Mostly we don`t think about breathing until it becomes difficult isn`t it. Lungs are vital organs present in us similar to heart, kidney and liver etc. It is essential to keep our lungs in good shape for our lives to be normal. During inhalation, lungs take in oxygen from the air and transfer it to the bloodstream through air sacs or alveoli. In the same way, carbon dioxide moves from blood into alveoli and gets removed. This is termed as respiration. Pollution, smoking and lung cancer etc have made it compulsory for us to take care of lung health. Importance of lung tests: By means of lung tests, we would be able to diagnose and treat respiratory issues like asthma, COPD etc. Various lung tests are Spirometry: The amount of air we can breathe in and out and the speed with which we do this is measured by a spirometry test. This is a basic test for lung function. By taking a deep breath and blowing hard into the machine, asthma, COPD etc can be detected in us. Peak flow test: It must be noted that the peak flow test is a quick breathing check. This test determines the peak rate at which air would be blown out from the lungs. Here a handheld device is used and when we blow into this device then how much air gets pushed out of our lungs could be found out. Asthma patients use this test to keep a check on their lung function at home. Lung volume test: Known as pulmonary function test, measures the amount of air the lungs could hold. Various lung conditions could be diagnosed by this superb test. By means of lung volume test, lung diseases can be identified plus severity of breathing issues can be identified. It must be noted that this test can be used to evaluate lung functions before surgery. Arterial blood gas test or ABG test: This test would determine the effectiveness of the lungs in gas exchanging and regulating oxygen and carbon dioxide levels etc. For those patients with severe lung issues, ABG test is used. Diffusion capacity test or DLCO: It is noteworthy that DLCO or diffusing capacity of lungs for carbon monoxide would measure how effificiently oxygen would move from lungs to the bloodstream. This test would help in identifying hidden damage in the lung tissues etc. Six minute walk test: The strength of our lungs while doing physical activity can be measured by this test. Here, we must walk for 6 minutes and heart rate and oxygen levels are determined. Imaging test like X-Ray, CT Scan etc: With the help of the pictures taken by X-Ray and CT Scan etc, it would be possible to identify infections, tumours, scarring etc in the lungs.

Is there any simple soothing way to wrap up the food that not only refreshes our taste buds but also helps the body to digest the food better? No more bloated feeling after eating meals!! Yes, there is indeed a simple way in the form of a superb drink that can be highly effective post meal as it would create a calming or soothing effect plus would help us to digest the food well. It is none other than the ginger lemon tea. Reasons why we must drink this ginger lemon tea post meals are Improves digestion and lowers acidity: It is worthy to note that ginger would stimulate digestive enzymes and this would lower issues like gas, bloating etc. Lemon would help in liver detoxification plus enhancing bile production. By this, fats would be broken down well. Post meal sluggishness would be avoided. Helps in weight management: It is true that drinking ginger lemon tea could help in weight loss. Point is that ginger would boost metabolism and would help the body to burn more fat. On the other side, lemon would help in detoxification and would curb the food cravings. This would finally help us shed a few kilos. Flushes out toxins: Toxins would build up post meals. Intake of ginger would help in circulation and lemon would act as diuretic. The combo of ginger and lemon would help in flushing out of toxins and this would make us feel energised etc. Keep us hydrated: There are times when we forget to consume water and by drinking this tea we could feel more hydrated. Especially in the winter season, drinking this tea combination would be superb. Boosts immunity in us: When we drink ginger lemon tea then we would be able to fight against many infections like cold, cough etc. The reason is that ginger has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and lemon is full of vitamin C. Hence, this drink would improve our immunity Better skin health: Inflammation would get reduced well by ginger and collagen production would be boosted by lemon. By drinking this superb combo, our skin health would get better. Mood booster and stress reducerer: The mood lifting properties of ginger lemon tea combination would help in the reduction of mental fatigue and it would boost our concentration. We would feel calm after drinking this tea.

