Protect Your Lungs
Lungs are one of the most important parts of your body, which helps you to breathe. We intake oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. The quality of air that we intake results in the good or bad health of our lungs. There are many types of lung diseases like asthma, bronchitis, allergy, lung cancer, Sarcoidosis, Interstitial lung disease, Tuberculosis, sleep apnea etc. There are different causes for these diseases but the following are the basic points that can be considered to protect the lung disease.
1. If you don’t smoke, don’t start!
2. If you smoke or use tobacco, quit. Quitting is the most important thing you can do to keep your lungs healthy and prevent disease. Smoking damages your lungs and increases your risk for a number of diseases including lung cancer. It’s never too late to quit.
3. Teach your children about the dangers of smoking and be a role model by not smoking or by quitting now.
4. Avoid second-hand smoke. Breathing the smoke from cigarettes and pipes increases your risk for the same diseases that affect people who smoke. Don’t allow smoking in your home, in the car, or at work.
5. Many lung diseases are highly contagious so one has to make sure that they wash their and hands and cover their coughs and sneezes as this may result in common viral infections such as cough, cold and flu. Wash your hands properly as your hands can carry a lot of germs and your chances of falling ill may increase.
6. Do your best to control outdoor air pollution and keep the air we breathe clean.
7. Learn about indoor air pollution and what you can do to reduce your exposure. For example, turn on the exhaust fan when you cook and avoid using aerosol products (e.g. aerosol can of hair spray).
8. Regular physical exercise is good for your whole body and especially your lungs. Exercise makes your lungs stronger and better.
9. Pay attention to your health at work. Avoid breathing toxic fumes from chemicals, solvents, and paints. Wear a protective mask when you work with chemicals and report unsafe working conditions.
10. At work or at home stay away from asbestos. Always wear protective clothing including a facemask if you are working with asbestos.
11. Check if there are high levels of Radon gas at your home or workplace. People working in mines are often exposed to Radon gas. Kits are found in hardware stores that help in measuring the amount of Radon gas at home.
12. Eat a healthy diet. Use a plenty of fruits and green vegetables in your diet.
13. The Indian way of Yoga, Pranayam (Breathing exercise) is also very helpful in protecting your lungs.
Barney Garcia enjoys writing about lung cancer and lung disease topics. Visit: help lung disease and inflammatory lung disease for more info.
Tags: Disease, lung cancer, Lung Disease, lungsLung Disease What Is It and how Can You Prevent It
Did you know about 35 million Americans are suffering from one kind of lung disease or the other? Did you know that lung infections are believed to be one of the most important causes for infant mortality in America? Probably you also did not know that diseases related to lung claim one in seven lives every year. Well, it is an alarming statistics, isn’t it? But what does a lung disease mean? Precisely, Lung disease refers to any kind of disorder in which the functions of respiratory system get affected and impaired and this impairment manifest in several ways, such as, troubled breathing, nagging cough, short of breath, pain or uneasiness in the chest, inability of taking up physical labor and likes.
The medical science divides all kinds of lung diseases into two broad categories: Obstructive lung diseases and Restrictive lung diseases.
In obstructive lung diseases, the airways get narrowed or blocked and the result is a decrease in exhaled air flow. The disorders like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, and bronchiectasis are cause by such obstructions of lungs.
Restrictive Lung Diseases result into either loss of lung tissue or decrease in the lung’s ability to expand. It may also decrease lung’s ability to transfer oxygen or carbon dioxide into the bloodstream. The killer disease of lung cancer is a kind of restrictive lung disease. Pulmonary fibrosis and pneumonia are also caused by the same lung disorder.
Probably lung cancer is the most common form of ling diseases that the people are more familiar with. Another commonly found diseases among Americansasthma– is also a kind of lung disorder. Tuberculosis is also the result of bad lungs. Then you might have heard of such diseases like Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema or Mesotheliomathey all are the manifestation of some kind of lung disorders.
Are you a heavy smoker? Well, you run the maximum risk of developing lung disease. What did you tell, you don’t smoke? Well this is not adequate; you have to stay clear of the smokers, for it is the passive smokers who are at higher risk than the smokers themselves to develop some kind of lung disease, even cancer. Make it a point to request a smoker to enjoy his cigarette in a secluded place so that the others are not forced to inhale second hand smoke.
Then if you work in mines or somehow exposed to radon gas, you run the risk of developing a bad lungs. In the USA, radon is sometimes found in the households also and so it is important for everybody to invest in a kit for measuring the concentration of radon at your home and take the steps accordingly.
If you are working in the sectors which use asbestos, you are required by the Federal Law to use protective gears including a face mask. The same is necessary if you are constantly exposed to dust or harmful chemical fumes, for these also considerably damage your lungs in the long run.
Last of all, the medical authorities always recommend a healthy diet for preventing lung cancer. A diet consisting lots of anti- oxidant rich fresh fruits and vegetables, considerably reduces the risks of cancer. Also go for regular Spirometry testing to make sure that your precious lungs are in perfect shape.
Barney Garcia writes about various lung diseases. Visit: Help Lung Cancer and Help Lung Disease for more lung cancer and lung disease information.
Tags: Disease, lung cancer, Lung Disease, lungs
