A case study on suffering with depression

A contextual investigation on enduring with gloom Despondency is an entire body disease, which means it influences your body, disposition and contemplations. It tends to be an intense ailment which influences the manner in which you eat and rest, the manner in which you feel about yourself and the manner in which you consider things. It is something other than a passing state of mind, and is totally different from the typical sentiments of bitterness and fondling took care of. The sentiments of sadness normally last in excess of a couple of days; they can keep going for a considerable length of time or even years. Whenever left untreated, these emotions can meddle with the day by day life of the individual and can likewise affect the individuals around them. Sadness can influence anybody at any age, including kids, in spite of the fact that it is bound to happen if there has been a family ancestry of misery. Wellbeing experts utilize various terms to portray gloom, these are: wretchedness, burdensome ailment and clinical melancholy (NHS, 2009). It is usually felt that downturn is certifiably not a genuine ailment. It is seen progressively like a shortcoming or a disappointment in an individual notwithstanding, in light of the fact that it isn't noticeable doesn't mean it isn't genuine. Sorts of misery There a wide range of types of wretchedness, these can extend from gentle melancholy through to extreme despondency and people who endure with serious sorrow may likewise show maniacal manifestations. Significant wretchedness, presumably the most widely recognized type of gloom, is showed by a blend of manifestations that meddle with the individual’s capacity to eat, rest, work and study. Normally the individual will lose enthusiasm for once pleasurable exercises and furthermore has a sentiment of sadness. A few people just have a solitary burdensome scene, while others have repeating scenes. (Brain science Information Online, 2009) Dysthymia is a gentle, ceaseless condition of gloom and the indications ar e like significant discouragement, however less extreme. An individual may experience the ill effects of dysthymia misery for quite a long time before being analyzed, in this manner they would at present proceed with regular day to day existence and may not understand that they are enduring with sadness, they could simply have an inclination that something isn't exactly right. (Brain research Information Online, 2009) Atypical sorrow is diverse to significant misery in the manner that an individual will feel better incidentally when a positive life occasion happens, while an individual experiencing significant wretchedness will almost consistently feel low. This kind of despondency can keep going for two or three months or can be with a person for as long as they can remember. (Misery About.com, 2009) Bipolar confusion, or hyper burdensome turmoil, is a passionate issue â€Å"in which an individual shifts back and forth between conditions of profound discouragement and extraordinar y elation.† (Bipolar About.com, 2009) It is portrayed by unexpected changes in state of mind, considerations and conduct and there is a high self destruction rate found in people who experience the ill effects of hyper despondency. The two boundaries of discouragement are the place the individual feels exceptionally low and insanity where the individual feels extremely high. (NHS, 2009) Postpartum despondency influences lady, quite often, following labor. It is imagined that post birth anxiety is activated by the hormonal changes that follow labor. Some lady have serious and durable manifestations that require treatment, others can by and large beat postnatal anxiety with great self-care and backing from loved ones. (Misery About.com, 2009)

Kanyon Information Technology Solutions

Kanyon Information Technology Solutions manages CRM and ERP programming, IT Tier 1& 2 Support, Security Solution (arrange security and such) and ITIL counseling administrations. The objective buyers for these administrations are the different business houses. For this situation, the best methodology would contact the possibilities or target purchasers legitimately through organization delegates. The most ideal route for the organization is to have a zero level or one level dispersion channel.Business associations can be reached in different manners. The concerned individuals from the objective associations read business magazines and diaries, IT magazine and diaries, visit different sites, expos, innovation shows, occasions and presentations and numerous others.â These promoting roads can be promoted so as to publicize and showcase these products.Print Media:Print media being conventional method of promoting and advertising are as yet worthy individuals thinking that its helpfu l to convey a magazine and read it in their spare time. There are quantities of business diaries, news papers, IT diaries and others which promote IT and business items. Organizations can distinguish their objective purchaser and their understanding propensities and publicize its items and arrangements in the same.WebsiteThese items are focused for organizations. It will be valuable for the organization to publicize these on various sites. At the point when a possibility buyer will begin searching for IT arrangements, he is well on the way to check web search tools first. The organization can promote also as can have its own site. The publicizing cost in site will be less.Trade appears and different Events:This is other significant approach to contact target purchasers. Expos offers a chance to exhibit your items and answers for the forthcoming customers. The IT and industry explicit exchange shows will permit Kanyon Information Technology Solutions to build up their promoting mater ial and