Lifestyle changes for Happy and Healthy Lungs:
Our body has a natural defense mechanism to protect our lungs from germs and dirt.
A Healthy diet and some changes in our lifestyle will definitely take care of the rest.
COMPLETELY STOP SMOKING
Smoking causes not just lung cancer, but also chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema).
Second-hand smoke is highly toxic and can destroy your lungs.
AVOID EXPOSURE TO POLLUTANT AIR
Exercising outdoors is risky when the air is polluted or air quality is poor.
Some house plants like like money plants, bamboo palms, aloe vera, help in purifying air at home.
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
Your job/occupation could be putting your lungs at risk. Like construction sites, chemical factories, etc. Extreme care has to be taken in such cases.
AVOID INFECTION
Avoid crowds during viral cold, cough and flu season, oral hygiene should be taken care of.
EXERCISE DAILY
Brisk walking, slow running or jogging improves lung function tremendously. Yoga and breathing exercises are very beneficial as well. Consult your doctor before you start exercises.
EAT A LOW FAT DIET
A low-fat diet with plenty of water, vegetables and fruits improves lung health.
WARNING SIGNS OF BREATHING
Consult a doctor immediately if there is chest pain, coughing with phlegm or blood, breathing problems.
REDUCE STRESS AND EASE YOUR LOAD
Do not exert yourself. Make time for yourself, to get enough sleep and to go for regular health check-ups.
Respiratory Diseases Information:
Back ground of Respiratory Diseases :
When a child is born, the first act he does to survive is to breathe. Once we breathe, Oxygen reaches our lungs and from there it enters the blood.
This blood, containing the Oxygen is pumped by the heart to all the vital organs of our body like Brain/Liver/Kidney/Stomach and so on. For our entire body to function properly, the oxygen reaching these parts of the body should be normal.
For the Oxygen to enter the blood properly, our lungs have to function normally. The primary function of our lungs is to pass on Oxygen to the blood and to throw out unwanted Carbon-Di-Oxide out of the blood into the air.
When we breathe, we take in Oxygen. This act is called Inhalation or Inspiration. When we breathe out, we throw out Carbon-Di-Oxide. This act is called Exhalation or Expiration.
Our Lungs are like Elastic or Rubber Balloons. When we breathe in, they stretch and inflate like a balloon filled with gas and when we exhale, they relax or come back to the original size, which means they get deflated.
Oxygen is very very important for our normal activities.
If the oxygen in blood decreases, we start breathing faster and faster to take in more and more oxygen. This makes us breathe faster and faster.
Gradually, we get exhausted of breathing faster and that is when we feel breathless. Means, the body wants more oxygen BUT the supply of oxygen is lesser.
This makes us breathe faster and faster. Gradually, we get exhausted of breathing faster and that is when we feel breathless.
Means, the body wants more oxygen the supply of oxygen is lesser.
In medical words, feeling breathless is called Dyspnoea.(d-i-s-n-i-a )
What happens when we breathe ?
When we breathe, air flows through the wind pipe after entering the nose. This wind pipe is called trachea.
The Trachea continues into the chest and divides into two branches which supplies air into the Right and Left Lung.
What problems do we encounter when our Lungs are not functioning normally ?
The Common Complaints or Symptoms which a patient has are:
- Breathing Difficulty
- Cough with or without expectoration { sputum }
- Chest pain
- Fever
DISEASES :
- Asthma
- COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary(lung) diseases)
- ILD (Interstitial lung disease)
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis
- Allergic cough
- Lung cancer
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Pulmonary embolism
- Sleep disorders