Detoxing or cleansing your lungs is important even if you do not or have never smoked.
Whether you are a smoker, reformed smoker, or a non-smoker everyone benefits from regular detoxing and cleansing of the lungs. If you are a smoker your lungs contain a build-up of toxic tar and dangerous chemicals that are unable to clear on their own.
There are many other chemical influences that can have an effect on optimal lung function including workplace environmental toxins substances. They can contribute to occupational health diseases or occupational lung diseases, which are types of illnesses associated with exposure to irritants in the workplace.
Even though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides federal guidelines for job safety practices, rates of lung illness continue to increase. Read more about the jobs at risk and related lung disease Here!
By incorporating regular lung detoxification you will cleanse and help clear the lungs of tar and other toxic chemicals, which may help to reduce smokers cough as much as possible. It is important to realize however that should you continue to smoke there are other processes happening that are harmful to your lungs. For best results, here are the benefits of becoming a non-smoker will out way continuing with smoking.
1: Heart, Circulation and Brain: Detoxing your lungs through a structured regime of herbs, exercises and breathing techniques will help prevent lung disease and will also support a healthy heart as well as well oxygenated blood. It may sound unusual to have a regime for just detoxing your lungs but believe me putting these processes into place will boost your immune system as well as improving heart, circulatory and brain function.
2: Respiration and Oxygen: Your lungs are responsible for the process of respiration, and for being the source of circulating oxygen throughout your body. Pollutants such chemicals produced from cars, homes, various businesses, roads, farming, foods, cleaning products, and other forms of smoke: including dirt and dust. Can enter your body through your skin, hair, and nails into your bloodstream.
3: Lung Protection: When the lungs are clogged with toxic elements, this can affect the cells that line your airways and can become damaged. This making it more difficult for the bronchi in your lungs to absorb the oxygen you need. Further problems you may be faced with will be excessive mucous production as this is formed in order to make an attempt at protecting your lungs.
Taking other areas of your life into consideration for supporting healthy lungs you will want to include learning to manage stress and anxiety effectively as well making positive changes to your daily eating regime When you commence detoxing your lungs you may find initially you will cough up mucous this is in support to cleaning your lungs effectively.
How often should you do a Lung Cleanse?
If you are a smoker, then cleansing of your lungs should be included I believe on a daily basis. If you are a non-smoker, then every 2 – 3 weeks to assist your lungs with efficient detoxification and cleansing.
Benefits of Herbs for the Respiratory System!
The Actions of Specific Herbs for the Health of Your Lungs support in the following ways:
- Expectorant – Helps break up and expel chest congestion.
- Soothing – Helps to soothe inflamed nasal passages and airways.
- Calming – Calms the release of histamines.
- Antioxidant – May be a source of antioxidants and reduces oxidative stress.
Herbs to support healthy lungs & detoxification – Some of these you can use in your everyday cooking or as a tea
Cayenne – Only in minute quantities helps to stimulate circulation
Chlorella – Remove toxins by cleansing the system from heavy metals.
Turmeric – Curcumin is a chemical found in turmeric that has powerful antioxidant properties. Curcumin can protect the body from free radicals and destroy mutated cancer cells, therefore preventing them from spreading throughout the body and causing damage.
Licorice Root – Helps to harmonize all ingredients in the formula.
Thyme – is very powerful in the fight against chest congestion. It produces powerful antiseptic essential oils which are classified as naturally antibiotic and anti-fungal
Fresh Garlic Cloves – dissolve mucous and kills any lung infection.
Ginger root- helps loosen and expel phlegm from the lungs
Additional Support for Detoxing and Cleansing your Lungs!
Exercise is key in strengthening and cleansing the muscles of the lungs. Exercise that requires deep breaths with workouts such as running, swimming, walking along the beach, up and down hills. Yoga is a great support to improve the overall health and capacity of your lungs. Allowing for easier access for any herbs or other nutrients you are incorporating for improvement of your lung health.
Breath work: Slow, Deep Breathing is extremely beneficial when it comes to improving the capacity of your lungs. Assists even further with your other detoxification methods that you are using. It moves air that has been trapped within your lungs, replacing this with fresh oxygenated air. So, refreshing you will feel the difference immediately.
It is important to sit somewhere where you have fresh, air that is well oxygenated. Sitting outside within your garden, in the park at the beach. Then take in a deep, slow breath in moving it toward your stomach, hold it for as long as you can, and exhale very slowly from your stomach, through your lungs to your nose and mouth. Do this for 5 – 10 minutes, shortly after even as few as 5 breaths you will feel the difference.
Foods to Avoid when Lung cleansing – It is also advisable to avoid certain mucous producing foods throughout the lung cleanse. These generally include those containing gluten, dairy products, animal protein especially red meat, avoid any packaged, processed, or frozen foods or meals.
Foods to Include during your lung cleanse – It is important to include fresh foods, vegetables and fruits each day. An alkalizing diet, that foods that have an alkalizing affect for your body will assist this process enormously. Citrus fruits such as lemons, grapefruit, and oranges: Berries – especially blueberries, kiwi fruit. And don’t forget to hydrate!