I feel bad today. I don't know if it's the weather or just too much of whatever but I just feel bad. If anyone out there knows a good spell for helping lungs I'd appreciate it if you'd throw it my way.

Went looking for spells on the internet and found more cheery news instead:

ONE person in Scotland dies every two hours of COPD and it's one of the biggest killers in the country . . . yet most people have never heard of the disease.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease kills 30,000 people every year and the World Health Organisation say it will be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020.

Amazingly, although Scotland and the north of England have the highest rates of COPD in the UK, research has shown that more than two-thirds of Scots have never even heard of it.

In fact, cases of COPD are growing three times faster in women than men and - as it is the only major cause of death increasing - COPD could soon kill more women in the UK than breast cancer.

Lung cancer, which happens when a tumour grows in the lungs, killed 33,000 people in the UK in 2004, while COPD killed 30,000. But COPD numbers are rising - it is estimated three million people in the UK have the disease, although only 900,000 have been diagnosed.

In 2003, 4400 Scots were diagnosed with lung cancer, while 34,000 Scots were diagnosed with COPD, although it is thought that four times as many have COPD but don't recognise the symptoms.

This all has a huge impact on the health service. One in eight hospital admissions are for COPD and the direct cost to the NHS is £817million or £1362 per person.

For 80 per cent of sufferers, the cause is smoking but one in five of all people with COPD have never touched a cigarette. Some inherited conditions or working in industries such as mining can cause COPD and the effects of pollution and passive smoking are also being investigated.

COPD is not a single disease but a group of conditions, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and certain types of chronic asthma. These are respiratory conditions, which destroy the workings of the lungs and make it difficult to breathe.

Sufferers find it hard to walk, climb stairs and, in some cases, talk. Many describe the symptoms as a feeling of suffocating or of drowning.

Sadly, COPD is an incurable and progressive disease, so sufferers are unlikely to ever regain full health. However, early diagnosis can make a big difference to quality of life and the health education charity Developing Patient Partnerships has launched a campaign called "Ever Smoked" to help more sufferers recognise their symptoms.

Most common is a smoker's cough, a warning sign that more than half of Scots smokers questioned said they would ignore.

GP Kevin Gruffydd-Jones, of the General Practice in Airways Group, supports the campaign and said: "Illness associated with smoking is a major threat to respiratory health in the UK, and a major reason for presentations in general practice.

"Unfortunately, smokers can feel guilty or embarrassed to seek help for a condition they think they may have brought upon themselves, but we'd much rather they get help early.

"A lot can be done to prevent the disease getting worse and to help people with symptoms live an active life."

COULD YOU HAVE COPD?

A SPIROMETRY can confirm diagnosis of COPD and can be carried out by your own GP. You should consider going to the doctor for a check-up if you:

Get overly breathless when moving around, more than experienced by people of the same age.

Have a persistent cough/wheeze for a long time (with or without increased production of phlegm).

Suffer chest tightness and breathlessness at night or first thing in the morning.

Experience recurrent episodes of bronchitis, especially in winter.

THE PAINFUL LEGACY OF SMOKING

RENA Dickeson has gone from being an active woman who loved to dance to someone who is hooked up to oxygen16 hours a day.

Rena, 61, and husband Gordon had many plans for their retirement but those won't happen now.

Three years ago she began to get breathless and tired.

After 10 days in hospital she was diagnosed with COPD. A year later, she was attacked and left with six broken ribs and a punctured lung, which exacerbated her condition.

As well as being connected to an oxygen cylinder via a tube into her nose, Rena now has to use a nebuliser for 10 minutes every day. She's also had a tracheotomy.

Rena, from East Kilbride, said: "If I take a wee panic attack it affects my breathing and I honestly do think I am going to die. It's the most frightening experience."

A smoker since her twenties, Rena immediately stopped when she became ill with COPD. She recently became a grandmother for the second time but gets too breathless to bathe baby Jessica.

She said: "I would tell anyone who smokes to stop now. COPD is not the end of life but you won't ever get better. All you can hope is that it doesn't get any worse. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."