The body’s need for oxygen is fulfilled by the lung supplying it for its entirety. Lung damage is found in children undergoing treatment for childhood cancer. So assuming you want to survey your risk for lung issues, read through the article.

The reasons for developing lung problems can be caused due to the following treatments, 

• Utilization of certain chemotherapy drugs including carmustine, bleomycin, lomustine, and busulfan
• A bone marrow or stem cell transplant from a donor apart from yourself that resulted in a chronic graft-versus-host-disease.
• Surgery to the chest or lungs
• Radiation therapy to the chest or the whole body
• Treatment involves the use of a type of chemotherapy drug called anthracyclines that can damage your heart thereby a contributing factor to lung problems. Lung problems likely arise in cases of carmustine, bleomycin, lomustine, or radiation.

Other factors that tend to cause lung problems are

• When treated for cancer at a very young age
• Have had a history of lung diseases such as asthma or other lung problems
• Utilizing tobacco and exposure to second-hand smoke

Medicines for these lung issues can create some issues, for example, scarring of the lungs, the tissue of the lungs expanding, repeated diseases in the lungs, enlarging of the lung tissue and aviation routes, rupture of the air sacs in the lungs, and thickening or impeding of the aviation routes in the lungs.

How will I know if I have lung problems:

Lung problems are characterized by the following symptoms,

• Finding it difficult to breathe (shortness of breath)
• Chest pain
• Coughing, wheezing or both
• Frequent infections in the lungs such as bronchitis or pneumonia

Early symptoms of lung damage are extreme fatigue, or shortness of breath even when doing light exercises. 

What should I do to keep my lungs healthy?

We tend to take our lungs for granted, especially when it is functioning effectively and efficiently. Our lungs play a major role in keeping us healthy and it performs their work effectively without you having to worry about them.

The defense system of the body is designed in such a way that it protects the lungs by keeping the dirt and germs from entering. However, certain things have to be kept in mind to reduce the risk of lung disease. 

Practicing and taking healthy lifestyle choices can help lower your chances for lung problems. Talk to your doctor and seek their advice regularly, do not smoke, and eat the right kind of food as per the needs of your body. The following points should be taken into consideration for healthy lungs, 

Go See Your Doctor:

Going in for regular check-ups prevents any kind of disease from affecting your lungs. And in the case of lung problems, it can easily go undetected until it’s too late. When performing a health-care check-up, the rhythm of your breathing will be noticed and will be notified if you have any concerns. 

Assuming you are a cancer survivor from your life as a youngster, you want to go in for check-ups consistently. Furthermore, you ought to go through x-ray check-ups and pneumonic capacity tests for your lungs at regular intervals after finishing your cancer treatment. Based on the results it will be determined whether you need to take further tests or not. 

If you are at a high risk of developing lung issues, you want to converse with your primary care physician about your possibility of getting pneumonia and influenza antibodies. Avoid engaging in activities such as scuba diving unless you are cleared by your dictionary to do so. All these are done so to ensure your safety. 

Avoid smoking:

Cigarettes play a major role in those who have lung problems. The propensity for smoking is the underlying cause of the improvement of a condition known as a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which incorporates emphysema and bronchitis. The reason why cigarettes are so unhealthy is that they narrow down the air passage thus making breathing more difficult. This causes inflammation or swelling in the lungs that leads to chronic bronchitis. When this activity happens for a very long time, the tissue linings in the lungs are destroyed which triggers the chances of you developing cancer.

If you are prone to the habit of smoking, one of the major lifestyle changes that you should take is that you do not smoke. You can quit your smoking habit with the help of resources such as your family, friends, and doctors. There is help available for those who seek it. Various organizations are dedicated to helping patients to stop this habit before it becomes an addiction 

The following websites contain all the necessary information that you require to help you quit smoking. 

