Avoid sudden changes in temperature, wash your hands often, stop smoking, ventilate the rooms and clean the air conditioner filters, fill up with antioxidants. With these recommendations, the “Protect your lungs” campaign is back with the winter edition of “Journey through Breath”, a handbook for taking care of lung health in the coldest months of the year. In fact, winter humidity and temperature conditions, together with the greater amount of time spent indoors, put the health of the respiratory system at risk. In winter we are more exposed to respiratory infections, cold temperatures inhibit some of the body’s important defense systems against viruses and bacteria, reducing its immune response. Hence the educational initiative promoted by Zambon Italia, available on the website www.proteggiituoipolmoni.it. – reads a note – which aims to explain in a simple way why and how to take care of the health of your respiratory tract.
“Cold ambient temperatures – explains Maria Pia Foschino Barbaro, full professor of diseases of the respiratory system – University of Foggia, Policlinico di Foggia – favor a greater transmission and development of respiratory infections due to alterations of the “mucociliary clearance”, an important defense mechanism of the respiratory tract capable of contrasting and blocking the entry into the lungs of foreign bodies and pathogens such as viruses and bacteria”.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Northeastern University – continues the note – low temperatures cause a substantial decrease in the extracellular vesicles present in the nose, real “guardians” that usually neutralize viruses before they have way of infecting cells; lacking the natural filter of the nose, the lungs are therefore particularly exposed to infections.
“To the risks linked to the action on the body of the low temperatures typical of winter – adds Foschino Barbaro, curator of the handbook – we must also add the factors that damage the lungs all year round, such as smoke, pollution and action of free radicals which are the basis of oxidative stress. This is why, especially in winter, it is important to adopt precautions and have good habits that help the body counteract oxidative stress, for example by promoting the production of glutathione thanks to micronutrients rich in anti-oxidants or substances such as N-acetylcysteine” .
The “5 moves” to protect the lungs are described in the handbook: protect your mouth and nose outdoors as in closed places, especially if crowded (even with a mask); adopt good prevention habits (wash your hands often, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, eat fruit and vegetables, get vaccinated); stop smoking; check the air quality and fill up on antioxidants. Vaccinations are also useful – again the note – which, although not available for all viruses and bacteria that threaten respiratory health, are an important first line of defense to avoid even serious complications, especially for the elderly and children. The worst enemy of lung health is smoking. “The winter months, precisely because of the low temperatures that don’t encourage you to go outside to smoke – concludes the expert – could be the right time to quit”.
On the site www.proteggiituoipolmoni.it, in addition to the campaign materials, it is possible to consult the practical guide and the episodes of the animated docu-series to find useful advice on how to take care of the respiratory tract. From lifestyle to breath training, passing from risk factors to avoid, to practical exercises to learn to listen to your breath, train it and keep it healthy.
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