Those who work in the US military make great sacrifices in service of their country. Those sacrifices often include putting their lives at risk in a number of ways.

One of the main priorities in COPD treatment is keeping symptoms of the disease—such as breathlessness, coughing, and excess mucus—under control. However, this isn't always an easy thing to do, and COPD symptoms can get worse without much warning, even when you do everything right.

COPD is serious, chronic, and life-threatening disease, but it doesn't always look that way. Many people with COPD don't appear to be as sick as they are, and the worst aspects of the disease are not always visible on the outside.

COPD and other respiratory diseases often come with health complications, both big and small. One of the more serious complications of COPD is acute respiratory failure, a medical emergency that occurs when you experience a sudden and serious drop in lung function.

Daily medications are a primary life-line for people with COPD, and a necessary part of life for people with asthma and other respiratory diseases. In fact, most COPD patients have to follow a strict treatment regimen and take several different medications every day just to keep their symptoms under control.

If you or someone you love has COPD, then you might have heard about a treatment known as pulmonary rehabilitation. This treatment is essentially a breathing and exercise training program specifically designed for people with COPD and other respiratory problems that make it difficult to breathe.

Consider this hypothetical scenario: you have a COPD exacerbation and your shortness of breath suddenly gets much worse than usual. You call your doctor to see what you should do, and she tells you to go to the hospital right away.

Breathing exercises are an important part of COPD treatment, and experts recommend doing them regularly to keep your breathing muscles strong. They can also help you recover some of the breathing strength and function you lose after an illness or exacerbation weakens your lungs.

If you are like most people with COPD, you've probably experienced at least some degree of pain in your chest and ribs. This kind of pain can come in a variety of forms, including muscle aches, rib soreness, chest tightness, and general feelings of discomfort.

If you're like just about everybody else in the world, you probably have a variety of different goals and aspirations. You might not even think of them as “goals,” but everyone can think of certain things in their life that they want to change or achieve.