Final answer:
Anticholinergics are used in COPD management by reducing bronchial secretions and muscle constriction in the airways, with Atropine being a common choice. Similarly, Scopolamine, related to Atropine, is also used in a controlled manner for motion sickness via a transdermal patch, ensuring safety at these therapeutic doses.
Step-by-step explanation:
Anticholinergics can be used to treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) by relaxing the muscles around the airways and reducing mucus production. This class of medication, which includes drugs like Atropine, acts as antagonists to muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. While potent anticholinergics like Atropine are more renowned for their role in managing nerve agent poisoning, they also have therapeutic uses in respiratory conditions. For example, Atropine blocks the effect of excess acetylcholine on the muscarinic receptors in the lungs thereby reducing bronchial secretions and helping to keep the airways open.
Scopolamine, also derived from the Atropa genus like Atropine, is mainly used to manage motion sickness through the transdermal scopolamine patch. Although at higher concentrations, these substances can be toxic, at therapeutic doses for COPD, they serve a critical function in pulmonary care without reaching toxic concentrations.