HEALTHY LUNG

Every day we breathe about 22,000 times. Most of us never stop to think about our breathing, it’s just something we do. We know that more than 50% of all Australians rarely or never think about the health of their lungs and Lung Foundation Australia encourages Australians to take the health of their lungs as seriously.

A healthy set of lungs is fundamental to a healthy life; yet the simplest daily action – breathing – is often taken for granted or overlooked. Just One Breath is both a celebration of positive health and well being and an invitation for everyone to think about the importance of healthy lungs, and the power of breath for a life of vitality.

Symptoms of lung disease tend to creep up slowly and people automatically adjust their daily activities to accommodate or reduce their symptoms rather than getting help. Lung Foundation Australia encourages people to take our simple two minute online Lung Health Checklist.

In this section:

• Lung Health Checklist
• Lung Function Tests
• Smoking Cessation
• Asbestos Awareness
• Woodsmoke – Health impacts and air quality
• Salt therapy
• Lung Function Tests Lung function tests provide an easy way of measuring the function of the lungs without the need to physically examine the lungs themselves. Lung function or breathing tests are important investigations which: • Help diagnose suspected lung disease • Help in planning treatments and deciding whether treatments should be continued, changed, or are no longer needed How does it feel to perform lung function tests? Most lung function tests are straightforward and are non-invasive, however they do require maximum effort to provide accurate results. This may occasionally be tiring and make you feel a bit puffed, but is usually not uncomfortable and only lasts a short time. Types of lung function tests Spirometry Common lung conditions, such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cause problems by narrowing the airways (bronchial tubes) resulting in shortness of breath. It is difficult to breathe through narrowed airways - the greater the narrowing, the more difficult breathing becomes. Spirometry is of great value for measuring exactly how much narrowing is present. It also gives an idea of the size of your lungs. Spirometry involves taking a full breath in and blowing out that breath as hard and as fast as possible until your lungs are completely empty. Depending on the lung disease present, it can take anywhere from 6 to 15 seconds to completely empty the lungs. Measurements such as the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) are made, which indicate the presence, site and severity of airway narrowing (FEV1) and the quantity of air within the lungs (FVC). Patients with lung disease should know their FEV1. Every time you perform spirometry, ask your doctor about it. The test is usually performed seated, and takes 10 to 20 minutes. It is sometimes carried out before and after inhaling a reliever drug such as VentolinTM or BricanylTM to measure the effect of these drugs. In this case, your doctor may ask you not to take your usual reliever medication on the day of your test. Gas Diffusion Test The basic function of the lungs is to transport oxygen into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide out. For this to happen, these gases must cross the very thin membrane which separates the blood flowing through the lungs from air breathed into the lungs. A gas diffusion test measures how easily gases pass through this membrane. This valuable information is used to assess the severity of lung conditions such as emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis where the function of the membrane may be impaired. The test is quick and easy to do. It involves taking a deep breath of a special gas mixture, holding your breath for about 10 seconds, and gently breathing out again into the testing device. The test is performed twice with a rest in between measurements.

Bronchial Provocation Test Asthma is a condition in which the airways are very sensitive and become narrowed when exposed to certain irritating substances. The bronchial provocation test is used to diagnose asthma and measure its severity. The test quantitates the amount of an irritant substance (such as methacholine or mannitol) required to provoke airway narrowing after it is inhaled. Starting with a very weak dose, increasing strengths of spray or powder are inhaled during the test until the airway narrows or the protocol is complete. Spirometry measurements are made a minute or two after each dose. Once airway narrowing occurs, reliever medication is administered to re-open the airways. It usually takes about 30 minutes to perform this test. If you are taking breathing medication, your doctor may ask you to stop using it on the day of the test so that the results are accurate. 6 Minute Walk Test In most cases, enough information can be obtained from lung function tests done while sitting at rest. It is occasionally important to measure lung and heart function under the stress of exercise because some problems only show up during exercise. A common type of exercise test is the 6 minute walk test, a very simple procedure where measurements are made of how far you can walk in 6 minutes. During the test, your oxygen saturations and heart rate are monitored using an oximeter on the end of your finger. The goal of the test is to walk as far as possible during the 6 minutes. How far you walk, measured in metres, is used to help determine your level of exercise capacity. When you have an exercise test, be sure to bring comfortable clothing suitable for exercising, such as a tracksuit and comfortable shoes. Arterial Blood Gases The main function of the lungs is to transport oxygen into the bloodstream and remove waste carbon dioxide from the blood. When the lungs fail to perform as well as they should, the amount of oxygen in the blood may be lower than normal and the carbon dioxide in the blood may rise above normal values. To measure these gases in the blood, a sample is taken from an artery, usually at the wrist. It is important to tell the doctor, scientist or nurse performing the test if you are on any blood-thinning treatment prior to the test. Home Oxygen Therapy Assessments Some lung problems may cause blood oxygen levels to fall low enough to require the use of oxygen therapy at home. Assessments for home oxygen usually involve one or two measurements of arterial blood gases. In some cases you may be asked to perform two sequential 6 minute walk tests, one breathing room air and one breathing oxygen to determine whether oxygen therapy at home would be beneficial.

