Top Lung Health

Top Lung Health

By Dr. Stefan Cristian StanelMedicineHealth & Fitness
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Top Lung Health episodes

  • 31 - Tips to quit smoking FOR GOOD

    In this episode, tips to quit smoking FOREVER.

    You can also watch this as a video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/lagLuANUC5g

    Most long-term smokers want to quit but it is extremely difficult due to the addiction having multiple components: physical, psychological, and social. Understanding these components needs to be a first step towards overcoming them. Breaking some habits while fighting cravings may be one of the hardest things you can do, but well worth the health benefits.

    Smoking is a gamble with your healthy years of life. It significantly increases the risk of lung, heart, and vascular diseases while reducing your chances of leading a healthy life. To quit smoking permanently, you need to deconstruct and address each component of the addiction as it relates to your own situation.

    Physically, nicotine is a very addictive substance. It changes brain chemistry, leading to cravings and withdrawal symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and agitation. To combat this, it's crucial to understand your smoking habits. Journaling your daily cigarette consumption and noting the time of the day you smoke can help gauge the level of addiction in your case (to know where you are starting from). Setting a quit date in the future and then working up to that date to gradually reduce the frequency and quantity of smoking can readjust the brain's chemistry back to normal. It can be helpful to see a smoking cessation specialist to consider Nicotine Replacement Therapy (e.g. nicotine patches, gum, lozenges or inhalators) or medications like bupropion, varenicline or cytisine if you need extra help in dealing with smoking cravings.

    Psychological addiction is a huge component of smoking. Smoking often becomes a ritual associated with specific activities (such as drinking coffee, driving) or emotions (smoking to combat anxiety or stress). Journaling can sometimes help you identify these associations, to enable you to gradually break unhealthy habits over time. Sometimes, being ill or hospitalized, travelling and becoming absorbed by other major life events (such as the birth of a child) can inadvertently break these patterns, providing an opportunity to quit.

    Social factors can also make quitting a challenge. Not joining friends for smoking breaks at work or social events can create a fear of missing out (FOMO) or feeling excluded. If this is hard to avoid, you could just join your friends but not smoke, even if it may be hard. Knowing that you may occasionally be slightly mocked or teased, and reacting in a neutral, non-defensive way, can make your friends accept and eventually support your decision to quit. Over time, others may even come to respect your decision and seek your advice.

    #smoking #quitsmoking

    44 min
  • 30 - Answering questions about Emphysema, COPD and Inhalers

    Answering a bunch of questions about COPD, emphysema and inhalers.

    You can also watch this as a video on the YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ghNRzXhNhZ4

    The questions and comments that I discuss cover some of the following topics:

    - side effects of inhalers

    - healthy living versus going on inhalers

    - explanation what is emphysema and chronic bronchitis

    - can you be addicted to / dependent on inhalers ?

    - zephyr valves for emphysema - how would they work and why they are not for everyone

    - does everyone need pulmonary rehabilitation or to see a specialist pulmonologist ?

    - the power of healthy habits to help improve outcomes of chronic respiratory conditions

    #toplunghealth #copd #emphysema

    37 min
  • #29 - Reducing prednisolone in sarcoidosis. Steroid-sparing medication

    Answering a question about reducing corticosteroid treatment (prednisolone) in sarcoidosis.

    You can watch the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/j4u7om2X1Ds

    Reductions in the dose need to be done gradually, as the body no longer produces its own steroids after a lengthy treatment. By gradually reducing the dose, we give the body a chance to resume it's own physiological steroid production. In some cases the reduction needs to be very slow.

    Steroid-sparing medication also has a good effect in sarcoidosis, but it has a different side effect profile. In many cases it can be safer long-term, but this depends on a case-by-case basis.
    I would highly recommend a careful discussion with your doctor about the right strategy in your case, as everyone is different. In the cases of long-term immunosuppressive medication, there is always a balancing act between controlling sarcoidosis and minimizing side effects.

    #sarcoidosis

    11 min
  • #28 - Some encouragement if you have lung disease

    Some words of encouragement if you have been diagnosed with a lung condition. A comment received on my channel summarizes the situation very well: there is a lot that you can achieve just with lifestyle changes in managing lung conditions.

    You can watch the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/HjKKdqJFShE

    Of course, not all the problems can go away with just diet or exercise, but in some cases this can make a huge difference.

    It's important to work with your doctor to be on optimal treatment but to not give up and hold on to the hope that your own lifestyle changes can also lead to even better results.

    #healthylifestyle

    8 min
  • #27 - Improving your life and health can be easy!

    How to improve your life to be healthier and more fulfilled? Healthy living sounds easy on paper, and many books will try to sell you on the right diet, exercise program or smoking cessation strategy.

    Watch the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/yyr-9w3Bs40

    I personally feel everything starts with the "mental". If you are grounded, self-aware and happy in your own skin, you will naturally make healthier choices. If you struggle with anxiety or certain personality traits this may lead you to cope by adopting unhealthy behaviors (smoking, drinking excessively, eating compulsively, not sleeping enough etc.).

