Reader’s Digest India – July 2019

diagnosis in many female patients with

COPD,” he says.

What’s worrying is, untreated

COPD makes patients vulnerable to

cardiac arrests. In fact, it is particularly

dangerous in pregnant women and the

elderly. Worse, long-term untreated

COPD can cause disorders of the

peripheral nerves.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

While COPD is under-diagnosed,

progressive and (currently) incurable,

causing irreversible damage to the

lungs, the good news is that it is entirely

preventable and can, with timely

detection, be managed through various

treatment methods.

Reduce exposure. Since prevention

is the key, it is important to avoid

exposure to indoor or outdoor

pollution, smoking, and a range of

occupational hazards such as inhaling

toxic air over long periods of time. We

also need to be alert towards weather

changes that intensify pollution and

mitigate damages.

Get timely help. This is critical—if

you experience any of the symptoms

mentioned in this article, seek timely

medical help.

Take antioxidants. “Since the condi-

tion causes oxidative stress, antioxi-

dants in the diet can be of great help,”

Salvi explains, citing a Johns Hopkins

University study, which found crucifer-

ous vegetables such as broccoli, cau-

liflower and cabbage to be beneficial

for COPD. A dietary supplement, in the

form of a lung tonic containing N-acetyl

cysteine—a synthetic source of gluta-

thione that is produced by our body—

helps dissolve and reduce viscosity

of mucous and has also been proved

to be helpful in managing COPD.

Be civic-minded. There is utmost

need to remove or mitigate risk factors

responsible for COPD, from a public

health perspective, for which the

authorities are responsible—reducing

vehicular emissions through improved

public transport, segregating industrial

and residential areas, better-designed,

well-ventilated housing, where biomass

is not used for cooking, planting more

trees, making sure there are better

public alert systems. However, each

72 july 2019

indiapicture

Cruciferous vegetables^

—broccoli, cauliflower

and cabbage—include

antioxidants that greatly

help in combating^

the effects of COPD.

Reader’s Digest