The
respiratory system includes the lungs and airways, as well as the muscles the body uses to move air into and out of the lungs. The primary purpose of this system is to supply the body with oxygen and remove the carbon dioxide produced through cellular processes. When we breathe, the diaphragm, a flat, muscular organ that lies beneath the lungs, contracts; this puts negative pressure on the lungs, which then draw in air. The oxygen in that air is available to blood being pumped through the lungs by the heart. At the other end of the process, the lungs pull carbon dioxide from the blood, which allows our bodies to exhale this unneeded gas. The
respiratory system responds to clues from the brain and
nervous system, which monitor oxygen levels in the blood. When oxygen levels drop too low, the brain signals us to take a deep breath, or to yawn. When oxygen levels are too high, a condition called "hyperventilation," the brain slows the breathing until the levels equalize again.
The
respiratory system can be the site of infections called colds and flu; it is susceptible because the lungs drawn in air, often with microbes, from the germ-filled outside world. The lungs have an efficient system for
cleansing themselves by utilizing tiny, hair-like structures that constantly move, propelling microbes and foreign objects out of the lungs. But
smoking, air pollution, and even old age slow down this process, sometimes allowing germs to multiply in the lungs.
Recommended nutrients:
Bear's garlic
Bitter milkwort
Celery
Cubeb
Eucalyptus
European seneka
Flax
Lady's thumb
Life everlasting
Pansy
Pearly everlasting
Pleurisy root
Strawberry-bush
Wahoo
Yew
