Complete Breath

The Complete Breath massages and cleanses all the nooks and crannies of both lungs. It isn’t often necessary during a typical day to function in “full lung mode.” Most of the time you can do well enough by deep breathing without activating the tight narrow upper chest.

However, when you dash up the stairs (for those of you who still dash) or chase after a two-year-old, you need additional oxygen so you ADD mid-chest and collarbone breathing TO the deep breathing (NOT INSTEAD OF). It is, however, essential that you exercise every square-inch of your lung tissue regularly to keep it clean and elastic.

1. Empty as much air as is comfortable while keeping a straight and balanced spine. As you inhale slowly through your nose, let the first bit of incoming air expand your lower ribcage.
2. Continuing with that same inhalation, ADD a bit more of breath #1 to the mid-lungs (behind the breastbone).
3. The final bit of air fills the tight narrow upper lungs. Raise your shoulders slightly to make space. This single incoming breath should flow seamlessly without strain or exaggeration. Do not overfill!
4. The outgoing air follows the same pattern – empty the bottom first, then the breastbone area and finally the small amount of remaining air from the narrow and restricted upper lungs. If you have been lazy-breathing for sometime, Complete Breath may make you cough once or twice as you clear all the lazy bits.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Not Born To Formaldehyde

The design of the human body is a work in progress. The species adapts and changes very slowly, taking thousands of years to show measurable change. Perhaps in 75,000 years man will have very thin fingers to meet the demands of tiny keyboards. He may have huge flat feet that double as flippers when all the icebergs have melted. His larger nose will help to filter out the increasing air pollution that he will surely face. But for now . . . .

We cannot begin to accommodate all of the indoor chemicals to which we are exposed (even though our respiratory systems have some extraordinary built-in protection). Until recently humans lived with all natural materials. They traveled only as far as the horse could carry them so they rarely had the respiratory shock of exotic materials. They spent long hours outside hunting, gathering, planting, ploughing.

Eventually, costly global health disasters will force governments, builders and manufacturers to select non-toxic and sustainable materials. The improvement probably won’t be complete in our lifetime. Even then, older homes and older office buildings will continue to put out toxic gases. In the meantime, be a force for change in the marketplace and get outside whenever possible to break your chronic exposure.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Flushing

I sometimes wish I had picked a more delicate subject to blog about – arranging flowers, or folding napkins or decorating cupcakes. While these are all worthwhile pursuits, I know absolutely nothing about any of them so I plan to stick with “mindful breathing” even when that means dealing with a relatively gross subject like toilet flushing.

If we could make each cold and virus bug visible to the human eye, you would faint the next time you walked into your john.

1. At least once a week, make a quick swipe of all knobs and handles with a disinfectant wipe.
2. We’ve already brought the subject of hand washing to a high art.
3. Know that when you flush the toilet you set loose a momentary mist that you want no part of. See? Aren’t you already longing for a napkin to fold? Just don’t lean directly over the toilet bowl when you flush! Turn your face away and stretch out your arm as long as possible.

Gentlemen, you move the seat up and down more than we do so please take extra care with the hand washing. I’m going away now to decorate a cupcake (after washing my hands).

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Good Cough. Bad Cough.

Once in awhile you inhale something that is just too much for your creeping mucus blanket to trap and dump. Mother Nature in her infinite wisdom designed a number of back-up defense systems to keep garbage out of your fragile lungs.

A 400-mph cough is one way to knock that junk out of the park. An EFFICIENT cough is amazing and can keep you from aspirating that tuna sandwich downstream into your lungs. A cough can forcibly eject saliva from dripping down the wrong tube and can expel the gnat you just inhaled.

An INEFFICIENT cough, however, is nearly useless and can actually work against you. An irritating chronic dry hacking cough that doesn’t seem to move anything out of the chest is the body’s cry for help and it needs to be brought to your doctor’s attention. A ten-day cold doesn’t count. A ten-month cough should never be ignored.

You may have an allergy. You may have asthma. The mucus blanket may be too dry because of one of your medications. The air quality inside your house may be causing problems.