field-tested strategy as per the business explicit needs.Competitive Sales Force:Competitive deals for can be recruited and prepared for the item exhibits and selling. The business group can contain experienced individuals from the business or contenders. They can have forceful deals targets and legitimate help and offices to meet these targets.Retailers:KITS can likewise choose retailers for promoting of their administrations. These retailers may have skill of selling IT items and answers for the commercial center. They can be managing items and arrangements of other IT organizations too. This will permit organization to have a retailer with experience and purchaser information base. The retailer may contact its current clients and strategically pitch or up sell KITS products.Using Wholesaler:Use of distributer for the IT items will build the expense of conclusive item. Distributer will contact retailers to offer the items and answers for the commercial center. The control of KITS over the retailers would be less. The items may confront the issue of various estimating and offers from various wholesalers and their retailers. The channel strife will be higher and friends will have lesser control. IT items are inclined to quick changes. It is perilous for the organization to have its item as stock. Higher the quantities of individuals in the dissemination channel higher will be the stock time. This will expand the danger of getting items and arrangements out dated and out of market place.Reference:Kitchen, P.J. (1994), â€Å"The Marketing Communication Revolution: A Leviathan Unveiled?†, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 12(.2) 19-25.Kotler, Philip (2001) Marketing Management, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., tenth EditionLisa Hoecklin. (1995).Managing Cultural Differences: Strategies for Competitive Advantage. Wokingham:Addison-Wesley Publisher Ltd.Mà ¶ller, K. also, Wilson, D. (1995), Business Marketing: An Interaction and Network Perspective . Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell.Shimp, T.E. (1997), Advertising, Promotion and Supplemental Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communication, fourth ed. Stronghold Worth, Texas: The Dryden Press

How to set Up a Shop on your Facebook Page for selling Products

How to set Up a Shop on your Facebook Page for selling Products Are you thinking to sell products online? But you may unable to create an eCommerce site because of the budget problems. In this case, you can create a Facebook shop for selling your product. Facebook is now giving the opportunity to create online shop on their page. And it will take less than 10 minutes to create an online shop on the Facebook page. As a result, the customer can buy your product directly from Facebook. The main feature of Facebook Shop is there is a greater possibility to view your product by a large audience. And you dont need to promote your product separately. If you have previously purchased from Shopify or Bigcommerce then you have knowledge about shopping on the Facebook shop. If you are interested to create a Shop on your Facebook page then it you have to note that this feature is only available to Facebook Business page. And still, this feature is appearing randomly on Facebook pages.If you don't know how to create by yourself then take the help offacebook advertising agencies. How to Set Up a Shop on your Facebook Page for selling Products? If you see the Add Shop section on your Facebook page then you consider it that you are eligible to create a shop in facebook. If you have the +Add Shop section link on your Facebook page then please follow the below steps to create a shop and start selling products on your Facebook page. Step #1: Visit your Facebook page and locate +Add Shop section URL and click on it. Step #2: It will bring up a prompt and from there click Add Shop Section button. In the case of non-supported Asian countries, the currency selection option will appear first. You can select any local currency for your Facebook Page Shop. Step #3: Now you may be required to agree to Merchant Terms and Policies on Facebook. Just put a tick on it and click theContinue button. Step #4: Once you have agreed with Merchant terms and policies then you have to enter your Business email address. If you already have a Stripe account then locate Configure Payments click connect to an existing Stripe account link. If not then visit https://stripe.com/ and create a stripe account and after that configure your payments. After that your Facebook pages Call-to-action button will change to theShop Now button. Step #5: Now simply describe your Business in your Facebook shop page within 200 characters. And after that start adding Product image (Image dimension should be 1024px X 1024px), Product video, Product Price and Product Description by clicking theAdd Product button under theAdd Product to Your Shop section. Finally Click theSave button. You can add unlimited products to your Facebook Shop. You can sell either physical or digital products through Facebook but restricted to illegal product selling. And this feature will help your business to grow steadily. How Blogger can become benefited? As a Blogger you can use Facebook Shop for selling your digital product. You can sell through Facebook shop all kinds of digital products, such as eBook eCourse Web Design I think this feature has opened a new door for a web designer and small businesses. If you are not making a decent amount of money from your affiliate advertisement then you can start selling digital product through Facebook Shop. Do you think the Facebook Shop feature will beat the eCommerce website or help us to grow home Business steadily? Are you planning to add a shop to your Facebook page then let me know about your experience in the comments!

