Dear Reader,
How young are your lungs? It’s a question of youthful features because we have great lungpower when we’re young but we lose it with age.
I wish you could see all the things that I’ve seen in my career… If you could see my twenty years of practicing what I call “elective health improvement”… (I had to create the term because no one in medicine seemed to know much about it.)…There’s no doubt in my mind you’d think more about what you could do for your lungpower.
It turns out that by the time you’re 50 you’ll lose 40% of your breathing capacity. And, that percentage continues to increase as you age. And, the smaller your lungs, the greater your chance of dying – of ALL causes.
In fact, in the 1980’s, Dr. Dean Ward collected decades of studies showing that lung capacity is the very best predictor of longevity.1
When your lung volume drops, your immune system weakens and you don’t get enough oxygen. With a chronic lack of oxygen your energy declines and it sets the stage for sickness and disease.
With increased lungpower your breathing is more relaxed. You can take bigger and deeper breaths. You feel stronger and have greater endurance. Your mind is sharper and your memory improves. And, you won’t get sick as often. The list goes on.
You’ve probably already heard of My PACE program and how it increases your lungpower. If you are not already doing it you should really give it a try. It is effective at increasing your lung volume.
Another way to increase your lung volume is with the ancient practice of Qigong. You may have read about it in one of my previous Doctor’s House Calls.
In Chinese philosophy, “Qi” or “Chi” means air or breath or vital energy that gives rise to all things. “Gong” means work, or the function and benefit of this energy.
Qigong uses mental concentration, body movements and breathing techniques to build up your “vital energy”…the energy that flows through channels in your body.
I use it myself on a daily basis. I find it extremely effective for energizing the body and getting rid of stress.
And, getting rid of stress is critical for your lungs. Stress speeds up the decline of your lungpower. In fact, one study found that longstanding anger and hostility weakens your lungs and speeds up their age-related decline.2
Qigong is not only great for distressing, but it is also great training and coaching for contemplating your life.
As a young man I studied the teachings of Aristotle who believed in the importance of contemplation. He emphasized that contemplation allows us to determine which acts will bring about the most happiness and how to implement those acts.
Here’s an easy exercise that you can do right now in what I call self-contemplation.
Sit with your spine straight and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands over your knees with your palms up. Keep your fingers extended.
Take deep breaths, inhaling through your mouth. Be aware of the moment. Focus only on your breathing, in and out, and let all the other stuff just melt away.
Now, try to visualize yourself as you sit. Simply look at yourself with your mind’s eye. Try it! Do it just a few moments a day and you will see a how energized you feel.
You can learn more about Qigong from a truly great teacher, by CLICKING HERE.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
- Dean W. Biological Aging Measurement—Clinical Applications. 1988. The Center for Bio-Gerontology. Los Angeles, CA.
- Butland et al., Diet, lung function, and lung function decline in a cohort of 2512 middle aged men., Thorax, 2000; 55: 102-108