If you are of the view that coconut water would be suitable for all, then this article might shock you!! We all love to drink coconut water as it is very tasty.  The coconut water has got calories, electrolytes etc and it is a superb drink post workouts etc. In some persons with underlying health conditions drinking coconut water could trigger health complications and that is due to its sugary content, electrolytic profile and cooling nature etc. Drinking coconut water might not be good for these people. Not suitable for those with diabetes or high blood sugar levels It must be noted that coconut water has natural sugars around 6gms to 7gms per 200ml of serving. Though this is less than that present in soft drinks etc but still it could affect our blood sugar levels. Point is that those with diabetes or insulin resistance natural sugars could lead to increase in the blood sugar levels.  Not suitable for those who are prone to allergies etc: In some sensitive persons, drinking coconut water could cause allergies etc.  Various common allergy based symptoms are hives, swelling, redness, itching etc. In some persons, drinking coconut water can lead to respiratory issues plus digestive discomfort and even anaphylaxis. It was published in the Asia Pacific Allergy that 90% of children with coconut allergy had skin related issues. Ten percent developed anaphylaxis also. So, please be careful. Not suitable for those who have kidney issues: Potassium is an important mineral that plays a huge role in maintaining fluid balance and heart function. Those with chronic kidney disease or CKD must not drink coconut water as it can be dangerous. It must be noted that when the kidneys are unable to filter the potassium efficiently then potassium would build up in the blood. This can result in hyperkalemia conditions. This can cause muscle weakness, nausea plus irregular heartbeats etc. Not suitable for those with flu or cold etc: It must be taken into note that by drinking coconut water during cold or flu etc issues like nasal congestion and throat irritation etc could get worse. This would lead to delayed recovery. Those with weak immune systems or prone to frequent cold must not drink coconut water during illness or in the winters. Not suitable for those with high BP: It is true that coconut water with potassium can be a heart healthy drink. By counteracting with sodium, potassium would help to reduce the blood pressure in us. Pont is that those persons who are taking medicines (ACE inhibitors etc) for high BP must not drink coconut water as it can be risky. Potassium levels would increase in those who take these medications as their bodies would retain potassium. This can lead to hyperkalemia conditions. Those persons who are taking medicines for high BP must consult their doctor before drinking coconut water. Fact is that unsupervised use could lead to health complications also. Please take care.

How many are aware of the fact that every year 27th of July is celebrated as the World Head and Neck Cancer Day? One of the most common types of cancer is Head & Neck cancer. The main objective behind the above said date is to create awareness regarding head and neck cancers.  What is head and neck cancer? It must be noted that head and neck cancer is a group of cancer that would develop in the head and neck region. This includes mouth, throat, voice box, nose, salivary glands and sinuses etc. It is noteworthy that head and neck cancer would be classified as squamous cell carcinomas arising from thin flat cells present in the linings of head and neck. Symptoms: Those with head & neck cancer would show several symptoms like persistent sores, lump, swelling difficulty in swallowing, pain etc. The shocking piece of information is that head and neck cancer would not only occur in smokers but also in the non-smokers and youngsters etc. Various causes for head and neck cancers are HPV infections: Oropharyngeal cancer could be due to HPV or HPV-16 and it would also include cancers in the tonsils and at the base of the tongue etc. It is learnt that more youngsters (who have no history of smoking or drinking etc) are getting affected with this cancer. Exposure to environment and occupation etc: Point is that prolonged or continuous exposure to industrial pollution, traffic, exhaust etc could result in head and neck cancers in us. For a long time, these reasons were overlooked but in recent times these have been regarded as major carcinogenic or cancer causing agents especially in the urban industrial places. Nutrition and oral hygiene: Inflammatory conditions would be formed in the mouth if we eat food that has inadequate nutrients and lacks antioxidants etc. This inflammatory condition would suggest a pre-cancerous tendency in the mouth cavity. Alcohol and genetic predisposition: Even when we do not smoke but consume alcohol moderately etc, the enhanced probability of this cancer would be advanced. Truth is that genetic mutatations could be passed on from parents to their children. That is even if the child maintains a healthy lifestyle he or she could get head and neck cancer. Awareness and early action needed; It is worthy to note that delayed diagnosis in non-smokers is an important issue. Those who have never drunk or smoked would not even think about cancer in them. This could lead to delay in the detection of cancer and further treatment etc. Note: It is possible to cure head and neck cancer if it is detected in the early stage itself. The patient would be subjected to several treatment options like surgery, radiation therapy chemotherapy etc. Primary treatment for early stage cancer is surgery. Often used alone or in combination with surgery is the usage of high energy rays used to kill cancer cells. In chemotherapy, drugs are used to kill cancer cells. By targeted therapy, more accurate treatment could be achieved.