Most of us take breathing for granted until we or someone we know begins to suffer from COPD, asthma or another debilitating lung disease. In addition to long term breathing problems, many of these diseases can lead to a lung transplant. Maintaining good lung health is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. This virus attacks the lungs and causes severe breathing problems even after your recover from it.  
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Here are some activities that you can do to strengthen your lungs and decrease your chances of needing a transplant in the future.
These activities are listed according to fitness level. If you aren’t particularly athletic, start with the beginner level activities. If you are an athletic person, try them all!
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Beginner Fitness Level (Recommended for any age group):

1. Laughter Yoga- Laughter yoga combines breathing practices from traditional yoga with deep belly laughter. Deep belly laughter forces your lungs to expand more than they normally would and replaces the carbon dioxide that sits at the bottom of your lungs with oxygen. In between the laughter exercises, laughter yoga also incorporates deep breathing exercises causing you to take fewer, more effective, breaths overall. ​

4. Long Distance Running- Similar to biking, long distance running forces you to use your lungs to their maximum capacity for an extended period of time. This helps you get rid of all the carbon dioxide that sits at the bottom of your lungs and makes room for more oxygen. More oxygen in your lungs means more oxygen in your blood which results in better overall health. ​

5. High Intensity Cardio -HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), sprints, and jump rope are examples of high intensity cardio. They include a regimen of short bursts of anaerobic exercises which leave you out of breath. They are an intense cardiovascular activity that force you to use your lungs to their maximum capacity. The more you use your lungs to their full capacity, the healthier they will be.

If you struggle with your lung capacity, try starting with beginner level exercises like laughter yoga and slowly advancing to the more difficult ones like biking around town or in nature. 

Asthma is considered to be a long term (chronic) lung disease which narrows and inflames the airway. Millions of people of all ages and genders are known to be affected with this ailment across the globe. This ailment is also said to contribute towards untimely deaths. It develops mainly during childhood. 


Symptoms
People suffering from this ailment show symptoms like wheezing, breathing problems, allergies to strong smells and dust, coughing, chest tightness, etc. Although the reasons why Asthma develops have not yet been confirmed, there are cited environmental and genetic factors which contribute towards this condition. Symptoms might differ from one person to another along with its intensity. 

Classification
It is classified into two major types, namely, intrinsic or non-atopic and extrinsic or atopic. Aggravation by allergens is what mainly causes the symptoms to develop. People suffering from intrinsic type are not aggravated or induced by external allergens, while those having extrinsic asthma suffer from wheezing attacks once they come across the allergens inducing inflammation or causing allergy. 

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Causes
There are cited several conditions which are known to cause this ailment. 

• Family history: If someone in the family has been suffering from this ailment then most likely it is passed on through the bloodline.

 

• Early childhood lung disease: Preterm children or babies develop lung infections and tend to have sensitive airways that inflames very easily, thereby causing attacks. 

 

• There may be plenty of allergens in the locality that might cause allergens to the airways, thus causing inflammation or aggravation. 

 

• Attacks may develop when coming face to face with animal dander.

 

• Passive or active smoking: Whether you smoke or are around smokers can have a big impact on whether you suffer from asthma or not. 

Therefore, Asthma is chronic condition which affects the lungs. People deviling this ailment tend to have this condition in their body. However, asthmatic attacks tend to occur only if certain elements ‘triggers’ and initiate it. Moreover, this particular condition is yet to have a proper and thorough cure. Triggers are to be avoided and Asthma Treatment should be started at the very earliest time possible once it is diagnosed. Only then can it be controlled and ensured that it does not become chronic in nature.

Conclusion

1 in 12 people have Asthma as it’s one of the most common lung diseases in the world. 

Severe Asthma can get to a point where your lungs may stop functioning and you may need a lung transplant. 
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Did you know that lung transplants have the lowest survival rate among all transplants? Only about 50% of people live 5 years after having a lung transplant and patients have to take up to 50 pills a day!

We at The Sid Foundation want to increase that survival rate and help patients be able to afford that medication which is why we raise money for lung transplant research and development and lung transplant patients. 

We need your help in increasing the survival rate and helping lung transplant patients so please join the 200+ donors who have raised over $40,000 and donate what you think is fair to help lung patients everywhere.

If you donate $10 or more, we will send you a free Lung Girl comic book and put your name on our wall of donors so that you can be recognized for your contribution forever. ​​

Asthma absolutely sucks, however what sucks more than asthma is all the potential medication one has to consume to treat it. People with more severe asthma have to use inhalers, pills, pain killers, and some have to walk around with a machine attached to their body. Here are some natural treatments you can use to decrease the amount of medication you have to take.

1. Natural Supplements

Chronic body inflammation that causes asthma may at times deplete the crucial nutrients in asthmatics. Therefore, people with asthma should take in natural supplements that offers them all the minerals and vitamins essential to their immune system. Click here for a list of great natural supplements for asthma

2. Natural Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that may be able to help prevent and treat some illnesses. Promoting a healthy digestive tract and a healthy immune system are their most widely studied benefits at this time. These are also commonly known as friendly, good, or healthy bacteria. The antibiotics in your medicine however tend to destroy these bacteria. Therefore, supplementing with probiotics is sure to help heal Asthma from within. Click here to view a list of healthy probiotic foods.

