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Home > Archive > Emergency services > April 2005 > Is aerobic exercise good for COPD?
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Is aerobic exercise good for COPD?
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| sandema@mail.broward.edu 2005-04-05, 6:26 pm |
| I'm a 55 Y.O. male who quit smoking 20 years ago (after 45 pack years)
and was diagnosed with COPD 3 years ago. I've been doing 1 or 2 2-hour
workouts per week for the past 10 years.
Since being diagnosed with COPD I've endeavored to do 4 2-hour workouts
per week. That's one hour of muscle workout & one hour of cardio
(treadmill, stairclimber, or bicycle).
Workouts generally make me feel better and bring up a lot of gook from
my lungs. They are also pretty tiring, and tend to leave my muscles
stiff the following day.
My question: Is this sort of intense exercise good for my lungs, or am
I causing them to degenerate even faster? Do intense aerobic workouts
"rebuild" any damaged lung tissue? I have some early stage of
emphysema.
Another question: My motto is "live free or die". I do not want to be
a Terri Shiavo. I do not want breathing tubes, feeding tubes,
respirators, etc, unless these are being used for very temporary
seizures and it is certain that I will recover. Even then, I'm not
sure that I would want them. Is a "living will" enough to guarantee
that this will happen?
What if I go on a respirator, or some other form of life support, for
a temporary period of time and then it turns out that it needs to be
permanent. Does a living will cover that? Will they let me off of
those tubes while I am still concious? Or would that be suicide?
Quite frankly, I am also VERY interested in methods of suicide. My
life is fine now, but if I turn into some wheezing vegetable, I say
"its checkout time".
My favorite method of suicide would be to jump off of a very high cliff
somewhere in the wilderness. It would have to be as high as the Empire
State Building, so that I would die immediately and my blood would go
back into mother earth, where it belongs.
The other alternative would be some sort of lethal injection.
Isn't it ironic that Timothy McVeigh, who murdered 188 people in
Oklahoma City, should be allowed to die a painless and pleasant death
from lethal injection. But a decent, law-abiding citizen with COPD is
not allowed the same priviledge. We are supposed to die slowly and
horribly while attached to feeding tubes and respirators and coughing
our lungs out.
I'm afraid of blowing my brains out with a gun because I also have some
belief in karma and am not sure about the connection between that
physical and the mental bodies.
Where would I get reliable info about suicide drugs? Like cyanide,
etc. I am not interested in suicide at this time, but I reserve the
right to commit suicide at any time I so choose in the future.
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| 1030class 2005-04-05, 6:26 pm |
| Exercise is good for your health. It gives you energy.
Arlene Friedman
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| Scott Aleckson 2005-04-05, 6:26 pm |
| Ask your physician... not an internet newsgroup!
Living Will.
DNR.
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| Emma Chase VanCott 2005-04-05, 6:26 pm |
| In sci.med sandema@mail.broward.edu wrote:
: I'm a 55 Y.O. male who quit smoking 20 years ago (after 45 pack years)
: and was diagnosed with COPD 3 years ago. I've been doing 1 or 2 2-hour
: workouts per week for the past 10 years.
: Since being diagnosed with COPD I've endeavored to do 4 2-hour workouts
: per week. That's one hour of muscle workout & one hour of cardio
: (treadmill, stairclimber, or bicycle).
I had a nursing school placement with a COPD Clinic. (One of the first in
Canada, actually.)
COPD lungs are essentially "too stretched out" -- like old elastic. Deep
breathes can be taken, but, as you likely know, full inhalation
is possible, but FULL exhalation of air is NOT possible. Residual air always
remains.
Yes. Cardio/aerobic exercise improves your ability to BEST USE what you
HAVE got.
Does it "reverse" lung damage?
No. No treatments is known to. The closest you will come to a medical
treatment is "lung reduction" surgery.
Exercise is one of the ABSOLUTE best tools you have to master your
deficits, however.
Another is weight/resistance training -- as COPD-ers tend to have bad
things happen from muscle atrophy. (They don't move cuz they can't
breathe, and they can't breathe cuz they don't move -- and get weak.
Vicious cycle.)
PS. Do you go to a COPD Clinic?
Stay strong & Good Luck,
Emma
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| 1030class 2005-04-05, 6:26 pm |
| Exercise is good for your health. It gives you energy.
Arlene Friedman
| |
| Scott Aleckson 2005-04-08, 10:24 pm |
| Ask your physician... not an internet newsgroup!
Living Will.
DNR.
| |
| Emma Chase VanCott 2005-04-08, 10:24 pm |
| In sci.med sandema@mail.broward.edu wrote:
: I'm a 55 Y.O. male who quit smoking 20 years ago (after 45 pack years)
: and was diagnosed with COPD 3 years ago. I've been doing 1 or 2 2-hour
: workouts per week for the past 10 years.
