Health Tips

For people challenged with AAT deficiency, preventing or slowing lung damage is critical. Avoiding exposure to lung irritants in your environment, such as some household chemicals, allergens, and secondhand smoke is a must.

Ask your physician how proper diet and exercise can also help strengthen your ability to live a longer, more fulfilling life. A commitment to eating well and staying active can benefit the body as well as the mind.

Avoiding smoke and other lung irritants

Did you know there are more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, some of which may make it harder to quit?1,2 And that even secondhand smoke can damage your heart and lungs over time, and minimize your ability to fight infections?3

  • Avoid secondhand smoke, at home and away
  • Tell your physician if someone you live with smokes
  • Also protect yourself against pollutants in the air

If someone in your family smokes, there are many effective ways to quit. Convenient help, such as the American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® Program, is available online. Click on www.lungusa.org.

Maintaining your overall health, morning to night

Here are some simple measures to maintain or improve pulmonary health at home and away:6

  • Avoid close contact with people who have viral infections
  • Stay current on vaccinations, including flu and pneumonia shots
  • Minimize exposure to dust and other irritants

Staying active with Alpha-1

For people with COPD, findings from a 2007 study published in Heart and Lung suggest that physical benefits come with strict adherence to an exercise routine. Additionally, mental health benefits can arise from regular exercise, even if the activity isn't constant.4

Pulmonary rehabilitation may also improve your quality of life. It is an evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive intervention for patients with chronic respiratory diseases who are symptomatic and often have decreased daily life activities. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs generally include:5

  • Patient assessment
  • Exercise training
  • Education
  • Psychosocial support

Relaxation techniques, such as yoga, may also be helpful.7

To learn more about staying healthy, visit these websites.

Alpha1Health

www.alpha1health.com

American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

www.aacvpr.org

American Lung Association

www.lungusa.org

Breathing Better Living Well

www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com

Smoke Free

www.smokefree.gov

  1. National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health. Cigarette Smoking and Cancer: Questions and Answers. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/tobacco/cancer. Accessed October 4, 2007.
  2. Rabinoff MD, Caskey N, Rissling A, Park C. Pharmacological and chemical effects of cigarette additives. Am J Public Health [Epub ahead of print]. 2007. Available at: http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/AJPH.2005.078014v2. Accessed September 14, 2007.
  3. National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes fo Health. Secondhand Smoke: Questions and Answers. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS . Accessed June 19, 2009.
  4. Donesky-Cuenco D, Janson S, Neuhaus J, et al. Adherence to a home-walking prescription in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Heart Lung. 2007;36:348-363.
  5. Ries AL, Bauldoff GS, Carlin BW et al. Pulmonary Rehabilitation. CHEST. 2007;131;4S-42S
  6. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: COPD - Learn More Breathe Better. Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/campaign-materials/html/copd-patient.htm . Accessed August 13, 2009.

  7. Donesky-Cuenco D, Nguyen HQ, Paul S, Carrieri-Kohlman V. Yoga therapy decreases dyspnea-related distress and improves functional performance in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med. 2009; 15 (3): 225-234.