To Smoke Or Not To Smoke

To keep your lungs healthy, the layer of mucus that covers the windpipe and bronchial tubes must be moist enough to be pushed along easily, and the tiny pushy cilia must remain strong and busy. Infection, smoking, lack of fluids, and allergies can stun or cripple the cilia, and can alter the consistency of the mucus.

When this beautiful system is challenged, damaged, or clogged, the incoming irritants and microbes are either trapped against the wall of the respiratory tract like a dirty bandage that rarely gets changed, or the irritants find an unobstructed, direct path into the deep lungs and ultimately into the bloodstream. Without the cooperative efforts of the cilia and mucus blanket, your crippled respiratory system is finally unable to cleanse itself.
Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: The Path From Throat To Lungs

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.

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.)