3. Eat Better Fats

Those suffering from asthma need to pay proper heed to fats. Good fats are termed to be anti-inflammatory, with omega 3 fatty acids playing an important role. Increase intake of fish oil supplements or fish, olive oil, & nuts and decrease consumption of processed foods such as canola oil, fast food, and sugar.

4. Eat Healthier

The major inflammation sources that cause asthma are the foods we eat. Consume more anti-inflammatory foods such as vegetables, apricots, papaya, onions, tomatoes, and pumpkin. Some foods to avoid are dairy products, citrus fruits, wheat, sugar, preservatives, and dyes.

5. Anti Asthma Your Environment

Asthma is an inflammatory reaction taking place when exposed to irritants and allergens. All irritants and allergens that might trigger asthmatic attacks should be removed including aerosol sprays, chemicals, certain medications, animal dander, pollen, perfumes, molds, and sulfates. Basically make sure you consistently do some spring cleaning.
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These natural asthma treatments will help a lot with your asthma and even better will allow you to at least decrease the amount of medication you have to take.

​Conclusion

1 in 12 people have Asthma as it’s one of the most common lung diseases in the world. 

Severe Asthma can get to a point where your lungs may stop functioning and you may need a lung transplant. 
Did you know that lung transplants have the lowest survival rate among all transplants? Only about 50% of people live 5 years after having a lung transplant and patients have to take up to 50 pills a day!

We at The Sid Foundation want to increase that survival rate and help patients be able to afford that medication which is why we raise money for lung transplant research and development and lung transplant patients. 

We need your help in increasing the survival rate and helping lung transplant patients so please join the 200+ donors who have raised over $40,000 and donate what you think is fair to help lung patients everywhere.

If you donate $10 or more, we will send you a free Lung Girl comic book and put your name on our wall of donors so that you can be recognized for your contribution forever. ​​

How To Handle An Asthma Attack Without an Inhaler

Millions of people, both adults and children are known to suffer from Asthma. The common Asthma Medication prescribed by doctors include inhalers where the patient is required to take some puffs from the medical device to get relief. While every asthmatic should have an inhaler on hand, if you are like me, that means you don’t even know where your inhaler is. So here are 5 tips on what to do in case you have an asthma attack without an inhaler.

1. Drink plenty of un-carbonated, clean water. 

The lungs require water for pumping air. Not having sufficient water will mean no sufficient pumping of air. At the same time, only clean water should be consumed. Soup, coffee, and tea do not count in this regard and should be avoided. So if you are experiencing an attack make sure to get water immediately and drink it slowly.

2. Sit down and Sit up.

Sit down and then sit up straight. According to Medical News Today It is easier to breathe simply by sitting rather than any other given position. Do not lay down. Stay calm and seated until breathing is fully retrieved and is under control. Any work that the person has to complete can wait. 

3. Hold the middle finger. 

Wrap all fingers with your hand over the other hand’s middle finger and hold gently. This is termed to be an energetic, powerful Mudra which has been practiced for thousands of years. You don’t have to squeeze, massage, rub, or pull. Simply hold the finger, until breathing gets normal. It is recommended for a few seconds or minutes in some cases. It is definitely powerful and reliable. Click here to learn about 5 more mudras to help with your asthma

4. Place some sea salt (a pinch) on your tongue.

Place a pinch of sea salt on your tongue after having water (2 glasses) and allow it to dissolve right on the tongue itself. It is a strange, yet miraculous recipe. The order you do it in is very much crucial. It can be life saving. According to My Asthma Home Remedies Sea salt is a very powerful natural antihistamine. It can also be used in an inhaler, without harmful side effects of most medical drugs. Taking a pinch of sea salt with water helps to break the mucus plugs in the lungs, get rid of phlegm, and stop persistent dry cough that accompanies any asthma attack. It is also a natural antiseptic that helps the body fight germs and bacteria and helps maintain your body’s electrolytes in a healthy balance.


5. Doing something simple can help to bring down anxiety from the otherwise terrified mind. 

A big mistake people make during an asthma attack is that they go crazy with their breathing because they are so terrified. If you’re breathing really hard trying to catch your breath you may be making the problem worse. Calm down and try to pay attention to different objects in your surroundings and also try to trace curved lines using your eyes. It can be objects like vases, round table corners, lamps, etc. If nothing is found, then simply imagine curved lines, spheres and circles in air and trace those with your eyes. This will help you calm down and start to control your breathing more which should buy you more time to get to the hospital or find your inhaler. 

Conclusion

1 in 12 people have Asthma as it’s one of the most common lung diseases in the world. 

Severe Asthma can get to a point where your lungs may stop functioning and you may need a lung transplant. 
Did you know that lung transplants have the lowest survival rate among all transplants? Only about 50% of people live 5 years after having a lung transplant and patients have to take up to 50 pills a day!

We at The Sid Foundation want to increase that survival rate and help patients be able to afford that medication which is why we raise money for lung transplant research and development and lung transplant patients. 

We need your help in increasing the survival rate and helping lung transplant patients so please join the 200+ donors who have raised over $40,000 and donate what you think is fair to help lung patients everywhere.

If you donate $10 or more, we will send you a free Lung Girl comic book and put your name on our wall of donors so that you can be recognized for your contribution forever. ​​