To
Your Good Health
By Paul G. Donohue,
M.D.Exercise
for Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My
wife’s mobility has been quite limited by
her breathing difficulty from COPD. Are there
suggestions that could enable her to start very
gradually on an exercise program to build muscle
strength, mainly leg-muscle strength? - E.M.
ANSWER: Emphysema and chronic
bronchitis are the two chronic obstructive
pulmonary diseases. Most people with COPD have a
touch of both illnesses. Emphysema is a
destruction of the lung’s air sacs.
Shortness of breath on slight activity is its
hallmark symptom. Oxygen can't get into the blood
through damaged air sacs, so people are always
short of breath. Chronic bronchitis is irritation
of the airways. Cough with thick sputum is its
main symptom.
Exercise isn’t easy for
people with COPD, since they become breathless so
quickly. Yet exercise is necessary. COPD patients
tend to sit most of the time. Their muscles
become deconditioned, that’s another
impediment to them being active.
Interval exercise usually can
be tolerated. On a stationary bike, interval
exercise means pedaling somewhat quickly for only
20 seconds and then slowing down for the next 40
seconds. Repeating these cycles as many times as
possible builds muscle strength and helps COPD
patients achieve mobility. The same kind of
training can be done while walking or swimming.
Breathing through pursed lips
helps a person with COPD. These people should
inhale through the nose to a count of four then
exhale through pursed lips to a count of six.
Pursed lips are lips held like when one whistles.
While exercising, COPD patients
should lean slightly forward at the waist to give
the lungs more room to expand.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
By David
Uffington
Bracing for
Tough Times
Recession,
depression, downturn in the market -- no matter
what it’s called, there’s less money
going around. Taking the right steps now can help
you get through what might be a bumpy time.
If you’ve
been considering a job change, perhaps to a
middle-management slot in the same or another
company, give it long thought before you accept a
position. "Last hired, first fired"
could apply if your new company downsizes, and
middle managers are most vulnerable. Meanwhile,
be indispensable at the job you do have.
Develop multiple
sources of income. If you have a marketable
mini-skill or hobby (small engine or appliance
repair, sewing, home maintenance) that allows
others to fix what they have rather than buying
new, consider starting a part-time business.
Invest in a few ads to promote your services and
increase your presence in local groups. The more
you’re known in places like church or social
or service groups, the more opportunities
you’ll have to spread the word and to hear
what others are able to provide.
Set up a trade
system with likeminded others. If you can fix a
computer, but your neighbor is good with oil
changes or alterations, you both can benefit.
Do it yourself
where possible. If your local community college
or chain hardware store offers classes in home
repair, take advantage of those that will allow
you to avoid the high cost of repairs.
Sign up on
Freecycle (www.freecycle.org), a site that
promotes the reuse of goods.
Don’t take on
any new debt. When magazine subscriptions expire,
don’t renew. Get out of book clubs, gym
memberships (unless it causes a penalty fee) and
anything that involves an automatic expense each
month.
Minimize the
number of automatic bill-paying deductions you
have coming out of your checking account. Write
checks each month instead, staying more in
control of your money.
Take care of
maintenance now for anything from dental work to
roof repair to forestall big expenses down the
road.
Consider
unemployment insurance to cover your mortgage.
Imagine that your
income is cut off tomorrow. Calculate how long
you would be able to survive and pay your bills
on the money you have now. Consider what a dollar
means to you today versus what it might mean
tomorrow.
FROM START TO
FITNESS
By Andrea Renee
Wyatt, M.S.S., C.S.C.S.
Rediscover
Sports You Loved as Child
Q: Growing up,
I was very active in sports and other activities.
As an adult, I enjoy exercising but miss the
competition. The chance to compete in sports as
an adult are limited in my area. Any suggestions
on finding something that can motivate me the way
sports did in my childhood?
A: Many adults who
took part in sports as children found the
experience to be rewarding. But as life becomes
more focused on work, family and other
responsibilities, time for "play" takes
a back seat. Finding or creating activities that
will bring back your competitive spirit can be
easier than you think.
Think of the
athletic activities you enjoyed as a child.
Sports such as basketball, softball, swimming,
running or tennis still can be done today as an
adult. In addition, practicing and preparing for
a game, match or competition can create a purpose
to exercise, and motivate you to stick with your
routines even when tired.
You might be
surprised at how many other adults are feel the
same way you do. Mention to a few friends how you
miss competing in different sports, and how you
would like to find other adults who, say, might
want to organize and start a weekly game of
basketball, or find other couples to play doubles
tennis.
Check with your
local recreation department, YMCA or fitness
facility. Evening programs are often offered for
adults in a variety of activities such as martial
arts or basketball. If none are available,
suggest to the program director the need for
adult programming at their facility.
Another option can
be to exercise for a cause. Many charitable
organizations offer team training for triathlons,
marathons and 100-mile bike rides, which function
not only as training for the participant, but
also as a way to raise money for the charity. The
training required to complete these events can be
intense, but also rewarding and fun.
The Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society (www.teamintraining.org) and The
American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org)
both have Teams in Training that organize your
training and help you learn more about their
causes. The races also tend to be in great
locations such as Hawaii.
Creating your own
competition can be fun too. You might not live
where triathlon training is available, but you
can create your own triathlon challenge. Find and
area to run, bike and swim, and challenge
yourself to complete the distances of an actual
triathlon. Distances range from fun/sprint
distances to longer distances.
Sprint triathlons
could be as little as a 200-yard swim, a 5-10
mile bike and a 3-mile run. At the other extreme
are Ironman distances: a 2.4 mile open-water
swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run.
Find a distance that is good for you, and push
yourself. Set a goal to complete your triathlon.
Whether it is all in one day or over the span of
a month, you will feel a sense of accomplishment
when finished.
Keep having fun,
even as an adult, and continue to keep moving
just as you did as a child. Always consult a
physician before beginning an exercise program.
Moments In Time
The History Channel
On April 19, 1775, at about 5
a.m., 700 British troops march into the
Massachusetts town of Lexington to find 77 armed
minutemen waiting for them. Suddenly, the
"shot heard around the world" was fired
from an undetermined gun. When the brief Battle
of Lexington ended, eight Americans lay dead or
dying and 10 others were wounded. The American
Revolution had begun.
On April 20, 1841, Edgar Allen
Poe’s short story "The Murders in the
Rue Morgue" first appears in Graham’s
Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine. The
tale is generally considered to be the first
detective story.
On April 14, 1912, just before
midnight in the North Atlantic, the RMS Titanic
hits an iceberg, rupturing five watertight
compartments along her starboard side. Hours
later the massive vessel sank, and more than
1,500 people died in the icy North Atlantic
waters.
On April 17, 1937, Daffy Duck
makes his debut in the Warner Bros. short
"Porky’s Duck Hunt." In the 1920s,
movie houses had started showing a short cartoon
before feature presentations, but the form became
more popular after sound was introduced in 1928.
On April 16, 1947, a massive
explosion occurs during the loading of fertilizer
onto the freighter Grandcamp at a pier in Texas
City, Texas, killing 600 people. The blast was
heard 150 miles away and was so powerful that the
ship’s 3,000-pound anchor was found 2 miles
away.
VETERAN’S POST
By Freddy Groves
Gulf War
Syndrome Is for Real
I spent a whole
afternoon on the Internet looking for (and
finding) research information about Gulf War
Syndrome and how far back the powers that be have
known about the damage caused by exposure to
chemicals like nerve gas and pesticides.
What I found is
disheartening. They’ve known for a long
time.
One example: A
1999 study revealed there is a genetic reason why
some soldiers got sick after exposure to
chemicals and some didn’t. It’s called
(in scientist shorthand) PON-Q, which is an
enzyme that destroys chemical toxins that invade
the body, especially sarin. Those who had low
levels of this enzyme in their blood got sick
after exposure. Those with high levels
didn’t.
And yet it’s
only now, in a recently published study by Dr.
Beatrice Golomb of UC San Diego, that all the
information has been pulled together in one
massive study of the literature.
The bottom line:
The evidence satisfies "presumptive criteria
for causality," meaning cause and effect can
be proved. Gulf War Syndrome may well have been
caused by sarin, pesticides and the anti-nerve
gas pills given to military personnel. The
greater the exposure to AChEi (acetyl
cholinesterase inhibitors), the worse the damage
to the body.
I’m grateful
that Dr. Golomb has pulled all 115 pieces of
research together. I just wish someone had
listened before when so many of these studies
came out one after the other.
To learn more
about what the VA has to say about Gulf War
Syndrome, go to www1.va.gov/gulfwar. Be sure to
scroll to the bottom of the page to click to the
GulfLINK Medical Information page, which has
dozens of links to Gulf War medical information
(some links may no longer work). And don’t
miss the Med Search link at the very bottom.
Art in the Park
Day.
In conjunction
with National Park Week, George Washington Carver
National Monument invites the public to the
second annual Art in the Park Day. Held on
Saturday, April 26th, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m., this free event celebrates the artwork of
George Washington Carver.
George Washington
Carver was inspired by the natural environment
and gained a sense of serenity and personal
rejuvenation from his artistic work. Like Carver,
artists will be set up across the park grounds,
drawing inspiration from nature. Hands-on
workshops will be provided throughout the day and
all visitors are encouraged to participate.
Workshops will feature techniques in acrylics,
oils, pastels, clay, pencil, natural dyes, and
watercolors.
A special exhibit,
Expressions of the Soul, will feature artistic
creations by George Washington Carver, including
some of his original artwork on display for this
special day.
April 26th is also
National Junior Ranger Day and a special Junior
Ranger booth will feature art activities.
Children are encouraged to earn their own Junior
Ranger badge to add to their collection.
George Washington
Carver National Monument preserves the birthplace
and childhood home of George Washington Carver.
The monument is located two miles west of
Diamond, Missouri on Hwy V, then south ½ mile on
Carver Road. For more information, please call
the park at 417-325-4151 between 9:00 a.m. and
4:30 p.m.
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