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Steam Therapy & the Respiratory System Today, there is a growing number of problems with the respiratory system due to a wide variety of modern forms of air pollution. Some of these toxic forms of air pollution enter blood stream through the lungs and harm cells of the body and some forms of air pollution damage the cells of that form the lining of respiratory system. When we look more closely at the amazing natural design of the respiratory system, it is easy to see why air pollution can be so harmful to health & wellness. Also, it provides insight into the value of steam therapy as a treatment modality to help balance the effects of air pollution that everyone is exposed to. To better understand the respiratory system, we will compare the lungs and the skin. The skin is a barrier to the outside world that protects the internal cellular environment from exposure to the outside environment. The surface of area of the skin in approximately 22 square feet. The surface area of the lungs also acts a barrier between the outside air and the blood stream. The surface area of the lungs is 750 square feet ( 30 greater surface area than the skin). The thinnest layer of the epidermis of the skin (outer layer) is 50 micrometers wide and the barrier of the membrane of the lungs from the blood stream is only 1/2 a micrometer thick (wide). The outermost layer of the skin at its thinnest width is more than 100 times wider than the barrier between the alveoli of the lungs and the blood stream. There is a continual exposure of the blood steam to the air and everything in the air on a surface area of 750 square feet of lungs with a barrier of only 1/2 micrometer. And each day, the heart will pump more than 1,800 gallons of blood through the lungs to absorb oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide. See Skin Illustration Illustration As air pollution increases, so does the exposure of the surface area of the lungs increase to these pollutants. There are more than 300 million alveoli in the lungs, which are the delicate membranes where the exchange takes place between the air and the blood stream. The barrier between the lungs and blood stream is only 1/16 the diameter of a red blood cell ( 8 micrometers) that is passing by on the other side the membrane barrier. It easy to understand that as toxic air pollution increases, there is an increase in health & wellness related issues. There is an increase in major medical conditions related to air pollution, such as lung cancer, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and allergies. Increased air pollution effects on the lungs and blood, even if it doesn't produce major medical problems, is going to decrease the overall health & wellness of the human body. This creates a major obstacle to normal levels and optimal levels of health & wellness, which is a natural goal of everyone. Through various approaches, we can decrease our exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution, but it is not possible to eliminate it, we can only decrease it. See Lung Illustration Illustration Steam therapy is one of the oldest holistic health & wellness approaches in maintaining a healthy respiratory system. Steam therapy is used as regular programs to maintain a healthy respiratory system, to prevent health problems in the future and in the treatment of various respiratory health problems. In Ayurveda, which has been used for thousands of years and continues today, there are several approaches using steam and other water therapies. Naysa is program that includes the use of steam, herbs and massage. Neti is an approach that uses water for nasal irrigation. It is interesting that Dr. Merret Oz, on the Oprah Show, recommended Neti as a treatment for nasal allegories and general health of the sinus cavities. Inhalation steam therapy, done on a regular basis, can have significant short-term and long-term benefits:
Inhalation therapy treatments can be very easy and enjoyable to provide to your clients. The following are some suggestions for doing steam inhalation treatments:
http://publicaffairs.uth.tmc.edu/distinctions/archive/2006/January/nonamedicine.html
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