Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe. There are two forms of the disease that you can have. First, there is chronic bronchitis. That is when your body produces more mucus than it should. Second, you can have Emphysema where the air sacs inside of your lungs are damaged, making it harder for you to breathe. The symptoms of COPD are shallow breathing, tightness in your chest, respiratory infections, and wheezing.

Although you can’t cure COPD, you can make some changes that will lessen the suffering that you experience. COPD is usually treated with simple lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking, eliminating dust and other pollutants from your environment, participating in mild exercise, and improving your diet. There are several natural treatments that can greatly improve the COPD sufferers life. Here are some of the more popular treatments that you can use to help cope with COPD disease:

1. Vitamins can help

Almost all sufferers of COPD should include vitamins in their treatment plan. Doctors usually put patients on a specific COPD diet that restricts the normal foods that they normally eat. Unfortunately, the diet also limits a lot of the good vitamins that they were getting. You should go to your local store and stock up on certain vitamins, such as vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E. Discuss which vitamins you might need to start using with your physician.

2. Exercise can improve breathing

If you suffer from COPD, then the good news is that mild exercise can help improve your breathing. However, if you suffer from low oxygen and you are on oxygen therapy, then exercise is not the best option for you. COPD patients should begin their exercise routine with mild exercising, and they should slowly increases the difficulty of their exercise routine over time.

3. Stop smoking

The leading cause of COPD cases is smoking. Smoking irritates your airway and lungs making it more difficult to breathe. It only makes sense that if you want to help your condition, then you should quit smoking because it can be the best thing that you can do to improve your condition.

4. Keep a healthy weight

COPD sufferers that are underweight have a bigger risk of dying from COPD complications than those who are overweight. This is mainly due to the fact that those who are underweight have smaller lung capacities and their breathing muscles are weaker; therefore, make certain that you are eating enough to maintain a healthy weight. If you are underweight, then talk to your doctor about the dietary changes that you can make to rectify the situation.

In conclusion, COPD is a terrible disease that will affect you for the rest of your life. Although you can’t get rid of the disease permanently, there are many natural alternatives that you can put into practice to improve your quality of life. If you start exploring the different options available, then you might find the relief that you have been seeking.