Tag: Quality of Life

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Breathe, Believe & Receive

All of us breathe unconsciously each second of our lives but can you just imagine what it would be like if our breathing itself is a problem. So in this post we are going to see how to proceed if disease affects our lungs (the medical term for lung is pulmo).

Rehabilitation or rehab means the act of restoring something to its original state. I would like to introduce the importance & effects of pulmonary rehabilitation, which simply means restoring the lungs to their original state.

Lung is the source of oxygen to our body; it is the key to our life. So, if disease affects our lungs what will happen to our body? The overall quality of life & function of our body reduces.

Any abnormality in the lungs that prevents it from working properly can lead to lung disease. And when the disease is present for more than 6 weeks, it is called chronic lung disease. Examples are chronic bronchitis, asthma, bronchiectasis and interstitial lung disorders.The main symptom of chronic lung disease is difficulty in breathing or breathlessness; the others are cough, excessive sputum production, tiredness and pain in the chest. Chronic lung disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the world. By the year 2020, it is estimated that chronic lung disease will be the 5th most burdensome disease and 3rd leading cause of death worldwide. According to a World Health Organization report, the prevalence of this disease ranges between 4% and 20% among Indian adults. However, lack of awareness tends to underestimate prevalence and progression of chronic respiratory conditions.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an essential component in the management of individuals with chronic lung disease.It is an important modality and adjunct to other therapies such as medication and oxygen supplementation in men and women diagnosed with these conditions.

Members of the team

It is a multi-disciplinary approach and involves a physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, respiratory therapist, social worker, psychologist and dietician.

Goals of rehabilitation:

  1. Preserving optimal lung function
  2. Improving functions of daily living
  3. Improving health-related quality of life
  4. Reducing symptoms
  5. Preventing recurrent exacerbations

People who undergo pulmonary rehab report the following benefits:

    • Able to do more of daily activities
    • Have less puffing and panting
    • Feel an improvement in muscle strength
    • Able to do more exercises with ease
    • Feel less anxiety and depression
    • Get an overall positive feeling about life

Components of pulmonary rehabilitation

1. Assessment

2. Exercise

3. Education /Training

4. Nutritional supplements

5. Psychological intervention

6. Vocational Training

Duration

A 10-12 week rehab program with 2-3 sessions per week with the rehab team will usually start producing obvious health benefits. The program will be tailored to the specific needs of the individual. For long term effects patients can continue with a maintenance program.

The education and counseling during the rehab program will help individuals in the following ways:

  • Reduce and control breathing difficulties
  • Understand the medical condition affecting their lungs, it’s treatment options, and coping strategies
  • Reduce dependence on healthcare professionals and costly medical interventions
  • Maintain healthy behaviours such as smoking cessation, good nutrition, stress management, and adequate exercise    

 

It’s not the end to rest, it’s a NEW BEGINNING with pulmonary rehab

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Breathing right is the secret to a long life

Breathing or Respiration is not just the single most important bodily function but it is the essence of life. The lungs are the main organs of respiration. They are equipped with gas exchange mechanisms that effectively allow oxygen from the inhaled air to enter the blood and carbon dioxide from the blood to diffuse into the air we breathe out. The heart works closely with the lungs to circulate the oxygenated or pure blood throughout the body and to pump the impure blood back to the lungs

Do you know what ‘lung capacity’ is? It is the total amount of air that your lungs can hold at a given point in time. Our lung capacity and lung function typically decrease as our age increases. Some heart and lung conditions can significantly speed up these reductions in lung capacity and functioning leading to difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath. During exercise, the heart and the lungs work much harder to provide the extra oxygen we need. Breathing exercises are designed to retrain the muscle of respiration and improve gas exchange and oxygenation. This type of exercise also improves the overall endurance and ability to do activities of daily living.

Breathing consists of two parts:

  • Inhalation (breathing in)
  • Exhalation (breathing out)

Proper breathing should be deep, slow, rhythmic and done through the nose. Breathe in slowly and imagine your lungs filling up with air, your chest slightly widens, your diaphragm pulls your chest cavity down and your belly button pulls away from your spine as you breathe in. When your lungs are full, breath out slowly and pull your belly button back in towards your spine to push out all of the air from the lungs.

Who can do?

All individuals with heart and lung ailments; and healthy individuals.

Benefits

  • Improves ventilation
  • Improves strength, endurance and coordination of respiratory muscles
  • Improves chest and thoracic spine mobility
  • Corrects inefficient and abnormal breathing patterns
  • Improves overall functional capacity
  • Promotes relaxation

Principles

  • Quiet area
  • Remove restrictive clothing
  • Comfortable and relax position sitting, standing or lying
  • Never do forced exhalation(breathing out slowly just enough to empty your lungs)

 

TYPES OF BREATHING EXERCISE

Diaphragmatic breathing                                                                                          

  • Relax your shoulders and sit back or lie down
  • Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest
  • Breathe in through your nose, feeling the air move into your abdomen and feeling your stomach move out, your stomach should move more than your chest does
  • Breathe out through your mouth while pressing on your abdomen
  • Repeat

                                                                                   

Pursed-lips breathing                                                                                                                                                                                         

  • Inhale slowly through your nostrils
  • Purse your lips, as if pouting or about to blow on something
  • Breathe out as slowly as possible through pursed lips, this should take at least twice as long as it did to breathe in
  • Repeat.

