Upon your diagnosis of COPD your life immediately changes, how you let those changes affect you is 100% in your control.

Now the aspect of the course that COPD will take is of course out of your hands, however there are a few things that can be done to both better manage your COPD and most importantly help you breathe clearer and more efficiently.

Exposure to harmful environmental pollutants or long term cigarette use is the cause for the majority of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnosis's.

COPD is a lung disease that includes both emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which effects a persons ability to breathe regularly at times of rest and especially during times of peak physical activity.

Historically speaking, males have been smoking a lot longer than women have which is why men have always been at a higher risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

COPD as it is referred to throughout the medical field and between patients as a lung disease that is made up of either chronic bronchitis or emphysema that is mainly caused by smoking and other pollutants.

This progressive lung disease takes away patients ability to breathe clearly by blocking the lungs with mucus which restricts airflow.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will have flare-ups, also known as, exacerbations from time to time. A COPD exacerbation, or flare-up, is when your COPD symptoms have an abrupt increase in severity.

Breathing may become increasingly harder, you may have more mucus production, more coughing, but each case is different.

Sometimes the cause for a flare-up is unknown or it could be a combination of a couple of things, which is why we will be talking about the most known causes for COPD flare-ups.

Talking and interacting with people is part of everyday life, however if you have recently been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease then you may, like many other patients, feel embarrassed or you have just lost the urge to be social.

What you should always remember is that you are not alone and more than likely there are thousands of other patients that share your pain.

Technology helps patients connect in many ways that weren't available 10 years ago, patients have the options to reach out through social media, online blogs and forums, or even support groups.

As an oxygen patient you need to be aware of how helpful and informative all these resources are and how nice it can be to talk with someone who is in your position or been through the same thing, and even share and exchange COPD ups and downs.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a umbrella term that includes emphysema.

Emphysema is a progressive lung condition that affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs, alveoli, and causes them to fill with air.

Over time these air sacs expand causing them to burst or become damaged, which causes the lungs to form scar tissues.

These scar tissues will begin to affect the patients breathing ability by making them progressively short of breath, which is a side affect known as dyspnea.

Eventually the alveoli turn into swollen air pockets referred to as bullae, eventually causing less and less surface area for the lungs resulting in less oxygen entering into the bloodstream.

When the alveoli becomes damaged so do the tiny fibers that hold open the airways leading to the alveoli, causing them to collapse and trap air every time the patient expels air.

The number one cause of emphysema is long-term cigarette use.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and drinking alcohol have been a hot topic throughout the community recently.

We already know that smoking is the leading cause of COPD but there is not enough research to prove that alcohol alone can or cannot cause an increase in exacerbations.

Previous studies have already proved that patients who consume high amounts of alcohol in addition to smoking causes COPD symptoms to become worse, but we're unable to determine if drinking alone was a independent risk factor.

If you already have COPD and like to have an occasional drink from time to time then speak with your doctor, and they will review your medical history and see if it is safe to have the occasional drink.

The weather is warming up the sun is staying out later and all kinds of fun, family and friends activities are upon us!

However if you are a patient suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease then you may see spring time as the time of year where you see an increase of exacerbations, feeling increasingly fatigued, or allergies begin to heighten.

Which is why with the help of the following tips you will be able to

Long term, constant cigarette use is the leading cause for lung disease's such as COPD. Smoking cigarettes releases 7,000 chemical compounds into your body as well as innocent bi-standards that are in the general vicinity of the cigarette smoke. Many of those 7,000 toxic chemicals are carcinogens, which are better known as cancer causing agents. Second hand smoke is just as if not more dangerous than first hand smoke, second hand smoke has been linked as a cause for lung cancer.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, means there is damage to the lungs that will not heal, but taking steps to prevent further problems is a key part of managing the disease.

Education and preventative care allow people to live quality lives despite their COPD symptoms. The first step is learning to recognize signs that COPD worsening.