Page 7 - Dignity Health | Be well | Spring 2013

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PULMONARY REHABILITATION
The art of living one breath at a time
To learn more about the pulmonary
rehabilitation program at Mercy
Medical Center Mt. Shasta, call
888.628.1948 or visit
www.mercymtshasta.org.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Most of us take this life-sustaining
rhythm for granted. But breathing
isn’t always easy for people with a
lung disease—particularly if they
have chronic obstructive pulmo-
nary disease (COPD).
A person with COPDmay feel short
of breath during daily activities—
such as bathing, dressing and
preparing meals—and especially
during exercise.
Pulmonary rehabilitation can help.
Through exercise training and
educational programs, pulmonary
rehab helps people with COPD
stay more active, control their
symptoms and improve their day-
to-day lives.
Steps to live stronger
Components of a pulmonary rehab
programmay include:
1 Exercise training. Most
pulmonary rehab takes place in the
hospital, where exercise training is
closely supervised. An individual
exercise program can teach you
what exercises will benefit you
most, as well as how often, how
long and how intensely to do them.
Don’t be discouraged if you have to
start slowly. As your muscles gain
strength, you’ll move more easily
and for longer periods of time.
Soon you’ll be able to do daily tasks
with less oxygen demand.
2 Social and psychological
support. Rehab programs can
also help address the emotional
stresses of having a lung disease.
Some people with COPDmay
have depression, anxiety,
or a negative body
image or lack
social support. Group and individual
counseling can:
› Teach you relaxation skills
› Encourage you to talk about your
feelings
› Teach you how to give and receive
emotional support from others
3 Patient education. This helps
you understand more about your
disease and how to manage it.
Many topics are covered and may
include information about:
› Medications
› Oxygen therapy
› Nutrition andweight management
Breathingeasier
The pulmonary rehab program at
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta
(MMCMS) helps patients with
COPD realize better health.
“It is tremendously gratifying to
hear our patients say, ‘I feel so
much better,’ and see a look of hope
on their face,” says Craig Hanna,
Director of Cardiopulmonary Ser-
vices at MMCMS. “It gives patients
more control over their shortness
of breath and, ultimately,
their quality of life.”
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