October 6 Pulmonary Success Circles  Lung Health Newsletter

Topics:

1.   Walking challenge

2.   Exercises for healthy aging

3.   Mullein Leaf for Lung cleansing

 

Purpose: 

There is a concept called tribal wisdom or institutional knowledge. It refers to the collective, time-tested knowledge, experience, practices, and insights of communities and groups. It is gained through experience, and it forms a living evolving culture transmitted through stories, experience, tested research and ideas. 

Pulmonary Success Circles is such a group. While all of us as Lung patients highly respect the advice of our physicians, sadly we spend less than one hour a year actually talking to our pulmonologist. There is no iterative, ongoing conversation of ideas beyond the strict medical protocol physicians must follow, little to no nutritional ideas, breathing training, effective oxygen usage, and exercise routines that can potentially augment whatever medical protocol the physician guidelines prescribe. 

 

But that’s where active patient support groups like Pulmonary Success Circles comes in. We meet weekly for an hour with about 120 patients in small groups of 8-10 and talk about our experience and what is working or not working to help us live active healthy lives. That is 6,240 hours a year of patient-to-patient conversations. 

 

For the leaders of our Circles we try to curate valid practical information and disseminate some of that information to our members—cross pollinate our groups.  That is the purpose of this new Bi-Weekly-ish Newsletter. Each issue will provide information from our members’ experience, research, and treatments in their own lung health as well as articles or interviews with pulmonary medical specialists on occasion. 

This newsletter is not intended as medical advice , diagnosis or treatment, but is for educational purposes only, and it is no substitute for medical advice from your own physician. 

 

 

 

October 6, 2025 NEWSLETTER : 

 

Movement is Medicine; motion is lotion!

 

We all know that walking is vital to heart health lung health and mental health. There is ample medical information and studies that support this. 

Who plans to walk 1000 miles this year? Sounds like a LOT of walking right? How about 500? Still a lot? Not really when we break it down to a daily habit. It just takes consistency. 

 

·       2500 steps = 1 mile 

·       5000= 2 miles 

·       7500 =3 miles a day. 

·       So an average of 7500 steps a day is 1000 miles in a year!

·       There are many members in our groups walking 6000 to 8000 steps a day. 

·       There are some members walking over 10,000 steps a day and one of our Pulmonary Success Circles group leaders is averaging 15,000 steps a day for over 2,000 miles in a year. 

 

Don’t have a step counter? Just measure the distance you normally walk using your car OR use the time you spend walking as a measure, for example 20 minutes walking at a moderate pace is 1 mile. 40 minutes is 2 miles and an hour waking daily is 3 miles. This doesn’t have to be done all at once you can break this up and take two or three walks a day for 20 minutes each in order to get 1000 miles in a year.

 

Pick your goal challenge and share it with your group. 250 miles, 500 miles or 1000 miles. 

 

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NEXT:

MULLEIN LEAF FOR LUNG HEALTH

Many members of our groups including me claim that the benefits of Mullein Leaf are very real. Mullein Leaf Tea is an economical supplement available on Amazon and other sellers (I always check the brand on Amazon for the number they have sold and their 5 Star reviews as well as read the actual customer reviews and of course the check the seller’s adherence to industry quality standards)

Here’s more information on the possible benefits of Mullein: 

 

Overview

Mullein leaf is used for respiratory health to ease coughs, loosen mucus, and calm inflammation in the lungs and airways. It acts as a demulcent, coating and soothing irritated mucous membranes, and as an expectorant, helping to clear mucus. Mullein can be consumed as a tea or taken in various forms, including drops and capsules, to support lung health and may help relieve symptoms of colds, asthma, bronchitis, and COPD.  

 

How it works

·       Demulcent action: Mullein leaves and flowers contain mucilage, a gel-like substance that forms a protective film on the respiratory tract’s mucous membranes, reducing irritation and dryness. 

·       Expectorant properties: It helps the body to loosen and expel mucus from the lungs and bronchial passages, making coughs more productive. 

Common uses

·       Cough relief: Eases dry, chronic coughs and helps to clear congestion. 

·       Respiratory support: Supports overall lung health and can make breathing easier by promoting airway patency. 

·       Inflammation reduction: Helps to calm inflammation in the airways and lungs. 

·       Condition relief: Used to alleviate symptoms associated with conditions like the common cold, asthma, bronchitis, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). 

How to use it

·       Tea: You can purchase mullein tea bags or steep dried mullein leaves in hot water. Straining the leaves before drinking is recommended to prevent throat irritation. 

·       Tinctures and Drops: Mullein extract is available in liquid forms that can be taken with water or a beverage. 

Important considerations 

 

·       Consult a healthcare professional: Before using mullein, especially if you are pregnant, lactating, taking prescription medications, or have an existing medical condition, inform your physician of your intent to take it. This does not require a doctors appointment, but a simple phone call to the physician’s office to speak to the nurse assistant and inform them of your intent in case they have any worries about contraindications. 

 

 

NEXT

 

Here is an excellent YouTube video on a health topic that I have reviewed and heartily endorse based upon my experience and the experience of others group members:

 

5 most effective exercises for healthy aging :

https://youtu.be/Ado6dItMebE?si=iTinlLUfAACaol6s

 

 

 

Remember:

 

Ten years from now someone will live inside the body that you are building today. Make choices that they will thank you for! 

 

 

If you’d like to see specific topical information in future newsletters, reply to me with the suggested topic and we will include them. 

 

If you don’t want to receive this newsletter, please reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line of your email and you won’t receive any more, of course, our feelings will be deeply hurt, but we’ll get over it!