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Treatments for Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
How is COPD treated?
COPD may be treated with medicines and oxygen, along with self-care. Treatment can help you feel better and prevent flare-ups. Some treatments may also slow the disease and help you live longer.
Medicines
Medicines used to treat COPD include:
- Bronchodilators. There are different types of these medicines. They are used to open or relax your airways. They can help you breathe easier and prevent breathing problems.
- Other medicines, such as corticosteroids, may be used to help you feel better and prevent or treat flare-ups.
Oxygen therapy
Oxygen therapy boosts the amount of oxygen in your blood and helps you breathe easier. It can help people with very bad COPD and low oxygen levels live longer.
Self-care
There are things you can do for yourself to help manage your COPD. These include:
- Trying to quit smoking or cutting back as much as you can. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. These can increase your chances of quitting for good.
- Eating healthy.
- Staying as active as possible.
- Learning breathing methods to help you become less short of breath.
- Avoiding colds, infections, and other things that may trigger your symptoms.
- Staying current on vaccines.
Other treatment
- Ask your doctor if pulmonary rehabilitation (rehab) is right for you. Rehab can help relieve your shortness of breath and improve your quality of life. This is a program that uses education, exercise, and support to help people with breathing problems. The programs are designed based on your health needs and your goals.
- You may choose palliative care to help relieve your shortness of breath and improve your quality of life.
- You can plan ahead for what kind of care you want if you become very ill. This is called advance care planning.
- Surgery or certain procedures may be an option for some people. Examples include lung volume reduction and placing an endobronchial valve (EBV).