Live Your Life with Healthy Lungs

Do you recognise the map above? The statistics listed around the map show us that lung diseases are no laughing matter. In fact lung disease is a real threat to people living in this part of the globe. You should pay more attention to this. Let's take a closer look at your lungs.

Your Lungs and What They Do for You

Most of us hardly notice our breathing. It's something we do all day, every single day. Most of us take it for granted. Breathing in air is something we should learn to treasure. I think almost all of us know which organ is responsible for this. Your lungs permit you to breathe in clean air and get rid of stale air. They work with the rest of your respiratory system to make sure you continue living. Your lungs are absolutely essential to your life. If your lungs cease to function, you will cease to live.

Your chest houses your lungs, one on each side. They're very soft, and shielded by your rib cage. Each of your lungs is divided into lobes,three on the right and two on the left. The role played by your lungs is simple, but crucial:

They breathe oxygen (O2) into your body and eliminate carbon dioxide (CO2).

Oxygen is needed by your body to make energy. On the other hand, carbon dioxide is a waste product released from your body. You use several muscles to breathe. The most valuable player of these muscles is your diaphragm.

Your diaphragm divides your body cavity into the thoracic cavity and peritoneal cavity.

When you breathe in, the diaphragm flattens and pushes your ribs outward. At this stage each lung acts like a vacuum cleaner, sucking in fresh air. This process is called inhalation or inspiration and is the active phase. This means that you make an effort to draw in air. You can actually feel the effort on yourself when you breathe in compared with breathing out.

Inspiration is like blowing air into a balloon, you need effort! A lung can be represented by a balloon.

The exhalation phase also called expiration is the opposite of inspiration. During this stage, your diaphragm relaxes. Compared to inspiration, expiration is a passive process. You don't need to make an effort to exhale. You just do.

Expiration is like air escaping from the balloon, if you don't tie a knot in it.

Your breathing is controlled by the respiratory center found at the base of your brain. It regularly sends out signals to your diaphragm and other muscles for breathing. This respiratory center handles your breathing automatically, without you noticing.

Many internal and external factors can affect the rate (how fast) and depth (how shallow or deep) of your breathing. Seeing the person you have a crush on or hiding from your boss are examples of external factors which can affect your emotions and your breathing. On the contrary, the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your system, are two examples of internal factors which can affect your breathing.





Your lungs form a huge part of your respiratory system. Anatomically speaking, your respiratory system is divided by your larynx (voice box) into the upper and lower respiratory tracts.






Anything which goes wrong with one of the structures above, can give you breathing difficulties.

Your Lungs Under the Microscope

Looking from the outside, your lungs appear pink in colour, with a consistency like that of a sponge. On the inside, they're made up of numerous smaller airways called bronchioles which end up in clumps of alveoli (air sacs). These air sacs are wrapped by numerous capillaries (tiny blood vessels).

The adjacent areas between the air sacs and the tiny blood vessels is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.

Signs Your Lungs are Struggling

Now that you know how vital your lungs are for life, you need to know some common signs that might reveal lung problems (lung disease).

• 1. Difficulty breathing.

  If breathing in and out becomes a major effort for you. This is known medically as dyspnea. Breathing difficulties can be influenced by several factors including social, environmental, physiological and psychological factors. It's a very subjective experience which can differ in severity from person to person. Your friend may have difficulty breathing but only describe it as mild, while you may feel more discomfort and regard it as severe.

• 2. Chest pain.

  Not all chest pain is caused by your heart (figuratively and literally). Pain in your chest which can't be explained or attributed to another cause could be an early sign of a lung disease. The pain usually lasts for months and more often than not, is worse when you cough or simply breathe in. This is usually because the lining of your chest wall is inflamed and irritated. Pain occurs when your lungs expand during inhalation and rub against the inflamed lining.

• 3. Wheezing.

  Do you know someone who has asthma? Have you seen and HEARD that person breath during an asthmatic attack? Then, you probably know what wheezing sounds like. Wheezing is an important clue which tells you that something is narrowing or blocking your airways, producing the noisy, laboured breathing.

• 4. Blood in your sputum.

  Sputum, more commonly known as phlegm, is basically mucus that's coughed up from your lungs. Even if you're not sure if it came from your lungs, the sight of blood should compel you to seek medical advice.

• 5. Increased mucus production.

