Making Your Lungs Work Better With Water

All of us know when our lungs aren't quite working right. We feel sluggish, and our heads feel foggy. It may be that we're having an upper-respiratory infection, or some other problem.

But whatever it is, water will make your system work better, and more quickly take care of whatever the problem is. You will also feel better. The other thing water will do is keep your mouth and throat well-hydrated, because if you have an infection like that, chances are you will be coughing a lot.

Coughing is something we want to avoid. Like runny noses and sneezing, we think it's embarrassing. But remember that coughs are there to help the body get rid of something, and rather than try to make the body quit, we should help the body. I don't know about you, but I'd just as soon get over my coughing as quickly as I can. So start drinking water!

(The one time I would encourage cough suppressants -- that is, medicine to suppress the coughing reflex -- is at night. If you are having trouble sleeping because of constant coughing, take a minimum dose of cough medicine just before going to bed. Sometimes there's a very small amount of drainage that's not even noticeable when we're awake. But as soon as we lay down, the "tickling" starts, and makes it hard to sleep. Your body also needs sleep. So feel free to take something for the cough in this circumstance. On the other hand, if you are coughing up large amounts of phlegm, don't do anything to suppress the cough. Your body is getting rid of some garbage, and you don't want to stop that).

Begin by drinking more water whenever you feel chest congestion coming on. Remember, drinking water cannot hurt you. And it will usually help get rid of the nasty viruses that give us the crud feeling. So you might want to begin doubling up on the amount of water you normally drink. If you normally drink 10 glasses a day, go to 20. Even 20 is not all that much, and you will be surprised at how much better you feel.

Another water tactic that helps a lot is steam. Most of us don't have a sauna in our house, but you can easily create a sauna-like atmosphere, with no special equipment or preparation. This is the way to do it: go into the bathroom, and tightly shut the door. Plug the drain in the bathtub, and turn on the bath water full blast, and make sure the temperature is as hot as you can get it. (Don't worry ... you're not going to be bathing in this!) If you can, plug the sink drain as well, and turn the water on there as well. Make sure you don't have a fan going ... you want the steam to accumulate. The inside of the bathroom should be as humid as a tropical rainforest! Now sit down, and breathe deep. Keep breathing until the steam has subsided. What you are doing is getting your lungs full of moist, humid air, and coating the insides of your lungs with the water. This is also a good tactic with a child who is having trouble breathing due to a croupy cough. Get the bathroom nice and steamy, and carry them in there (if a young child) or take them in there with you (if older) and let them breathe deep. Don't be afraid to stay in for 15 or 20 minutes or more. This will help you (or your child) to breathe better, feel better, and your body will be the better able to loosen the congestion that makes them feel like someone's standing on their chest.

Jim Huffman, RN specializes in natural and alternative healing therapies. His first book is 'Dare to Be Free: How to Get Control of Your Time, Your Life, and Your Nursing Career,' and is aimed at helping other nurses find satisfying, dynamic careers. His website is http://www.NetworkForNurses.com and his health blog is at http://www.shababa.blogspot.com

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Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:05:30 GMT Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection - New York Times WNCT Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection New York Times - 6 hours ago By AP WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections. Deaths Heighten Arthritis Drugs Warning WebMD Nation Digest 4 arthritis drugs get tougher warnings Seattle Times U.S. News & World Report - Reuters - Bloomberg all 491 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:38:34 GMT UN warns of Haiti flooding crisis - BBC News BBC News UN warns of Haiti flooding crisis BBC News - 1 hour ago Several hundred thousand people need help in Haiti, which is suffering severe flooding after being hit by a series of tropical storms, the UN says. Attempts to Aid Desperate Haitians Hindered by Floodwaters Washington Post Storms line up to slam western Atlantic, southeastern US AFP Telegraph.co.uk - The Associated Press - Chicago Tribune - Bradenton Herald all 2,575 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:05:26 GMT House committee widens probe of Vytorin safety - International Herald Tribune ChattahBox House committee widens probe of Vytorin safety International Herald Tribune - 7 hours ago AP TRENTON, NJ: A House committee investigating the safety and effectiveness of the popular cholesterol drug Vytorin and one of its components is turning up the heat on the drug's makers. Many Questions About Vytorin New York Times Drug Scare Shenanigans FOXNews Reuters - U.S. News & World Report - Forbes - MedPage Today all 547 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:32:18 GMT Stocks: A Terrible Thursday - BusinessWeek Washington Post Stocks: A Terrible Thursday BusinessWeek - 2 hours ago Major US indexes each tumbled nearly 3% as worries intensified over the health of the economy. All eyes are on Friday's jobs report Market players were probably wondering Thursday why they bothered to come back from their summer vacations. Stocks Are Broadly Lower Tracking Falls on Wall Street Wall Street Journal Stocks slide on economic worries CNNMoney.com Seattle Times - Los Angeles Times - Forbes - New York Times all 821 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:53:27 GMT Tropical Storm Hanna aiming for Massachusetts - Boston Globe ABC News Tropical Storm Hanna aiming for Massachusetts Boston Globe - 3 hours ago By Andrew Ryan and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to churn up the Atlantic coast and lash Massachusetts this weekend with winds gusting up to 50 mph near the coast and up to four inches of rain. Video: Hanna Nears US, but Stronger Ike Looms AssociatedPress Area departments gearing up for Hanna's arrival Attleboro Sun Chronicle Sun-Sentinel.com - Opelousas Daily World - The Associated Press all 5,279 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:23:14 GMT Jesse Jackson hospitalized for stomach pains - Chicago Tribune United Press International Jesse Jackson hospitalized for stomach pains Chicago Tribune - 1 hour ago By Jeremy Gorner | Chicago Tribune reporter Rev. Jesse Jackson was being treated Thursday in Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after falling ill. Video: Rev. Jesse Jackson Hospitalized AssociatedPress Jesse Jackson hospitalized after stomach pains USA Today Atlanta Journal Constitution - Entertainment Tonight News - CNN Political Ticker - AHN all 328 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:00:48 GMT Kilpatrick's rise and fall - Detroit Free Press Washington Post Kilpatrick's rise and fall Detroit Free Press - 37 minutes ago BY BILL McGRAW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • September 5, 2008 Kwame Kilpatrick entered the mayor's office with extraordinary gifts -- charisma, savvy, flair, pedigree, connections, ambition and chutzpah -- everything a 31-year-old needed to make a ... Video: A Timeline of Detroit Mayor's Text Scandal AssociatedPress Detroit’s Mayor Will Leave Office and Go to Jail New York Times Chicago Tribune - San Jose Mercury News - DetNews.com - Wall Street Journal all 5,822 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:27:50 GMT Clickbank Content Work At Home

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