1. Work With a Respiratory Therapist
You or your child can work with a respiratory therapist, who is a specialized medical professional trained in ways to help CF patients breathe better. Cystic fibrosis causes heavy buildups of thick mucus in the lungs, and respiratory therapists teach patients effective ways to clear their lungs and special breathing techniques that can draw in larger volumes of air.
Your respiratory therapist will work closely with you to assess the severity of your specific breathing problems. In cases of CF which require lung transplants, respiratory therapists also play a central role in helping you adapt to your new lung(s) and strengthen your breathing following surgery.
2. Hire a Nutrition Counselor
One way you can manage cystic fibrosis is through a proper diet. Nutritional therapy can help CF patients overcome the malnourishment problems that some people experience.
If you have cystic fibrosis, your doctor has probably explained the dangers posed by insufficient pancreatic enzymes in your small intestine. This deficiency causes you to absorb less of what you eat, robbing your body of vital nutrients you need to build and maintain strength.
A nutritional therapist can help you design a special eating program that increases the number of calories you take in and supplements using oral enzymes. This will make it easier for you to keep weight on or even gain it if you're underweight.
3. Learn More About Hypertonic Saline Therapy
In 2004, a groundbreaking study found that CF patients who inhaled a mist of hypertonic saline twice each day developed superior lung function than seen in control groups. Hypertonic saline is just sterilized salt water with a higher sodium concentration. Talk to your doctor to determine if this treatment might help you. Some side effects that actually appeared to worsen CF symptoms were reported by some patients, and hypertonic saline is a known irritant of the sinus and bronchial passageways. The subjects in the study were also all patients with mild to moderate cystic fibrosis, and it is unknown if this therapy has any therapeutic effect on people who need to manage serious cases of the disease.
