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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffSome simple exercises can improve your breathing if you have emphysema or another chronic lung disorder. They help you control the emptying of your lungs by using your abdominal muscles. Do them two to four times daily.
Diaphragmatic breathing
To perform this type of breathing exercise, take these steps:
- Lie on your back with your head and knees supported by pillows. Begin by breathing in and out slowly and smoothly in a rhythmic pattern. Relax.
- Place your fingertips on your abdomen, just below the base of your rib cage. As you inhale slowly, you should feel your diaphragm lifting your hand.
- Practice pushing your abdomen against your hand as your chest becomes filled with air. Make sure your chest remains motionless. Try this while inhaling through your mouth and counting slowly to three. Then purse your lips and exhale through your mouth while counting slowly to six.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing on your back until you can take 10 to 15 consecutive breaths in one session without tiring. Then practice it while lying on one side and then on the other. Progress to doing the exercise while sitting erect in a chair, standing up, walking and, finally, climbing stairs.
Pursed-lip breathing
Try the diaphragmatic breathing exercises with your lips pursed as you exhale, that is, with your lips puckered - the flow of air should make a soft "sssss" sound. Inhale deeply through your open mouth and exhale. Repeat 10 times at each session. Breathing out against pursed lips increases the air pressure inside the airways, including your very small airways, which minimizes how much they collapse.
Deep-breathing exercise
While sitting or standing, pull your elbows firmly backward as you inhale deeply. Hold your breath in, with your chest arched, for a count to five, and then force the air out by contracting your abdominal muscles and letting your elbows return to their starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times.
Other steps you can take
If you have emphysema, you can take a number of steps to halt its progression and to protect yourself from complications:
- Stop smoking. This is the most important measure you can take for your overall health and the only one that might halt the progression of emphysema. Join a smoking cessation program if you need help giving up smoking. As much as possible, avoid secondhand smoke.
- Avoid other respiratory irritants. These include fumes from paint and automobile exhaust, some cooking odors, certain perfumes, even burning candles and incense. Change furnace and air conditioner filters regularly to limit pollutants.
- Exercise regularly. Try not to let your breathing problems keep you from getting regular exercise, which can significantly increase your lung capacity.
- Clear your airways. If you also have chronic bronchitis, mucus tends to collect in your air passages and can be difficult to clear. To keep secretions thin and easy to bring up, drink plenty of nonalcoholic fluids every day.
- Protect yourself from cold air. Cold air can cause spasms of the bronchial passages, making it even more difficult to breathe. During cold weather, wear a soft scarf or a cold-air mask — available from a pharmacy — over your mouth and nose before going outside, to warm the air entering your lungs.
- Avoid respiratory infections. Get pneumonia vaccinations as advised by your doctor. Also get an annual influenza immunization. Do your best to avoid direct contact with people who have a cold or the flu. If you have to mingle with large groups of people during cold and flu season, wear a face mask, wash your hands frequently and carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket or purse. Try to avoid touching the inside of your nose or rubbing your eyes, which is the way you acquire most viral infections.
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Maintain good nutrition. A balanced diet gives your body the nutrients it needs for energy, for building and maintaining cells, and for regulating body processes. Work toward and maintain a desirable body weight. Being overweight causes your body to require more oxygen and can interfere with breathing. If you're underweight, achieving a healthy weight may increase your strength.
When the effort to eat is taxing, you may need to eat smaller meals more frequently. Try eating your largest meal earlier in the day, and avoid lying down after meals. Soft, easy-to-digest foods, such as yogurt, rice, baked potatoes, and poached chicken or fish, may be more agreeable than red meat and heavy dishes.
- Emphysema. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060053&content_id={39330D56-C0E9-4D08-B98F-18EA7B3C410B}¬oc=1. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) fact sheet. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2058829&content_id={EE451F66-996B-4C23-874D-BF66586196FF}¬oc=1. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- What is COPD? National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Copd/Copd_WhatIs.html. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- Celli BR. Update on the management of COPD. CHEST. 2008;133:1451.
- Bruce ML, et al. COPD: Your role in early detection. The Nurse Practitioner Journal. 2007;32:25.
- Corbridge SJ, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. AAOHN Journal. 2007;55:181.
- Rennard SI. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Definition, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and staging. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- Weiss ST. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Risk factors and risk reduction. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- Ferguson GT et al, Management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Global initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Medical Communications Resources, Inc. Accessed March 20, 2009.
