Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two main forms of COPD, and many sufferers have both. The condition makes it hard for people to breathe.

Since most COPD patients are vitamin D deficient and vitamin D helps fight inflammation, the hope was that high doses of the sunshine vitamin would reduce the number of severe flare-ups (“exacerbations”) that can land patients in the hospital, researchers said.

Click here to read the entire USA Today story…

For the study, published in the Feb. 7 issue of Respirology, Australian researchers surveyed nearly 17,000 people asking about their soft drink habits. For this study’s purposes, soft drinks included Coke, lemonade, flavored mineral water, Powerade, and Gatorade, and all other types of soda, the researchers said.

What did they find?

One in 10 Australian adults drink more than half a liter of soft drink per day – that’s more than two cups. But that amount was tied to “dose-response relationship” with risk for asthma and COPD, meaning the more soft drinks people consume, the higher their risk. Overall, 13.3 percent of surveyed participants with asthma and 15.6 percent of those with COPD drank more than two cups of soda each day.

What does drinking soda have to do with lung health? The study authors said one reason may be drinking soda is tied to an increased risk for obesity, which raises risk for asthma and COPD.

“Our study emphasizes the importance of healthy eating and drinking in the prevention of chronic diseases like asthma and COPD,” study author Dr. Zumin Shi, a research fellow at the University of Adelaide in Australia, said in a written statement.

The study did not prove cause-and-effect, only an observational link, so some experts thought many unhealthy factors contributed to the raised risk.

“High soda intake is a good marker for poor overall diet, and poor overall attention to health,” Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., told MedPage Today. “It likely suggests greater exposure to everything from tobacco smoke to air pollution.”

This study is far from the first to tie drinking soda to health risks.

A 2010 study in the journal, “Diabetes Care,” found daily soda drinkers were 25 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, HealthPop reported. The diet drinks don’t fare much better. A study in Feb. 2011 of 2,500 adults found daily diet soda drinkers had a higher risk for stroke and heart attack than people who drank no soda.

What should people be drinking? The CDC has more information on healthy beverages, on its “Rethink Your Drink” site.

Born premature, Nelson says he was subject to breathing problems later in life. But growing up in a home where his father smoked heavily and later smoking himself for 20 years made him even more susceptible to a rapid decline in lung function. Nelson quit smoking at age 35, but was diagnosed with severe COPD at 55.

“I thought I had beat the system after quitting,” Nelson says. “I wound up needing oxygen for sleeping and exercise.”

Nelson was determined to make the best of living with COPD, and while he still enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger here and there, he says his secret can be tough, but simple.

“Take care of yourself,” Nelson says. “Eat well, take your medicine and exercise.”

After being diagnosed with COPD, he bought his first treadmill and other exercise equipment, and exercised religiously for the next 16 years.

“I think that’s one reason I was rewarded with a transplant,” Nelson says. “I’m 71, but I’ve been told by physicians that I have the body of someone who is in their early 60s.”

Nelson thought he was too old to qualify for a lung transplant, but after speaking to a neighbor who had received one, he investigated his options, and went through extensive testing.

On Dec. 12, Nelson received his new pair of lungs. The surgery is extensive, requiring a long incision through the clavicle, which is an anchor point for several muscles, to open up the rib cages. Nelson says it’s given him “a pretty impressive scar.” Despite the scar and pain that came with it, Nelson knew right away the operation was a success.

“It was like being reborn,” Nelson says. “I had never had strong lungs, and here I was lying in the hospital able to take a deep breath without coughing.”

Before the operation, Nelson had a Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second percentage in the 20s. Afterward, he blew a dramatically improved 127%.

Nelson was out of the hospital by Christmas, and says he’s recovering quickly and slowly regaining his upper body strength. A recent bronchoscopy showed no signs of rejection.

With a new lease on life, Nelson hopes to inspire others who suffer from COPD. He says he will remain a high-profile advocate for COPD awareness in 2012, and is writing a book about his story.

“It feels good to talk to people without fighting to breathe,” Nelson says. “It’s truly amazing.”

The toolkit includes a COPD screener, information on identifying the risks and breathing better with COPD, an action plan, lung health helpline and tools to quit smoking, among others.

Please take time to look through the toolkit and share the information with your friends and family. Our goal is to help people identify COPD earlier and seek medical advice to control their symptoms. Most of the included materials can be posted on a bulletin board or easily shared.

You can learn more about your lung health and use the resources to help them understand the disease and learn about treatments. Click here to download the the toolkit.

Mesa Convention Center
263 N. Center Street
Mesa, AZ 85201
Building “A”, Superstition Ballroom

$10.00 admission
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Continental breakfast & lunch

Vouchers available upon request

Doors Open @ 8:30 with Breakfast, Exhibitors & Registration
Program 9:15 am — 1:30 pm

To register or for more information contact:Candace Alexander 602.429.0005 or Calexander@lungarizona.org

Healthcare professionals will be able to earn CEU/CMEs!

Saturday, March 10, 2012 – 8:00am-2:30pm
Viscount Suites Hotel
4855 Broadway Blvd, Tucson, Arizona

Registration fee:
$5.00 Patients and Caregivers
$30.00 Healthcare Professionals

Ways to register:
By Phone:
520-323-1812

By online:
http://action.lungusa.org/site/Calendar?id=102101&view=Detail

By Mail:
Complete the registration form and mail with your check or credit card information to :
American Lung Association in Arizona
Attn: Tucson Expo
2819 E. Broadway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85716

Click here to download 2012 Healthy Lung Expo brochure.

Registration Includes: Medical education by healthcare providers and professionals, information and support for caregivers, medical screenings,CEU/CME credits (pending approval from AzSRC, AAFP, AAPA, and California Board of Registered Nurses), exhibitor area with give-a-ways and information, participant tote bag and continental breakfast and nutritious lunch

** Please avoid wearing perfumes, colognes or other strong scents. It is recommended that attendees bring a sweater– the meeting rooms may be cold

Saturday, February 11, 2012
9:00am-1:00pm
West Social Center
1111 S. Via Arcoiris.
Green Valley, AZ

Register by January 31, 2012 and receive the early bird discount!
$5.00 Early Bird (valid until January 31,2012)
$10.00 Registration (February 1-11, 2012)

Click here to download Respiratory Rally brochure.

Register By Phone:
Call 520-323-1812

Register By Mail:
Complete the registration form, detach and mail with your check or credit card information to:
American Lung Association in Arizona
Attn: GV Rally
2819 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ. 85716

Registration includes: delicious breakfast buffet, sound medical education, support for caregivers, exhibits/information booths, give-a-ways and door prizes

Video Source: http://www.aarc.org/education/meetings/congress/gazette/sunday.cfm#one