Coughing Again? Could it be COPD?

Ask any singer what they detest the most and they will say, “People who cough at concerts.” So how do you tell if your annoying cough is due to getting older or being a little out of shape? Is it a common cold? Or could it be a life-threating condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?

It’s estimated that one in four people globally over the age of 35 will develop COPD. Worldwide, it’s the third leading cause of death.

It’s worrying that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports that over 15 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD and another 12 million don’t know they have the disease.

What causes COPD?

It’s almost entirely due to smoking. Older women may experience more serious symptoms, even if smoking less than men. Other risk factors include exposure to second-hand smoke and airborne lung irritants such as toxic fumes and heavy dust.

People at a concert who can’t stop coughing may be suffering from emphysema or long-standing bronchitis, and often they will have both conditions.

However, the underlying pathology is quite different.

In emphysema, the air sacks that transfer oxygenated air to and from the lungs have lost their elasticity, leading to chronic shortness of breath and lack of oxygen. Those suffering from chronic bronchitis have inflamed lungs clogged with mucus. This limits the intake of oxygen and builds up carbon-dioxide in the blood.

What is the answer to self-inflicted COPD? Shakespeare aptly wrote, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Some people, despite medical evidence that smoking causes COPD and most lung cancer, still play Russian roulette. They do not need a hard-working family doctor. They need a psychiatrist!

Don’t think the solution is to quit at the first sign of trouble. These diseases are sneaky without major symptoms at first. By the time you notice you’re short of breath going up an easy flight of stairs, you may be too late in getting the message.

There are some things your doctor can do to help to reduce further damage to the lungs. Get a flu shot, the pneumonia vaccine, avoid fireplace smoke and other pollutants, and adhere to drugs prescribed by your doctor. If you have signs such as fever, more difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest and increased mucus, see your doctor.

Inhaled bronchodilators use drugs to relax the airway muscles making it easier to breathe. Inhaled corticosteroids can be added to reduce inflammation in the lungs. Getting oxygen with a mask may be necessary.

There’s new evidence that long-term use of antibiotics such as azithromycin may decrease the number of recurrent COPD flare-ups after one year.

What about surgery? This is a last resort and only feasible for some cases. Diagnostic X-rays and CT scans may reveal a part of the lungs that is severely af- fected. Removing the most diseased lung tissue might enable the remaining healthier parts to work better. This may improve breathing ability, but it can also make the problem worse.

A lung transplant is another possibility, but new organs are a rare gift.

We hope in the years ahead there will be other ways to treat this debilitating disease. But let’s end with one last warning message. For now, COPD has no cure and will progress when smoking continues. COPD is a terrible price to pay when it means prematurely leaving loved ones needlessly. Doctors see this over and over.

What about doctors?

Years ago, cocktail parties in the homes of doctors would be full of tobacco smoke. Not today. Most have heard the message.

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Gender disclosure in schools: An easy non-solution

by Brandon Mayer

I must say – 2023 is quite a time to be alive. There are many people alive today who would be able to recall vivid memories of seeing gay or lesbian people harassed, assaulted, or even criminally prosecuted for being who they are. Gender transitioning would have been difficult, dangerous, and perhaps even illegal at that time. It is impactful to think of how far we have come.

The Times sometimes receives unsolicited submissions of opinion columns from all across the country. Most are rejected due to their irrelevance to North Grenville. However, one column we received last week applies to the local area just as much as it applies to all of Canada: the issue of whether educators should disclose gender transition intentions of their students to the students’ parents.

The column was written by Colin Craig, who is the president of a media organization called Sec - ondStreet.org. It is called “Easy Solution to Gender Disclosure in Schools”.

When I first read the title, I was very intrigued at the idea that there may, in fact, be an easy solution to this much-debated topic. I don’t always read column submissions from start to end, but I did read this one in its entirety. I was admittedly disappointed. Colin’s solution? Simply have a default policy of passing along gender-related information to parents, and allow parents to “opt out” of receiving this information.

Huh? This is a solution?

In Colin’s own column, he points to research suggesting that over 60% of parents with young children believe that educators should be required to pass along gender-related information that their child shares. This should not be a surprise. I have two kids, and I would have said “yes” to this question also, but not so that I could grill my children about their gender – rather, so that I could reassure them that they can talk to me about this in the future instead of being too scared to open up and venting to their educator!

