How to avoid lung cancer for smokers?

How to Protect Your Lungs: 8 Key Ways

While you cannot completely reverse the years of harm from smoking cigarettes, the best thing you can do to “detoxify” is to protect your lungs from further damage ... Here are some proven ways to keep your lungs as clean as possible:

1. Avoid secondhand smoke

While quitting smoking is the most important thing you can to do for your lungs, it is also very important not to inhale smoke from other people's smoking, "Edelman advises.

The combination of smoke coming from the end of a cigarette plus smoke coming out of a smoker's mouth contains hundreds of toxic chemicals - breathing them in can cause a variety of diseases, from lung cancer to stroke.

2. Don't rely on steam therapy

Although one very small study Japanese scientists, published in the Journal of Pulmonary & Respiratory Medicine, showed that inhaling warm steam can make people with COPD feel less anxious, it found no effect on how well the lungs work - and this was too little study. to even be confident in the conclusions about reducing anxiety.

“Par may be useful for improving clearance of the upper airways, including the nose and throat, during a respiratory infection, but it does not improve lung function, ”Englert explains.

3. Don't try to replace vaping cigarette smoking

While doctors are still studying the long-term risks of e-cigarettes, studies have begun to identify some short-term risks. A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that vaping reduces the lungs' ability to clear mucus from themselves, which can lead to infections.

“The only thing you should breathe into the lungs are clean air and prescribed drugs, says Edelman. “Nothing else is safe.”

4. Prevent infection

Protect your lungs from additional damage by getting yourself flu vaccines and pneumonia, wash your hands more often and avoid contact with those who have a cough or a runny nose.

Also, get in the habit of regularly vacuuming your home using a HEPA fine filter (google what is so special about them ) and choose cleaning products that are free of VOCs, fragrances and other irritants.

If you have a chronic respiratory condition, start monitoring your air quality at home and try to spend less time outdoors in polluted areas .

5. Eat (and drink) antioxidant-rich foods

Eating a lot of blueberries or cabbage salads will not reverse the long-term harm of smoking and will not help clear your lungs quickly. But numerous studies show that the inclusion of fruits and vegetables in the diet, especially lhearty greens, berries, and other antioxidant-rich foods can help protect the lungs from some damage from smoking and air pollution.

For example, a large Korean study found that drinking green tea, which is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action may lower your chances of COPD, but the results are inconclusive. While drinking tea certainly won't hurt, Englert notes that there is no strong evidence that it will work.

6. Strengthen your lungs with exercise.

According to Edelman, there is some evidence that cardiovascular exercise (anything that makes your heart beat faster) can help your lungs work better.

Exercise makes your muscles work harder, which increases your breathing rate and this in turn leads to a greater flow of oxygen to the muscles. They also improve blood circulation and the body's ability to remove excess carbon dioxide that the body produces during exercise.

Over time, the body will begin to adapt to the demands of regular exercise. Muscles will learn to use oxygen more efficiently and produce less carbon dioxide.

Since exercising can be difficult for people with chronic lung disease, it is recommended that those with COPD, cystic fibrosis, or asthma always consult with a doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.

We also advise you to pay attention to the so-called breathing exercises, which everyone can do. The main rule is to do this kind of gymnastics in a clean, ventilated room or on the street (not near the road). There are many breathing techniques, all of which are easy to find on YouTube.

7. Try a controlled cough

Coughing is the body's way of naturally removing toxins which he has trapped in the produced mucus. A controlled cough releases excess mucus in the lungs, directing it up the airways.

Doctors recommend that people with COPD do the following exercise to help clear their lungs after smoking:

Sit in a chair and relax your shoulders, put both legs on the floor;

fold your hands on your stomach;

inhale slowly through your nose;

exhale slowly, leaning forward and resting your hands on your stomach ;

cough two or three times as you exhale, keeping your mouth slightly open;

inhale slowly through your nose;

rest and repeat as needed.

8. Eat anti-inflammatory foods

Airway inflammation can make breathing difficult and make your chest feel heavy. Eating anti-inflammatory foods can relieve these symptoms.

Foods that help fight inflammation include:

turmeric;

green vegetables and fruits;

cherries;

blueberries;

olives;

walnuts;

lentils.

I personally wouldI grew up smoking (I used to smoke 2-2.5 packs a day for 8 years) with the help of a very good tool. Its advantages:

• Removes cravings for cigarettes

• Eliminates psychological addiction

• Suppresses the desire to smoke while intoxicated

• Prevents weight gain

• Cleans the body of tobacco toxins

If interested, here is a link to a useful article.

The only and main option is to quit smoking, or reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day, as well as reduce the risk of exposure to other aggressive factors. Reducing or avoiding alcohol use.