Boosting our immunity and protecting ourselves from diseases – particularly lung diseases – is a top priority for most of us these days. Aside from the pandemic, there are various other reasons we are becoming increasingly conscious about our health and well-being. For starters, we are becoming increasingly aware that actual well-being comes not from seeking help after we get sick but from preventing illnesses. Additionally, increasing levels of pollution around the globe mean that health issues are on the rise. On the top of this list are respiratory diseases, which can cause immense discomfort for children and adults alike.
Although it may seem impossible to preempt and prevent these diseases, there are multiple ways you can keep them at bay. If you’re interested in learning how to boost your immunity and avoid all sorts of lung diseases, keep reading below.
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Be Mindful of your Environment
An effective approach to maintaining a healthy immune system and keeping lung diseases at bay is simply by educating yourself and being mindful of your environment. Sometimes, the environment around us can be incredibly toxic for our health. You might be allergic to something, or you may be around unhealthy, harmful substances which can cause various health-related issues. Being mindful of your environment and all the pollutants can help you avoid many dangerous lung diseases.
For instance, people often develop mesothelioma due to environmental causes. Mesothelioma is an incredibly rare yet deadly form of cancer that can only be caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a substance that is often used in construction materials and is present in various household items. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is a dangerous form of cancer, and for many, seeking palliative treatment is the only option. Palliative treatments can help minimize symptoms and provide comfort. In some cases, palliative treatment can also be curative.
Stop Smoking
In today’s time, smoking is one of the leading reasons behind developing lung diseases. Whether you smoke recreationally, to take the edge off sometimes, or as a habit, you need to realize that it’s easily one of the worst things for lung health. Compared to other hard drugs, smoking may not seem that big of a deal. However, cigarette smoke is chock full of highly harmful, toxic chemicals. Not only do these chemicals cause an addiction, but they can also cause a host of respiratory issues.
One of the biggest causes of lung cancer is cigarette smoking. Chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, arsenic, ammonia, and formaldehyde, to name a few, make smoking incredibly dangerous. These chemicals can impact everything, ranging from clogging up your airways to damaging the alveoli in your lungs and causing the pleural lining to fill up with water. Furthermore, if you have asthma or other lung diseases, smoking can further worsen it.
Eat Clean
Consuming greasy, sugary, highly processed foods is bad for overall health. It can make one feel tired and put extra strain on your lungs. However, you don’t have to redo your diet entirely to maintain lung health. Adding a few healthy, antioxidant-rich items can do the trick. Foods such as beetroots, apples, pumpkins, turmeric, and tomatoes in your diet can help boost immunity.
While you’re at it, removing processed foods from your diet can also help you boost overall health. In general, it’s best to avoid anything that comes from a box or a tin unless you’re sure that it’s minimally processed. Organic foods are free from harmful chemicals which can cause a host of health-related issues. When making healthy dietary changes, you have a better chance of keeping lung diseases at bay.
Maintain a Clean Environment
With pollution on the rise, it can be challenging to maintain your lung health. Air pollutants, in particular, pose a grave threat to our health. With more vehicles on the road and factories pumping out toxic chemicals every minute, our environment grows more toxic as we speak. According to stats, 4.2 million deaths occur each year due to air pollution, many of which are due to lung diseases.
Although you can’t directly minimize the pollution in the environment, wearing a mask whenever you go outside can help reduce the risk of lung diseases. Additionally, you can encourage your community to use vehicles less often to clean up the environment. If you feel that the atmosphere in your house is unclean, using an air purifier can be instrumental in reducing the strain on your lungs. With time, such measures can help you keep toxic chemicals from entering your body and causing a range of issues.
Keep infections Away
Even though seasonal colds are common, they never stop being debilitating. They can cause breathing issues, sore throats, headaches, nausea, fever, fatigue, and heaviness. There’s also a range of other respiratory infections which can severely impact your quality of life. What’s more, these diseases can also affect your lungs’ functioning and reduce their capacity.
Although it may seem impossible, keeping infections at bay is easier than it may seem. During this pandemic, we’ve all learned just how effective minor lifestyle changes can be in reducing the spread of infectious diseases. Small measures, such as wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, and ensuring proper hygiene can help us keep ourselves and our families safe from lung diseases. Moreover, staying up-to-date on your vaccinations can help you prevent various diseases.
Exercise
Working out is undoubtedly one of the best ways to boost your lung capacity. Exercise doesn’t just work the muscles in your body but also pushes your lung and heart to perform at their absolute best. As you exercise, you compel your lungs to work at total capacity, and with time you can boost endurance and increase strength.
Additionally, heavy breathing during exercise can prompt your lungs to release harmful chemicals and toxins and breathe in cleaner air. Finally, working out can also boost your immunity, which can help you keep a host of diseases away, with lung-related issues being at the top of the list.
Conclusion
In today’s highly polluted environment, preventing lung diseases seems close to impossible. However, if you follow healthy practices, you can easily keep lung issues at bay and maintain your well-being. So, examine your immediate environment and look for pollutants and toxic materials. Similarly, incorporate some dietary changes, try various exercises, limit smoking, and you’ll be well on your way to limiting lung issues.