Lung Cleansing: What Is It? And How It Works?

Lung cleansing consists of naturopathic and holistic measures that initially relieve the lungs, help these essential organs expel harmful substances, and build a more robust immune system. At the same time, it involves anti-inflammatory measures so that the inflammatory processes that are often latent in the lungs can slowly recede.

Who Should Do A Lung Cleanse?

Lung cleansing is not only helpful for those people who already suffer from lung diseases such as asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease ), or pulmonary fibrosis, not only for former smokers or current passive smokers but also for those people who work preventively want to strengthen their lungs so that they remain efficient and healthy into old age. Even those who are victims of frequent respiratory infections or who have just had a bad cold can resort to lung-cleansing measures to help the lungs regenerate and strengthen.

How Long Does A Lung Cleanse Take?

Lung cleansing consists of many different measures. Some can be carried out as a cure over 4 to 12 weeks. Others can even be permanently integrated into everyday life, such as not smoking and not vaping, specific exercises to promote the elimination of mucus, or – where necessary – the installation or setting up of an air purifier.

How Does The Lung Cleanse Work?

The self-cleaning power of the lungs is so strong that even people who quit smoking (depending on previous damage to the lungs) feel a continuous improvement in their well-being every day they stop smoking. It is therefore highly worthwhile to support the lungs in their self-cleaning with the following measures.

Relieve The Lungs

The most important measure of lung cleansing is, of course, relief, which means that you ingest as few pollutants as possible.

1. So leave smoking or vaping behind you!
2. As a non-smoker, stay away from smokers and vapers or ask them not to smoke / vape around you.
3. Check your apartment for sources of mold and eliminate them if you find them.
4. Do not use artificially flavored home fragrances such as scented candles, trees, room sprays, or the like. It is better to use natural essential oils, which can even purify the air in the room. See below under point 6.
5. It is best only to buy carpets, home textiles, and building materials that are certified accordingly, i.e., that do not emit any toxins.
6. As a pedestrian or cyclist, avoid busy streets and industrial areas.
7. If you are currently considering a change of location, choose – if technically possible – a residential area with healthier air. Remember that rural areas don’t necessarily have to be better. Frequent pesticide loads can occur there – if there is agriculture nearby.
8. If this is not possible, but you live in an area with poor air quality or even a smoker in your household, use an air purifier. 
9. Also, please use certain houseplants known to improve indoor air quality as they clear the indoor air of toxins.
10. As a hobby or professional gardener, do not use pesticides, not even those officially considered “harmless,” but are controversial because information about adverse effects is either unavailable or suppressed by the manufacturer.
11. Avoid unhealthy foods as these will also harm lung health, e.g., B. has inflammation-promoting properties that weaken the immune system, can lead to increased mucus formation (e.g., dairy products, soy milk – test for yourself which foods have a slimy effect on you!) And also contains too few vital substances, including antioxidants. See above that the lungs are almost defenseless when attacked from the air. Here we have described the essential substances that protect against lung diseases.
12. Strengthen the lungs with proper exercise.

Promote Lung Regeneration With Proper Nutrition

The influence of diet is rarely questioned in digestive problems and now also in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In the case of lung problems, however, nutrition is still mostly neglected. Doing so could significantly shorten the time it takes to clean the lungs and regenerate the lungs and noticeably reduce the risk of developing COPD.

The increased intake of fiber-rich foods alone leads to improved lung health. Because fiber improves intestinal flora and intestinal health, which has an anti-inflammatory effect on the lungs and contributes to a strengthened immune system. Studies have shown that the higher the fiber consumption of the respective patient, the better the lung functions.

Medicinal Plants For The Lungs

The use of certain medicinal plants for the lungs in tea is associated with little effort. It can bring excellent results – especially if the herbal tea is drunk instead of lemonades, soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages. You can choose from medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory, expectorant, relieving, or soothing effects on irritated bronchi, medicinal plants that protect dry airways with their mucilage, and even plants that strengthen the lungs over the long term silica content.

The Drink For Cleaning The Lungs

A daily drink to clean your lungs can considerably contribute to supplying the body with more antioxidants and pungent expectorant substances. It consists of turmeric, ginger, and onions, all of which also have anti-inflammatory properties. The aromatic substances from ginger and onions help very well with coughing up and clearing the airways.

At the same time, the ginger also relaxes the bronchial muscles, which can be extremely helpful for chronic cramps such as asthma. And onions alone are said to have such a good effect on lung health that the risk of lung cancer can be reduced by half if you only eat 20 g of onions a day – as shown by a study presented in the link above.

Steam Inhalations Help Clean The Lungs

Essential oils (eg, tea tree oil, sage, or thyme oil) can, of course, also be inhaled with steam, but even steam alone opens the airways and helps the lungs to clean themselves of mucus and waste products. The lungs and airways generally do not like cold or dehydrated air, as such a climate dries out the mucous membranes and worsens blood circulation. Therefore, existing respiratory diseases often worsen in cold, dry air.

With steam inhalation, on the other hand, you breathe in warm and humid air, which makes breathing more accessible and can often very suddenly relieve respiratory problems. So if you already suffer from a lung or respiratory disease, you can use steam inhalation (with or without essential oils) to help clean your lungs.

Remember, however, that “normal” steam inhalation only produces enormous steam particles that can at best have a positive effect on the nasal mucosa, i.e., the upper respiratory tract. Inhalers with a nebulizer function, on the other hand, can also form respirable droplet sizes and are therefore also suitable for lung regeneration and lung cleaning. When purchasing an inhaler or nebulizer, inquire in advance about the size of the vapor particles.

Drinking Enough Fluids Helps Clean The Lungs

It is well known that water is an essential component in any purification or detoxification process. It helps with the rapid elimination of undesirable substances from the body and thus ensures that the mucus in the respiratory tract is liquefied and can be excreted more easily.

Therefore, drink enough water (approx. 1.5 liters per day) to clean your lungs, some of which are also available in the form of lung-friendly teas, e.g.,with thyme, licorice, marshmallow, ribwort, anise, or fennel. You can also drink two cups of green tea per day if you enjoy drinking green tea.

Proper Coughing Up Of Phlegm

Correct coughing up of phlegm is significant, especially with existing lung diseases, to maintain the lung functions for as long as possible and breathe as best as possible. The better the mucus can be coughed up, the greater the general sense of well-being. The mucus contains toxic substances and can also be a breeding ground for new pathogens, i.e., it is an enormous burden on the body. 

Dissolved mucus should, therefore, always be spat out (into a handkerchief!) And never swallowed.

1. Sit on a chair and keep your posture relaxed: both feet are flat on the floor, your shoulders are down and relaxed.
2. Cross your arms over your stomach and inhale slowly through your nose.
3. Now exhale slowly again while leaning forward and pressing your arms against your stomach.
4. Cough two or three times as you breathe out, keeping your mouth slightly open.
5. Inhale slowly through your nose again.
6. Repeat the process if necessary.      

Also Read: MENSTRUAL CRAMPS – GENTLE RELIEF