DX COPD
SAN DIEGO, CA , USA, May 3, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- There’s a mighty opponent in the battle against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms. It’s La Mesa Rehab, San Diego, California’s only Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF.) Tami Peavy, MBA, MPT, DPT, and Founder of La Mesa Rehab, moved by her own father’s early demise from emphysema, passionately leads the fight through new treatments and patient-tailored protocols.
COPD is a nine-category group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. The group includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma, plus combinations of each of these diseases. It can have a genetic basis or can be acquired through such things as smoking.
The mainstay of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment is assessment by a competent physician or pulmonologist, followed by referral to a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Such a program can have a huge effect on preventing progression of the disease.
Renowned UCSD pulmonologist Dr. Angela Wang is a firm believer in pulmonary rehab and its essential role in the treatment of patients with any kind of lung disease. According to her, less than 3% of patients in the United States with COPD get pulmonary rehab. She says, “It's a huge problem, and one that pulmonologists and professional organizations are trying to address. I was overjoyed to find out that there was a program in La Mesa. Having a program in East County has been a godsend. I've been so impressed with just how much their staff cares about each patient. No one ever hugs me after I give them an inhaler, but I get hugs after I send people to La Mesa Rehab.”
La Mesa Rehab is the only San Diego healthcare provider that offers continuity of care, working as a total network for COPD patients. It’s a team approach, with pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, and physical therapists working together to ease symptoms and save lives.
According to Peavy, what makes their treatments so unique is that “We look at the entire body and address all things that cause shortness of breath. They can include pain, weakness, posture as well as lung functioning.” Therapists work closely with referring physicians, together developing programs that reduce shortness of breath, eliminate mucus, and increase lung capacity through exercise, postural strengthening, and breathing techniques. Specialized equipment and techniques are employed in order to more quickly and effectively achieve results. A few of these treatments include: vest therapy, bubble breathing, oxygen therapy, nebulizer treatments, gas exchange analysis, and balloon therapy.
Salt Therapy is the newest tool in the fight against the accumulation of mucus in the lungs that obstructs the airways. It involves the inhalation by patients of pharmaceutical grade dry salt in the form of a mist that goes inside the lungs, grabs onto mucus, and expels it. The process, also called halotherapy, is quite remarkable, especially considering that it’s derived from a naturally-occurring substance. Dry salt particles shrink and liquefy lung mucus plugs that obstruct airways and aggravate breathing issues. The particles accelerate mucus transport and allow for enhanced cough efficiency. Coughs are more “productive” and the lungs are relieved of mucus.
Peavy, a practicing clinician and innovative thinker, came up with the novel methodology. The lofty goal, which she successfully achieved, was to enhance the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation, and minimize patients’ reliance on prescriptions. Previously, patients would have had to undergo a surgical procedure called a bronchoscopy to remove such mucus plugs.
Most lung diseases are treated with drug therapies, including steroids and inhalers. However, numerous published medical reports have shown that pulmonary rehabilitation is much more effective at easing symptoms, and results in a superior quality of life. It has also been documented that improved lung function leads to greater longevity, strength, and endurance, and reduces the number of hospitalizations and readmissions.
Breathing is essential to life, and when a body can’t do that properly, it goes into stress mode. For that reason, education is also critical. Patients are taught how to better control the disease, which helps them get more air and get on with their lives.
For more information, call 619-466-6077 or view their website at: www.lamesarehab.com. The facility is conveniently located at: 8380 Center Drive, Suite E, La Mesa, CA 91942.
Carol Holland Lifshitz
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