Health Update

Do you smoke? In spite of all the warnings from different health organizations, people still can’t seem to kick this life-threatening habit. In view of this, the VRP Medical Center recently put up a pulmonary rehabilitation program that aims to help chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in their fight against this deadly disease.

COPD is a leading cause of death, not just in the Philippines but also in the world. Particularly alarming is the fact that the incidence of COPD has been steadily increasing especially in the US.

To make Filipinos more aware of COPD and in line with the celebration of National Lung Month, VRP Medical Center launched its very own pulmonary rehabilitation program last August 27.

The program is aimed at improving the quality of life of people who are suffering from COPD. A leading cause of death and disability in the Philippines, COPD is characterized by shortness of breath, which leads to limited activity and increased dependency on others.

Smoking is cited as the most common cause of COPD, followed by air pollutants, second-hand smoke, and heredity.

According to one of the lecturers, COPD causes permanent damage to the airways and while such a condition is not curable, the pulmonary rehabilitation program aims to at least ease the suffering of those who are afflicted with the disease as well as disseminate information on how other people can save themselves from it.

The pulmonary rehabilitation program hopes to give COPD patients an improved quality of life. In just a month a two, COPD patients will see an improvement in their exercise tolerance, improved quality of life, increased participation in daily activities, as well as stronger legs and upper body.

The program, made up of eight sessions done twice a week, is a combination of exercise, training, behavioral, educational classes. These classes will teach the patients how to take better care of their lungs, the right exercises that they should do, as well as the activities that they can do to lessen their shortness of breath and be able to deal with their lung condition better.

Source: Philippine Star