Lungs are significantly important organs of our body. It is always important to keep your lungs healthy. There are several ways to keep your lungs healthy, but you have to choose wisely what helps you most. Lungs help to perform important physiological activities.
Lungs are unique in nature with a self-cleaning mechanism. When an individual stops inhale and intake the pollutants, the lungs start its self-healing mechanism to recover. When people quit the smoking habit, lungs perform self-healing mechanism.
When the lungs get pollution exposure, the chest becomes full of congestion and mucus. This mucus accumulates within the lungs and the lungs become more susceptible to the pathogens and microbes. That creates inflammation and heaviness in the chest.
Several advanced lungs-cleaning techniques are available. That cleans the irritants and mucus from the chest and provides relief from uncomfortable symptoms and congestion. It broadens the airways, reduces inflammation, and increases lung capacity. That reduces the adverse impacts of smoking and pollution within the lungs.
How to keep lungs healthy?
This could be known through spirometry. This test monitors and diagnoses the present condition of your lungs. This test takes 10 minutes to ensure the condition of the lungs. In the spirometer, you have to exhale as much possible.
This test focuses on the total quantity of the air you breathe out and the quantity of the air, you breathe out in the initial second. This test is not at all critical and painful.
You have to go through this test, if
- You are suffering from severe cough
- A smoker or had a habit of smoking
- Under medication for lungs
- You feel shortness in breathing especially at the time of walking
Analyzing the report of spirometry
If the quantity of air you breathe out in the initial second is not adequate, you might have narrow airways. This could be due to COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease) or asthma.
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If you are already under the treatment of such diseases, spirometry reports will show the response or improvement of the ongoing treatment.
This test report will help to identify certain critical lung conditions. The doctors follow charts to analyze and understand by comparing it to the normal range.
This test will help to understand the lung condition. There are certain precautionary measures too, which can keep the lungs healthy and well-functioning.
Change in the lifestyle pattern and regular breathing exercises can remove the mucus from the lungs. This will initiate regular and improved breathing.
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1. Control your coughing habit
Coughing expels toxins that are trapped in mucus. If you can control the coughing habit that will unbind the excess mucus within the lungs and push them upwards to the airways.
There are recommended exercise that is widely prescribed by the physicians/physiotherapist, especially to COPD patients.
- Take a chair. Sit with a relaxed shoulder and keep the feet flat upon the floor
- Fold your arms upon the stomach
- Inhale slowly through the nose
- Lean forward and push back your folded arms on the stomach at the time of exhaling
- Keep your mouth little open and cough for two to three times at the time of exhaling
- Inhale again through the nose
- Repeat this process as necessary and directed by the physician
2. Steam therapy
Through this therapy, you inhale water vapor. That will help to open the air passages and drain mucus from the lungs. Dry and cold air dries out the membrane (mucous) with the air passages. This restricts and worsens the blood flow.
The moisture and warmth of the steam inhalation will provide immediate relief from breathing trouble. This is a temporary relief process but it has positive impacts on improving lung condition.
3. Exercise
Regular exercise improves muscle activities. Exercise increases the rate of breathing. That is why more quantity of oxygen is required for the muscles. This improves the process of circulation.
The body releases more undesired carbon dioxide while exercising. Regular exercise also improves oxygen utilization and produce low carbon dioxide by the muscle.
COPD patients can’t perform regular exercise. They need to consult with a pulmonologist or Chest physiotherapist to perform the exercise.
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4. Release mucus from lungs
Postural drainage methods will help to release the mucus from the lungs. There are different postural methods.
On the side
- Lie on a side, keep your head on the folded arm or a pillow
- Put another pillow under your hips
- Start 1:2 breathing method (exhale twice than inhale)
- Keep it for a few minutes
- Change the side and then continue again
On the back
- Lie on a bed or floor
- Put a pillow under the hips to keep the chest down than the hips
- Inhale through nose slowly exhale through the mouth
- The breathing pattern should be 1:2 (exhale twice than inhale)
- Continue this for a few minutes
On stomach
- Create a pillow stack on the floor
- Lie on the stomach over the pillow stack. You must place the hips above your chest
- Fold your arms and place them under your head
- Practice the 1:2 breathing mechanism and continue it for sometimes
5. Intake anti-inflammatory food
Inflammation makes the air passages narrow. This creates severe breathing difficulty and a congested chest. Intake of anti-inflammatory foods will reduce the inflammation and make the breathing process easier. The foods are,
- Cherries
- Turmeric
- Beans
- Leafy greens
- Blueberries
- Lentils
- Olive
- Walnut
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6. Green tea
Green tea is loaded with anti-oxidants. That helps to reduce the inflammation of the lungs and air passages. This also protects the lungs from toxic smoke. A study shows that people having green tea 2 times a day have healer lung condition than others.
7. Chest percussion
The healthcare expert will rhythmically push the chest-wall. That will dislodge the stored mucus from the lungs and by removing the extra mucus people get instant relief. A combination of postural drainage and chest percussion helps to clear the air passages and keep the lung healthy.
8. Air-purifying plants
Money plant, aloe vera, spider plants, Boston ferns, bamboo palms, and English ivy functions as the ‘natural air-purifiers’. It purifies the indoor air by eliminating toxins and pollutants. For better results, you place 2 plants/100 sqft.
9. Avoid exposure to toxins and pollutants
The concrete emits Radon gas that is excessively harmful to the lungs. This gas is profound within the offices and houses. If you do regular exercise, avoid outdoor exercises.
The outdoor air is contaminated with a large number of harmful pollutants and toxins. If you work in the construction site and manufacturing industries, you must need proper precautions to keep your lungs healthy.
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10. Quit smoking
The known side-effect of smoking is deadly lung cancer. Besides lung cancer, smoking causes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Second-hand habit is excessively toxic to the lungs and develops chronic complications to the lungs.
Conclusion
Now a day, both the indoor and outdoor air are full of harmful pollutants and toxins. You have to inhale that polluted air only. That is why you need to be very careful to keep your lungs healthy.
You need to go through regular check-ups to know your lung condition and take precautionary measures in accordance. Simple changes in lifestyle and build a few good food habits will keep your breathing healthy.
Here we are given only the generic tips to ways to keep your lungs healthy if you have any other specific problem consult with any expert chest physical therapist for specific exercise protocol. You can consult with us for a specific lung problem.
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