I hope you are having a happy, safe Wali Wednesday! Today I had to run – was nearly squashed by a truck. That was no fun. I am not good at running far, but I made it to the bushes. That truck made smoke too. Iguanas cannot cough, so Wali got all choked up.
I was sitting there panting and remembered that we checked out students in the gym last week. You really need your lungs to run. “Love your lungs,” says Wali!
Lungs are delicate. They are protected by your ribcage. So if you fall and hurt your ribs, you may find it painful to breathe.
All that air going into all your alveoli needs to be clean to help them work too. Some dust and smoke are taken out by your nose and by the wet lining of your windpipe and those small tubes, the bronchi. So to keep your lungs happy and to love them more, avoid dust and smoke. Smoking cigarettes and vaping are really bad for your lungs as they cannot avoid being filled with really small particles. Some of these go into the blood, some stay stuck in the lungs and damage alveoli. This leads to chronic lung disease. Smoking can even cause cancers in the lungs and other organs so it is really a bad habit.
Coughing and wheezing may be signs that your lungs are not working well. Coughing up sputum or spit is also not a good sign. This happens in infections of the lungs by viruses or bacteria. If you have asthma, it can be caused by pollen or other allergies. Our students train to listen to the lungs with their stethoscopes to find out how they are working.
How can you love your lungs? Well, they really like activity – just like your heart! When you sit still, your lungs cannot work as well – they like a good stretch and deep breathing. Just don’t do this while the teachers are watching!
Authors: Christine Garabetian, Dr. Colin Michie and the AUC Kids Herald Group with Wali.
Illustration: Health.com.
