Healthy Lungs

This information is not intended to replace appropriate professional advice.  Please check labels and consult your pharmacist if you take prescription drugs.

There has never been a better time to protect your lungs than now! Prevention is wisdom. The anti-inflammatory diet we suggest is designed to be easy to digest and produce no excess mucous. 

A Healing Diet

• 7-10 glasses filtered or spring water.  Chlorine destroys beneficial bacteria.
• Eat a diet that is 75-80% alkaline forming.  This is one of the least talked about and most important factors of good health. A chart is available.
• Organic foods are the safest way to nourish yourself – a worthwhile investment!
• Make fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, and whole grains the mainstays of your diet.  Avoid wheat unless sprouted.
• Animal products are a source of inflammatory arachidonic acid.  Enjoy sparingly.
• Fermented kimchi and sauerkraut cleanse the system and balance pH.
• Have 1-3 tbsp ground flax, hemp or chia for fiber and essential fatty acids.
• Hot herbs and spices have a thinning effect on mucous in the lungs – try turmeric, chili peppers, cayenne, ginger, garlic, and cloves.
• Have 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar in room temperature water and honey (opt) with meals to improve digestion and correct pH. 
• Have complete protein no later than lunch for better assimilation of amino acids.
• High temperature food prep generates acrylamides and advanced glycation end products.

Basic Supplements to avoid Common Deficiencies

• Bio-Strath is a unique whole food that provides all B vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and DNA.  It improves digestion, immunity, reduces stress, corrects pH.
• Vitamin C with bioflavonoids – during winter months or at the first sign of congestion.
• Vitamin D 8,000 IU for one month then reduce to the upper limit of 4,000 IU – one of your best defenses against bacterial and viral attacks.
• Magnesium – has a relaxing effect on the lungs, helps in assimilation of nutrients.
• Omega-3 fatty acids – play a role in modulating inflammation in the lungs.
• Probiotics – intermittent use to improve digestion and correct pH.

Specific Care for Lungs

• Vitamin A – 10,000 IU protects the delicate mucous membrane of the lungs.
• N’Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) thins mucous accumulation, strengthens lung tissue, supports glutathione production to improve immune response.
• Serrapeptase is a proteolytic enzyme when taken on an empty stomach scours the body and digests waste in lungs and elsewhere.
• Holy Basil tea is known as the Mother of All Herbs in India.  It reduces stress, regulates blood pressure and cholesterol, and is known to benefit all respiratory conditions.

Important Daily Practice

We can live weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without air, and yet breathing gets the least public attention.  Few people use their entire lung capacity resulting in poor oxygenation and inadequate elimination of CO2.  Fortunately it can be easily remedied!

Perform a cleansing breath a few times a day.  Inhale slowly through the nose filling the lungs down to the abdomen then exhale fully, but before inhaling again, open your mouth and puff out saying ha-ha-ha-ha until you cannot puff again.   You will probably be coughing, or laughing, but gases will be clearing, and your lung capacity will be just a little bit better each time.  You may experience dizziness at first so sit down for your first several breaths.

Additional Suggestions

• Fresh air and sunshine cannot be overstated as health (and happiness) factors.  The Earth is continuously emitting a negatively charged ionic field that counteracts our super charged modern world.  Breathe deeply.  Exhale thoroughly.
• For clean air in your home, diffuse lung friendly essential oils such as eucalyptus.
• In Traditional Chinese Medicine the lungs store grief.  The homeopathic remedy for grief is Iamara (Ignatia) which can alleviate heaviness over the lungs.
• Buy a radon detector.  After smoking, radon is the most common cause of lung cancer. Airthings Corentium Home is a portable unit that was developed and tested in Europe. Readings can be accessed through their App or on the meter itself.  You don’t need to contact anyone else and your readings (which can fluctuate dramatically depending on uranium decay beneath your dwelling) can be checked on an ongoing basis right in your own home!  It updates every hour so you can take it with you to monitor places you spend any significant amount of time.

Love your lungs.  Author Stephen Levine says we should take every step like our first and every breath like our last.  Life is such a gift, and you are meant to be healthy and happy!

*Revised February 2023