Everybody suffers from breathing problems from time to time, surely you do too. The causes that lead to breathing problems can be very different. If you only suffer from coughing or breathing problems from time to time, there are usually no serious illnesses behind it.

However, if the breathing problems persist over a longer period of time and possibly increase, it is advisable for you to clarify for yourself or have examined whether it is not possibly a COPD.

What is COPD?

The term COPD is an abbreviation for “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”. The term represents various lung diseases that can make breathing and oxygen exchange difficult. The development of the disease may have different causes and develop and increase over many years.

In advanced disease, the organism is no longer supplied with sufficient oxygen. Sufferers experience breathing problems, feel shortness of breath and are no longer as efficient as before the onset of the disease.

What are the symptoms of COPD?

Unlike a conventional cough and seasonal illness, which also cause breathing problems, the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are permanent. In the beginning, you will only feel the breathing problems during exertion. As the disease progresses, shortness of breath occurs more often, even without exertion.

The following complaints are typical for COPD:

• Cough with sputum
• Shortness of breath, especially during exertion
• difficult exhalation
• an increase in complaints in autumn and winter
• Irritant cough

What can be the causes of the breathing problems?

Very often smokers suffer from chronic respiratory problems. However, other toxins, chemicals, fibers or dust can also enter the lungs, causing chronic lung disease. People who handle environmental toxins at work, breathe in chemical fumes or flour dust can develop chronic lung disease without smoking.

In the long term, the foreign substances that collect in the lungs cause the lung tissue to change. As a rule, a wide variety of foreign substances in the lung tissue change the alveoli in the lungs. As a result, oxygen exchange can no longer take place as usual. The breathing capacity automatically decreases. On top of that, additional inflammation in the bronchial tubes can increase the effects of the disease. In most cases, the disease is triggered by external causes. Breathing problems are genetic in only about 3 percent of sufferers.

How can the breathing problems of COPD be alleviated?

Doctors often prescribe inhalers after a diagnosis of COPD that can not only relieve symptoms but also improve oxygen uptake. If the available medications no longer help, usually only the administration of oxygen can help. Oxygen cylinders are not only uncomfortable and limit the quality of life, they are also a hindrance in everyday life and attract the attention of others.

To prevent this from happening, you should always keep a close eye on your body and react immediately at the first symptoms.

How you can relieve your breathing problems yourself

Often, the development of COPD is associated with inflammation in the body and lungs. Chronic inflammation that originates in the intestines (silent inflammation) can also have a negative impact on lung health and trigger respiratory problems. Inflammation in the body can be reduced when the gut is healthy. Allergenic foods, such as gluten or dairy products, can be triggers of intestinal inflammation.

It can be helpful to do without them or to reduce the intake considerably. The intestine reacts to allergenic foods with an immune response that increases the development of inflammation. You do not feel such inflammations of the intestines, they are not associated with pain, but they can cause inflammations in the lungs, which then lead to breathing problems.

With the PraxisFamily system you can test yourself whether there is an inflammation in the intestine or rather an intolerance.

Prevent diseases with an anti-inflammatory lifestyle

To prevent breathing problems from occurring in the first place, you should do everything you can to prevent inflammation from occurring in your body in the first place. You also prevent other diseases that are promoted by inflammation in the organism. Plant substances (phytotherapy) are particularly helpful, but so is physical detoxification. Toxins that enter the organism unnoticed increase the risk of inflammation, which leads to respiratory problems. In that case, the toxins do not even have to have accumulated in the lungs.

Just take a look at your regular daily routine from a distance. Do you smoke? Do you come into contact with dust and environmental toxins (professionally or privately)? Can risks that can trigger inflammation in the organism be avoided?

Certainly, if you take a close look at your lifestyle, you will find some behavioral points that you can easily change to reduce the risk of inflammatory lung disease in the long run. With the help of our PraxisFamily system, you can more easily discover your weak points and make your everyday life healthier for you. We’ll show you how to better understand your body and become your own doctor in our free webinar.