Love your lungs

How to Naturally Support Your Lung Health

Did you know your lungs enable you to breathe at least 17,000 times per day? Your lungs are on duty day and night, yet their wellbeing is often overlooked.

Love Your Lungs Week aims to raise awareness of the importance of good lung health. In support, this article will highlight how to look after these hardworking organs that are often taken for granted.

How Your Lungs Function

Every single one of your body’s cells relies on your lungs to deliver a supply of oxygen, used to produce energy. The other main job performed by your lungs is to remove carbon dioxide, a byproduct of metabolism. Otherwise, this would build up to dangerous levels in your bloodstream.

When you inhale, air travels down your trachea, or windpipe, into your lungs. There the trachea divides firstly into bronchial tubes, and then into smaller tubes called bronchioles. At the end of these are air sacs called alveoli. This is where oxygen from the air passes through a delicate barrier separating your lungs and your bloodstream.

An Epidemic of Poor Lung Health

Experts estimate more people are living with a lung condition in the UK than are affected by heart disease and cancer combined.

Conditions connected with poor lung function include:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by smoking but can be a result of exposure to chemical irritants. COPD covers a group of lung diseases. One of these is emphysema, characterised by narrowed airways and difficulty exhaling. It arises from damage to and inflammation of the alveoli, reducing the area available for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Chronic bronchitis also comes under COPD and is usually caused by prolonged exposure to airborne irritants. It involves inflammation and irritation of the bronchi and bronchioles with excessive mucus production.

In asthma, inflamed and narrow airways combine with excessive mucus. This makes breathing difficult, leading to wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breath. Asthma is often the result of allergies to airborne substances, the immune system reacting inappropriately to something in the environment.

Any type of lung issue can impact your quality of life, hinder your ability to engage in physical activity and disturb your sleep. These in turn have widespread negative effects on health. Therefore, knowing how you can protect your lungs from damage is crucial.

Protect Your Lungs From Environmental Irritants

Modern air is awash with toxins capable of irritating your lungs. There’s not a great deal you can do to avoid inhaling chemicals present outside your home, like pollutants from industry and vehicles. However, you can take steps to reduce them inside your home.

Beware of moulds, which emit invisible airborne toxins called mycotoxins. These can irritate the lungs, causing coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Moulds love warmth and moist places, with some being invisible to the naked eye. If you spot black mould in your home, it’s essential to tackle it immediately. Neat white vinegar is great for killing mould. It’s best to avoid bleach - this simply removes the colour from mould rather than killing it. In doing so, this stresses out the mould, causing it to release even more mycotoxins. If you suspect mould might be an issue for you, we offer a convenient self-test kit to detect whether mycotoxins may be affecting your health.
Bin paraffin wax candles whose chemicals and synthetic fragrances are released into the air when heated. Beeswax or soy-based candles burn much more cleanly.
Don’t use chemical air fresheners – essential oils smell far nicer.
New furniture, flooring, and paint emit substances called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Known as off-gassing, the VOCs released negatively affect air quality and can irritate the respiratory system. Because some off-gassing reduces over time, the planet and your lungs will thank you for repurposing pre-loved household items rather than buying new.
Avoid using chemical-based hairspray, nail varnish and synthetic cleaners in the home.
Wood burners and open fires emit a cocktail of irritant particles which can trigger lung issues. Coal and wet wood are particularly problematic when burned.

How to Naturally Nurture Your Lungs

Movement

Regular physical activity is beneficial for your lungs because it strengthens the muscles around them. Give your lungs a workout by engaging in moderate exercise, including brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing, ideally for at least 30 minutes five times weekly.

Feed Your Lungs

A diet high in colourful fresh vegetables and fruit contains a good range of antioxidants (1). These, along with omega 3 fats from seeds and oily fish help manage inflammation which can adversely affect lung tissue.

Breathe Your Way to Healthier Lungs

Breathing is what your lungs do every second, yet have you ever considered the impact of breathing on lung health? Breathing exercises involving slowing the exhale and breathing out through pursed lips can support lung muscles and keep airways open for longer. Pranayama breathing, a yoga technique involving controlled inhalation, exhalation, and breath retention, has been shown to improve lung capacity and breathing patterns in COPD (2).

Manage Your Stress

When you are stressed, your breathing naturally changes, with breaths becoming shallow and more rapid. In time this can adversely affect lung function. Somatic therapies such as Emotional Freedom Technique can help reframe your body’s response to stress. German New Medicine aims to identify and resolve unconscious psychological stressors contributing to disease.

Look After Your Gut

It might surprise you to learn your lungs host their own microbiome, a collection of bacteria symbiotically residing there. These microbes support lung health by managing your immune system’s reaction to airborne substances inhaled from the environment. Therefore, they ensure your immune system doesn’t react inappropriately, and in turn control inflammation. In fact, scientists have observed imbalanced lung microbiomes in people suffering from lung diseases.

Although the lung microbiome is a discrete community of bacteria, it’s in communication with and shaped by your gut microbiome. So, if you look after your gut – by avoiding sugar and emphasising fibre-rich plant foods and fermented foods - you’ll be supporting your lung health too.

Natural Support for Your Lungs

Any cough persisting longer than three weeks, unusual breathlessness, chest pains or coughing up blood should be referred to your GP as soon as possible. However, we can help you naturally support your lung health, wherever you are in your wellness journey. For example, a Functional Nutritionist can help identify any nutrient deficiencies affecting lung health, or unsuspected food sensitivities.

We recommend you start your journey with an Integrative Health Assessment, to address the root causes of your health issues. We’ll provide you with a comprehensive plan to naturally improve your lung health, as well as your overall health and wellbeing.