Whether you or a loved one is living with bronchiectasis, it’s important to understand how it affects your health, so you can make the right lifestyle choices to manage its symptoms.
Bronchiectasis is an irreversible, chronic condition where airways in your lungs become damaged and abnormally widened. This is caused by recurring inflammation and/or infection, which over time impairs your ability to move air in and out of the lungs.
To help combat bronchiectasis symptoms, you’ll want to choose the right foods, avoid harmful environmental elements, and use the best airway clearance system available to improve your impaired breathing condition.
Here are a few tips from Bronchiectasis News Today and other online resources* to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while living with bronchiectasis:
The food and drinks we ingest play a vital role in managing bronchiectasis and other chronic lung conditions. According to The British Lung Foundation, eating foods that are high in fiber (e.g. fruits and vegetables) can actually improve your lung health and prevent infection, as these types of power foods help boost your immune system. In contrast, processed foods that contain high sodium and saturated fats may actually harm your lungs and cause you to retain water and bloat, making it difficult for you to breathe.
Keeping your heart rate healthy and strengthening your muscles, particularly your diaphragm, is essential to combating bronchiectasis. Swimming, walking, or yoga are all considered moderate, yet highly effective forms of exercise that help you loosen mucus in the lungs and control your breathing.
Toxins, such as second-hand smoke; indoor-air pollutants (e.g. wood burning stoves or chimneys); dust particles; and exhaust fumes are especially harmful to your lungs. It’s a good idea to make sure your home’s air filters are cleaned regularly, particularly your air conditioning unit, as this can spread harmful bacteria that infects your lungs.
There are many approaches to managing bronchiectasis and other impaired breathing conditions, such as COPD and cystic fibrosis. Although breathing techniques, antibiotics, and airway clearance devices can be successful in preventing infection, your best option for bronchiectasis management may be a High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) vest. An HFCWO therapy vest, like the SmartVest Airway Clearance System, works by delivering rapidly repeating pulses of air that squeeze and release the upper body. As a result, your body propels mucus from the lungs through gentle, yet powerful “mini-coughs” that move the mucus toward major airways, where it can be easily coughed out. SmartVest Airway Clearance therapy can easily fit into your daily routine. A common regimen is doing treatment twice a day, once right in the morning and again before bed.
Living with bronchiectasis can be painful and overwhelming, which is why having a supportive community devoted to improving your quality of life is beneficial.
When you choose SmartVest, you’ll have access to clinical research on the effectiveness of the SmartVest Airway Clearance System, patient resources for airway clearance, and a lifetime of customer support and product maintenance to help you live life to its fullest potential. To learn more about the benefits of using an airway clearance vest or to get started with your SmartVest Airway Clearance System, contact us today!
*Other Online Sources: