Together, they only weigh about three pounds, but our lungs do a lot of work just to keep us alive. They don’t stop working–whether you’re wide awake or sound asleep, your lungs don’t stop supplying your body with oxygen.

Without oxygen for a minute, your brain cells would die. Without oxygen for 15 minutes, your body would not survive. This is why we have to keep our lungs healthy and free of disease.

Keep your lungs in top shape by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. According to ManilaMed  pulmonologist Dr. Lai Lee Lam, quality sleep, hydration, and a healthy diet are important for the lungs to function well.

“Standard of healthy lifestyle has numbers to follow: 8 hours of sleep, adequate hydration-8 glasses of water. It doesn’t have to be an exact amount,  but more or less, it should be within the range,” she said.

Aside from drinking eight glasses of water a day, we also need to adapt a healthy diet to make our immune system stronger. A weak immune system makes lung disease more likely.

“If you have bad immune status, either lifestyle-induced, or you have other diseases such as diabetes, you are more prone to have respiratory infection,” Dr. Lai Lee Lam said.

Our home is also an important factor in our lung health. Heavily polluted air makes us prone to suffer airway diseases, like cancer, infection, bronchial disease, and even asthma. A well-ventilated house will keep our lungs happy. Humidifiers also help lessen harmful particles that may deposit in our lungs. House plants also help make the air in our homes less polluted by absorbing carbon monoxide.

Smoking is a big no-no if you want to have a healthy respiratory system. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are caused by long-term exposure to cigarette smoke which has toxins that irritate or damage the lungs.

On the other hand, although asthma is gene-related, according to Dr. Lai Lee Lam, the environment can trigger an attack. However,  the types of triggers are different depending on the person.

“If your asthma requires maintenance, seek help for there are some medications to control the asthma for you to live the life you wanted,” Dr. Lai Lee Lam advised.

Keep your lungs healthy by having regular checkups. According to Dr. Lai Lee Lam, the advisable schedule for a check-up is at least once every six months; this varies depending on a person’s state of health.  If you start to feel symptoms like coughing, fever, and weight loss, you should see a doctor immediately.

Dr. Lai Lee Lam suggested that a patient should see a personal doctor regularly. This ensures that one doctor keeps a complete medical history of the patient. It’s also a more comfortable experience.

“It would be easier for you to open up because you have already established a rapport, you don’t feel shy to open up your fears and anxieties and you’re already comfortable and confident,” Dr. Lai Lee Lam said.

Having healthy lungs means a life well-lived. Let’s not take for granted what our lungs do to keep us up and running. For more tips on how to take care of our lungs, visit any pulmonologist of ManilaMed and call ManilaMed’s Respiratory Therapy Department at 523-8131 loc. 2202 for more details. Check out www.manilamed.com.ph for more details.