Why Membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society Matters

The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien - 1242 Words

â€Å"Tim O’Brien is obsessed with telling a true war story. O Brien s fiction about the Vietnam experience suggest, lies not in realistic depictions or definitive accounts. As O’Brien argues, absolute occurrence is irrelevant because a true war story does not depend upon that kind of truth. Mary Ann’s induction into genuine experience is clearly destructive as well as empowering† (p.12) Tim O’s text, The Things they Carried, details his uses of word choice to portray his tone and bias. Tim O’Brien uses Martha to represents the idea of home and all it attendant images. He also uses letters and quotes to convey his image. Despite the fact that women assume a little part in The Things They Carried, it is a critical one. The Female characters Martha, Mary Anne Bell, and Kathleen Cross all affect the lives of the soldiers . Tim O’Brien uses the female role to portray his view and thoughts on his true war story which depict the lack of mora lity. The character Martha in The Things They Carried was used to display the innocence and safety of home. Martha and Jimmy Cross wrote letters back and forth but never spoke about war. Tim O’Brien writes â€Å"She belonged to another world, which was not quite real.†(p. 17) to imply that Martha doesn t love Jimmy but more as a friend who’s disconnected from war. Jimmy burns Martha’s letter later in the book to indicate how he s been exposed to too much in war. He was using Martha as an escape from all the horrifying events. Marta letter’s areShow MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien892 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam War was a long, exhausting, and traumatic experience for all of the soldiers and those who came with them. The Things They Carried, by Tim O Brien illustrates the different affects the war had on a variety of people: Jacqueline Navarra Rhoads, a former nurse during the Vietnam war, demonstrates these effects within her own m emoir in the book, The Forgotten Veterans. Both sources exemplify many tribulations, while sharing a common thread of suffering from mental unpredictability. DesensitizationRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1377 Words   |  6 Pageslove to have it as good as we do. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried discusses many veterans who experience the burden of shame and guilt daily due to their heroic actions taken during the Vietnam War. The book shows you how such a war can change a man before, during, and after it’s over.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I reflect on the many conflicts America has been a part of, none can compare to the tragedies that occurred in The Vietnam war. As told in The Things They Carried (O’Brien), characters such as NormanRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1457 Words   |  6 Pagesthe theme pertains to everyone regardless of their background. It conveys the same ideas to people from all across our society. Lastly, a classic is timeless, which means it has transcended the time in which it was written. In Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, he offers a new, intriguing way to view war or just life in general and also meets all of the crucial requirements mentioned above to qualify it as a book of literary canon. Though this book is technically a war novel, many peopleRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1169 Words   |  5 Pagesbut are set in the past and borrows things from that time period. A story that fits this genre of literature is The Things They Carried. The story is about Tim O Brien, a Vietnam veteran from the Unite States, who tells stories about what had happened when he and his team were stationed in Vietnam. He also talks about what he felt about the war when he was drafted and what he tried to do to avoid going to fight in Vietnam. The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien was precise with its portrayal of settingRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1004 Words   |  5 Pages Tim O’Brien is a veteran from of the Vietnam War, and after coming home from his duty he decided to be a writer. His work â€Å"The Things They Carried† is about a group of soldiers that are fighting in the Vietnam War. The first part of the story talks mostly about phy sical items that each soldier carries, and also mentions the weight of the items as well. Though, there is one exception to the list of physical things. Lieutenant Cross is a character of the story, and Tim O’ Brien quickly states theRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien896 Words   |  4 PagesTrouble without a doubt is what First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried around his shoulders because he was out in war, where mistakes happen. Lost and unknown of his surroundings he had to lead his men into safety, while destroying anything they found. