My grandmother is concerned about her breathing; she has been identified with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and lung damage (due to smoking). Her condition is already somewhat bad, she has been a tobacco smoker for roughly 40 years. She recently asked me if I could find out... if exercise would be of benefit to her, if she was identified with all the above mentioned illnesses.
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your grandmothers situation and problem. The treatment of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema is as follows. She needs to follow all steps simultaneously for better symptomatic control.1. Avoidance of smoking is the most important step. 2. Start inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). This is the best treatment for bronchitis and emphysema.3. Enroll herself in pulmonary rehabilitation center where chest physiotherapy and deep breathing exercises are done. These will improve her lung functions and reduce the symptoms.4. Vaccinate herself with influenza and pneumococcal vaccines to prevent future lung infection. So better to consult pulmonologist and discuss all these and start treatment.