Every
BREATH
You Take
By Dr Joanna McMillan
Breathing may be considered the most important of all the
functions of the body, for, indeed, all the other functions
– Ramacharaka:
depend upon it.
Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath
D
r Joanna McMillan explains the
importance of breathing for
optimum health.
Breathing is an unconscious natural process, as instinctive
as swallowing, sneezing or coughing. You breath in and out
thousands of times over the course of the day and probably
never give it a second thought…until something goes wrong.
Millions of Australians suffer from lung disease and for them
being able to breathe becomes a central focus of their lives.
Asthma alone affects more than 2.2 million Australians and
is our country’s most widespread chronic health problem.
1 in 4 children, 1 in 7 adolescents and 1 in 10 adults are
affected. By international standards this is high. Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the term used
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - AUTUMN 2014
for those who have difficultly in breathing air out from their
lungs and includes asthmatic bronchitis, chronic bronchitis
and emphysema. COPD affects up to one in six Australians
over the age of 45, and is the third leading cause of disease
burden, after heart disease and stroke. Yet unless you or
someone close to you is affected, you probably don’t know
much about it. Similarly lung cancer doesn’t attract the same
media attention as say cancer of the breast, yet it is the fourth
most common cancer in women and the third most common
cancer in men. What’s more, lung cancer is particularly
deadly; it is the most common cancer to result in death for
men, and is second only to breast cancer in women.
What is emphysema?
Emphysema is the result of damage to many of the alveoli,
making it increasingly difficult for the body to absorb enough
oxygen. In addition the bronchial tubes become floppy and
51