Dear   Friend  ,elping you and your loved ones stay healthier andValentine's Day, our “love holiday,” I want to share with you ten ways that you can help prevent lung disease among those you love:

1. If you do smoke, let us help you quit.  Log on to  Freedom from Smoking®, our online smoking cessation program and get the help you need to stop. 
2. Recognize the warning signs of lung disease.    Chronic cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing blood, and chronic fatigue are not normal.  See your doctor right away.
3. Know the symptoms of asthma —especially wheezing and chronic or night cough.    Let the American Lung Association help improve the quality of life for people with asthma .
4. Avoid lung hazards.    Protect those you love from harmful air pollution—indoors and out .  Don’t let people smoke in your home—especially if you have children.
5. Get a flu or pneumonia vaccination.    Everyone over 50 and those with chronic diseases, such as asthma, should get a flu shot and everyone over 65 a pneumonia shot.  Learn more about high-risk groups and where you can get a flu vaccination in your community.  
6. Prevent air pollution.    Don’t be a polluter.  Drive less, conserve electricity, and avoid burning wood or trash.
7. Get Involved.    Join the fight for clean air  by reducing pollution and supporting clean air laws 
8. Teach children not to smoke.   The best way to prevent lung disease is keep children from starting.  The American Lung Association offers materials and[S1]   information to teach kids not to smoke.
9. Test your home for radon.    This colorless, odorless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer.   Testing is simple and inexpensive , let us tell you how. 
10. Exercise, eat right, and keep your home free of respiratory irritants .   These simple steps will keep everyone in your family breathing better.  

Lung disease is the third leading cause of death in America an d more than 35 million Americans live with chronic lung disease.  All of us at the American Lung Association work to change these grim statistics.  We conduct research to find cures, develop treatments to improve quality of life, work to prevent disease, and fight for clean air for you and all those you love everyday[S2] .

 

I hope you will make a commitment to do something good for your lungs this month.

 

I also hope you will share these tips with those you love.

 

Thanks for all you do for the American Lung Association,

 

Terri Weaver, PhD, RN, FAAN

Chair, American Lung Association

The mission of the American Lung Association is to prevent lung disease and promote lung health.

For the American Lung Association nearest you, contact 1-800-LUNGUSA or visit www.lungusa.org . © 2007 American Lung Association®. All rights reserved.

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