Friday, 25 September, is World Lung Day. Take a deep breath and be grateful for your lungs. We take them for granted until they don’t work properly anymore. When each breath becomes an effort, we finally realise how important our lungs are.
Fun Lung Facts
Here are some crazy lung facts:
• An average human will pass between 200 million and 350 million litres of air through their lungs over the course of a lifetime. That’s roughly the volume of 100 Olympic-size swimming pools!
• The surface area of the adult human lung is about 70 square metres, which is a little bit larger than the typical cricket pitch.
• The adult human lung contains 300 – 500 million alveoli, the tiny bubbles that capture oxygen. This is roughly the distance from the Earth to the Moon … in metres.
• During a sneeze, particles leave the mouth at about 160 km/hour. That’s the same speed as the fastest cricket delivery ever recorded (by Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar).
• Scientists are still not sure why we yawn. We’re also not sure why yawning is contagious (although the mechanism is known). In fact, just reading this sentence is likely to trigger you to yawn…
Lungs In Trouble
The WHO, or World Harm Organisation, lists three lung conditions amongst its top 10 global killers.
At number 3 is COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as “smoker’s lung”.
At number 4 is pneumonia and related infections.
At number 6 is lung cancer.
Leaving mortality aside, the most common lung disease is asthma, affecting about a quarter of a billion people globally, with most of these in the most affluent countries. While asthma is not usually fatal, South Africa has the highest asthma mortality rate in the world.
Another significant contributor to lung disease in South Africa is tuberculosis.
In The Pink Of Health
The killer lung diseases mentioned are all late stage phenomena. Trying to reverse a lifetime of wrong choices right at the end of your life is unlikely to succeed. As the saying goes, a Rand of prevention is worth a Pound of cure. How do we keep our lungs in the pink of health?
1. Avoid Smoke
Lungs are designed to be filters. They trap particles in the mucus lining the alveoli and then transport these particles to the throat, to be swallowed down into the gut.
Adding particles to your air increases the burden on your lungs. Smoking (and vaping) do more than this, though. They also paralyse the mechanism by which particles are transported out of the lungs. In other words, harmful substances stay for longer, causing irritation and inflammation.
Stopping a smoking or vaping habit is the single biggest gift you can give your lungs today. Also to the people who love you, incidentally. COPD is a slow killer. You may spend the last ten years of your life tethered to an oxygen cylinder, with limited mobility. Lots of time to ponder, “Was it really worth it?”
Our Nixo Spray is a safe, gentle and helpful way to reduce your nicotine cravings.
However, there is smoke we cannot avoid so easily. Air pollution is present in all major centres. At the very least, consider installing an air filter in your bedroom, where you spend ~8 hours a day. And don’t stand too close to that braai fire!
2. Act Up!
Exercise increases our rate of breathing, which helps the lungs clean themselves faster and better. A brisk walk or some minutes on an exercise bike will already make a difference.
Swimming is an amazing sport for the lungs. If you can, incorporate swimming into your routine.
Jogging in peak traffic is probably not such a good idea. If you live in a high-pollution area, you may have to exercise indoors.
Dancing is rarely mentioned as a form of exercise but deserves a mention.
3. Get Down And Dirty
One of the more dangerous policies during The Virus That Must Not Be Named Dem-Panic was the instruction to satanise… or sanitise… our hands at every possible and impossible opportunity. By removing the good bacteria from our hands, we allowed the really bad bacteria to flourish, those that could evade all those litres of alcohol.
As a general principle, cleanliness is next to sickliness. The more worried you are about germs, the more you will damage your health and immunity. Good germs thrive in the absence of antibiotics, soaps and disinfectants – on our skin, our clothing, our homes. Good germs limit the ability of bad germs (including fungi and moulds) to colonise our environment.
What is more, good germs trigger a healthy immune response, meaning our immune system stays alert for attacks, without actually going into overdrive (= “auto-immunity”).
Gardeners are right where the good germs are. Spend time in nature whenever you can and get yourself dirty.
Children growing up near farmlands have a much lower incidence of asthma than children living in cities, even when all other factors are accounted for.
From time to time, it is necessary to clean yourself properly, thus using soap is inevitable. However, using bicarb (baking soda) for the most part for cleansing purposes is sufficient and it does not harm the good germs.
4. Needle-ss To Say
There is absolutely no truth to the rumour that vaccinated children have much higher rates of asthma, none whatsoever! Stop asking! Keep moving! The fact that countries with the lowest vaccination rates also have the lowest asthma rates is purely coincidental.
