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Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Philadelphia (CBS) - I am sure you have heard about physical rehabilitation but there are many forms of rehabilitation in medicine and there is no doubt that rehab is one of the biggest tools we have in medicine. I will give you an example of one area which few people know about called pulmonary rehabilitation.

Pulmonary rehab consists of exercise training, psychological and social support, education and perhaps most important figuring out the correct medications if necessary and how to use them.

The reason why this is so important is because people with chronic lung problems like emphysema are at risk for other health issues because of it.

Having the opportunity to anticipate these issues and offset the problems is crucial.

If you have a lung issue, talk with your doctor about pulmonary rehab. There is help from insurance, for instance Medicare will pay for up to 36 pulmonary rehab visits.

Reported By Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio Medical Editor

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