The cough that was designed to protect you, begins to tear up the very system it was meant to defend. Over-the-counter stuff may simply mask the symptoms and delay the cure. The cure could actually be something quite simple. But residual damage is often irreversible so please see your doctor as soon as possible.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

More About Dust Mites

Dust mites are always a breathing hazard to you and especially to young children in your home. Mites are microscopic monster-movie critters that don’t bite but poop a lot. It’s their poop that gives you a lifetime allergy for which there is no cure.

1. Google “dust mites.” Know your enemy. Outsmart them because they outnumber you. A typical mattress may contain 100,000 mites. There are new anti-mite products available that cost a bit extra but then what is the price of an asthma attack?

2. Mites feed on dead skin cells. Your pets shed more skin cells than you do. Treat their bedding with the same care as you do your own.

3. Cover all mattresses and pillows with plastic or mite-proof covers. If you spend many nights in hotel rooms, take along your own pillow cover. Put a Post-it note on the inside of your door to remind you to remove it when you leave.

4. Keep your bedroom temperature below 70 degrees and the humidity below 50%.

5. Invest in a HEPA vacuum. It’s worth the money.

6. Wash your blankets, pet bedding and the children’s stuffed toys every two weeks in hot water. Warm water does not kill mites. Wash sheets every week.

7. Go synthetic. Replace all down and feathers with man-made stuffing. Replace all wool with nylon. Get rid of carpet and drapes in the bedrooms. Dust with a damp cloth.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: Sleeping with Monsters

Sweeper Wisdom

To protect and preserve your irreplaceable lungs and to avoid chronic breathing problems:

1. Wear a dust mask EVERY single time you vacuum (which should be often) or,
2. INVEST in a good quality vacuum cleaner with a special filter like a HEPA.

Since the more advanced machines cost a little more, I would suggest you do your homework before purchase to be sure you are getting your money’s worth. There are review magazines available in your public library. Dealers often pad the online reviews.

The old-fashioned sweepers without filters simply churn and blow carpet garbage directly into your face (please do not make me draw another dust mite)!

Huge amounts of irritating airborne stuff will eventually settle onto your carpets and floors. In addition carpets collect all that disgusting street mess that gets tracked in on shoes and boots.

If you have a vacuum with a disposable bag, ALWAYS wear a dust mask when you dump and replace the bag. It’s a good idea to have your carpets cleaned professionally as often as you can afford. The carpets (and your lungs) will last longer.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: Sleeping with Monsters

Sleeping with Monsters

Your sleeping body sheds copious amounts of dead skin cells because that’s what skin must do to keep you looking fresh and beautiful. To make matters worse, you are not able to be careful about your breathing when you sleep. Mouth open and all that.

Your skin cells are everywhere in your bedroom. So are the microscopic dust mites that feed on them and grow fat. Remember, Mother Nature doesn’t waste much. Mites survive because humans and their pets shed and, as thanks, they irritate your respiratory system because humans are super sensitive to proteins left behind in the mites’ feces.

Mites are microscopic, eight-legged, spiderlike, sightless super ugly critters that would be great in a horror film if they were as big as a cow. They eat. They poop. You cough. No symbiosis here.

They thrive by the millions in dusty, dark, humid, warm places. STARVE THEM OUT!

A perfect bedroom is bright, cool and dry without upholstered furniture and clutter (sorry, kids). If possible replace your carpet with flooring that can be wet-mopped. If you can’t bear to part with your lovely new bedroom rug, then steam clean it often. Shutters or blinds are better than drapes.

Vacuum and dust thoroughly at LEAST once a week. Wash your bedding OFTEN in HOT water. Keep pets and food out of the bedroom or at least bathe your pets frequently. Sweet dreams.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Death By House?!

Indoor air pollution is rated as one of the top five environmental risks to health and quality of life. Did we actually believe that once we were locked inside our homes that we would be safe from harm?

Smog alerts come and go. Fortunately for us and for our children, they are not a constant threat (yet). Your lungs get a few days relief in between the bad-air days.

I trust you have carbon monoxide alarms around the house, that you have had all appropriate appliances checked for possible gas leaks and that all containers marked “danger” are safely locked up.

But consider the potential pulmonary damage from the synthetic stuff inside the house because these irritants are CONSTANT and RELENTLESS and CUMULATIVE. Man-made glues, plastics, preservatives, paints, stains, and such let off volatile fumes that irritate delicate respiratory tissues especially in children.