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross only holds onto one thing for hope and that is Martha, the woman who he hopes is a virgin to come back to. Tim O’ Brien introduces symbolism by adding a character that has a meaning of purity and a pebble, which symbolizesRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien Essay832 Words   |  4 PagesSummary: â€Å"By and large they carried these things inside, maintaining the masks of composure† (21). In Tim O’brien’s The Things They Carried, the American soldiers of the Vietnam War carry much more than the weight of their equipment, much more than souvenirs or good-luck charms or letters from home. They carried within themselves the intransitive burdens—of fear, of cowardice, of love, of loneliness, of anger, of confusion. Most of all, they carry the truth of what happened to them in the war—aRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1369 Words   |  6 PagesMany authors use storytelling as a vehicle to convey the immortality of past selves and those who have passed to not only in their piece of literature but in their life as an author. In Tim O’Brien’s work of fiction The Things They Carried, through his final chapter â€Å"The Lives of the Dead,† O Brien conveys that writing is a matter of survival since, the powers of s torytelling can ensure the immortality of all those who were significant in his life. Through their immortality, O’Brien has the abilityRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1407 Words   |  6 Pages       Our introduction stated that in â€Å"The Things They Carried,† author Tim O’Brien tells us not directly of the soldiers of Vietnam, or the situations they find themselves in, but about the things they carry on their shoulders and in their pockets. These â€Å"things† identify the characters and bring them to life.   I find that to be true as the author unfolds the stories about war and the uncommon things one carries in to war both inadvertently and on purpose.  Ã‚  Ã‚  As it was noted: Stories about war –Read MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien Essay984 Words   |  4 PagesVery few novels and short stories have managed to clarify, in any lasting process, the means of the war in Vietnam for America and for the troopers who served there. With The Things They Carried, author (Tim O’Brien), captures the war s pulsing rhythms and trying dangers. However he goes abundant any. By moving on the far side the horror of the fighti ng to look at with sensitivity and insight the character of affection, courageousness and worry, by questioning the role that imagination plays

The Tows Matrix Swot Analysis - 942 Words

The tows matrix explains what the SWOT of Nike today. In this graph of SWOT matrix, we would like to explore what is possible for us to do in dealing with those elements in the business, externally and internally. Simply said, external comes from opportunities and threats, while internal comes from strengths and weaknesses of Nike. Corporate and Business Strategies Corporate strategy is the overall scope and direction of an organization. It indicates how managers are adding value to the business and addressing main topics like product diversity, geographical coverage and owner expectations. It is important that decision-makers are very specific about any of their strategy, since it forms the basis for all other decision making. As a corporate strategy, Nike’s mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Nikes long-term financial goal/model is to motivate the company. They are mainly concerned about the sustainable, profitable growth and strong cash flow, and they both performed well on the balance sheet. Nike has four subsidiaries in Cole Haan, Converse, Umbro and Hurley. Nike is worth emphasizing that growing partnerships with retailers to create more customer experience of different groups to promote the idea category in major markets. Nike s wholesale business model has also been sustained as a major driver of long-term growth, despite the 2015 Nike retailers will continue to contribute to the total business of more than 80%.The prosShow MoreRelatedSignha Beer: Boon Rawd Brewery. Thai Beer Industry with Five-forces and SWOT Analysis, TOWS Matrix, Perceptual Map, Positioning.1048 Words   |  5 Pages 1. PROBLEM/KEY ISSUE _How can Boon Rawd Brewery maintain its competitiveness in Thailands alcoholic beverages market as the legal enforcement of total ban regulations on alcoholic drink advertisements become effective?_ PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS OF BEER INDUSTRY IN THAILAND (AS CONSOLIDATED INDUSTRY) THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS - LOW Entry barriers (i.e. huge capital investments in breweries) are high resulting in low threat of new entrants. THREAT OF SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS - HIGH Other typesRead MoreStrategy Formulation, Situation Analysis and Business Analysis1590 Words   |  7 PagesFormulation: Situation Analysis and Business Strategy Institut fà ¼r Strategisches Management Institut fà ¼r Strategisches Management Situational Analysis Strategy Formulation - developing a corporation’s mission, objectives, strategies and policies Situation Analysis - the process of finding a strategic fit between external opportunities and internal strengths while working around external and internal weaknesses Wheelen / Hunger, 2010, p 224 SWOT Analysis SWOT- Strengths-WeaknessesOpportunities-ThreatsRead MoreCritical Evaluation of Marketing Tool-Swot Analysis Essay2421 Words   |  10 PagesEvaluation of Marketing Tool-SWOT Analysis Introduction The aim of this paper is to critically evaluate the SWOT analysis as one of popular