Lung Cancer Managing with Ancient wisdom and Modern Medicine

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Lung cancer strikes millions of humans across the globe today. However, lung cancer is not an unknown disease in human history. Humans have been fighting similar chronic respiratory issues and chest diseases for thousands of years. Having that said, the manner of realizing and treating lung cancer has evolved greatly over time.

Long before, ancient physicians observed that there were individuals who experienced chronic coughs, chest aching, and breathing problems. Ancient Egyptian medical writings 3000 years ago reported symptoms which read quite similarly to what we currently refer to as lung cancer. Greek doctors also recorded chronic lung illnesses which rendered individuals frail and made them spit up blood.

Doctors back then were very much limited in tools to know what was occurring within the human body. They could only see symptoms externally. Most people were of the opinion that disease was due to bad air or a lack of balance of body fluids. Even though they knew less, these ancient healers did their best to make people feel better.

What Did Ancient Healers Know About Lung Problems?

People of the ancient times from different parts of the world were aware of the fact that lung diseases that were caused by bad air were very different from a simple cold or a short-term sickness. Practitioners of Chinese traditional medicine saw patterns of symptoms that would be familiar to us today as indicative of severe lung disorders. They observed that some patients had persistent breathing issues that exacerbated with time.

Indian Ayurvedic literature also used to talk about different forms of cough and respiratory ailments. They realized that not all lung problems are alike. They established various modes of treatment depending on what they witnessed in their patients.

Ancient physicians, however, were not aware of the relationship between smoking, environmental components, and lung disease. Tobacco was not generally consumed in most of the world until relatively late in history. This would have meant that most of the lung disorders they observed had other causes than those generally seen today.

The equipment used by ancient physicians was rudimentary. They depended on listening to breathing, looking at skin color, and inquiring from patients. Surgery was dangerous and only done rarely for organs inside the body, such as the lungs.

How Did Our Understanding Change Over Time?

The Renaissance introduced new methods of learning about the human body. Physicians started conducting dissections and checking on organs more thoroughly. Such an awareness from them made it a more straightforward task for them to visualize the healthy lungs in their minds by drawing a comparison with the sick ones.

In the 1600s and 1700s, physicians began to keep more accurate records of their patients. They also started to observe trends in lung illness. Some doctors noted detailed symptom accounts that are similar to what we would refer to as lung cancer today.

The development of the microscope was a breakthrough. Doctors could finally observe individual cells and comprehend how illnesses attacked the body on a microscopic scale. This resulted in improved categorization of various types of lung issues.

The 1800s saw even greater innovations. The stethoscope enabled physicians to better hear lung sounds. X-rays, which were discovered in 1895, provided physicians with their first peeks at living patients without the need for surgery. This was groundbreaking for knowing about lung diseases.

What Was the Industrial Revolution’s Role?

The Industrial Revolution altered the whole dynamics of lung health. Factories’ air pollution was full of smoke and toxic particles. Burning coal was a common practice in urban areas. Humans began to work in dirty mines and chemical factories.

Physicians started to realize that some workers tended to get lung disease more frequently than others. Miners, industrial workers, and individuals who resided in highly contaminated areas appeared to become ill more readily. This marked the beginning of understanding how the environment affects lung function.

Meanwhile, use of tobacco also became significantly more prevalent. Cigarettes were mass-produced and aggressively marketed. It would take several decades for physicians to begin making the link between smoking and lung cancer, but the foundation was being set.

The confluence of industrial pollution and increased smoking set the stage for lung disease. Cancer rates started rising, although physicians did not yet realize why.

What Do We Know Today About Prevention and Support?

There is now much known about lung cancer through modern medicine that could never have been dreamed of by ancient healers. We now know that cancer develops when normal cells become altered and grow uncontrollably. We know there are several types of lung cancer and how and where they spread throughout the body (something called metastasis, which means the cancer spreads to other areas of the body).

Doctors today can diagnose lung cancer much earlier with modern imaging. CT scanners, MRI machines, and other equipment can detect issues that would have been undetectable for ancient doctors. In some instances, tests on the blood can detect signs of cancer prior to the onset of symptoms.

We also know prevention better. Not breathing tobacco smoke is the most crucial thing individuals can do to lower their risk of lung cancer. This means avoiding secondhand smoke too. Well there are other factors as well e.g. avoiding radon gas at work, chemicals, and even polluted air at home. Those risks will be lowered as well. 

To be rational, exercise regularly is very good for our lung health and goes a long way in keeping it at optimum level. The air inside our houses cannot be polluted. Individuals who have respiratory disorders and old people definitely need to have air purifiers to be able to breathe clean and fresh air. They do it mainly in rooms where the air is bad.

How Can Nutrition Support Lung Health?

Food cannot be seen as an agent in fighting cancer but, on the other hand, it is wholesome and enables your body to function properly. If you are eating right, your body will have all it needs to maintain good tissue and a strong immune system.

Foods that will help maintain lung health are:

  • The antioxidant rich foods such as fruits and vegetables that come in different colors. Some of them are berries, dark green leafy, carrots, and bell peppers.
  • Go for omega-3 fatty acid rich food. A few of them are tuna, salmon and sardine fish, nuts and flax seeds. These might manage inflammation.
  • Daily practices such as pranayama with yoga for well-being
  • Hydration is of course a top priority among all. So, consume a good amount of water throughout the day to hydrate.
  • Avoid hyper-processed foods with lots of sugar and salt. Even bad fats might cause inflammation in your body

Antioxidants occur naturally in foods and protect cell damage. They are miniature shields for your body. Inflammation is what happens when your body gets hurt or irritated, but long-term inflammation over many years may not be good for your overall health.

Others report that foods make them feel healthier and just downright more energetic overall. Green tea is one of the foods that comprises EGCG compounds, even some research has found to enhance overall health. Garlic and onions have been cherished for their medicinal value for thousands of years.

What Does the Future Hold?

The story of lung cancer is far from over. Researchers are experimenting with new ways of finding cancer even sooner. They are discovering more effective treatments with fewer side effects. Gene therapy and immunotherapy (treatments that help the body’s own immune system fight cancer) appear to be just over the horizon. There are even Integrated therapies that adjoin Ayurveda.

Prevention strategies are also becoming better. Smoking has been prohibited in public areas and the taxes on tobacco have been raised in most countries. Regulations on air quality are becoming tougher all around the globe.

The history from ancient times to the present reveals how far human knowledge can develop. What was mysterious and despondent to ancient practitioners is now far better. Although lung cancer is still a challenge, the equipment used today would appear as magic to doctors from past centuries. Such advancements hold great promise at Punarjan Ayurveda Hospitals, one of the best lung cancer hospitals and treatment services that would expect to continually enhance the outcomes for individuals with this condition as future innovations emerge. 

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