How to clean your lungs after smoking

On the way to a healthy lifestyle, many first need to give up bad habits, in particular smoking. Coping with nicotine addiction is not easy enough, but if a person decides on a feat, it is important for him to know how to clear his lungs after smoking, thereby speeding up the recovery process, and improving overall well-being.

There are many ways to remove harmful substances and toxins from the body that have formed against the background of prolonged smoking, but the main thing is perseverance and desire to cope with the addiction itself, because, as you know, the problem is not only physical, but also psychological. If a person still managed to overcome cravings, the second step should be to cleanse the lungs after smoking.

The harm of nicotine and why clean the lungs

Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health, but at the same time, every 3rd person suffers from nicotine addiction. Tobacco smoke, as well as carcinogens, poisons and toxins contained in it, often become a trigger for the development of a number of diseases, so it is very important to know the harm from smoking:

• strong psychological and physical dependence;
• negative impact on the nervous and cardiovascular system (stroke, heart attack, vascular atherosclerosis);
• the risk of developing oncological diseases of the lungs and stomach increases;
• decreased immunity;
• violation of potency and decreased reproductive function.

The lungs and bronchi suffer the most from smoking. Heavy smokers are often diagnosed with such terrible diseases as emphysema, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis and cancer. To exclude the development of such pathologies, it is necessary not only to gain willpower and give up bad habits, but also to treat the lungs after smoking, using available means and recommendations for this.

How long does nicotine last

The human body is unique, able to recover on its own after prolonged smoking, but to speed up this process, he needs help. Without auxiliary methods, cleansing the lungs from smoking will take a lot of time, while many will experience unpleasant symptoms: cough with sputum, bad breath. All these symptoms are a sign of purification, indicating that the ciliated cilia of the lung tissue began to actively fight the remnants of harmful substances.

Nicotine begins to be excreted from the body within 2 hours after the last cigarette smoked. After 2 days, the taste of food improves, smells appear brighter, breathing is deeper. After 3 weeks, physical activity increases, shortness of breath disappears.

After 3 months, blood circulation will improve, the lungs will begin to recover, but a cough with brown mucus may appear. This period can last up to 2 months, then the cough will decrease and disappear completely.

The duration of lung recovery after smoking takes up to 1 year, but it depends on the experience of the smoker, the age of the person and concomitant diseases.

How to cleanse the bronchi and lungs of a smoker

Clearing the lungs of the harmful effects of nicotine and its decay products is not difficult, but it will take a long time, from 10 to 14 months. During this period, a person should completely stop smoking, avoid staying in rooms where tobacco smoke is present.

Procedures for cleansing the lungs after quitting smoking are recommended to be carried out in a complex manner, using both pharmaceutical preparations and traditional medicine for this. Breathing exercises, proper and fortified nutrition will also bring benefits.

Pharmacy preparations

The pharmaceutical industry produces a large number of drugs that allow you to cleanse the bronchi and lungs of harmful substances, including nicotine. Such drugs belong to the group of expectorants and mucolytics. In its composition may contain both synthetic and vegetable components. They are produced in various pharmacological forms, have anti-inflammatory, expectorant properties, thin viscous mucus and accelerate its removal from the respiratory system.

A good effect for cleaning the lungs after smoking can be obtained from the following drugs:

• Mukaltin - tablets based on herbal ingredients that thin and remove sputum from the lungs and bronchi. They have an affordable cost, good tolerance, can be used for a long time.
• Acetylcysteine ​​(ACC, Acetal) is an expectorant that helps to separate mucus from the lung mucosa.
• Ambroxol (Lazolvan, Ambrobene) is a mucolytic with a moderate anti-inflammatory effect. It is provided in several forms - tablets, syrup, injections, inhalation solution. Ambroxol-based preparations are often used in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system.
• Ascoril is an effective combination drug with a pronounced expectorant property. Can be used for people with a long history of smoking. The drug not only dilutes and removes sputum, but also relieves bronchospasm due to the content of salbutamol in the composition. This remedy eliminates shortness of breath, restores ventilation of the lungs. You can buy the drug in tablets or syrup.
• Bronchomunal is a unique remedy for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the bronchi and lungs. Its use allows not only to cleanse the respiratory system of viscous mucus, but to stimulate cellular and humoral immunity. Taking capsules restores the mucous membrane of the lungs, accelerates their cleansing after prolonged smoking. The only drawback of the drug is its high price and the need for long-term use - up to 3 months.

Other medicines can also be used to cleanse the lungs, but before taking them, you need to study the instructions, consult a doctor.

Folk remedies

Cleaning the lungs after smoking at home can be done with the help of traditional medicine, which over the course of its existence has accumulated many recipes to treat diseases of the bronchopulmonary system, including eliminating the effects of smoking. As a medicinal raw material, you can use various herbs, food products, which in one way or another have a positive effect on the functioning of the lungs.