tools in marketing. SWOT analysis is an analysis method of identifying all external and internal factors for organization strategies (Rauch, 2007). It is considered in this paper that though SWOT analysis has limitations, it can be improved to be more effective as its development. This paper firstly focused on the definition of SWOT analysis. And then it discussedRead MoreMarketing Strategy And Corporate Social Responsibility1012 Words   |  5 Pages(Valdes-Dapena, 2009). SWOT The SWOT analysis is an internal audit that examines each function in which a company is strong or weak. It is used to asses the current situation of a company, a good SWOT analysis should make it easier to understand the positioning of the company (Ranchhod, 2004). TOWS TOWS matrix is tools that are used to analyse the external environment (threats and opportunities) and internal environment (weaknesses and strengths). 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SWOT analysis framework Environmental scan ↙ ↘ Internal analysis external analysis ↙ ↘ ↙ ↘ Strengths weaknesses opportunities threats SWOT Matrix SWOT analysis Read MoreAnalysis Of The Porter s Five Forces Analysis953 Words   |  4 Pageswill assist in ensuring right tools are selected for industry analysis, much information were obtained, suggestions were made as many tools are available for the analysis (Winters, 2015). The easy will explain the reasons the already recommended tool will work best for global strategy, provide evidence to support the decision, refute the people who chose an additional tool rather than one of the tool selected, and provide a brief analysis of the market using those tools (Winters, 2015). Read Moreï » ¿Strategic Planning Process – Case Analysis1159 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Strategic Planning Process – Case Analysis The Strategic Planning Process: The Strategic Planning Process involves numerous steps in evaluating the effectiveness of a firm’s performance relative to its competitors. To assess each of the components of a business, selected evaluative tools must be used. The tools are meant to serve as guidelines and not specific decision points. Management must decide upon the most appropriate pathway for the firm to follow given the input from both theRead MoreThe Eco $ Ave Project1388 Words   |  6 Pagesto create value for its customers. In order for Eco$ave to identify and understand their company’s value chain, Michael Porter (1985) suggest that the value chain showed above should be the first factor to be used in order to start any strategic analysis. Porter argues that each generic category for the graph can be broken into discrete categories unique to a firm, e.g Eco$ave could evaluate the costs of each activity such as, manufacturing, marketing, after sales and service, HR and operations andRead Mo reAnalysis And Objectives Of Tourism Holdings Pty Ltd.1403 Words   |  6 PagesANALYSIS AND OBJECTIVES Tourism Holdings Pty Ltd Business Unit: Resonline GUY GRIGG (S3551270) CIO OF TOURISM HOLDINGS â€Æ' 2 Situation Analysis Tourism Holdings is an umbrella company which contains 3 main business Units. 1. Bookeasy – an online software solution for Visitor Centres in Australia and New Zealand. 2. Resonline – a channel management solution which connects accommodation operators to Online Travel Agent websites (Evans 2013). 3. Impartmedia – a website development company for

Disease Profile Copd free essay sample

Pipe, cigar, and other types of tobacco smoke also can cause COPD, especially if the smoke is inhaled. Breathing in secondhand smoke, air pollution, and chemical fumes or dust from the environment or workplace also can contribute to COPD. (Secondhand smoke is smoke in the air from other people smoking. ) In rare cases, a genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency may play a role in causing COPD. People who have this condition have low levels of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT)—a protein made in the liver. Having a low level of the AAT protein can lead to lung damage and COPD if youre exposed to smoke or other lung irritants. If you have this condition and smoke, COPD can worsen very quickly. Signs and symptoms: The signs and symptoms of COPD include: * An ongoing cough or a cough that produces large amounts of mucus (often called smokers cough) * Shortness of breath, especially with physical activity * Wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe) * Chest tightness These symptoms often occur years before the flow of air into and out of the lungs declines. However, not everyone who has these symptoms has COPD. Likewise, not everyone who has COPD has these symptoms. Some of the symptoms of COPD are similar to the symptoms of other diseases and conditions. You can find out whether you have COPD. If you have COPD, you may have colds or the flu (influenza) frequently. If your COPD is severe, you may have swelling in your ankles, feet, or legs; a bluish color on your lips due to a low blood oxygen level; and shortness of breath. COPD symptoms usually slowly worsen over time. At first, if symptoms are mild, you may not notice them, or you may adjust your lifestyle to make breathing easier. For example, you may take the elevator instead of the stairs. Over time, symptoms may become severe enough to see a doctor. For example, you may get short of