COPD Awareness Day: Key Steps for Better Lung Health
November 20 marks COPD Awareness Day, a day focused on promoting key practices for maintaining lung health. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common lung disease causing restricted airflow and breathing problems that negatively impacts millions of people around the world, decreasing quality of life. Historically viewed as an older person’s disease, COPD is increasingly being diagnosed in younger populations due to high rates of smoking, vaping, and environmental exposure to pollutants.
While COPD is a progressive disease, lifestyle changes and preventive measures can significantly lower the likelihood of developing it. This includes improving lung health through exercise, prescribed medications, and preventing flare ups. Regular aerobic, strengthening, and flexibility exercises enhance breathing and overall quality of life, while using prescription inhalers appropriately keeps airways open. Avoiding factors such as smoke, strong chemicals, and extreme weather can worsen COPD and increase the risk of severe health events. Staying up to date on vaccinations for flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) not only prevents symptoms of COPD but also helps reduce respiratory infections. With resources like the Pulmonary Rehab Program at Grand River Hospital, and St. Mary’s Activation Program and smoking cessation counseling at the Airway Clinic, patients can build lifelong habits to manage COPD effectively and improve their quality of life.
St. Mary’s General Hospital is a centre of excellence for Respiratory and Thoracic Care, as well as a Level One Thoracic Surgery Centre, and home to the Airways Clinic. Located at The Boardwalk, in Kitchener, the Airways Clinic provides a range of outpatient services including education, rehabilitation, diagnostics, and community outreach, all geared towards addressing COPD and other lung and breathing-related illnesses.
For those with a confirmed diagnosis of COPD, St. Mary's offers a community-based Activation Program designed to help patients manage the condition. Available both virtually and on-site at the Boardwalk Medical Centre in Kitchener, the program includes a brief education and exercise program for people with COPD.
“Early detection is crucial in managing COPD effectively and improving quality of life,” says Angie Shaw, Registered Respiratory Therapist and Certified Respiratory Educator at the Hospital’s Airway Clinic. "We want patients to know their numbers, which are rooted in spirometry, or breathing, test that provides a definitive COPD diagnosis. Identifying COPD early allows for interventions to keep the disease manageable and prevent progression to severe stages.”
Quitting smoking remains the most critical step in managing COPD, as tobacco use is the leading cause of the disease in Canada. Both direct and second-hand smoke rapidly worsens lung function, and quitting dramatically slows the disease’s progress. Vaping is also a significant irritant and potential causes, with many products containing harmful and undisclosed chemicals. Although we do not have any evidence to show that vaping causes lung disease, it can aggravate existing lung conditions such as COPD. Programs at the Airways Clinic offer the tools and support needed to quit smoking and vaping effectively, addressing both addiction and behaviour change.
The Activation Program can be accessed through a referral from a physician or nurse practitioner. If you don’t have a physician, you can contact Angie at 226-896-2026 ext. 5901 for more information.
For more information on COPD: