Over 1 billion people in the whole world are struggling with breathing and lung-related difficulties. It is a well-known fact that smoking is injurious to health and can cause permanent damage to our entire breathing system. But, smoking is not the only thing that affects the lungs, and even people who do not smoke are victims of lung diseases.
Lungs help your body to take in oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. Pollution, cigarette smoke, and other toxins damage your lungs and can even cause serious health conditions. Keeping your lungs healthy is vital for keeping the rest of your body alive. So, if you want to take care of your health, then, focus on taking care of your lungs and respiratory system.
The Importance of Lung Cleansing
After your lungs get exposed to pollution such as cigarette smoke, there will be a feeling of fullness in your lungs. You may also feel congested and inflamed. Mucus gathers together inside your lungs to catch microbes and pathogens, further causing heaviness. An effective lung cleanse helps you clear out mucus and irritants to relieve chest congestion and other lung problems. It opens up the airways, improves your lung capacity, and reduces inflammation.
Seek medical help if you are struggling from wheezing, chest pain, severe cough, or asthma.
5 Ways to Cleanse Your Lungs
Our lungs are mostly self-cleaning organs, but there are certain things you can do to remove excess mucus from the lungs and improve your breathing capacity. Check out these five easy ways to cleanse your lungs.
1. Practise regular exercises
Just like regular exercises boost your fitness levels, strengthens your heart, and enhances your mood, it improves your lung health too. Physical exercises include walking, running, dancing, cycling, etc. Even individuals having chronic lung problems can benefit from the cleansing effects of daily exercise. However, it is important to ask a doctor before you start doing any kind of physical exercises. You can also consult doctor online.
Along with physical exercises, practice breathing exercises. It helps to improve lung function, especially for individuals who smoke or have lung damage due to chronic lung disease. Try doing this breathing exercise two or three times a day:
- Lie down on your back
- Place your hands on your stomach at the base of the rib cage.
- Close your eyes and inhale deeply through your nose. Count till 5
- Hold the breath for a few seconds and slowly exhale to a count of 5.
- Repeat this exercise 3-4 times.
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2. Quit smoking
No matter whether you have been smoking for two days or twenty years, quitting this habit is the very first step towards healthier lungs. Smoking damages your airways as well as alveoli that allows the exchange of oxygen inside the lungs. Both nicotine and tobacco smoke inhibit your lung functions as well as puts you at risk for serious lung infections and lung cancer. If you are a regular smoker, then obviously stopping it completely will seem a quite challenging task. But, remember, nothing is difficult if you are determinant enough and set your mind towards it.
If you are someone who needs advice on how to clean lungs after smoking, you can talk to a doctor.
3. Breathe fresh air
Pollution, toxic fumes from household chemicals, fumes from burning wood or trash, pollen, cigarette smoke, etc. may lead to serious lung problems. Breathing fresh air helps in expanding your lung tissues and allows your lungs to function properly. Wear a face mask while going out to protect yourself from harmful pollutants. Try to eliminate artificial scents at home as they are filled with toxic chemicals that irritate your lungs.
4. Steam Therapy
Steam therapy is an effective temporary solution to cleanse your lungs. It involves the inhalation of water vapour to open up the airways and drain the mucus from the lungs. Steam helps in adding warmth and moisture to the air, which further improves your breathing and provides immediate results.
5. Change your diet
Eating cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli helps to solve lung problems. Also, adding vitamin D rich foods into your diet is an effective way to cleanse lungs naturally. Some of the best vitamin D rich food sources include salmon, mushrooms, sardines, raw milk and eggs.
Include the following to your diet to detox and cleanse your lungs naturally.
1. Ginger
Ginger is an effective remedy to detox your lungs due to its anti-inflammatory properties. It eliminates air pollutants and tobacco smoke out of your air passages before they start attacking your lungs. This powerful home remedy also helps in relieving congestion and improves circulation to the lungs.
Drink 2-4 cups of ginger tea daily if you are struggling from lung infections. To prepare this, boil one teaspoon of grated ginger in one cup of water. Keep it simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the water and add honey or little lemon juice for taste.
2. Garlic
Known for its anti-inflammatory properties, garlic helps to fight lung infections and reduce inflammation. Allicin, a powerful compound present in garlic can kill the bacteria that cause various lung infections. Garlic is effective in treating asthma as well as reduces the risk of lung cancer.
3. Turmeric
Turmeric is another spice that has high anti-inflammatory properties. Its active compound curcumin helps to cleanse your lungs naturally. Curcumin also helps in the detoxification of our body which further improves our immunity. This is why turmeric acts as an effective ayurvedic medicine that will protect against coronavirus.
Add powdered turmeric to milk or add a pinch to any food or drink that you consume to keep your lungs and overall body healthy.
4. Green Tea
High in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, green tea is good enough to cleanse your lungs. It protects your lung tissue from the harmful effects of smoke inhalation naturally.
So, there you go! If you care about your lungs and overall health, start with prevention. Quit smoking, start exercising, eat nutritious food, and do all the other things mentioned above that may help in improving your lung health.
