Detox Your Lungs to Restore and Repair: The Ultimate Lung Cleanse

Whether you are reading this because you have given up smoking or just want to improve the function of your lungs.

Whether you are a Smoker, Reformed Smoker or Non-smoker –

It is vitally important that you now detox all those chemicals and toxins out of your lungs to now prevent any further complications down the tract.

Following the information in this article will help you to restore and repair your lung function.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that approximately 6 million people are killed by tobacco each year, with 600,000 deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke.

There are more than 7,000 highly dangerous and toxic chemicals, including 60 carcinogens that are known to cause cancer in tobacco smoke, says the American Cancer Society.

The tobacco leaves used in cigarette production contain radioactive materials that can build up over time and predispose a smoker to higher chances of cancer.

Detoxing or cleansing of Your Lungs is important even if you don’t or never have smoked.

What does it mean?

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.

Why it’s Important to Detox your Lungs even if you don’t or haven’t Smoked!

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. 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 healthy lungs 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 are herbs beneficial 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.

Just some of the Herbs that will assist with Lung Support and Detoxification

Some of these you can use in your everyday cooking or as a tea

Otherwise they can be made up into a herbal formula by a Qualified Naturopath or Herbalist. These will be what is known as medicinal quality and will have a far more powerful effect.
•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
•Grindelia – Sooths the respiratory system.
•Elecampane can soothe bronchial tube linings and act as an expectorant for lung cleansing
•Mullein leaf– helps alleviate symptoms of asthma and other respiratory conditions.
•Pleurisy root – An excellent expectorant that helps to expel phlegm from bronchial and nasal passages. It also stimulates the lymphatic system.

What Else You can do 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.

Herbal teas such as licorice tea, lemon and ginger tea, peppermint tea

How will you benefit from Detoxing and Cleansing your Lungs ?

As mentioned whether you are a Smoker, reformed smoker or a non-smoker everyone benefits from regular detoxing and cleansing of the lungs. If you are smoker your lungs contain a build-up of toxic tar and dangerous chemicals that are unable to clear on their own, especially like that of a healthy lung of a non-smoker. By incorporating regular lung detoxification this will cleanse and help clear the lungs of tar and other toxic chemicals. Helping to prevent 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, the benefits of becoming a non-smoker will out way continuing with smoking.

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.

For additional support and knowledge regarding either your lung issues or any other health issues, please consult a naturopathic physician.

If you haven’t given up smoking yet and are looking to put steps into place to do this. Follow this Link – 7 Tips to Prepare Yourself for Giving Up Smoking

Empowering You to Optimal Health Julie Doherty N.D