  Mucus is secreted by the glands in your airways. It's a type of defense mechanism to shield your lungs from irritants and infections. When this happens on a chronic basis (like for a month or more), it's time for you to go see your doctor. Increased mucus production prevents you from inhaling enough oxygen. It also inhibits you from eliminating carbon dioxide effectively.

• 6. Cough lasting for more than 3 weeks.

  A cough is a protective mechanism which normally arises when something irritates your respiratory system. So when a cough is chronic, it means that the irritant is causing ongoing problems to your airways. If your cough has lasted more than 3 weeks, (whether its dry or with mucus) it signals that something is wrong. Go to your doctor to have it checked out.

• 7. Shortness of breath.

  If you feel shortness of breath most of the time, even at rest, that's not normal. It's normal to feel it after exercising, but it should go away after you have a rest.

• 8. Cyanosis.

  This medical term means a bluish discolouration found on your skin or mucous membranes (lining of your oral cavity). It usually means your blood lacks sufficient amounts of oxygen. Cyanosis has several causes including problems with breathing and circulation.

Note: The common symptoms described above aren't specific for any lung disease. The frequency and severity of symptoms can vary from person to person. If you have any of these symptoms, discuss them with your doctor.

How to Improve Your Lung Function

You don’t need to wait for your lungs to get sick before you start paying attention to them and improving their function. Here is a list of things you can do to improve your lung function now, before problems occur.

Exercise. This may sound a bit strange to you if you are already experiencing shortness of breath. We're not referring to Olympic grade exercises here ladies and gentlemen. Simple gentle exercise like brisk walking, hiking, swimming, stretching etc, are enough to give two of the most important organs in your body (heart and lungs) a workout.

While exercising, your muscles (including your respiratory muscles), work harder and demand more oxygen. In response, your breathing gets faster so you inhale more oxygen. Your heart pumps faster and more powerfully in order to distribute the extra oxygen required by your muscles. This also means that more carbon dioxide is eliminated through the exhalation phase of breathing.

Exercise increases the breathing reserves of your lungs. This means that when your lungs are having difficulty taking air in, your air reserves can compensate for that. Exercise also strengthens up your respiratory muscles. So you can breathe in more oxygen with less effort and energy.

Furthermore, your heart also becomes more efficient in circulating blood to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the vital organs. Though if you already have lung problems, it's important to ask your healthcare provider about the types of exercise that are most suitable for you.

Breathing Exercises. There are a number of therapists such as Physiotherapists and Buteyko practitioners that can help you to perform breathing exercises properly. Some breathing exercises aren't suitable for people with lung problems, so again ask your healthcare provider before beginning them.

On your own, you can practice deep breathing. You see, most people don't breathe deeply enough to use the full capacity of their lungs. Shallow breathing occurs for a variety of reasons like when you're in a hurry, stressed or sick.

Have you seen a baby breathe, especially during sleep? They inhale completely, expanding their lungs and contracting their muscular diaphragms, creating a vacuum. This is demonstrated by the full movements of their chest and ribs. The abdominal organs inside the peritoneal cavity rise and you see their bellies get sucked in (a little). When they exhale, you see their bellies protrude (Cute, huh?), their muscular diaphragms relax and their chest and rib cage diminish in size. Now, try it out for yourself. Deep breathing is also called diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing.

Quit Smoking. You absolutely must quit smoking if you want to improve the health of your lungs! Do you know what a smoker's lungs looks like? When it comes to your lungs, smoking is bad news.

Avoid air pollution. Make sure that the air you inhale is clean and fresh. No matter how healthy you or your lungs are, if the air you breathe is polluted, there will come a point where the defense mechanisms of your lungs will be overpowered. If you work in an environment where dust, chemicals and other irritants are present, wear the proper protective equipment. Regular checkups with your healthcare practitioner are also a must. Most occupational lung diseases (like pneumoconiosis) develop silently and over long periods of time. It's only when the disease has progressed that symptoms are noticed. By this time, it may be too late. Don't let that person be you.

Educate Yourself. The health of your lungs is best improved when you view your whole body as interconnected. This means taking your other organs and how they all work together as a whole into consideration. Nobody really knows how one organ behaves when separated from the pack (your body). Every organ is dependent on another organ for something, no matter how big or small. You may know a lot about the health of your lungs and lung diseases, but if you don't know anything about taking care of your heart for example, your efforts could be worthless. Find out the relationships between organs and educate yourself on how you can help them all out together so that you’re looking after your whole body.

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