EVERY DAY, even in winter (sorry), you need to bring fresh air into your house. Open windows at opposite ends of the house. Turn the oven vent on “high” at the same time to help draw the air in. Every few minutes of cross-ventilation helps.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Good Green. Bad Green

Green peas. Green apples. Green tea. Green eyes. Green green grass of home. Lovely.
Green snot? Not so much.

When the beautiful clear protective mucus that you normally spit, swallow or blow out appears green for longer than ten days, you may have upgraded your basic run-of-the-mill viral head or chest cold to a bacterial sinus or bronchial infection. Congratulations! REMEMBER THAT ANTIBIOTICS ARE USELESS WEAPONS IN A VIRAL WAR BUT THEY CAN ALMOST ALWAYS KNOCK THE CRAP OUT OF BACTERIA.

Get thee to thy doctor immediately for an evaluation, expert advice and pills that work against your particular bug. Of course, you are smart enough to continue taking your antibiotic until the bottle is COMPLETELY EMPTY. Even though you may feel better after the first few pills, you need to obliterate the few remaining bugs that can lurk in the damp and dark nooks and crannies of your head or chest. From the few come the many!

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Snot Is Your Friend

Know Your Enemies: Bacteria or Virus?

VIRUSES DO CAUSE COLDS AND FLU.
BACTERIA DO NOT CAUSE COLDS AND FLU.

When your antibiotic is properly matched to your particular type of BACTERIA, the medicine usually flattens your SYMPTOMS within 48 hours. If you haven’t improved within three days, you may have a mismatch or there may be something else going on. In that case, check with your doctor’s office just to be safe.

When the antibiotic kicks in and you begin to improve, do NOT stop taking your medicine until every last pill has been swallowed. After the first few days, the bacteria have been knocked down but not out and will stay busy adapting to your partial dose of antibiotic. Hit them with a full blast so you will bounce back but they won’t.

There isn’t much to do with a virus-induced cold except tough it out and use common sense: lots of rest, lots of fluids and lots of hand washing.

Never badger your doctor for a prescription unless you know you have a bacterial infection like pneumonia or bronchitis. Overuse of antibiotics has created nasty new medicine-resistant bugs that are increasingly difficult to kill and bugs that have no conscience about killing you. Gesundheit!

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Protect Yourself From Colds And Flu: Lesson Four

OK. The first three were easy. Four is more difficult. Unfortunately, it is also the most important. Fortunately, it is the last colds-and-flu lesson for now. Washing your hands often and correctly, touching shared stuff cautiously, using magic goo each time you exit a public place – all smart moves.

However, unless you scrub your hands (that includes cuticles and under your nails and under rings with a brush) every single time you touch a thing or a person, then you still won’t be as safe as you deserve to be. Remember, you may still pick up a cold or the flu from an airborne bug but we are aiming for AFAP – As Few As Possible!

LESSON FOUR (drum roll, please):

Unless you are at your very own clean sink (it is clean, right?) then DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING YOUR FACE FROM LATE OCTOBER UNTIL EARLY MARCH! No rubbing eyes, no itching ears, no gnawing nails, and the NOSE. Oy. The nose!

Your nose, in particular is off limits until spring. See? I said it was difficult. You will, as an added bonus, appear more confident, calm, and even more attractive when you give up the nervous fiddling-with-face syndrome. You can do it.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson One
Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson Two
Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson Three

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson Three

Swiping your hands under the cold-water faucet for five seconds barely wakes up the germs waiting to give you a cold or a stomach disorder. You’ve watched “surgeons” on television scrub up. Suds everywhere, scrub up to the elbows, fingernail brush working cuticles.

Since you probably don’t plan to take out a gall bladder today you probably don’t have to be quite that vigilant. Let’s settle for a little hot water, a little soap, and TIME. You will bring your hands into the “safe” zone in about the same time it takes to sing Happy Birthday to yourself (silently, please, thank you).

My personal favorite silent scrubbing chant is “Go away colds. Go away flu. Go away colds. Go away flu.” I find that one truly inspiring. It’s 20 or 30 seconds invested at the sink rather than ten days of a cough and runny nose. Your call.

Remember we are NOT playing Howard Hughes here but simply using our common sense to stay as healthy as possible.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson One

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson Two

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson Two

Keep at hand a little squirt bottle of killer goo during cold-and-flu season. Bad bugs adapt to human defenses at the speed of light but hand-sanitizers are at the moment ahead of the game. Never pass up a chance for soap and hot water but gel can protect you between visits to the sink.

