It has long been known that people with healthy lungs and immune systems are luckier against the virus. In this sense, the importance of the lungs, where the Covid-19 virus clings, spreads and wears out the most, has increased even more in terms of health after the pandemic process. Physiotherapist Cagil Erturk, who also survived Covid and stated that he got through this process more easily with the breathing exercises he did, underlined that correct breathing strengthens not only the lungs but also the immune system.
“IF LIVERS ARE GOOD, WE WILL HAVE A WEAPON EQUIPPED AGAINST COVID-19”
Recalling that the lung capacity of people who have had a virus decreases, Cagil Erturk, a lecturer at Istanbul Gelisim University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, said, “Lung capacity decreases in individuals who have or are having COVID-19, and due to the inflammation we call cytokine storm, it affects our breathing negatively. “The more we strengthen the functional capacity of our lungs during Covid, after or before we have passed it, we have a well-equipped weapon against it,” he said.
”COMPLICATIONS CONTINUE UP TO 1 YEAR”
Stating that the problems in the lungs can continue from 6 months to 1 year after Covid, Çağıl Ertürk said that the breathing exercises to be done in this sense can shorten this process even more. Ertürk said, “In the post-Covid period, these complications remind themselves within a period of at least 6 months. In other words, after a period of 6 months, these complications gradually decrease and disappear up to a year. I also felt its effects for six months after covid. But I repeated my exercises during and after the time I had Covid, and it made me get through this process a little easier.”
“THE BREATHING CORRECTLY IS IMPORTANT”
Ertürk said that according to recent studies, not only breathing but also correct breathing is more important, “As a result of scientific studies, a common conclusion has been reached for both; Just breathing is not enough, how we breathe is just as important for our immune system. If we can breathe slowly and deeply instead of taking an ordinary breath, we can stimulate our vagus nerve, which has been researched a lot in recent scientific terms. This nervous system calms our body and strengthens our fighting mechanism.
STRENGTHENS BOTH THE LUNGS AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Finally, explaining the exercises that strengthen both the lungs and the immune system, Ertürk said, “We need to exhale twice as long as we take our breath during breathing. There are two types of breathing exercises. The first is chest breathing, the second is diaphragmatic breathing. We put our hands on the area we want to breathe before. We complete inhalation in about 3 seconds and then exhale in 7 seconds. If we do these exercises for both the chest and the diaphragm 10 times a day, it will support our immune system against Covid. Not only during exercise, but always for breathing, we should breathe through our nose and out through our mouth. Some people experience symptoms such as dizziness and nausea after a few breaths. If we encounter such a situation, let’s stop doing the exercises. Let’s get into the resting state,” he concluded.
(UAV)