Lung Disease and How You Can Prevent it

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How to prevent lung disease

New figures show that lung disease is the nation's biggest killer.There are over thirty different types of lung disease which range from tuberculosis, asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to lung cancer and pneumonia.

The truth is much research is still needed to understand lung disease - and its causes - fully. But there are certain steps every woman can take to help reduce their chances of developing the illness.

Here are our six ways to help prevent lung disease.

Stay Active

Walking, swimming or just leading a more active life will help keep your lungs healthy. According to Dr John Harvey, respiratory consultant at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, our lungs are huge organs - which when spread out would occupy the size of a tennis court. Being active means we are stretching our lungs. When we are sedentary and inactive, the bottom section of our lungs are not being used.

Not using the whole of the lung leaves the lower lobes open to infection of the air sacks by allowing germs or bacteria to breed where it is warm and moist. This can lead to pneumonia. Strengthening the muscles around our rib cage and diaphragm helps ventilate the lungs by pulling open the chest cage and sucking in oxygen which helps keep our lung muscles toned and healthy.

Health experts recommend exercising at least three times a week for at least thirty minutes each session. This could be a brisk walk or swimming - exercising so that you are slightly breathless but can still talk.

Eat Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables
Evidence shows that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables over a long period of time can help prevent lung disease. Researchers from Caerphilly in Wales found that those people who ate fruit and vegetables which are packed with vitamins and minerals had better lung function than those who did not. This is because our body turns vitamins and minerals found in fruit and vegetables into antioxidants which help ward off inflammation of the airways. Such inflammation can lead to infection, and in turn, lung disease.

Breathe deeply

Keep your lungs strong and healthy by breathng deeply. Our lungs are divided into sections called lobes. The right lung has three lobes, the left lung has two. When we breathe too quickly - as most people who lead a busy lifestyle do - we only draw breath from the upper and middle lobes of the lung - rather than using them all.

When we breath in this way we also tend not to use the diaphragm - the sheet-like muscle that lies at the bottom of our chest cavity that helps to pump air in and out of the lungs - as much as we should.

This type of rapid breathing also reduces the supply of oxygen to the brain, causing increased heart rate, high blood pressure, tension and anxiety. Not using the whole of the lung also leaves the lower lobes open to infection by allowing germs or bacteria to breed where it is warm and moist.

Deep breathing involves inhaling deeply through your nostrils, drawing oxygen into all sections of your lungs - this includes the upper, middle and lower lobes. It also involves using your diaphragm to its full capacity. Try and train yourself to breathe deeply as often as you can, if not try to practise fifteen minutes of deep breathing two to three times a week.

Make Sure Your Workplace is Safe

Figures by the British Thoracic society show that the incidence of lung disease from the work place has increased four fold over the last ten years. This, claims Dr John Harvey, is due to the rise in toxins and sensitising agents - chemicals or proteins which inflame our airways and make our lungs susceptible to lung diseases such as tuberculosis and asthma. The trend is particularly noticeable in manufacturing, electronics, jewellery and farming industries where a variety of agents including asbestos, silica, glues, wood dust, certain detergents, maize and barley can trigger asthma in adulthood. If you notice you are wheezing or coughing more at work, keep a diary of when and where your attacks take place. If you find the source of your coughing, contact your environmental health manager and ask them for advice.

Be Aware of Symptoms Around Your Period

Some women with mild asthmatic tendencies can experience worse symptoms just before their period. This is because one third of our hormones such as progesterone can trigger inflammation of air passages in the bronchial tubes found in the lungs. Respiratory doctors recommend keeping a diary of symptoms around this time and working out a way of controlling them with your doctor if symptoms get worse.

Don't Smoke

Evidence shows there is a ten-fold increased risk of developing lung cancer if you smoke. You are also likely to die 10-15 years younger from lung disease. Cigarette smoke stimulates inflammation of our alveoli - around 30 million tiny air sacks that lead from our bronchiole tubes which connect air to the lungs. This can make it difficult to breathe leading to emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, putting immense strain on our heart.

Smoking also increases mucus in our lung leaving us more open to infection, as bacteria likes to live in mucus. Unlike breast cancer where screening can detect early signs of the disease, there is no evidence that chest x-rays can prevent lung disease. By the time lung cancer is detected, it is often too late. The life expectancy of victims is less than one year. However, lung function tests carried out by a respiratory consultant in a hospital, are successful in measuring the air flow, volume of the lung, strength of the lung muscles and ascertaining the lung's capacity to get oxygen to the blood. If you are worried about lung disease ask your doctor to refer you to a respiratory consultant who will carry out a test.

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