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Respiratory System
Pulmonary Health
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As breathing is one of the most fundamental life processes, the health of our lungs directly influences your quality of our lives. The lungs are part of a greater respiratory system that, together with the cardiovascular system, brings oxygen and food to all cells of the body to be metabolized into fuel. This metabolic process, called respiration, starts with the breath.
The respiratory system consists of the nose, mouth, throat, larynx (voicebox), trachea, lungs, and the pulmonary system of arteries and veins which carry blood between the heart and lungs. The lungs contain branching air tubes, bronchi and bronchioles, as well as alveoli: air pockets wrapped in capillaries. The bronchi lead into lobes, balloon-like divisions comprising spongy tissue which allow the lungs to expand and contract. While the right lung has three lobes, the left lung has two.
What Happens When We Breathe
When we inhale, either through the nose or mouth, respiration begins. From either origin, air journeys through the pharynx, or throat, before traveling into the trachea, or windpipe. The trachea diverges into the two primary bronchial tubes, the right and left bronchi, from which air pervades the outer-branching bronchioles. Air then permeates the alveoli, which are like cul-de-sacs surrounded with capillaries. Blood flowing through these capillaries gathers oxygen molecules via hemoglobin, or red blood cells.
Also exchanged within these pulmonary capillaries is a major cellular waste product, carbon dioxide, which the lungs exhale. This oxygen-for-CO2 trade occurs in every heartbeat when the heart transports blood to and from the lungs through a system of pulmonary arteries and veins. The heart then delivers oxygenated blood throughout the body so that cellular mitochondria can generate energy.
Generally, breathing is an automatic process over which we have some voluntary control. Although our autonomic nervous systems regulate breathing, we can manipulate the rate at which we breathe as well as the amount of breath inhaled and exhaled, and we can hold our breath momentarily. In turn, moderating our breath can enable us to better manage stress by helping lower sympathetic nervous system activity. The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscular wall separating the chest and abdominal cavities, facilitates breathing; by moving up and down to help the lungs collect and expel air, it aids the expansion of the rib cage and connecting muscles.
Other respiratory players include the sinuses, hollow areas within facial bones that help regulate the humidity and temperature of the air we breathe, and the larynx, or voice box. Vocalization can occur when air passes over the vocal chords of the larynx. Our sinuses also provide space for our voices to resonate.
A Detoxification Pathway
Besides breathing, which makes respiration and vocalization possible, the respiratory system also helps detoxify the body. Depending on the health of other detoxification systems within the body, the relative amount of detoxification performed by the respiratory system can increase. If one drinks excessive alcohol, for example, and has impaired liver function, one shifts the detoxification burden to other organs such as the lungs.
In addition to disposing of carbon dioxide, our respiratory systems prevent infiltration of toxins from the air we breathe through several protective mechanisms. Our first line of defense is the nose, which contains hairs to filter foreign substances. We have more hairs lining the bronchial tubes, called cilia, which facilitate the upward movement of mucus to enable coughing, sneezing, or swallowing.
Although unpleasant, mucus helps us expel unwanted substances by acting as a fly strip of sorts. When we have colds and take over-the-counter medications to suppress mucus production, we might actually prolong sickness by disabling our bodies’ natural abilities to fight back. Dr. Sinatra likes to cook up a Spicy Chicken Soup to treat any respiratory illness with tenacious mucus.
Lymphatic tissues lining the walls of the throat, trachea, and bronchioles also help rid the lungs of health-threatening invaders. Lymph nodes are clusters of cells which contain immune cells to fight the foreign substances they collect. The adenoids, located at the top of the throat are lymph tissues, and the tonsils are localized lymphatic tissues within the throat. Sometimes doctors remove adenoids or tonsils that have become infected and enlarged enough to hinder the respiration process. Employing various detoxification pathways when sick can help us avoid lymphatic overload. Taking a day or few to rest and let the sickness run its course may be just what the doctor orders.
Lung Health and Lung Conditions
With breathing, we get the good and the bad. As the lungs are a major pathway for not only oxygen, but pathogens, allergens, and toxic or irritating substances, lung health depends on the immune system for protection. When immune forces weaken, the lungs may become vulnerable to disease conditions ranging from the common cold to cancer. Common lung disorders include asthma, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) such as bronchitis and emphysema, pulmonary embolism, and fibrotic disorders. Chronic lower respiratory diseases are, in fact, among the top five causes of death in the United States.
Doctors can easily determine lung health by performing pulmonary function testing. Of importance are the Vital Capacity (VC) and Foreign Expiratory Volume (FEV) tests. Doctors who are interested in preventative medicine and aging should obtain these pulmonary tests to test one’s vulnerability to illness, especially respiratory or cardiac.
Together with immune abilities, environmental and genetic factors determine our susceptibility to lung diseases. For example, air quality and relative exposure to smoke, infectious agents, and allergens, can impact each of us differently depending on our genetic predisposition or immune system integrity. Environmental agents, such as cigarette smoke and allergens, can cause inflammation, and subsequently damage or modify our lung structures. Even influenza viruses, including H1N1, can cause inflammation of the lungs.
While some risk factors for lung diseases are within our control, such as whether we smoke or use products with chemicals that we inadvertently inhale, others such as genetics are not. The best way to protect the lungs is to maintain a healthy immune system. Boost the immune system through lifestyle habits such as adequate exercise and rest, healthy foods, and appropriate supplementation, and cultivate emotional well-being. Believe it or not, experiencing feelings of love can help support immunity.
Visit this section often for new articles about cultivating and preserving lung health, various lung diseases and conditions affecting adults, breathing and stress management, and smoking cessation, among many more topics of interest.
Crystal R. Research Opportunities and Advances in Lung Disease. JAMA 2001;285:612-618.
© 2009 Heart MD Institute, PA
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Healing engages the mind, body and spirit.
Breathing bridges them.
"Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment."
-Thich Nhat Hanh
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