If you've made the lifestyle choice to quit smoking, that's the first step in getting cleaner lungs. If you smoked for many years, you may wonder if there is a way to reverse some of the damage and help clean them out. The immune system is invested in healing and will work hard to restore the lungs. There are many steps you can take to strengthen the immune system and things you can do to help detoxify the lungs. Cardiovascular exercise and breathing exercises are helpful. Choosing the right foods, herbs and lifestyle choices are also important.
Stress Reduction
A mind that is constantly stressed creates imbalances in the body and weakens the immune system. As a part of any detoxification program, try to hold positive thoughts about your life and how great it will feel to be clean. Try meditation, or simply make a point of including activities in your day that you enjoy and that relax your mind. In doing so, you help your body become stronger and more able to detoxify.
Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the best ways to get your lungs into shape. Follow an exercise program that is appropriate for you, or recommended by your doctor. Try taking a 30-minute walk every morning in the fresh air. This will help energize the body, strengthen the lungs and deliver fresh oxygen to lung cells. If you are unable to handle the intensity of a cardiovascular workout, you may enjoy the slow and relaxed pace of yoga practice. Yoga is specifically designed to assist the body in releasing toxins from the muscles and organs.
Foods
As eating nutritiously supports immune system health, pay attention to the foods you eat, and choose wisely. A few specific foods should be included in the diet to help clean your lungs. Chili peppers are one of these foods. A natural component of chili peppers called capsaicin helps to open capillaries and move toxins out of the body by sweating. Chili peppers help to break down mucous in the lungs and move it out of the body. Onions contain similar properties, so try to include those in your diet as well. Limit dairy products, which may contribute to mucus production, and processed foods. The importance of drinking plenty of water during your detoxification cannot be overstated. When the body is properly hydrated, your body is able to remove toxins more efficiently.
Breathing Exercises
The University of Missouri recommends the belly breath exercise to strengthen and cleanse the lungs. Begin by lying flat on your back, with your hands placed on your stomach, palms down at the bottom of your rib cage. Let your middle fingers touch one another. Taking a slow and deep breath, allow the diaphragm to expand and separate the fingers. After holding in the breath for a moment, exhale slowly and fully. Practice this exercise for five minutes, lying relaxed with your eyes closed. This is done to heighten awareness and to pull oxygen all the way down into the bottom of the lungs.
Helpful Herbs
The Tillotson Institute of Natural Health suggests a number of different herbs to clean and strengthen the lungs, based on the symptoms being experienced. When you have a dry or irritated feeling in your chest with coughing, they recommend taking wild cherry bark, apricot seeds, slippery elm bark and marshmallow root. When the chest is filled with excess mucous that needs clearing, garlic bulb, tangerine peel or osha root are recommended. To soothe inflammation or infection in the lungs, turmeric root, echinacea and boswelia gum may be used. For lungs that are weak, and when subject to shortness of breath or fatigue, herbs like astralagus root and ginseng root may be useful. Before beginning any herbal routine, however, be sure to check with your doctor first.
