Lung Health Tips

There are several tips below that if followed will maximize you're lung health and decrease your chances of getting any lung related sickness. 

Don’t smoke
Smoking is one of the most damaging things you can do to your lungs. If you have asthma, you can damage your lungs even more by smoking.  It seems obvious, but it’s worth restating: smoking kills, and it usually starts by killing your lungs. So, if you’re a nonsmoker, keep up the good work. If you do smoke, this is the one area of your life where a quitter actually wins. Cold turkey quitting works for some but it’s not always the most effective way to quit, says Gaylene Mooney, RRT-NPS, a respiratory therapist who heads up the AARC’s Subcommittee on Smoking and Tobbaco-related Issues. “Talk to your doctor about the best smoking-cessation program for you,” Mooney recommends. “A doctor can help by referring you to a smoking-cessation program, recommend prescription drugs that can help you kick the habit or refer you to respiratory therapists or other trained smoking-cessation counselors.” 

Avoid secondhand smoke
You can damage your lungs and worsen your condition if you are constantly around friends and/or family who smoke in your presence. Breathing secondhand smoke can often be just as harmful as smoking.  Second hand smoke can affect those with allergies, asthma and COPD. Secondhand smoke can also cause those who do not have lung disease to develop symptoms and in some cases the same diseases as smokers such as lung cancer and emphysema. Try visiting restaurants that ban smoking and work to keep your home smoke free. 

Air pollution
Air pollution can worsen breathing problems in a person who already has lung disease. On days when ozone alerts are issued, limit the time you spend outside. Smoggy, polluted air isn’t really good for anyone, but those with compromised lung function particularly need to avoid alert-worthy conditions and high allergy days by opting for good indoor air. “Many people don’t realize this,” says Tom Kallstrom, RRT, AE-C, a registered respiratory therapist and a certified asthma educator, “But about 70 percent of those with asthma suffer from allergy-induced asthma symptoms. Avoid the outdoors during peak traffic hours and exercising or working outside on orange, red, or purple pollution days.”

Occupational exposure
Occupational exposures to dust and chemicals increase the risk of developing lung disease. If you breathe better when you’re not at work, then your work environment may be impacting your lung condition. Talk with your health care provider about testing and/or treatment.

Low birthweight
Lung growth is affected by processes that occur at birth (low birthweight babies), environmental exposures, and exposures during the gestation. Pregnant women need to quit smoking before they give birth and maintain smoking cessation. Anything that can affect the development of the lungs as a child has the potential to increase the risk of developing lung disease as an adult.

Frequent, severe respiratory infections
If you had repeated lung infections as a child, you could be at greater risk for developing a serious lung disease later in life. Not much can be done in adulthood to change any damage, but take care to avoid the things discussed above that could further damage your lungs.

Infections
Preventing the spread of infections is crucial to people who have lung disease. Both viral and bacterial infections can cause severe airway inflammation. Getting your yearly flu shot is extremely important. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site (www.cdc.gov) is a good source of the latest in flu vaccine information. Also, make sure you get your pneumococcal vaccine. Again, check the CDC web site for patient information. While vaccines may not prevent you from getting sick, they can help you lessen any further complications.

Hand Washing
Hand washing is important to preventing the spread of disease and germs. Singing the ABCs while washing can help you know when you have done it long enough.

Clean home care equipment
Be sure to keep your respiratory equipment clean. If you have germs and gunk left in your equipment after using it, you will be breathing that stuff in during your next treatment.

Careful during flu season
During the cold and flu season, avoid large crowds, eat well and get enough rest. Maintaining a healthy immune system can help you fight lung infections.  Influenza outbreaks can wreak havoc on the healthy, and, “if you are a respiratory patient, young or old, not getting a flu immunization shot can be bad for your lung health,” says Melaine Giordano, MS, RN, CPFT a geriatric consultant in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She says that adults, children and infants who have lung disease are at a higher risk of being hospitalized from flu side effects. She reiterates the Centers for Disease Control Guidelines by encouraging parents to make sure that all children 6-23 months of age, all children with medical problems, such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease or children taking immunosuppressive drugs, steroids or aspirin therapy are vaccinated. Adults over 65 and people living in nursing or long-term care facilities as well as any adult who has chronic heart or lung conditions should be protected with an immunization.  We provide this information in spite of the fact that there’s been a lot of publicity about the shortage of flu vaccine this year. “People with chronic lung conditions are definitely an at-risk group and they should talk with their physician about getting the vaccine,” Giordano adds.   “The pneumonia vaccine is also important for people 65 and older, those who have problems with their lungs, heart, liver, or kidneys, and anyone with health problems such as diabetes, sickle cell disease, alcoholism or HIV/AIDS,” Giordano adds. She recommends talking with your primary care physician if you have any questions.  

Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants like Vitamins A, C and E, and health professionals agree that it’s best to get them from your food rather than from supplements. Staying away from processed foods in general is good for your lungs and your overall health. “When you go to the grocery store, shop the perimeter,” Helen Sorenson, RRT, a registered respiratory therapist from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio says. The outer perimeter of the grocery store tends to be where you find the produce, meat and dairy sections and other good things to eat that don't come in a box.  Sorenson adds that water is good for your lung health, too. “The lung tissue is moist and when we exhale, we lose moisture so we have to drink water to replenish it.” 

Work Out!!!
“Endurance exercise, walking, bicycling, gardening, and other sustained activity is very beneficial, in fact it is one of the best things you can do to keep your lungs healthy,” Sorenson adds, “other than not smoking.” 

*  Some of this information has been taken from the The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) website, which is a not-for-profit, professional organization, consisting of 35,000 respiratory therapists, physicians, and other health care professionals. AARC is dedicated to assisting persons with respiratory diseases receive safe and effective respiratory care.