Posture Quick-Fix

Deep lung tissue is devoted almost exclusively to delivery of oxygen directly into the bloodstream and to the simultaneous pick-up and carting away of carbon dioxide. This 24/7 job is so complicated and important that Nature pretty much leaves all the other air pumping, filtering, warming, moisturizing chores to other parts of your anatomy. Your lungs lose full and proper expansion when your spine and ribcage collapse like a beanbag. Lazy posture means poor lung function. Poor lung function leaves you tired and vulnerable to illness.

The slouch, the slump, the sprawl inhibit the amount of air that can move easily in and out of your chest. Less air – less fuel. Less fuel – more fatigue. More fatigue – more slouch.

Experiment: Sit in a typical slouch with your weight rolled back onto your tailbone and your shoulders forward of your ears. Count the seconds it takes for an inhalation. In contrast, roll your weight forward onto your thighbones and off your tailbone. Reach GENTLY upward with the CENTER TOP of your head. That center point is on an imaginary line that would run from one ear, over the top of your head to the other ear. Place your elbows in line with your side-seams.

This time, count the seconds it takes for an inhalation.

This “taller” position is something you can do frequently to help maintain your energy level. Watch yourself in the mirror and notice how much younger and more confident you look in the corrected position.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Breathe Through The “Power Moves”

As you lift, shove, hoist, or haul anything that is huge, heavy or awkward, DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! On occasion we all take complete leave of our senses and decide that, just this once, we absolutely MUST move a file cabinet the size of a small hippo.

You can potentially blow off the top of your skull when you hold that big gulp of air while lifting an armoire only slightly smaller than a Ford Taurus! KEEP YOUR BREATH FLOWING. Your blood pressure and your vascular system get cranky when you combine extreme effort with holding your breath.

Visualize the task in detail before you actually lay hands-on so all your energy will be focused where it needs to be. Still, DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! Resist the temptation by singing or counting out loud till the deed is done. You can’t sing or count while holding your breath.

Better yet. Ask three hunky friends to help but be sure to tell them not to hold their breath.

Be well. 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.

Breathing Brooms - The Cilia

You are certainly familiar with the clear, warm, sticky blanket of mucous that lines most of your respiratory passages. The multipurpose mucous layer protects the underlying tissues of your nasal cavities, sinuses, throat and descending bronchial passages that wend their way between your nose and your delicate deep lung tissue.

Mucous is a super “fly paper” that releases moisture into the incoming dry air while at the same time grabbing up a billion bits of airborne bouncing garbage before it finds its way into your delicate lungs. Mucous is great stuff but once it has picked up a full load of garbage, you don’t want it hanging around.

Sprouting outward from the walls of most of your respiratory tunnels are millions of microscopic hair-like projections called “cilia” that beat and sweep like tiny brooms. A healthy cilia-covered wall resembles a microscopic wheat field in a stiff breeze. These extraordinary pushy little brooms beat as many as 50,000 times per hour to push along your mucous layer.

Under ideal conditions old polluted mucous is regularly dumped out through your nose, mouth or digestive tract. At the same time new fresh clean mucous is produced by tiny goblet cells embedded in your bronchial walls. For this defense system to work effectively the mucous layer must be moist enough to be pushed along easily and the sweeping cilia must remain strong and active. Infection, smoking, lack of fluids and allergies can stun or cripple the cilia and can halt the movement of the mucous in its tracks.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.