The medical pundits don’t all agree on the effectiveness of sanitizers but let’s go with the weapons we have at hand (sorry about that) until something more effective comes along.

Killer goo is especially valuable when you move through shared spaces. EVERY TIME you exit a library, a store, a theater, a gym, a school, an office, the subway, an auditorium, a hospital (duh!) – squirt your fingers with a few drops of clear sanitizer.

Even when you have used the restroom and washed your hands, you have touched many things since you washed, including the exit door – just you and 10,000 other people. You think all 10,000 washed their hands?!

The “exit squirt” is a cheap and easy habit and takes only a couple of seconds while a cold devours a week to ten days.

Be well and breathe beautifully.

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson One

Protect Yourself From Colds & Flu: Lesson One

In spite of the fact that you are incredibly careful you may still catch a cold or flu. However, let’s stack the odds in your favor and aim for AFAP (As Few As Possible).

Invading bacteria and viruses love it when you TOUCH stuff. Protect yourself by learning a smarter way to touch disease-transfer points. Perhaps thousands (or at least hundreds) of fingers have touched those shared “hot spots” since they were last cleaned and even then “cleaned” probably means annoying the bugs rather than terminating them.

1. Push an ELEVATOR BUTTON with a knuckle instead of a fingertip.
2. Slide the outside edge of your hand along a STAIR RAILING rather than grasping the rail with your whole hand.
3. Use your palm rather than your fingers to engage a DOOR HANDLE or TOWEL DISPENSER.
4. MARKET BASKETS are like giant Petri dishes on wheels!! Hold the outer part, not the center, of the handle.
5. FLUSH with the outer wrist bone or a knuckle.
6. If you SHARE EQUIPMENT at work, in the gym, or at school carry along a bleach-wipe and (without fanfare) wipe down the common transfer spots at the beginning of your shift.

No need to play Howard Hughes here, a white-gloved prisoner in your own home! You develop some immunity through exposure. But for now let’s try for AFAP.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Snot Is Your Friend

OK. OK. I know that was a cheap shot but this is a really important subject and I really need to get your attention. Sorry about that.

Mucus often gets a bad rap. The only time we pay attention to mucus is when we have hay fever or a nasty leaky cold and at that point it seems like the attack of the glob. You just want it to go away.

If, in fact, your wish were to be granted by the cold-medicine fairy and snot did go away completely, I doubt that you would be around for your next birthday. You are pretty much lined with this glistening magical traveling stuff that keeps your delicate vulnerable inner tissues moist, clean, and warm.

The trick is to keep the mucus moist enough so it moves along easily but gelatinous enough to trap the bits of junk and microscopic critters that would otherwise dig dangerously deep into your vulnerable lungs and possibly kill you. Be judicious about cold and sinus medications that could dry out your bronchial passages. Stay hydrated. Wear a dust mask when you are exposed to airborne irritants that can overrun the mucus blanket. Treasure this super barrier.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Outwitting the Lint Monster!

Some ultra-fine irritants that sneak into your lungs can never be expelled or absorbed. You are stuck with this garbage, forever. Your lungs and heart are eventually forced to work harder than necessary because of the mounting respiratory burden. After repeated exposure, the body may become sensitized and eventually only a few particles of an irritant will set off an asthma attack or an allergic reaction.

Cleaning the lint trap in the clothes dryer and changing the vacuum cleaner bag create clouds of dust, lint, carpet fibers, cat hair, mite dander and house debris.

Keep an inexpensive paper dust mask hanging near your clothes dryer AND on your sweeper handle. Remember, these little masks are great protection from airborne particles but do not protect you from toxic gases. If you have trouble remembering to wear the mask, stick up a Post-it on your dryer door. Paper masks are cheap so why not throw one in the car and one in the garage as well?

An alternative plan is to hold the lint trap or vacuum bag at arm’s length. Keep the problem as far from your nose as possible. Take a deep breath before you begin the process and while you are dumping the dirt, let your air out in a long slow “hissssssssss.” If you need more air in the process, turn your head to the side to breathe in and then repeat the hissing exhalation.

Be well and breathe beautifully.