• The American Lung Association offers an internet-based program called the ‘Independence from Smoking Online’ and it is done for free. 
• Smokefree.gov contains data that is exact and confirmed based including proficient help to help and support the long haul and prompt requirements of the individuals who are pursuing stopping their smoking propensity.
• The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention gives a total aid on the best way to stop smoking

Pursue healthy lifestyle practices:

Changes in your lifestyle can help keep lung problems at bay and some of them include

• Try not to get second-hand smoke. Try to not stand next to the person smoking so that you do not involuntarily inhale the smoke. 
• Get into action. Regular physical exercise can assist you with keeping your lungs sound
• Attempt to not breathe in poisonous exhaust from synthetic substances, paints, and solvents
• Make sure to follow safety procedures in your workplace. Use protective ventilators
• Any hazardous working circumstances ought to be accounted for by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Keep yourself away from indoor pollutants that can damage your lungs:

Indoor pollutants include secondhand smoke, inhaling chemical emissions from your home and workplace and radon can cause lung damage and if you already have an existing condition, it can make it worse. Ensure that your home and car are smoke-free and test your home for radon. As much as exercising outdoors is good, do not do so on bad air days. If you are experiencing any abnormalities in your breathing and or feel that something in your home or workspace is making you sick, talk to your doctor immediately. 

Do not expose yourself to air pollution:

If you notice a change in the air quality outside, you should stay indoors. Inhaling polluted air can cause serious damage to your lungs. It is important to know what polluted air can do to your body and minimize your exposure to them. Natural events such as climate change and natural disasters also have an impact on your lungs.

Prevent infections:

Sometimes a mere cold or other respiratory diseases can become way too serious. Make sure you follow these steps to protect yourself, 

Avoid walking in crowds during the cold and flu season

Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water. If you cannot wash your hands, using alcohol-based substitutes is also a good option. 

Practice oral hygiene. Keep your mouth free of infectious germs. Brush them twice a day and visit your dentist every 6 months. 

You need to get your influenza shot every year. To know the right pneumonia vaccine that suits your body, consult your healthcare physician. Utilization of the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended to prevent any sort of severe illness from occurring. 

If you fall sick, restrict yourself and stay indoors. Do not spread it to your family and friends, so maintain a distance from them. Do not go to work or school unless your condition has improved. 

Exercises for healthy lungs:

It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, healthy or strong, lean tender or fat, or even have a chronic disease, being physically active is good for your lungs. Work on doing breathing activities. The most helpful sort of breathing activities is pursed lip breathing and belly breathing which are shown well by the experts in pulmonary rehabilitation for those having persistent lung illnesses like asthma and COPD. Vigorous activities are one more compelling means to further develop your heart work, fortify your muscles and increment your breathing in this manner making your lungs more proficient.

How do breathing activities help?

Whenever your lungs are solid, breathing is normal and simple. You can breathe in and breathe out with next to no trouble as your diaphragm performs around 80% of the undertaking filling your lungs with a combination of oxygen and other gases. The waste gases are then conveyed. This cycle can measure up to the case of a screened entryway with a spring that opens and closes all alone. Healthy lungs are springy but once you are affected with asthma or COPD, they lose their springiness and fail to return to the original level once you start breathing. This makes the air caught in the lungs.

Whenever this occurs for quite a while, there is less space for the diaphragm to contract and acquire new oxygen. At the point when the maximum capacity of the muscle isn’t utilized, the body consequently changes to different muscles on the neck, back, and chest for relaxing. This implies that the degrees of oxygen in the body goes down and there is exceptionally less hold for exercise and action. While breathing activities are rehearsed consistently, it can assist the lungs with disposing of amassed bad air and increment the degrees of oxygen and take the stomach back to its unique shape and capacity.

Pursed Lip Breathing:

By doing this exercise you lessen the number of breaths that you take and keep your aviation routes open for a more extended time frame. The more wind streams through your lungs, the more dynamic you can be. Rehearsing this is certainly not a mammoth errand by the same token. You should simply take in and out through your nose and something like two times as long through your mouth with tightened lips.

Midsection relaxing:

Like that of tightened breathing, begin this activity by breathing through your nose. Intently notice how your stomach fills off with air. Put your hands on your belly or spot a tissue box so you can see the rising and falling of your stomach. Inhale and exhale through your mouth at least twice and ensure that your neck and shoulders are relaxed as you restrain your diaphragm when you proceed to fill and empty your lungs.

It gets better with practice!

However these activities appear to be basic, it requires very much investment to dominate. These should not be done when your breath is shorter but as you perform them, the breathing is made easier. The best results are seen when both these exercises are practiced for about 5 to 10 mins every day.