Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables
• Limit fat intake
• Develop a healthy eating pattern
• Maintain a health weight

Self care throughout the lifespan is a very important preventative measure against all cardiovascular diseases. Self care is health care provided by you at home. Even if you suffer a stroke you will need to self care at home to make good recovery and improve quality of life.

For more information and to learn how to self care at home .Click Here.

Preventing Blindness With Diabetes

Diabetes is a non-communicable disease that is not only preventable but is treatable.

Although hereditary is a risk factor for diabetes, one can develop the disease through an unhealthy lifestyle.  One can also prevent diabetes by developing a healthy lifestyle.

One complication of diabetes is vision impairment, it can lead to blindness. To prevent blindness due to diabetes there are recommended things that you should do. Read about them, they are from an article  in the USNews.

Got Diabetes? Do These Things or You May Go Blind - US News and World Report

1. Closely monitor your blood sugar.
2. Keep blood pressure under control
3. Get cholesterol levels checked
4. Exercise and maintain a healthy diet
5. See an opthalmologist annually

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, lifestyle changes must be made to control blood sugar. With a healthy lifestyle it is possible to get rid of your diabetes and therefore remove the risks of vision impairment.

Self-care on a regular basis will ensure a healthier lifestyle and good eye health.

Self-care would include the removal of avoidable health risk factors; it is easier to control your diabetes without other risk factors.

The risk factors that you need to avoid are:smoking, overweight/obesity, unhealthy eating, alcohol abuse and a sedentary lifestyle.


Self-care also involves keeping medical appointments, taking prescribed medications and being alert to changes in your condition.

Diabetes is a disease that is managed at home, you can do so with good self care. You can learn how to self care. CLICK HERE for more information.