Gums and Lungs

Salt and pepper. Bacon and eggs. Bread and butter. Shoes and socks. Gums and lungs. Gums and lungs! Really?

The stuff that wrecks your mouth does more than cosmetic damage. It sneaks into your blood stream through damaged gums and weak teeth and from there it gets a free ride into every nook and cranny of your wonderfulness. All along the way it deposits crusty dams that narrow the flow of blood. Constricted arteries increase your risk of stroke and heart attack.

Lung tissue is made up of miniscule air sacs that grow in clusters like microscopic hollow grapes, tightly wrapped by blood vessels so small that your blood must squeeze through one molecule at a time. This partnership of air and blood is the very essence of your survival and must be protected from any possible obstruction along the blood-path.

During economic hard times it is sensible to cut expenditures for non-essential products and services. Regular visits to the dentist and disciplined daily home care should not be considered luxuries.

Be well. Breathe and smile beautifully.

Darth Vader and the Cash Cow

Smoking is an amazingly brilliant commercial venture that lures the consumer into giving vast sums of money to tobacco executives who collect paychecks larger than yours and mine combined. Your addiction to their paper-wrapped weeds will continue to keep these Darth Vaders in summer homes, silk suits, round-the-world travel and fat portfolios. How does it feel to be a cash cow?

Not one of these executives will be there to comfort your family when smoking erases your life. Not one of them will offer to do your grocery shopping when you are dragging around an oxygen tank.

Tobacco company executives are, at this very moment, searching for a foolish consumer to replace you when you go. That replacement consumer may well be your child or grandchild.

It will take every ounce of strength and determination you have to beat these guys but you must. You cannot let them win. In spite of their philosophy, you are neither replaceable nor disposable. You are unique and you are important.

Make no mistake, you are in deadly combat with Darth Vader but you must and you will win this battle. May the Force be with you.

Be well. Breathe beautifully (and for a very long time.)

Bumps, Bites and CA-MRSA

Sorry. We need to talk about yukky stuff again. Stick with me on this one.

Beware of a “spider bite” when you haven’t seen a spider. Pay attention to an angry “boil” when it seems to be getting worse and when you begin to feel super funky. Get to an emergency room and INSIST that your skin eruption be tested for CA-MRSA.

For decades MRSA (minus the CA) has plagued vulnerable hospital patients. The infection finds its way into the blood stream and from there into the lungs. As always, bugs breed and adapt much faster than man’s arsenal of antibiotics so researchers will always be racing to catch up.

The addition of the “CA” (community associated) means that MRSA has jumped the hospital wall and is now able to travel freely among healthy people of all ages. Once it gets into your lungs, you are in for the battle of your life.

CA-MRSA is spread by skin-to-skin contact and by sharing personal items like clothing and towels. It thrives in crowded environments like gyms, playgrounds, military bases and schools.

Watch for any painful bump that feels hot, looks angry and oozes. This is not the time to self-medicate!

Protect yourself by washing your hands frequently. Avoid sharing personal items. Become politically aware of the potential problem of using antibiotics routinely on livestock and by misuse of antibiotics by doctors and patients.

If you want to do further research, the full name for CA-MRSA is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. A nasty bugger.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Cleansing Breath

Cleansing Breath can be useful when you’ve been breathing dry or dirty air, when you have been sleeping with your mouth open, when you have just a touch of asthma. It does not cover major chest infections or more serious problems.

The mucous blanket that lines your breathing tunnels and tubes MUST REMAIN FLUID enough to be pushed along easily by your cilia but sticky enough to grab airborne garbage. Occasionally mucous gets too thick and polluted and begins to clog things up. Often a few Cleansing Breaths will kick out a little mucous plug before you get into more serious blockage.

1. Keep your mouth CLOSED during the entire exercise. You will be inhaling SLOWLY and QUIETLY through your nose to avoid pushing the offending mucous deeper down into your chest.
2. Empty first, as always. Then fill quietly through your nose. Exhale as much air as seems natural and comfortable.
3. WHEN YOU ARE ALMOST EMPTY, add two or three small coughs (mouth still closed).
4. Continue to breathe in gently and add a couple tiny coughs at the tail end of each exhalation.

These small orchestrated coughs usually trigger a deep efficient cough that grabs and expels the offending mucous.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.