New COPD DVD Strengthens Breathing Muscles

Functional Fitness celebrates being approved by the National Educational Television Association for syndication on the PBS network of stations. The series is being closed captioned for nationwide broadcast and is hosted by exercise veteran and occupational therapy practitioner, Suzanne Andrews.

Offering real life fitness solutions for real life challenges, Healthwise Exercise, producers of Functional Fitness, has produced a line of Functional Fitness DVD's for people over 40. Recommended by doctors as a viable plan to stay functional well into ones later years, Functional Fitness is proud to announce their COPD DVD was favorably reviewed by a medical review board. Dr. Mache Seibel, professor of Massachusetts Medical School and founder of HealthRock states, "Functional Fitness is a cost effective program people can do right at home and I highly recommend it."

Suzanne Andrews, host of Functional Fitness on PBS TV, has medically documented the results of specific fitness and breathing exercises that focus on improving functional lung capacity. Using a pulseoximeter, a device that measures oxygen saturation and heart rate, Andrews has medically documented how specific breathing and pulmonary fitness techniques in a COPD patient can increase oxygen saturation up to 10 points and lower heart rate to a healthier range within 10 seconds. A healthy person has oxygen saturation of 90 and up. However, people with COPD fall below that line. Andrews often begins treatment with patients whose oxygen is in the 70 - 80's. Through specific pulmonary rehabilitation techniques, she has successfully increased peoples oxygen to that of a healthy person, enabling the person to live a functional life with more energy.

With an extensive background in pulmonary rehabilitation, Andrews states, "Being functional with COPD and asthma begins with learning how your respiratory muscles help you to breathe. Your diaphragm, a dome shaped muscle between the chest and abdominal cavities, is the primary muscle of inspiration. Contraction of the diaphragm muscle expands the lungs during inspiration. Your abdominal muscles work with the diaphragm enabling you to exhale. With correct techniques people with COPD can learn how to strengthen their breathing muscles."

Since not everyone with COPD has the option to attend pulmonary therapy, Andrews was prompted to produce Functional Fitness COPD as an excellent adjunct to a COPD patient plan of care and is available to doctor's offices and online and is shipped throughout the United States, Canada and UK.

Press Release courtesy of Online PR News: (http://www.onlineprnews.com).

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Media Contact:
Suzanne Andrews
(386) 690-1258
http://www.healthwiseexercise.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16171&category_id=103
suzanne@healthwiseexercise.com