: Since being diagnosed with COPD I've endeavored to do 4 2-hour workouts
: per week. That's one hour of muscle workout & one hour of cardio
: (treadmill, stairclimber, or bicycle).
I had a nursing school placement with a COPD Clinic. (One of the first in
Canada, actually.)
COPD lungs are essentially "too stretched out" -- like old elastic. Deep
breathes can be taken, but, as you likely know, full inhalation
is possible, but FULL exhalation of air is NOT possible. Residual air always
remains.
Yes. Cardio/aerobic exercise improves your ability to BEST USE what you
HAVE got.
Does it "reverse" lung damage?
No. No treatments is known to. The closest you will come to a medical
treatment is "lung reduction" surgery.
Exercise is one of the ABSOLUTE best tools you have to master your
deficits, however.
Another is weight/resistance training -- as COPD-ers tend to have bad
things happen from muscle atrophy. (They don't move cuz they can't
breathe, and they can't breathe cuz they don't move -- and get weak.
Vicious cycle.)
PS. Do you go to a COPD Clinic?
Stay strong & Good Luck,
Emma
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| LEnfantduVent 2005-04-08, 10:24 pm |
|
Emma Chase VanCott wrote:
>
> Does it "reverse" lung damage?
>
> No. No treatments is known to. The closest you will come to a medical
> treatment is "lung reduction" surgery.
> Emma
Hello:
My mother-in-law also has COPD. What more can you tell me about "lung
reduction" surgery. ie success rate/who makes a good candidate/etc.
Allan
LPN in central Florida
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| Notan 2005-04-08, 10:24 pm |
| LEnfantduVent wrote:
>
> Emma Chase VanCott wrote:
>
>
> Hello:
> My mother-in-law also has COPD. What more can you tell me about "lung
> reduction" surgery. ie success rate/who makes a good candidate/etc.
Google "lung reduction surgery."
Notan
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| kyernurse 2005-04-08, 10:24 pm |
| My mother had lung volume reduction surgery about 5 years ago. Almost
all centers that perform this surgery require a few months in a pulmonary
rehab program prior to the surgery. Their compliance with this regimen is
the first screening process for potential candidates.
She did experience a significant improvement in her breathing but died
shortly afterwards of a totally unrelated medical problem. That limits my
ability to determine long-term benefits of this type of surgery. Hope this
helps!
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| LEnfantduVent 2005-04-12, 11:47 am |
|
Emma Chase VanCott wrote:
>
> Does it "reverse" lung damage?
>
> No. No treatments is known to. The closest you will come to a medical
> treatment is "lung reduction" surgery.
> Emma
Hello:
My mother-in-law also has COPD. What more can you tell me about "lung
reduction" surgery. ie success rate/who makes a good candidate/etc.
Allan
LPN in central Florida
| |
|
| LEnfantduVent wrote:
>
> Emma Chase VanCott wrote:
>
>
> Hello:
> My mother-in-law also has COPD. What more can you tell me about "lung
> reduction" surgery. ie success rate/who makes a good candidate/etc.
Google "lung reduction surgery."
Notan
| |
| Markox 2005-04-19, 10:49 am |
| If you have access to PubMed via the Internet or a local library, there are 51 articles on COPD and aerobic exercise. One abstract summarizes the following:
Fifty-nine patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) performed pulmonary function and exercise tests before and after participation in a 12-day pulmonary rehabilitation inpatient program. Postdischarge follow-ups were performed at
three months. Training consisted of twice daily aerobic exercise of 30 to 40 minutes' duration. Intensity of training was determined after exercise testing and approached the maximal limits of ventilation. In general, the program failed to demonstrate sig
nificant changes in pulmonary function. Exceptions were mid-expiratory flow rate (FEF25-75) (p less than .02) and peak flow rate (p less than .05). Evaluation of exercise capacity via maximal exercise testing yielded significant increases in caloric expen
diture (p less than .001), peak exercise oxygen consumption (p less than .001), and work output (p less than .0001). Peak exercise ventilation increased significantly (p less than .005) due to an increase in tidal volume (p less than .002). Work efficienc
y improved with training, but the change was not statistically significant. Resting oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production were decreased (p less than .05); tidal volume was increased (p less than .005). However, the significant increase noted i
n tidal volume did not alter minute ventilation. In general, the changes noted at 12 days were maintained at three months postdischarge. These data support the hypothesis that a short-term, in-hospital program of general exercise conditioning can improve
work output, gas exchange, and mechanical efficiency without significantly affecting spirometric indices. These changes may translate into improved performance of activities of daily living and a sense of general well-being.
As for jumping off something in the wilderness, PLEASE don't even consider it. Think about the rescue crew that have to risk their necks dragging the body out, which they legally have to do. We have a gorge bridge here in New Mexico that is very popular
for taking the last leap, however, it is devastating, not to mention very difficult, dangerous and time consuming, for the rescue people who have to crawl down into the gorge and extricate the smelly remains. That certainly isn't very good karma for them
...
Markox
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