Better Nutrition March 2019

USING ESSENTIAL OILS FOR CONGESTION
Here’s a natural way to ease congestion in your lungs and sinuses: Place 5–6 drops of
pleasing essential oils* into a fairly large bowl and add 2 cups of hot water. Sit comfortably
at a table so you can place your face over the steaming bowl and cover it all with a towel
over your head and shoulders so no steam escapes. Keep your eyes closed and your
forearms resting on the table on either side of the bowl. Breathe in the aroma of the
steam deeply for several minutes. Bonus: you’ll get a nice facial as well!
*Easy-to-find essential oils to try are eucalyptus, thyme, myrrh, sandalwood, fennel,
hyssop, cypress, cedarwood, bergamot, chamomile, and cajeput.
High Intensity.
Hydration
Sulfur
In the old days, before antibiotics, sulfur
was often the antimicrobial medicine
of choice. Native Americans revered
the sulfurous hot springs all over the
country. On the arduous journey home
after Sacagawea escaped her captors, she
was said to have developed pneumonia,
but cured herself by lying next to a sulfur
hot spring and breathing in the fumes
and resting for several days. For patients
with bronchitis or the beginning stages
of pneumonia, I apply a mustard poultice
(mustard is yellow because of the high
sulfur content) to a patient’s chest in the
office and park them under a heat lamp
for 20 minutes to help clear their lungs.
Asthma Triggers
Another type of lung irritation is asthma,
which has become increasingly common.
Triggers include dust mites, cockroach
droppings, pollens, feathers, and food
allergens (especially dairy, but also eggs,
shellfish, peanuts, wheat, chocolate,
citrus, and food colorings). You can
control what you put in your mouth
better than what’s floating around in the
air—so make sure to exert control over
your allergy response by assessing food
irritants. If your symptoms are worse
in the spring, tree pollens are probably
the culprit. If worse in the summer,
grass and weed pollens are usually the
problem. Some people develop hay fever
in response to airborne fungal spores,
which are most prevalent from April to
November, or during rainier seasons.
Hidden Causes of Weak Lungs
Besides food irritants (which you can
avoid) and environmental pollutants
(which are harder to avoid, but good
masks can be found at ICanBreathe.com),
overly sensitive lungs may signal an
immune deficiency or inability to clear
pollutants. You may need to dig a bit to
figure out what’s bothering your lungs.
Low tryptophan and low vitamin B 12
levels both contribute to troubled lungs.
Food additives (artificial dyes, especially
the yellow tartrazine, preservatives,
and sulfites) are well-known irritants.
Beer and wine are high in sulfates,
as are commercial salad dressings,
“dressed” potatoes (like potato salad
at a restaurant), and prepared dips.
Day-to-Day Strategies
Day-to-day strategies to keep your
lungs healthy are similar to keeping
the whole of you healthy: drink plenty
of water, get enough sleep, and eat a
healthy, plant-based diet. If you need
animal protein and digest it well,
free-range eggs and wild salmon are
good choices. Also, spend time outside
in nature whenever possible. Trees
inhale carbon dioxide and exhale
oxygen—we couldn’t survive without
them. The Japanese have a cherished
tradition that has been celebrated
around the world called “forest bathing.”
We might call it a walk in the woods.
Keep your lungs healthy—and help
keep the planet healthy—by advocating
for green spaces in your community.
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Do you have a question for Dr. Kane? Email it to editorial@betternutrition.com with “Ask the ND” in the subject line.
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