SPECIAL NEWS RELEASE!   The Lung, Asthma, and Sleep Center Specialists have moved from their Celebration location.

 

Dr. Fortune Alabi, Dr. Fred Umeh, Dr. Maximo Lama, Dr. Irtza Sharif, and Dr. Donald Elton announce their move to a NEW LOCATION!

 As of Monday March 3rd, 2014, we will be located at:

 2940 Mallory Circle, Suite 204

Celebration, FL 34747

Tel: 407-507-2615

Fax: 407-507-2616

 Behind CVS & Starbucks, in the same building as Celebration Dental

 Westbound: on 192 turn right at Celebration Ave & continue straight back turning left before the sign for the Camden Town Square Apartments

 Eastbound: on 192 turn left at Celebration Ave & continue straight back turning left before the sign for the Camden Town Square Apartments

 

And, now we present today’s blog:   Florida Lung Doctors Demand: How Far Would You Walk For A Lung?

No doubt some of you will remember a certain cigarette commercial in which the handsome man or woman declared, ” I’d walk a mile for a…(brand of cigarette.) Today the Florida Lung Doctors and other pulmonary specialists throughout the world are asking COPD patients to walk “just 3 km,” and thereby “reduce risk of hospitalization for respiratory problems.”Research scientists have proven that those who are victims of COPD can benefit greatly with an exercise program of simple walking, 3-6 kilometers per day. The walk strengthens them against the risk of being hospitalized with severe attacks.

COPD, a term which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, causes long-term lung damage. Severe symptoms, engaged by a sudden loss of lung function, can be threaten the life of the patient.  New research in Respirology shows that suffers of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can reduce their risk of being hospitalized with severe attacks, by maintaining an exercise regime of walking between three to six kilometers a day.

Setting Up The Study

1. The study involved 543 COPD patients, who were recruited from five Spanish respiratory clinics.

2. Next, the researchers calculated their exercise levels, “based on the distance they walked during the course of a week. This information was compared to hospitalization data taken from the database of Bilbao’s Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo.”

3. The results were simple and obvious, but no less amazing. Facts showed that COPD patients who “maintained moderate or high levels of exercise over time, such as three to six kilometers per day, could reduce hospitalization normally forced upon them by severe symptoms.

4. Likewise, the patients who maintained a low level of exercise or exercised less and less  over time, increased their “rate of hospitalization trips with exacerbated symptoms.” These heavy attacks, or “exacerbations, are termed eCOPD.

5. It must be noted that with in this study “All patients with at least a 2-year follow-up after enrollment were included in the analysis. The response variable was the number of   hospitalizations for eCOPD within the 3-year period from 2 to 5 years after study enrollment.”

For more information about COPD, we recommend you click on one of the Lung Doctor’s previous blog articles, here.

  Sizing Up The Results

What makes this study amazing is that it did not exploit expensive new equipment or experimental medicines, but a relatively gentle exercise routine that any COPD patient could be encouraged to work pro-actively.

This is not to say that it is not a challenge. “COPD patients are less likely to engage in regular physical activity than healthy individuals.” said one of the research team,   Dr. Cristóbal Esteban. “However, regular exercise has been associated with reduced risk of hospitalization for exacerbated COPD and mortality among patients with COPD.” He added, “Indeed, even a low level of PA such as walking a minimum of 2 hours per week has been associated with decreased risk of hospitalization for exacerbated COPD.”

The Florida Lung Doctors agree, and further challenge people with this hypothesis: If this simple, small amount of exercise is good for lungs with COPD, then it stands to reason that it’s good for healthy lungs also. You can read more details at this unique journal source. The paper is entitled “Influence of changes in physical activity on frequency of hospitalization in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

The experts at The Cleveland Clinic are also proponents of exercise to help COPD patients stay away from hospitalization. They recommend aerobic exercise, stating it “will also help increase your energy level and decrease your shortness of breath. It has the added benefit of strengthening your heart, lowering your blood pressure and improving your sleep. Start an exercise program slowly. The Cleveland Clinic recommends you gradually work up to an exercise session that lasts 20 to 30 minutes. Exercise at least three to four times per week.”

Naturally, the Florida Lung, Asthma, and Sleep Center Specialists recommend COPD patients who plan to begin an exercise program of any kind, must discuss it with their healthcare professional. Now, ask yourself, even if you do not have COPD, how far would you walk to stay out of the hospital? If you know some one with COPD, perhaps you can accompany them on their walks. All it takes is a little bit of time and breath.

When it comes to the lungs of a COPD patient, “it isn’t the destination; it’s the journey.” The hospital would be the destination we would like to avoid.  It seems like the journey to improved health and well-being should be made on foot!