                                                                     

Take a deep breath and just enjoy your life

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Your first step to a healthy heart

Exercise is the best tool to live healthy; that too aerobic exercise plays a major role in strengthening the heart without stressing your body much. Aerobic exercise is the key for a long and healthy life. Aerobic activities improve the pumping capacity of the heart and make all your organs to work in a more efficient way.

What is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobic exercise is defined as continuous movement of the body with moderate exertion for a long duration of time. These types of exercises, when practiced regularly prevent and control cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, stroke and heart attack, as well other chronic ailments. The unique characteristics of aerobic exercises are:

  • Large muscle groups are used in our body
  • It delivers oxygen faster to the working muscles
  • It is a rhythmic sustained type of exercise less prone to injuries

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Lowers resting heart rate
  • Improves functional capacity
  • Reduces shortness of breath
  • Improves cardio respiratory endurance
  • Improves heart and lung function
  • Reduces obesity
  • Improves quality of life
  • Reduces joint pains
  • Increases bone density and strength
  • Improves mental health
  • Prevents many cancers
  • Enables healthy aging

 Examples of Aerobic exercise

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Types of Aerobic Exercises

  • Continuous: Exercise should be done continuously for particular duration
  • Interval: Exercise should be done with proper rest periods for particular duration
  • Circuit: Series of exercises are repeated for particular duration
  • Circuit interval: Series of exercises repeated for particular duration with proper rest periods

How to start Aerobic Exercises?

Begin slowly and progress gradually.

Start with 5-10 min of aerobic exercise for 3-5 days/ week and progress to 5-7 days/week.

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Note:

Individuals with the following conditions should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning any exercise plan:

  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Myocardial infarction (heart attack, bypass surgery, stent procedure)
  • Chest pain or unexplained breathlessness
  • Fainting or giddiness
  • Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
  • Heart failure
  • Heart valve problems
  • Any cardiac surgery or procedure

If you would like to know more about what type of exercise is best suited for your health condition, please feel free to reach out to us by email info@cardiacwellnessinstitute.com or by phone +9144 43192828, +91 9940408828.

Don’t find time to exercise?

Make time for exercise!

 

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Physical activity improves quality of life as you age

Physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced risk for several disorders including coronary heart disease, cancers, diabetes, and stroke. Regular physical activity can relieve tension, anxiety, depression and anger. You may notice a “feel good sensation” immediately following your physical activity, and most people also note an improvement in general wellbeing over time as physical activity becomes a part of their routine. Some of the hormones responsible for these changes are endorphins, growth hormone and serotonin.

According to the AHA (American Heart Association), too much sitting and other sedentary activities can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. One study showed that adults who watch more than 4 hours of television a day had a 46% increased risk of death from any cause and an 80% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Becoming more active can help lower your blood pressure and also boost your levels of good cholesterol.

Regular Physical activity can improve the anti aging process by increasing strength, stamina and ability to function well. Recent research showed that people who are physically active and at a healthy weight live about 7 years longer than those who are not active and are obese.

If you want to improve your physical fitness, but you find the idea of exercise overwhelming, it may help you to know exercise and physical activity is not the same thing—yet both are beneficial to your health.

Exercise, however, is a type of physical activity that requires planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement with the intent of improving or maintaining your physical fitness level. Exercise can be accomplished through activities such as cycling, dancing, walking, swimming, yoga, working out at the gym, or running etc. Regular exercise, depending upon the kind, improves aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility.

Everyday physical activities such as performing housework, walking at work place, or climbing stairs keep your body moving and still count toward the recommended amount of weekly physical activity.

Regular exercises like brisk walking, cycling and swimming can have the following effects on our body…

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Reduces risk of diabetes

Regular physical activity helps maintain blood sugar levels and lowers the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. If you have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 or if you have a family history of diabetes, this benefit of exercise may have special value to you.

Helps maintain weight

Physical activity has been shown to be the single most important factor in successful weight maintenance. Aim for burning about 1000-2000 calories per week from activity.

Reduces risk of premature death

The highest risk of death and disability is found among those who do no regular physical activity.

Reduces risk of heart disease

Physical activity increases the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol in your blood. HDLs are like cholesterol scavengers – they pick up the “bad” cholesterol in the arteries and transport it to the liver for eventual removal from the body. An increase in your HDL is protective; it can decrease the risk of a heart attack. The other ways by which physical activity protects the heart are controlling blood pressure, maintaining blood glucose, preventing obesity and keeping your stress levels at bay.

Improves health of muscles and bones

Regular aerobic physical activity improves blood flow to your muscles and helps them use energy. Strength training increases muscle size and strength. Physical activities like jogging, walking and strength training strengthen your bones and make them denser, thereby preventing osteoporosis and arthritis.

Improves mental health

Regular physical activity can reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood. It may be a beneficial strategy to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. Exercise may directly benefit brain cells by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain.

Reduces risk of high blood pressure

Not only does regular physical activity reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure but it also helps lower blood pressure in people who already have elevated blood pressure.

Helps older adults become stronger

The loss of strength and stamina that is often attributed to aging is partly caused by reduced physical activity. Inadequate physical activity leads to a thinning of bones, a weakening of muscles, and a reduction in metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories). This often leads to weight gain. Physical activity improves nearly all systems, especially the cardiovascular system and the ability to perform the routine tasks of daily life.