I also speak on this subject as an educator. I have been on the receiving end of “disclosures”. I have made CAS reports both as an educator and as a mental health counsellor regarding situations that were horrifying to me, situations that were shared with me that left me visibly shaking, disclosures that left me crying when driving from one school to another to visit my next client, abuses so awful that I have never come to terms with them or spoken about them with anyone. There was a reason why I – as an educator or counsellor –was given that information by a child or teen who felt they could not share it with anyone else.

As a parent, I absolutely want to know everything that is going on with my kids, but being an educator and counsellor reminds me that I need to earn that from my kids. If they are telling their teacher things instead of me, what am I doing to make them feel that they

by Peter Johnson

Canada's 156th birthday just took place. I wonder how it went. Because I am writing this before the event has actually happened, I am unable to look back on what took place. Instead, I am left with thoughts about previous celebrations, and some wishful thinking about this one.

Typically, as Canadians, we treasure our citizenship. We tend to count our blessings and think ourselves lucky that we live north of the border, rather than south of it. We embrace the things that make us Canadians; too often we define ourselves as who or what we are not. This is evident in the earliest of Canadian writings, and it still can be seen today. We have in our possessions, one of the most sought-after items in the world – a Canadian passport. According to Parsai Immigration Services, “Canada passport holders can enter a total of 185 destinations, either without a visa, through a visa on arrival, or via an ETA.” According to the Henley Passport Index 2022, “Canada is currently the seventhranked most powerful passport in the world.” In addition, “The Canada passport ranking is due to the degree of global entry it guarantees to Canadian passport holders, who may travel visa-free to 186 countries...”(Guide consultants.com) can’t trust me, can’t rely on me, and can’t talk to me? And why does Colin believe that allowing parents to opt out of receiving gender-related information will help anyone? The parents who are truly a threat to their kids – who are unsupportive and emotionally critical and potentially abusive – are not the ones who will be opting out. Parents who are worried about being kept out of loop should ask themselves “why?”

More importantly, the best thing about getting or having one, is that it guarantees you the rights and privileges of one of the most 'free' countries in the world. The number of people in the world who wish that they could have a Canadian passport vastly surpasses the number of those who currently hold one.

As much as we might complain about living cheek to jowl with the Americans, many in the world have far worse neighbours. Sixteen countries border Russia. They have a combined population exceeding 400 million people. That's a lot of worried and anxious people. Add to that the 143 million that are living in Russia, that total might be roughly half a billion people who wished they lived elsewhere. And then of course, there are China and India: 1.4 billion each! Almost 3 billion people. It's certain that there would be a hefty lot in those two countries that would like to live elsewhere. Somewhere, where people are not so expendable; a place where women are treated as equals, with their rights entrenched in the laws of the country.

I suggest this: if a parent asks about their child’s gender disclosures, they should be told. If a parent does not ask, then an educator does not need to breach the confidence of a child who trusted them when they felt no one else could be trusted. Age should also be considered a factor in making this decision, as should the nature of the disclosure.

Parents absolutely have rights, and a balance must certainly be sought, but let’s get one thing straight: a non-solution helps no one.

How do we compare to other countries? It depends upon the criteria. “Canada ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, education levels, gender equality, public services, public security and environmental sustainability.” (Wikipedia)

According to U.S. News & World Report 2022, Canada is the #1 country where people would live. “Canada is a high-tech industrial society with a high standard of living,” said U.S. News. I look forward to your letters, but please note, before you go dashing off to your keyboard, the inclusion of the word 'would'. In 2021, Canada was ranked #1, as The Best Country in the World...but it slipped to #3 in 2022 (according to U.S. News & World Report, BAV Group, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)

And so, with all of that, I think I can sum up by saying, 'We are darn lucky to be Canadians'.

So many in the world would dearly love to be in our place; able to raise a family without fear or severe limitations. If you get into the habit of counting your blessings, your citizenship should not be overlooked. When I'm counting, I also add how lucky I am to live where I do, rather than a big metropolis. Small towns are a blessing. I hope you had a good Canada Day wherever you were.

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Garage Sale

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