"All Together to End COPD"

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Here we are on World COPD Day! The theme "All Together to End COPD" focuses to come together to fight with the disease, to improve the health standard for patients with COPD and to educate people via seminars, programs to detect, prevent and control the disease.Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used not only for single disease but it describes chronic lung disease that causes breathlessness and limitations in air lung flow including but not limited to chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

According to the World Health Organization, COPD will become the third leading cause of death in the whole world by 2030. In 2002, the first World COPD Day was celebrated. Every year about 50 countries from the world come forward and participate in the celebration of the day. Some key risk factors of COPD are tobacco smoking, indoor and outdoor pollution, and exposure to occupational dusts and chemicals. There is also genetic COPD call A1T1. 

As we face the challenges of COPD every single day, let us not forget to be hopeful! There are many new treatments and devices coming into fruition every day. Our job is to stay healthy while we wait for these r&ds to come into the mainstream. 

I post research advances as they are published so you know that we don't have to give up or give in to COPD - we just have to hang on! Our Ellen had an LVRS and JoJo had a lung transplant just to mention a couple. Keep the faith and remember that we're in this together!

Let's pray for a cure and honor those who have gone before us. 

LLAP!

[meWisconsin]

Thank you Thomas for all you do to keep us informed on all aspects of COPD. Some here have it and some don't but it is well advised to know how to handle all things connected to it. Again thank you.

Terry

[sweetplt]

Thank you Thomas for sharing and keeping us educated on this terrible disease...~ Colleen 352 DOF 

[Thomas3.20.2010]

From today's reads:

How do we end COPD?

Switching to cleaner sources of energy for heating and cooking and improving indoor ventilation in areas that use biomass fuels reduces respiratory symptoms, lung function decline, and the risk of COPD. However, tobacco smoking remains the most common cause of COPD. Therefore, the best strategy for ending COPD is: quit smoking. There has been a huge reduction in smoking levels through extensive public health campaigns, smoking bans, and taxes. Nevertheless, 1.1 billion people worldwide still smoked tobacco in 2015.

The World Health Organisation has set the voluntary target for a 30% relative reduction in smoking by 2025, a goal that the European region is not yet on target to meet. In the UK, 14.1% of the adult population still smokes tobacco, but the government has announced an ambitious plan to create a ‘Smoke Free England’ by 2030. Around 80% of the world’s smokers live in low-to-middle income countries, reducing smoking in these areas is imperative if we want to end COPD.

All together to end COPD - On Health 

[constanceclum]

Thank you Thomas for being a constant source of education for us. I think the most important thing we can do as EX-smokers with COPD is to keep sharing our experience, strength and hope to people who are still smoking but not diagnosed-yet.

Connie