Exercise to breathe harder

Besides avoiding cigarettes, getting regular exercise is probably the most important thing you can do for the health of your lungs. Just as exercise keeps your body in shape, it keeps your lungs in shape too.

When you exercise, your heart beats faster and your lungs work harder. Your body needs more oxygen to fuel your muscles. Your lungs step up their activity to deliver that oxygen while expelling additional carbon dioxide.

According to a recent article, during exercise, your breathing increases from about 15 times a minute to about 40 to 60 times a minute. That’s why it’s important to regularly do aerobic exercise that gets you breathing hard.

This type of exercise provides the best workout for your lungs. The muscles between your ribs expand and contract, and the air sacs inside your lungs work quickly to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. The more you exercise, the more efficient your lungs become.

Creating strong, healthy lungs through exercise helps you to better resist aging and disease. Even if you do develop lung disease down the road, exercise helps to slow the progression and keeps you active longer.

Avoid exposure to pollutants

Exposure to pollutants in the air can damage your lungs and accelerate aging. When they’re young and strong, your lungs can easily resist these toxins. As you get older, though, they lose some of that resistance and become more vulnerable to infections and disease.

Give your lungs a break. Reduce your exposure as much as you can:

• Avoid secondhand smoke, and try not to go outside during peak air pollution times.
• Avoid exercising near heavy traffic, as you can inhale the exhaust.
• If you’re exposed to pollutants at work, be sure to take all possible safety precautions. Certain jobs in construction, mining, and waste management can increase risk of exposure to airborne pollutants.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that indoor pollution is typically worse than outdoor. That, plus the fact that many spend most of their time indoors these days, increases exposure to indoor pollutants.

Here are some tips for decreasing indoor pollutants:

• Make your home a smoke-free zone.
• Dust the furniture and vacuum at least once a week.
• Open a window frequently to increase indoor air ventilation.
• Avoid synthetic air fresheners and candles that can expose you to additional chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene. Instead, use an aromatherapy diffuser and essential oils to more naturally scent the air.
• Keep your home as clean as you can. Mold, dust, and pet dander can all get into your lungs and cause irritation.
• Use natural cleaning products when possible, and open a window when using products that create fumes.
• Make sure you have adequate fans, exhaust hoods, and other ventilation methods throughout your home.

Don’t smoke or stop smoking

You probably already know that smoking increases your risk of lung cancer. But that’s not the only disease it can cause. In fact, smoking is linked to most lung diseases, including COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and asthma. It also makes those diseases more severe. Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers, for example.

Every time you smoke a cigarette, you inhale thousands of chemicals into your lungs, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar. These toxins damage your lungs. They increase mucus, make it more difficult for your lungs to clean themselves, and irritate and inflame tissues. Gradually, your airways narrow, making it more difficult to breathe.

Smoking also causes lungs to age more rapidly. Eventually, the chemicals can change lung cells from normal to cancerous.

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), more than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the U.S. during its history. In addition, smoking causes about 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths in men and women. More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.

@lungfoundationaustralia

@SOMKAUSHAL EDU.