10 Tips for protecting your lungs from smoke during bushfire season

It’s a stressful time right now with bushfires burning out of control over much of NSW, and surrounding the Blue Mountains and Sydney. On top of making your fire plan and being prepared, it is important to look after your your lung health, as well as your mental wellbeing.

The air quality in Sydney and the Blue Mountains has been hazardous for some time now with a lot of bushfire smoke in the air. It is the finer, microscopic particles in the smoke that cause the most concern, as they can get deep into the lungs and cause adverse health effects if not cleared effectively.

​Read on for some tips on how to protect your lungs, and how to help your body detoxify from this pollution as efficiently as possible.

​1. Stay indoors as much as possible

This one is obvious, but it is really important to try and stay inside during this time of heavy smoke to protect yourself from breathing more smoke than necessary.

​If you have an air-conditioner at home, set it to ‘recycle’ or ‘recirculate’ to reduce outside smoke coming into your home, and you can even put wet towels underneath the doors to prevent smoke coming in that way.

If you don’t have air-conditioning, try to spend time at other locations that have cleaner, filtered air-conditioned spaces (e.g. libraries, shopping centres, cinemas) or staying with a friend or relative who does.

2. Drink LOTS of water

Did you know that 80% of our lungs are made up of water? This means that even mild dehydration can significantly impact lung function. Whilst it is important to stay hydrated at the best of times, it is particularly important at the moment.

Your lungs utilise water to help keep your airways clean, clear of inflammatory build up and mucous. Drinking water helps to flush the microscopic particles, that enter your body via your lungs, from your system. So, drink up!

Adding a squeeze of lemon or lime to your water makes it more tasty, more hydrating, and gives you a little extra boost of Vitamin C!

​3. Soothe your nose with a saline spray

A simple saline spray from the chemist can help to soothe and moisten the inside of your nose. This helps to reduce sinus irritation, as well as helps to promote the expulsion of tiny airborne particles before they get into your lungs.

4. Irrigate your nasal passages with a neti pot

The next step up from a saline spray is using a neti pot. A neti pot is basically a specially-shaped container that you use to flush salty water through your whole nasal passageway. A thorough flush of your nasal passages helps to remove foreign substances and pollution, again helping prevent them from entering into the body further.
​
You can buy neti pots from many chemists these days, and they can be used to help maintain good sinus health through the year, as well as at times of extra need like now.

5. Drink green tea daily

Green tea contains a lot of antioxidants that may help to reduce inflammation in the lungs, and may even have a protective action against the effect of smoke inhalation on lung tissue.

Recent research from Korea has even shown that frequent consumption of green tea can reduce the risk of lung cancer and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).

6. Eat more anti-inflammatory foods

Breathing smoke can cause inflammation of the airways, which can make your chest feel congested and heavy, and make it more difficult to breathe. Try to eat as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible to help your body reduce this reactive process and the associated symptoms.

Foods that fight inflammation include:
* leafy green vegetables
* berries of all kinds
* cherries
* turmeric
* garlic
* fatty fish like salmon, sardines and tuna
* olives & olive oil
* tomatoes
* mushrooms

and many more….There has been a lot of research lately into what foods reduce inflammation, and you can learn more about the Anti-inflammatory lifestyle here, as a wonderful strategy for a long, healthy life in general.

​7. Increase your Vitamin C intake

Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant, and can act like a natural antihistamine to reduce inflammation and lung irritation. It can also greatly assist your body’s detoxification process.

Vitamin C can be found in a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, but you might want to increase your intake by taking a daily supplement as it can be hard to get enough from food sources during times of increased strain. ​

8. Take antioxidant supplements

There are a lot of antioxidant supplements on the market right now, including Glutathione and N-Acetylcysteine. Antioxidants are important because they help to protect your DNA from oxidative damage, a common side effect of smoke exposure. Both glutathione and N-Acetylcysteine also help to detoxify your body.

9. Eat more ginger

Ginger has many healing benefits, one of which is promoting better lung health. Ginger increases circulation to the lungs, reduces inflammation, and helps to break down mucus. It is also a great natural detoxifier.

​You can include ginger in your diet in many ways, from making a simple tea (you can drink it cold if you don’t feel like drinking tea in this heatwave!), to including it in marinades, stirfries and dressings. 

​10. Invest in an air purifier

This can be a pricey option, and there is a high demand on these products right now, but there is no denying that this would be a very worthwhile investment to ensure cleaner air inside your home - not just for now, but for the long term.

There are many different types and sizes available on the market, and you will need to research the right model for your home, but there are some recommendations on building biologist Nicole Bijlsma’s website here.

I hope some of these tips have been helpful, and please let me know if you have any questions. Take care of yourself and stay safe during this challenging time.