Among the effective recipes are the following:

Milk and hop cones . In 1 liter of hot milk you need to put 3 - 4 hop cones, put on a small fire for 5 - 10 minutes. Cool and take a glass 2 times a day. You can add a little butter, a spoonful of honey, this will help enhance the effect. This remedy perfectly copes with various types of coughs, and also cleanses the bronchi and lungs of nicotine and its decay products.

Onion syrup. For cooking, you need a large onion, which you need to chop and cover with sugar. After put in a warm place for 2 - 3 hours. When the juice appears, the onion should be put in cheesecloth and squeezed out. Take 1 tablespoon daily. Together with onions, you can chop and infuse garlic, which is also an excellent antiseptic and a stimulant for the restoration of lung tissue.

Herbal decoction. To prepare the following medicine, you need 1 tsp in equal parts. take pine buds, horsetail, licorice, plantain, violet, sweet clover and pour 1.5 liters of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain and take 100 ml 2 times a day. The minimum course is 1 - 2 months.

Oats. For the next recipe, take 1 tbsp. oat grains, pour 2 tbsp. hot milk, put on a small fire for 15 minutes. Then strain and drink at a time. Every day you need to prepare a new drink.

Pine buds. You need to take 1 tbsp. l. young pine buds, rinse and pour in a thermos 1 tbsp. boiling water, insist hour. Divide the drink into 2 doses and take after meals.

Honey with lemon . This recipe is good for removing phlegm from the lungs and bronchi in smokers. To prepare it, you need to grind 1 lemon in a blender or through a meat grinder, add 200 ml of natural honey, refrigerate for 4 hours, take a tablespoon 2 times a day.

These are far from all the recipes that traditional medicine offers, but before using any of them, you need to exclude allergies, if possible, consult a doctor.

Inhalations

It is also possible to clean the lungs from smoking with the help of inhalation procedures that act in the very focus of inflammation, excellently and quickly dilute viscous mucus, and accelerate its release from the respiratory tract.

Inhalations can be carried out using a nebulizer or inhalation of steam from a pan. As a means for inhalation, you can take both pharmacy solutions (suitable for a nebulizer), and decoctions of herbs, essential oils.

Suitable for nebulizer:

• Lazolvan.
• Ambrobene.
• Mukolvan.
• Borjomi.
• 9% Sodium chloride.

It is recommended to carry out inhalations for 5-10 minutes 2 times a day. Any drug except Borjomi should be diluted 1:1 with 9% sodium chloride.

Decoctions of herbs also showed high efficiency:

• birch leaves;
• peppermint;
• chamomile;
• sage;
• liquorice root;
• plantain.

If you want to use essential oils, you need to pay attention to:

• eucalyptus oil;
• fir;
• cedar.

It is necessary to carry out inhalations in compliance with all the rules and safety standards, this will help to eliminate the burn of the mucous membrane. When using a nebulizer, there are no risks of burns.

Breathing exercises

Restoration of the lungs after quitting smoking is carried out with the help of breathing exercises, which have a positive effect on the smoker's lungs, provide tissues with oxygen, and increase immune protection.

It is recommended to exercise regularly in a ventilated area. They consist of the following:

• Stand up straight, inhale deeply and hold it a little, then exhale.
• When inhaling, you need to inflate your stomach, collect as much air as possible and slowly exhale.
• We breathe deeply with the chest, while leaving the stomach motionless.
• Inflating balloons is a great way to restore the lungs, enhance their functionality.

Each exercise is recommended to be performed 5 times 2 times a day. Breathing exercises will complement other methods of lung cleansing well.

Signs of clearing the lungs from smoking

The fact that the body is being cleared of nicotine will be indicated by several symptoms:

• frequent cough, can last up to 2 months;
• wet cough with copious brown sputum;
• lack of shortness of breath during physical exertion;
• good morning awakening;
• reduction in the number of colds, a decrease in the frequency of exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• increased appetite.

Over time, all symptoms will disappear, a person will feel a surge of vitality, improve overall health and well-being.

Tips & Tricks

To get the maximum effect from cleansing the lungs after prolonged smoking, you need to follow some rules:

• spend as much time outdoors as possible;
• maintain a normal level of humidity in the apartment;
• ventilate the room before going to bed;
• proper and healthy nutrition;
• sufficient fluid intake;
• increased physical activity;
• refusal of alcohol;
• exclude smoky rooms.

Following the elementary rules, the process of cleansing the respiratory system will be much faster. It is important to understand that quitting smoking is much more difficult than cleansing the body of the effects of smoking. However, every smoker must realize and accept the harm from smoking, “gather his will into a fist” and give up the addiction, which not only has a negative impact on the functioning of the body, but also significantly shortens life.