Thursday Brief

I was really surprised with one news item, which appeared in today’s news paper and that is “  Mumbai conducts 25% of Covid 19 tests as compared to tests carried out in Delhi region.” And as peer officials of Brihan Mumbai  Municipal corporation  (BMC), they do the tests in target manner and there is reluctance, bordering on fear, the average Mumbaikar harbours against positive diagnosis. I do not understand this argument of BMC, it only means that they have failed in their duty to make ordinary Mumbaikar to understand the importance of this test. The govt of Maharashtra and BMC have failed in their duty , as there have been steady increase of cases in Mumbai region and other parts of Maharashtra, during last 2 weeks, and govt has no answer for that. Indirectly they have started blaming the citizens of the state, but the actual problem is that they have failed in implementing/controlling the various guidelines issued time to time by state and central health authorities.

Now coming back to my other topic of the day:

In the present pandemic situation, it has become really important to keep HEALTHY LUNGS. As one of the main morbidity factors resulting in the corona deaths happens to be respiratory issues. People with lung issues, breathing difficulties, and flu like illness are more susceptible to corona and may need treatment with oxygen and ventilator support. The post mortem of dead patients have shown the lung tissues are extensively damaged by corona virus. Like any other organs, lungs can be kept healthy with exercise and diet. Here are few suggestions for the same:

Exercise

Lung health is linked to a term called lung capacity. This is determined by the maximum amount of air that lungs can hold. The average healthy capacity among adults is said to be 6+ litres. The capacity usually decreases with age, and also with certain health conditions. Certain breathing exercises will help our lungs capacity to increase and keep improving over the time. One may practice simple deep breathing exercises, or try the formal yoga based Pranayama daily. There are a few different variations Pranayama that are  highly beneficial to overall body functions, especially the lungs. Another recommended form of exercise is belly breathing, which is done using the diaphragm muscles to take deep breaths. If you are healthy and can jog, trek or swim, even these exercises can help you streamlining your breathing.

Diet

Drinking ample quantity of water every day can help keep your lungs healthy, as it will keep body hydrated, detoxify the lungs, improve the blood flow, and avoid irritation and inflammation that is caused due to dry lungs. An apple  a day, indeed keep lung infections at bay, as apple have presence of Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene makes it rich in nutrients and oxidants that keep lung healthy. Nuts and seeds are also extremely good for your lungs, walnuts contain beneficial omega 3 fatty acids thar are anti inflammatory. Flex seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds contain magnesium and are known to protect the lungs from radiation and tissue image.

Another set of foods that helps in building lung capacity are ginger, garlic and onion. They help to reduce cholesterol and fight lung infections. Ginger is good detoxifier for the lungs and also has good anti inflammatory properties. Broccoli, which is dubbed as superfood, is another good diet choice for improving lung health. It contains sulphur rich compound called L- siforaphane, which is beneficial respiratory health. Capsicum (Bell peppers) and cayenne peppers, contain beneficial compound called capsaicin, it helps lungs to fight  infections by stimulating secretions. Turmeric is another anti inflammatory spice, curcumin present in it helps relieve lung infections and provide relief from chest congestion. Milk mixed with turmeric is veery good way to keep respiratory infections at bay.

Lifestyle changes

Apart from breathing exercises, which are very important for lung health, it is important to give up or stay away from smoking. It is one of the most harmful habits for lungs, it is also known to cause lung cancer. It keeps weakening our lungs and makes it susceptible for infections. Air quality ia also an important factor foe healthy lungs. It is also important to maintain the indoor air quality. ( I had earlier written on the topic of how to maintain air quality). Regular dusting especially or rugs, carpets, sofa, etc is also plays an important part in keeping lung healthy.

I hope this information about lung health will be useful.

Waiting for your views/comments/feed backs.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India