    We could all do with being more aware of our own mental patterns, and to listen to what our body is "telling" us. In many cases we already feel what we need to be doing, but our thoughts shape unhealthy behaviors instead. Hope we can be more honest with ourselves.

    22 min
  • #26 - Diagnosed with COPD? What to do next?

    What do you need to know if you have been diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)?

    See the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/at9-kVqoay0

    In this video I try to reassure you that the treatment for COPD can be effective, especially if you implement certain lifestyle changes to stop the progression of the condition.

    The main step to take is to stop smoking (if you are an active smoker). Also, if you are exposed to dusts and fumes in your work or home, please consider reducing the amount you are inhaling (changing the workplace activities, ventilating your space well, using respiratory protection etc.).Other important things are to keep active, have a good diet and healthy weight, and to have regular check-up with your doctor. If you also have other health problems, these would also need to be treated effectively, as it can complicate the management of COPD.
    Taking inhalers correctly is important and if you are struggling with inhaler technique, try to see videos online or ask your doctor for some feedback and guidance (take your inhaler with you to consultations).

    12 min
  • #25 - Diagnosed with asthma? Now what?

    What to do if you are diagnosed with asthma? How to best manage asthma to control it long term.

    In this episode I go over important treatment and lifestyle tips to deal with having asthma.

    Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/er4Vc2YCwps

    With adequate treatment, support and a healthy lifestyle, most people who have asthma should have relatively normal lives.

    Chapters:

    (03:06) What treatments may be given?

    (07:55) Understand what asthma is

    (10:01) Know your asthma triggers

    (11:46) Written asthma action plan

    (14:33) Know how to use inhalers

    (15:58) Good diet

    (18:07) Healthy weight

    (19:07) Exercise

    (20:16) Good sleep

    (22:21) Regulate your circadian rhythm

    (25:03) Smoking

    (27:03) Vapes and e-cigarettes

    (28:59) Indoor air pollution

    (32:01) Seek support

    (34:18) Asthma is not your identity

    (36:49) Conclusion


    #asthma

    39 min
  • #24 - Diagnosed with interstitial lung disease (ILD)? Now what?

    What can you do if you receive a diagnosis of an interstitial lung disease (ILD)? How can you deal with this chronic lung disease?

    Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/t0V_hvpfack

    In this episode I cover what the diagnosis can mean for you, information your doctor and healthcare team may give you, how to better understand your diagnosis and treatment options. I talk about non-medication options: oxygen therapy, exercise programs (pulmonary rehabilitation), reading about your diagnosis, support groups, finding health information online, psychological support and other relevant issues.

    Interstitial lung diseases can include diagnoses such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), sarcoidosis and many others. Not all of these conditions behave in the same way so it is important to find the right information in your case. Whenever you do not understand your diagnosis, ask your healthcare team to clarify this so that you can make better health choices.

    #interstitiallungdisease #ild

    21 min
  • #23 - 12 Reasons why your Asthma is Bad

    In this episode - 12 reasons why your asthma is not controlled. You can watch the video on my YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/BnfdGKgmrsE

    Asthma is a variable condition with good and bad days. Asthma attacks and flare-ups are driven by increasing airway inflammation.

    To have better asthma control you may consider the following:
    1. Having good Inhaler technique
    2. Being on a controller medication that reduces airway inflammation
    3. Learning how to recognize worsening symptoms
    4. Having an asthma action plan (written) on how to deal with complications and attacks
    5. Quitting smoking!
    6. Reducing ongoing exposure to allergens that are triggering asthma attacks in your case
    7. Considering whether the asthma is occupational (i.e. related to something in your workplace)
    8. Reducing and treating acid reflux with diet and medication as necessary
    9. Keeping an overall lifestyle and diet
    10. Reviewing your sleeping patterns, as disrupted sleep and shift working have been associated with worse asthma
    11. Maintaining a healthy weight
    12. Having regular follow-up with your healthcare team

    15 min
  • #22 - Antifibrotic treatment in Pulmonary Fibrosis

    This episode is about antifibrotic treatments for pulmonary fibrosis. You can watch the video on my YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/5FHP_EoX1NM

    Two medications are available (pirfenidone and nintedanib). These drugs may be prescribed for the following indications:

    1. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - both pirfenidone and nintedanib
    Video about IPF: https://youtu.be/RNnVtCP3ae0
    2. Progressive Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease (PF-ILD) or Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis (PPF) - nintedanib only
    3. Systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) - nintedanib only
    Video about SSc-ILD: https://youtu.be/huecgJrXURI
    These indications may change over time, and new medications may become approved. This information is valid as of April 2023. Please check with your doctor for accurate information in your case.
    Antifibrotic medications do not "cure" fibrosis, but they can slow down the progression of the disease. This means that in the long run, being on the medication may be better than not having it. Lung function would be preserved for longer.
    There are some potential side effects to antifibrotics that I discuss in the video.

    9 min

About Top Lung Health

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Easy-to-understand information about lung diseases, treatments and health improvement. We discuss asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, symptoms, inhalers, medication, research news. Stefan Cristian Stanel is a pulmonologist in the UK specializing in ILD.