breath during physical exertion. How severe your symptoms are depends on how much lung damage you have. If you keep smoking, the damage will occur faster than if you stop smoking. In severe COPD, you may have other symptoms, such as weight loss and lower muscle endurance. Some severe symptoms may require treatment in a hospital. You—with the help of family members or friends, if youre unable—should seek emergency care if: * Youre having a hard time catching your breath or talking. * Your lips or fingernails turn blue or gray. This is a sign of a low oxygen level in your blood. ) * Youre not mentally alert. * Your heartbeat is very fast. * The recommended treatment for symptoms that are getting worse isnt working. Diagnostic Procedures: Your doctor will diagnose COPD based on your signs and symptoms, your family and medical histories, and test results. He or she may ask whethe r you smoke or have had contact with lung irritants, such as secondhand smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust. If you have an ongoing cough, your doctor may ask how long youve had it, how much you cough, and how much mucus comes up when you cough. He or she also may ask whether you have a family history of COPD. Your doctor will examine you and use a stethoscope to listen for wheezing or other abnormal chest sounds. You also may need one or more tests to diagnose COPD. Lung Function Test: Lung function tests measure how much air you can breathe in and out, how fast you can breathe air out, and how well your lungs deliver oxygen to your blood. The main test for COPD is spirometry. Other lung function tests, such as a lung diffusion capacity test, also may be used. Spirometry; During this painless test, a technician will ask you to take a deep breath in. Then, youll blow as hard as you can into a tube connected to a small machine. The machine is called a spirometer. The machine measures how much air you breathe out. It also measures how fast you can blow air out. Your doctor may have you inhale medicine that helps open your airways and then blow into the tube again. He or she can then compare your test results before and after taking the medicine. Spirometry can detect COPD long before its symptoms appear. Doctors also may use the results from this test to find out how severe your COPD is and to help set your treatment goals. The test results also may help find out whether another condition, such as asthma or heart failure, is causing your symptoms. Other Tests Your doctor may recommend other tests, such as: * A chest x ray or chest CT scan. These tests create pictures of the structures inside your chest, such as your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. The pictures can show signs of COPD. They also may show whether another condition, such as heart failure, is causing your symptoms. * An arterial blood gas test. This blood test measures the oxygen level in your blood using a sample of blood taken from an artery. The test can help find out how severe your COPD is and whether you may need oxygen therapy. Treatment – Medical/Nursing: COPD has no cure yet. However, treatments and lifestyle changes can help you feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease. Quitting smoking is the most important step you can take to treat COPD. Talk with your doctor about programs and products that can help you quit. Other treatments for COPD may include medicines, vaccines, pulmonary rehabilitation (rehab), oxygen therapy, and surgery. Your doctor also may recommend tips for managing COPD complications. The goals of COPD treatment include: * Relieving your symptoms * Slowing the progress of the disease * Improving your exercise tolerance (your ability to stay active) * Preventing and treating complications * Improving your overall health Specialists Involved To assist with your treatment, your family doctor may advise you to see a pulmonologist. This is a doctor who specializes in treating people who have lung disorders. Medicines Bronchodilators Bronchodilators relax the muscles around your airways. This helps open your airways and makes breathing easier. Depending on how severe your disease is, your doctor may prescribe short-acting or long-acting bronchodilators. Short-acting bronchodilators last about 4 to 6 hours and should be used only when needed. Long-acting bronchodilators last about 12 hours or more and are used every day. Most bronchodilators are taken using a device called an inhaler. This device allows the medicine to go right to your lungs. Not all inhalers are used the same way. Ask your health care team to show you the correct way to use your inhaler. If your COPD is mild, your doctor may only prescribe a short-acting inhaled bronchodilator. In this case, you may only use the medicine when symptoms occur. If your COPD is moderate or severe, your doctor may prescribe regular treatment with short- and long-acting bronchodilators. Inhaled Glucocorticosteroids (Steroids) Inhaled steroids are used to treat people whose COPD symptoms flare up or worsen. These medicines may reduce airway inflammation. Your doctor may ask you to try inhaled steroids for a trial period of 6 weeks to 3 months to see whether the medicine helps relieve your breathing problems. Vaccines Flu Shots The flu (influenza) can cause serious problems for people who have COPD. Flu shots can reduce your risk of