How clean is your air ?

Are we aware of the extent to which our air is polluted? Pollutants, which comprise of smoke, dust and various combinations of chemicals are not visible to our naked eyes. The colourless and invisible chemicals go unnoticed.

• Particulate matter in air: The coarse particles PM 10 cause lot of irritation to external organs like nose, throat and eyes. The finer particles called PM 2.5 effect the deeper parts like lungs or blood.
• It is the air quality index that indicates the quality of air of a particular place on regular basis. By knowing the air quality, the local population is able to understand the harmful effects the air can have for them.
• How much do we know about the chemicals we inhale unknowingly? Carbon mono oxide, Nitrogen di oxide, lead particles are the dangerous chemicals we breathe in.
• Small children and senior citizens are more susceptible to the attack of polluted air in the immediate environment. Since their internal body systems are not strong enough to handle the harmful chemicals and their combinations, if they enter the breathing track.
• The effect on those people who already have some kind of respiratory problems is unimaginable. They need complete protection to avoid any further complications.

How do we protect ourselves from the polluted air ?

1. Face masks that protect the nose and mouth and prevent the polluted air from entering the body through the oral and nasal track.
2. Yoga asanas specific to the respiratory problems related to air pollution. Halaasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana. These asanas help in clearing of nasal track and the throat.

Specific food and drink to fight ailments caused by unclean air:-

1. The best combination commonly practiced is turmeric and ghee. All rich sources of vitamin C too, work wonders.
2. Flaxseed tops the list of suppliers of omega 3 fatty acids in order to rectify the lung malfunctions due to polluted air.

Some handy tips to cure these ailments:- 

1. Good number of air purifying plants, maximum green cover in general is the most practical method to achieve clean air in the vicinity.
2. For most urban population, modern gadgets like air purifiers have proved extremely useful.
3. The traditional methods of using chuullahs for cooking and heating, There is an urgent need to substitute the traditional chullahs with new designs of smokeless chullahs. LPG, electrical gadgets, solar cookers and other environmentally safe implements are adopted widely across the country.

What daily routine to be followed ?

As a routine practice there is a need to cleanse the respiratory tract. Steaming our respiratory track is a great way to cleanse. The oral cavity also can be cleaned with the simple techniques like gargle and mouth wash.