In recent years, the dangers of tobacco to human health have become widely known. However, there are still many people who are addicted to cigarettes, one pack, two packs a day, or even more. Today, as an experienced veteran TCM practitioner, I would like to talk to you about the effects of tobacco on lung health. If you take a pack of cigarettes a day, what happens to your lungs after 30 days?
First of all, let's understand the understanding of the lungs in Chinese medicine. In TCM theory, the lungs are regarded as the body's "gas reservoir", responsible for breathing, regulating water metabolism, and protecting us from external diseases. However, long-term smoking can cause serious damage to the lungs and even lead to serious diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer.
If you take a pack of cigarettes a day, after 30 days, your lungs will experience the following changes. First of all, the harmful substances in tobacco can cause an inflammatory response in the lungs, which leads to swelling of the bronchial mucosa and increased secretions. This will lead to worsening of the symptoms of chronic bronchitis, such as cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, etc. At the same time, the harmful substances in tobacco can damage lung tissue, destroy the elasticity and morphological structure of the alveolar wall, affect the gas exchange function of the lungs, and lead to the occurrence of emphysema.
In addition, the chemicals in tobacco can mutate the DNA of lung cells, increasing the risk of lung cancer. Studies have shown that smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, and the risk of lung cancer in smokers is more than 20 times that of non-smokers. In addition, the harmful substances in tobacco can also weaken immunity and increase the risk of lung infections, such as lung infections, pneumonia, etc.
So, how can we improve and protect our lung health?As a veteran Chinese medicine practitioner, I recommend some ancient and modern prescriptions to help you improve your lung health. First of all, we can use traditional Chinese medicine for conditioning. For example, when you have symptoms such as cold and cough, you can take traditional Chinese medicine such as fritillary, almond, and lily to moisten the lungs and relieve cough;If you have symptoms of emphysema, you can use traditional Chinese medicine that nourishes heart qi, eliminates phlegm and relieves asthma, such as fengfeng, suzi, atractylodes, etc.
In addition, we should also pay attention to our daily diet and lifestyle habits to protect lung health. A balanced diet is an important part of lung health, and we should eat more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, lemons, spinach, etc., to strengthen lung immunity. In addition, it is also very important to keep the indoor air fresh and moist, you can open the windows frequently for ventilation, and use equipment such as air purifiers to reduce damage to the lungs.
To sum up, the long-term damage caused by a pack of cigarettes a day cannot be ignored. Smoking can have serious effects on lung health, increasing the risk of diseases such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. Therefore, we should abandon the bad habit of smoking and protect our lung health. Through traditional Chinese medicine**, a balanced diet and lifestyle modifications, we can improve lung health and prevent the occurrence of chronic lung diseases.
Thank you for taking the time to read our article. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. I wish you all the best!
References: 1 jiang, y., triboulet, s., blee, a. et al. tobacco smoke-induced autophagy in airway epithelium. j clin invest. 2014;124(8): 3545-3558.