Honey, you still take my breath away after all these years, but those lingering effects of Covid, make me wish you would give it back—!
This isn't an uncommon request as 25% of those who contracted Covid-19 have some sort of on-going lung damage. Taking more than 6 million breaths each year, the lungs affect every aspect of the body. Luckily, regular use of Red Light Therapy (RLT) can repair this damage to keep you breathing easy.
The Lungs are the main part of the Respiratory System, the group of organs responsible for breathing. A rather complex task, each breath uses muscles of the diaphragm, intercoastal muscles between the ribs, muscles of the abdomen and even the neck. Each inhale moves fresh air from the atmosphere into the blood stream, which is then circulated through the body. Each exhale removes waste gases. The actual gas exchange happens in the Alveoli, microscopic sacs wrapped in a fine mesh of capillaries at the end of the Branchi, or pipe-like branches in the lungs. This process, taking part in 700 million alveoli, regulates the acidity of the body.
The average maximum lung capacity of a healthy individual is 6 liters of air. This is prior to age 35, when cellular changes in the body cause the lungs' capacity to go down, making breathing more difficult. The diaphragm becomes weaker, decreasing the ability to inhale and exhale. The lung tissue, responsible for keeping the airways open, looses elasticity, getting physically narrower and allowing less air through. The alveoli loose their shape, becoming baggy and allowing for oedema, or excess fluid to build up in them. All of these changes are significantly more noticeable when exercising.
RLT has been proven to help lung function, as it reduces inflammation and oxidative stress within the lung tissue. Reducing the tracheal contractile response, RLT increases the elasticity of the lung cells, allowing for larger breathing passageways and more air flow. RLT reduces the number of inflammatory cells in alveolar space, making it beneficial for common breathing issues like asthma. Plus, RLT reduces lung cell infiltration, mucus production and oedema, all of which are considered lingering side effects of Covid-19.
Just ask past UH Football Player and current triathlete, Dexter Gomes, an avid client of our Kailua location, who started RLT for minor age-related aches and pains but then saw drastic improvements in his lung function!
"I resolved that the rest of my life I was going to have problems breathing [as the] Lung Covid damaged the muscles around my diaphragm. So my diaphragm doesn't shrink when the lungs expand. I went to a doctor who put me on Symbicort and Albuterol, medications for asthma, which I don't have—but I have all of the symptoms [for].
Dexter explains his inhaler routine after Covid stating, "I normally take my 'maintenance' inhaler morning and evening, then I take my 'rescue' inhaler at least four times in between. [...] It took almost a year until a specialist finally figured out the issue with my diaphragm, stating there would be no way to improve it. So, I resolved that I was going to live like that the rest of my life, but I came in here.”
Dexter continues, “that day I went home, after my first session and ran upstairs to my bedroom then came back down, without breathing hard [...] then I went the whole day without taking either inhaler, I never needed to take it."
Dexter added, "on the third consecutive day I did RLT, I went back to the gym and started swimming. Before Lung Covid, I could swim 100 laps then walk 40 minutes around Diamond Head. After Lung Covid, I couldn't walk across the street; I could barely swim one lap. After my third [RLT] session, I went back and swam 30 laps that day, nonstop.”
Aside from regular use of RLT and staying physically active, it’s important to eat foods that promote lung health. Start incorporating beets, peppers, apples, pumpkin, turmeric, tomatoes, blueberries, green tea, red cabbage, edamame, yogurt, coffee, swiss chard, anchovies and lentils into your daily diet. Avoid smoking and foods that cause inflammation in the body, such as white bread, potato chips, chocolate, hot dogs, cold-cuts, spam, bacon, excessive salt, fried foods and carbonated beverages.
So what are you waiting for? Schedule your appointment today, in either our Kailua or McCully Shopping Center location, and take advantage of our Valentine's Day Session Sale, with shareable sessions for all those you love! Plus, any package purchased during the month of February will receive a Free HEAVENLY SKIN CARE product as a token of our appreciation for you!
So, breathe easy, with regular use of RLT!
Sincerely,
Your Red Light ‘Ohana
