By Ruth Hunter-Hill
We start learning about our bodies very early. Babies marvel at their own fingers and toes, and the education continues throughout our lifetime. Our bodies go through various growth scenarios as we age, and with each scenario we adjust and learn what our body needs to be at its best. We are the most efficient “machine” in existence, and just like with any machine, preventive maintenance is recommended for a longer, more efficient life.
The human body was expertly created to operate efficiently for many years if it receives the proper care and attention. Our body parts work in concert with each other without much special effort. We automatically breathe, blink our eyes, cough when we’re choking, and say “ouch!” when we stub a toe. Caring for our teeth, skin, hair, feet, etc. is seemingly easy and obvious.
But what about our lungs? Unless you are living with asthma or another respiratory condition, you probably don’t think much about lung health. Maybe it’s time we learn more about these vital organs, their importance, and how to care for them.
First, if you think you want to start vaping or smoking cigarettes, don’t do it! Vaping can cause deadly inflammation in the lungs. And smoking cigarettes not only destroys your lungs but can affect multiple other organs because it ruthlessly robs the body of life-giving oxygen. These awful truths notwithstanding, both vaping and cigarettes are very popular – and highly addictive. Stopping these behaviors is a lot easier than starting.
Fortunately, lungs are designed to immediately start healing themselves. Once you’ve stopped damaging your lungs (or if you made the wise choice not to start), it’s important to care for them properly. Pollutants are all around us in the form of chemicals, second-hand smoke, and other irritants that are often out of our control. So it’s up to us to care for our lungs, just as we do the rest of our body. And if you’re thinking, “I exercise – my lungs already get a workout,” that’s not necessarily so according to lunginstitute.com/blog/can-exercise-improve-lung-function/. While exercising may sometimes give slightly greater lung capacity, it will not improve how well your lung functions. Long story short, the diaphragm does most of the work to fill our lungs up with air. When one organ doesn’t carry its load, other organs are forced to help, even when it’s not their job. Without strong, healthy lungs, we run the risk of creating other issues for our bodies to combat.
The American Lung Association suggests daily breathing exercises to shore up our lungs for the long haul. It’s as simple as 10 minutes of Purse-Lip and Belly Breathing a day. Visit lung.org/lung-health-diseases/wellness/breathing-exercises for more detail. Can you dedicate 10 minutes a day to lung health?
I know that preventive measures seem silly when you’re young and things are going just fine! However, we lay the foundation for a healthy life when we’re young; trust me, it’s much harder when we get older. Besides, we are given only one body for a lifetime, and that includes one set of lungs. It’s our duty to keep our “machine” fine-tuned.
Jul122020
