10 Mar National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Awareness Week

National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week

National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week serves as an opportunity to celebrate the success of Pulmonary Rehabilitation, raise awareness of the benefits it provides to patients with lung disease and to thank all those who are play a role in COPD treatment and research.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation is the process by which people who are disabled with lung disease are able to return to a more active and enjoyable lifestyle. If you’re interested in self-starting, please use this free guide. In it, we walk you through the basics of pulmonary rehabilitation, so that you or a loved one can start living a fuller life. Reach out to our team if you have any questions.

Our collective at goal at PERF is to help more people breathe easier and live better despite lung disease. If you’re looking for a way to celebrate National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week, here are five suggestions:

1) Get Up and Move

Exercise is so important for everyone, and it has proven to be extremely beneficial to those with lung disease. Start your week off with a 10 minute walk, preferably with some company. In fact, challenge yourself to take a 10 minute walk every day this week! Finding barriers to your fitness routine? Read this blog about overcoming common challenges here.

2) Nourish Your Body

Organize a healthy luncheon, featuring a panel of guest speakers who can share their pulmonary rehabilitation success stories with the group. Can’t figure out what to eat? The Mediterranean diet is recommended for those with COPD. It emphasizes plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.  You’ll be happy to know it recommends red wine too (though not too much, of course!). You can check out our blog on the benefits of a Mediterranean diet for more information.

3) Know Your Options

If you’re in need of pulmonary rehabilitation, it can be difficult to know where to begin. LiveBetter.org has a directory of pulmonary rehabilitation programs all across the United States. You can find a program near you.

4) Sign up for a Clinical Trial

Contribute to the research of pulmonary rehabilitation by signing up for a clinical trial. These trials are a very import step in discovering new ways to help patients with lung disease and are helpful in determining the effectiveness of newly developed treatments. You can learn more about clinical trials or register to be a part of one.

5) Tell Your Story

If you or a loved one have lung disease and have benefited from pulmonary rehabilitation, tell you story! The more people who know about the life-changing benefits of rehabilitation, the more people who can receive help. Contact us if you’re interested in being featured on PERF’s website or social media, we’d love to help you tell your story as well.

If you’ve benefited from pulmonary rehabilitation, spread the word! Not only could it improve the lives of others with lung disease, but it also warms the hearts of the researchers and medical teams behind the rehabilitation programs.

For more information on how pulmonary rehabilitation helps patients with COPD and lung disease, you can watch this video by Dr. Harry Rossiter explaining the benefits of exercise for COPD patients.

Or, if you need any help organizing an event to spread awareness of pulmonary rehabilitation, contact us today.