This year there seems to be a lot of colds and respiratory infections going around. I have seen many people in my practice with colds that have gone into bronchitis and pneumonia. Our lungs are an important part of our immune system by providing oxygen to our tissues via our blood. How we treat our lungs is very important.

1. Exercise!! This increases the amount of air we breathe in and strengthens our heart.

2. Don't smoke. It is well known the dangers of smoking.

3. Take some deep cleansing breaths every morning and night and when stressed to keep our lungs strong and calm us down.

4. Use herbal medicines like Coltsfoot, Mullein, Lungwort, Nettle leaves, to name a few. Drank as teas or taken as tinctures will help strengthen the lungs.

5. Keep your skin healthy. Our skin is very closely connected with the lungs energetically. A lot of people with eczema can develop asthma. This has been documented in studies and the Chinese believe that the skin is the sensory organ for the lungs.

6. Greif can cause lung problems. Greif is considered the emotion of the lungs according to Chinese medicine. A lot of people with chronic pneumonia, bronchitis or other lung problems will have had some major grief in their past.

Breathe deep and slow and take care of your lungs!