Lung Health - Wellness with the Seasons

For this installment of our Wellness with the Seasons series we’ll focus on strengthening the lungs and maintaining lung health.

In the Chinese system, the Metal Element is associated with the lungs, nose, large intestine and the autumn season. If you have a history of winter colds, sinus infections or lung problems, this could indicate that your Metal Element may be out of balance. So now would be the best time to prepare yourself for staying well this fall and winter.

Indoor Air Quality

Deep breathing and clean air are vital to life. The fine membranes of the lungs and nasal passages were not meant to come in contact with toxins or smoke of any kind. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult to avoid this nowadays with environmental pollutants in the outdoor air and more importantly, toxins permeating the air inside our homes.

The EPA has found levels of about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside.

Additionally, a 2007 analysis of nearly 49,000 in-home air tests across North America by the indoor air monitoring company AirAdvice found that more than 96 percent of homes had at least one indoor air quality problem (particle allergens, chemical pollutants, carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity or carbon monoxide). That is worth noticing considering that, on average, a person spends approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, according to the EPA, and takes between 17,000 and 23,000 breaths every day.

Particle allergens such as dust, dander and pollen were the most common problem found. In that context, it’s important to make cleaning up your indoor air quality a high priority.

Sources: US EPA, The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality; AirAdvice, State of Our Indoor Air Report 2007 (a company report, not a peer-reviewed study).

The Top Five Indoor Air Toxins

The following is a list of the top five toxins commonly found in our indoor air:

1. Volatile Organic Compounds (aka VOC’s) from new building materials, carpets, flooring and paints.
2. Fragrance and Scented Products from air fresheners (plug in + aerosol), scented candles and fabric softeners.
3. Mold and Mold VOC’s from mold spores. As mold grows a chemical reaction of enzymes and substrates produces volatile organic compounds. Mold also produce mycotoxins, which are toxic to human beings.
4. Pollen, Pet Fur/Dander and Dust Mites.
5. Cleaning Products and Pesticides like conventional cleaners, bleach, disinfectants and bug sprays.

Four Action Steps for Lung Wellness This Fall

1. Eliminate air toxins from your home

Do your best to eliminate, or switch out, as many of the top five indoor air pollutants from the list above with safe product alternatives. The Environmental Working Group’s Healthy Home Guides are a great resource for learning more about these toxins and ways to improve indoor air quality.

2. Add Taheebo Wellness Tea to your daily routine

In the traditional view, caring for the lungs as the seasons turn goes hand in hand with looking after the body’s natural defenses. Every fall and winter we increase our own daily Taheebo Tea to two to three cups a day. Why? Taheebo has traditionally been used to support immune function, and it’s part of how we look after our wellness through the colder months.

Most research on Pau d’Arco is lab and animal based, and human research is limited. You can read how strong each study is on our research partner site, pau-darco.com.

3. Use an air purifier

Get out your air purifier and keep it running continuously. If you don’t have one, we highly recommend investing in one. And as our time spent indoors increases during the fall and winter, the use of a good air purifier is very important for wellness.

We personally run our air purifiers 24/7, and have been since purchasing them 8 years ago.

We have two Austin Air purifiers in our home. These use medical grade HEPA technology that the manufacturer says removes up to 95% of airborne particles as small as 0.1 microns, including dust, dander and allergens. The carbon blend used in their filters also removes chemicals, gases and odors.

4. Use acupressure points for lung health

Acupressure is an ancient healing art that uses the fingers to stimulate points on the skin corresponding to potent points along the energetic meridians of the body. In traditional acupressure, this is understood to support the body’s own natural balance.

The Lung Meridian has 11 points, beginning at the upper chest just below the clavicle, running down the arm and forearm, and into the wrist, ending at the thumbnail.

Use the following procedure for just a few minutes each day to support easy, comfortable breathing.

Step One: Firmly press the Lung One Point

Place your thumbs on the outer portion of your chest, pressing on the muscles that run horizontally below your collarbone.

Find the sensitive spot on the chest muscles on both sides. Lung 1 is found underneath this tender spot. Relax your neck muscles, and allow your head to hang down towards your chest as you maintain firm pressure on those points with your thumbs. Continue to hold these points while breathing deeply for two minutes.

Step Two: Hold and rub the Lung Nine and Ten Points

First find Lung 9, located in the groove at the wrist fold below the base of the thumb. Press firmly, and take a few long, slow deep breaths.

Next find Lung 10, located on the palm side of the hand in the center of the pad at the base of the thumb. Hold Lung 10 firmly while you take several deep breaths.

Then use the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand to press both points at the same time. Rub them both at the same time with brisk circular motions. After about one minute, repeat the whole procedure on the other hand.

𓇢𓆸 Our next Wellness with the Seasons article focusses on the Large Intestine, and the traditional connection between the large intestine and the lungs 😲

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Taheebo Wellness Tea is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.