Coping with COPD by Elaine Fantle Shimberg, Thomas L. Petty M.D. (Foreword by)

Synopsis

The first hands-on guide to living and coping with an insidious disease that affects tens of millions of people

Experts estimate that as many as thirty-five million Americans literally cannot catch their breath-they are suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The fourth-leading cause of death in America, COPD is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema with airflow obstruction.

In this clear, concise, and up-to-date guide to dealing with and living well with COPD, readers will learn:

- How to navigate activities of daily living, from applying make-up to continuing work
- How to quite smoking-at any age
- How oxygen therapy may help you
- How to tailor diet to meet new nutritional needs
- How to foster a useful patient/doctor relationship and how and when to visit a pulmonologist
- How to tailor your diet to meet your new dietary needs

Library Journal

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chiefly encompassing emphysema and bronchitis, is the fourth-largest cause of death in the United States. In this compassionately written consumer book, noted medical writer Shimberg emphasizes self-education, open communication, and working actively with healthcare providers to cope with this incurable disease. She provides short overviews of the definition, causes (smoking being the largest), diagnosis, treatment, and practical coping strategies, as well as excellent advice on quitting smoking and getting the most out of doctor visits. However, "Cutting-Edge Treatment Programs" are treated with much less detail. For example, cough/mucous control and many complementary therapies (including nutrition/supplements) are barely mentioned. And though the book includes suggested readings and a resource list (about half of which are annotated), web-site evaluation criteria were not complete; such evaluation resources as web sites, books, and librarians would have been helpful. Recommended for public libraries only as a companion to a comprehensive and illustrated popular work (e.g., Francois and Sheila Sperber Haas's The Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema Handbook, rev. ed.).-Janice Flahiff, Medical Coll. Lib. of Ohio, Toledo Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Biography

Elaine Fantle Shimberg is an award-winning medical writer and Coping with COPD is her nineteenth book. She is the first layperson to serve on the Florida Medical Association's Ethical and Judicial Affairs Committee and is past president of the American Medical Writers Association. She is also chairman of the board of St. Joseph's Baptist Hospitals in the Tampa Bay area. Shimberg divides her time between Scarborough, Maine and Tampa, Florida.