How to clear your lungs - and save $25!

[Timberman]

LOTS being written right now about what is being wrongly called a 'breakthrough' aid to COPD patients and their breathing. Sorry to say that in my opinion it is just a way of extracting $25 from the pockets of the 16m Americans with COPD and if it comes here will probably cost even more.

Fact is you do not need it. I have written often about breathing techniques but let me focus on "pursed lip" breathing now.

First, remember that we breath in (through the nose preferably) a mixture of gases in the atmosphere. Most (just under 80% is neutral and inactive nitrogen (N). The rest is mostly Oxygen (just under 20% O2) with a very small admixture of argon and carbon dioxide (CO2) and some other 'noble' (inert) gases.

Our lungs carry most (all or some) of the O2 to our blood stream to power our body. The Nitrogen is important but as a bulk agent, carrying the oxygen in and out and providing substance for our respiratory process.

We breath out the Nitrogen along with Carbon Dioxide which is the waste result of our body using the O2 oxygen.

Now here's the thing – when we exhale we may not clear all the gases we should from our lungs. And that means that each succeeding breath is just a little bit less useful. Less rich in the vital oxygen.

The reason is that when we breath in the lungs expand lowering internal pressure and we get help since the air is pushed in by atmospheric pressure. That is, at sea level, about 14.8 lbs per square inch (1.033kg per square centimetre). But if we are severe COPD patients to exhale at that pressure is not easy.

This is where a trick called 'pursed lip' breathing comes in and where this little 25 dollar device works.

If you 'purse' your lips when exhaling as if you were whistling (actual whistling can help) it will create 'back pressure' in your lung cavity and this will encourage your body to push harder to get the air out. And so you clear the waste nitrogen and carbon dioxide more efficiently. So no need for a pricey little gadget, I suggest.

But there is a lot more to this that you can do to help yourself without any cost.

Our lungs are not two simple bellows full of little sacs sharing oxygen with our blood. There are in fact five 'lobes' – two on the left where the heart takes up some space and three on the right. Two of these are quite low down and one of those on the right is even lower, closer to your diaphragm. And here's the trick – diaphragm breathing.

Here is what I do most mornings and some evenings. First, I lie in bed with my hand on my chest and I breath in trying to ensure that my chest rises more than my tummy. Then I do pursed lip breathing to help clear my top lung lobes in particular of waste gases.

Then I move my hand down to my tummy and now I try to ensure my tummy rises more than my chest. This will mean that I am using my diaphragm more to fill and empty my lungs and give me the best chance of filling and emptying the low lying lobes.

I do each of these manoeuvres several time – six is my common number. It does not take long.

If I start out with my oximeter showing say 89 or 90% it will usually have leapt to the mid 90s by the end. If I have been busy prior to the exercise – bathing, showering etc (usually with help) – then my oxy level will be mid 80s to start and will still climb to the mid 90s by the end.

And I will not yet have put on my oxygen mask!

Now it is true that in my gas levels checks I have been found to be what is called a "CO2 retainer". That means I have a tendency to retain some CO2 in my system more than others. But even so this 'lung clearing' process is well worth the effort for us all. And given I appear to be saving myself at least $25? Even more so!

The device can be seen here: popsci.com/technology/pep-b...

The lobes of the lungs (seen from the front so the heart would be to the right where the 'cardiac notch' is shown). The diaphragm runs across the bottom sealing the thoracic cavity from the abdomen.