5. Let It All Out!
Singing is very much out of fashion. In decades past, we’d sing at almost any gathering. We’d sing at work, we’d sing at church. Now we barely sing in the shower, in case the neighbour complains. However, singing is one of the best remedies for the lungs, helping them heal and stay healthy. Join a choir (or install soundproofing in your shower).
Playing wind instruments is another excellent way to boost lung health. If you’re really not musical, try bagpipes…
Breathing exercises are a second-best option if you cannot sing. Spend at least 10 minutes daily doing mindful, deep breathing. Exhale against pressure (such as pursed lips).
6. He Ain’t Heavy
Obesity has a direct, mechanical impact on the lungs. A layer of fat on the chest wall reduces the lung’s ability to fully expand. This means carbon dioxide heaps up in the body, resulting in a state of acidosis. This makes the lungs much more susceptible to infections.
A ketogenic diet is strongly recommended for weight loss. Other options include a paleo diet, raw food diet or whole food diet. There is good clinical evidence that regular fresh fruit and vegetable intake boosts lung function. Studies have shown that substances in processed foods affect the immune system negatively.
7. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
A hidden lung saboteur is obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). If you’re snoring, you may very well be suffering from OSA. Some basic interventions to deal with OSA include weight loss and changing your sleeping position (sleeping on your back makes OSA worse). Some special pillows (that prop up the neck) may also be of help. If these do not make a difference, seek the help of an expert. A CPAP machine may be indicated.
The low ventilation rate and periods of no breathing at all can create a lung environment which is conducive to serious infections or even lung cancer.
8. Traitor In Our Midst
Beta-2 agonists are a drug class used to treat asthma. They come in two types: short-acting (such as salbutamol) and long-acting (such as salmeterol). Published in 2006, the SMART study found that salmeterol increased asthma mortality by more than 4 times. (Link)
Studies on short-acting beta-2 agonists are a bit harder to interpret, but there seems to be a four-to-nine-fold increase in asthma deaths with these agents, and the mortality risk climbs steeply with increased use. (Link)
Some studies indicate that the excess death rate disproportionately affects the Black demographic.
The American FDA mandated studies to see if adding inhaled corticosteroids affected the outcome. Results showed that inhaled corticosteroids neutralised the mortality risk of the beta-2 agonists. The problem is the beta-2 agonists are still being sold as single agents. Within the South African context, these are often provided by clinics to asthmatic patients, which helps explain why South Africa is the world leader in asthma deaths.
Inhaled corticosteroids are seen as the gold standard treatment for asthma, but anyone who has had to use them for a period of time knows they greatly increase the risk of lung infections. They also have a severe systemic impact, leading to growth stunting in children, as well as diabetes and obesity.
9. Shoot ‘Em Up!
There are limited studies investigating supplements in lung diseases. The following are recommended, based on Doc Frank’s clinical experience over 30 years. We will add all our these links in the description.
– Vitamin D: It has a strong anti-inflammatory action and basically does the work of prescription steroids, yet without their side effects. Supplementation with Vitamin D is associated with reduced asthma exacerbations and COPD admissions to hospital. We recommend a daily dose of 5,000 – 10,000 international units daily.
– Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Well-established anti-inflammatory effect, modestly beneficial in asthma. We stock both standard Fish Oil as well as vegan-friendly Algae Oil options. A daily dose of 2,000 – 4,000 mg is recommended.
– Magnesium: Magnesium is given intravenously during a severe asthma attack to help open the lungs. Funny thing is, it is not prescribed for asthmatics otherwise. Oral magnesium (as in our MgO) has some benefit in keeping the airways open but also reduces the allergic response. Our Breasy Nebulisation Fluid contains magnesium sulphate to help keep the airways open (not intended for use during an acute attack, though). Nebulising once or twice daily will reduce inflammation and the risk of a severe asthma attack.
– N-Acetyl Cysteine: This softens the mucus, making it easier to transport out of the lungs. It also acts as an antioxidant. At a dose of 600 mg twice daily, it reduces exacerbations in COPD.
– DMSO 25% nebulisation: DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) is a powerful anti-inflammatory substance derived from wood. It has no serious side effects. Several anecdotes exist of patients with COPD being able to come off their oxygen dependence when they nebulise with DMSO twice daily for several months. Our DMSO 25% x 500 ml comes ready-made for nebulisation.
Takeaway
Like the rest of us, our lungs are fearfully and wonderfully made. If we look after them, they will serve us well for a century or more. The more lung function we lose along the way, the worse for our health in every department, since oxygen supply is vital for all our organs.
Here are 5 steps to happy lungs:
• Low-tox your environment
• Allow friendly germs to flourish
• Engage in daily activities that stretch lung capacity
• Eat real, clean food
• Supplement where needed
To your (fresh) health