the flu. Talk with your doctor about getting a yearly flu shot. Pneumococcal Vaccine This vaccine lowers your risk of pneumococcal pneumonia (nu-MO-ne-ah) and its complications. People who have COPD are at higher risk of pneumonia than people who dont have COPD. Talk with your doctor about whether you should get this vaccine. Pulmonary Rehabilitation Pulmonary rehabilitation, or rehab, is a medically supervised program that helps improve the health and well-being of people who have lung problems. Rehab may include an exercise program, disease management training, and nutritional and psychological counseling. The programs goal is to help you stay more active and carry out your daily activities. Your rehab team may include doctors, nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists, and dietitians. These health professionals work together and with you to create a program that meets your needs. Oxygen Therapy If you have severe COPD and low levels of oxygen in your blood, oxygen therapy can help you breathe better. For this treatment, youre given oxygen through nasal prongs or a mask. You may need extra oxygen all the time or just sometimes. For some people who have severe COPD, using extra oxygen for most of the day can help them: * Do tasks or activities, while having fewer symptoms * Protect their hearts and other organs from damage * Sleep more during the night and improve alertness during the day * Live longer Prognosis: COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a disease of the lungs that develops over many years and gradually gets worse with time. When you have COPD your airways become persistently blocked, which can eventually make breathing difficult. More than 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with it, and another 12 million might have COPD without knowing it. COPD encompasses two diseases commonly caused by smoking: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It’s the fourth leading cause of death in the U. S. But while COPD cant be cured, there are steps you can take to improve symptoms, prevent complications such as pneumonia, and improve your quality of life. Just like people living with heart disease, people with COPD can make changes to their lifestyle to vastly improve how they feel and function each day. Here are five important measures to discuss with your doctor:Â   1. Stop Smoking Cigarette smoking is the most significant reason that people develop COPD. While kicking the habit wont return your lungs to normal condition, it will delay progression of symptoms because the rate of decline of lung function returns to that of nonsmokers. In susceptible people, smoking accelerates the lung function decline of aging. Your lungs will age faster, and if you stop smoking, you go back to normal aging, says Gail Weinmann, MD, deputy director for the Division of Lung Diseases at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Its also a good idea to avoid crowds during flu season. Because COPD leaves a person more prone to pneumonia, patients also should talk to their doctors about also getting the pneumococcal vaccine, Weinmann says. 4. Seek Regular Medical Care and Take Medications as Directed Your doctor can prescribe drugs, such as bronchodilators and corticosteroids, to treat your symptoms. Bronchodilators, which are usually delivered through an inhaler, relax muscles around your airways. This, in turn, opens them up and eases breathing. Inhaled corticosteroids fight inflammation in the airways. Patients with COPD frequently have other health problems, too, such as heart disease, vascular diseases, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), and type 2 diabetes, Weinmann says. People with COPD are likely to have other diseases, and its important that they treat all of their diseases. In fact, heart disease and COPD share overlapping symptoms, which can lead people to mistakenly attribute heart disease to lung disease. According to Weinmann, these shared symptoms include shortness of breath, including breathlessness when exercising or waking up at night, and sometimes a sensation of chest tightness. 5. Consider a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and Learn to Exercise Your doctor may suggest a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Such programs wont actually improve lung function, but they can help people with COPD to stay more active and independent. Youll learn exercises to strengthen your arms and legs, as well as exercises that aim to strengthen muscles for breathing. Pulmonary rehab includes a variety of exercises for the lower and upper extremities, as well as breathing techniques and counseling, Weinmann says. Some patients feel reluctant to join a pulmonary rehab program, but Weinmann encourages them to try it. Once the lung is damaged, it doesnt really ever repair itself, so its very important that individuals stay in good shape in every way that they can. Its very common for patients with COPD to become deconditioned. Its hard for them to breathe, so the tendency is to not do anything at all. Reconditioning their muscles and their heart can make them feel a lot better. Some p atients feel that they have greatly benefited from it [rehab], she adds. It has improved their quality of life and their exercise ability. You have to keep at it. Its not something that you can do once.