When you have a disability or chronic illness, one of the most important things you can do is to learn as much as you can about it.  The more you know, the easier it should be to get a handle on those days when you feel like it is a constant battle and you are not sure you are winning.

Knowing the language or words that go with COPD/Asthma is a great way to start or to continue to refresh a person’s knowledge of the ins and outs of the lifelong health companion which we are dealing with.

With that, we discuss some of what we call ‘must know words’ of life with COPD/Asthma – and today we will discuss briefly the importance of knowing our ‘Metabolism’.

‘Metabolism’ is defined as ‘the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of living organisms’.  These enzyme-catalyzed reactions allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism can also refer to all chemical reactions that occur in living organisms, including digestion and the transport of substances into and between different cells

For the general, non-medical person, the definition of ‘Metabolism’ is ‘the consumption of nutrients combined with oxygen, which produces energy and maintains living tissue’.  Because of the constant hard work caused by the poor working lungs, those with COPD and/or Asthma should have an idea on whether they have what is called high or low metabolism.

Those considered as having a low metabolism will most likely need fewer calories taken in while those considered as having a high metabolism will consistently be in the need of a higher calorie intake.

In wanting to know your ‘metabolism’ type, a person needs to check into to finding what their individual ‘basal metabolic rate (BMR)’ would be.  Your ‘basal metabolic rate’ would be the number of calories used to sustain your life.

Sustaining your life is an everyday battle for many of us with COPD and/or Asthma, but we must know what our ‘energy needed for our body to function at rest’ which would be your ‘basal metabolic rate’.  The energy you produce from the mix of the calories and oxygen you take in is what keeps the heart, kidneys, brain and other organs operating which in turns keep you alive.

Since most of those with COPD and/or Asthma use more energy than most while fighting for a decent breath, it is important to have some knowledge of their ‘metabolism’ rate, and a person can do that by discussing it with their physician and requesting a check of their personal ‘basal metabolic rate’.  Knowing the rate, a person makes the energy can be used toward giving them guidance in working on a diet and exercise program to help them in keeping a sustainable level of living.

Do you know your ‘metabolic rate’ so that you can work with your ‘metabolism’ and make it a productive weapon in your battle with COPD/Asthma?

As always – if you or anyone you know have any symptoms involving lung and breathing functionality, and they linger over and over while disrupting a lifestyle – then please ask questions and get it checked out.

Remember – ‘a person without good breathing, is a person without a good life’, so let’s do what we can, to learn what we can, to improve what we can.

With that I bid to all – smiles, prayers, blessings and steady breathing – Mr. William.

(Copyright@2017, CrossDove Writer, reprinting or reuse of this article is restricted without written permission.)

NOTE TO REMEMBER: We only give descriptions and highlights of various aspects of having COPD and/or asthma and no way do we ever want our information to be considered medical treatment type of information, always consult your physician for more, clearer and more medical founded information.

Know that you can follow all the writings by CrossDove Writer pertaining to COPD/Asthma by following at wheezingaway.com or on Facebook at COPD Travels.

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(Information gathered from various books and internet sources discussing COPD, Asthma and other lung diseases)