10 Simple Ways to Keep Your Lungs Healthier
Protecting your lungs is vital, if you want
to preserve your long-term health. Over a period of time, toxins from
mold and bacteria can build up in your lungs causing you ill health.
Therefore, getting into the habit of cleansing your lungs on regular
basis is a good thing to do. A lung cleanse promotes normal lung
functioning, helps to reduce swelling and inflammation and rejuvenates
lung strength and vitality.
To add to this, it also helps clear any
mucus from your airways and improves circulation. It can even help treat
asthma, throat infections, bad breath and chronic bronchitis.
Fortunately, cleansing your lungs is pretty simple to do; you can easily
do it with some home remedies mixed with lifestyle and dietary changes.
Here are ten great ways you can cleanse and detox your lungs:
1. Do Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing exercises can help improve
your lung capacity by delivering more vital oxygen to your body. This
will strengthen your lungs, and clear and cleanse your airways. To add
to this, it will increase your energy and reduce stress. To carry out
this exercise, follow the instructions below:
1. Find a comfortable place and lie flat on your back.
2. Place your hands on your stomach at the bottom of your rib cage.
3. Close your eyes and breathe in deeply through your nose while
counting to 5.
4. Hold your breath for 2 seconds, and then breathe out slowly while
counting to 5.
5. Repeat 9 or 10 times.
6. Do this exercise 2 or 3 times a day.
2. Use a Castor Oil Pack
Castor oil stimulates waste elimination and draws toxins out of the
lungs, uterus, digestive system and liver. It can even help reduce
inflammation and improve lymphatic circulation. To make this pack,
follow the instructions below:
1. Soak 2 to 3 pieces of wool flannel in 1 cup of warm castor oil (use
only organic, cold-pressed castor oil).
2. Lie down on a large plastic sheet.
3. Place the soaked wool flannels on your chest and sides so that they
cover your lung area.
4. Cover these flannels with the large plastic sheet.
5. Place a heating pad over the plastic sheet for 1 to 2 hours.
6. Remove the packs and wash with warm water to remove the oil residue.
7. Repeat twice a week for at least one month.
3. Take a Hot shower/Visit a Sauna
A hot shower or sauna increases sweat secretion which helps your lungs
to get rid of toxic substances. Please remember to drink some water if
you have spent a long time in a hot shower or sauna so that your body
does not become too dehydrated.
4. Add Ginger to Your Diet
Ginger can also be used to detoxify your lungs as it contains several
chemical compounds which help eliminate air pollutants from the air
passages before they have the chance to irritate your lungs. It also
improves blood circulation. To make use of ginger to clean your lungs,
you can:
1. Drink 2 to 3 cups of ginger tea each day. To make this tea, simply
boil 1 teaspoon of sliced ginger in 1 cup of water. Allow it to simmer
for about 5-10 minutes. Strain it and add some lemon juice or honey to
improve the taste.
2. Include raw ginger in your cooking.
3. Ask your doctor for a ginger supplement.
N.B. If you are taking heart or high blood pressure medication you
should avoid taking ginger in excess.
5. Consume Licorice
Licorice is an effective herb which can help cleanse your lungs. It has
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can reduce
inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Furthermore, it has antibacterial
and antiviral properties which help prevent and treat mild lung
infections, as well as reduce irritation from a cough, sore throat or
allergies. To cleanse your lungs using licorice, you can:
1. Drink 2 to 3 cups of licorice root tea over the course of a few days.
To make this tea, simply add 1 teaspoon of licorice powder to a cup of
hot water (not boiling), cover and leave for 10 minutes before drinking.
2. Add half a teaspoon of licorice powder with a tiny bit of honey and
consume it twice a day for a few days.
N.B. Licorice may not be suitable for pregnant women, infants and people
who have kidney diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure or low
potassium levels.
6. Steam Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus is commonly found in cough sweets and syrups. It's effective
due to its expectorant compound called cineole, which can help fight
coughs, congestion and soothe irritated sinus passages.
To use eucalyptus oil to cleanse your lungs simply add a few drops of it
to hot water and inhale the steam for up to 15 minutes.
N.B. Eucalyptus oil can decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some
medication. Therefore, taking eucalyptus oil with medications can
increase their side effects and effects. Please talk to your healthcare
provider to determine whether any medications you take may be affected.
7. Consume Antioxidant-rich Foods
Eating a healthy diet can drastically improve the strength of your
lungs, and foods which are high in antioxidants are especially
beneficial. Antioxidants have been shown to increase lung capacity and
improve the quality of a person’s breathing.
Foods that are high in antioxidants include blueberries, broccoli,
spinach, grapes, sweet potatoes, fish and green tea.
8. Consume Lobelia
Lobelia is yet another herb that can cleanse your lungs. The alkaloid
present in it, known as lobeline, helps to promote the expulsion of
phlegm by thinning mucus. It even helps to stimulate the release of
epinephrine, which relaxes the airways and makes it easier to breathe.
To detox your lungs using lobelia, you can:
1. Place 5 to 10 lobelia leaves in a pot of boiling water. Cover and
steep for around 5 minutes, then inhale the steam. Do this for about 10
minutes each morning and evening for a few days to cleanse your lungs.
2. You can also drink it as a herbal tea. However, this herb can be
toxic if taken in high doses, so take it under the supervision of an
herbal practitioner.
9. Drink Mullein Tea
The mullein plant is known to clear mucus and cleanse bronchial tubes.
The flowers and leaves of this plant are used to make an herbal extract
that can strengthen the lungs. To make a mullein tea, simply add one
teaspoon of the dried herb to a cup of boiled water.
10. Add More Oregano to Your Diet
Oregano contains carvacrol and rosmarinic acid. Both of these compounds
are natural decongestants and histamine reducers which have been shown
to benefit the respiratory tract and nasal passage. The oils in oregano
(thymol and carvacol) inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria such as
staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas aeruginosa.