Dealing With Shortness of Breath: Advice From a Licensed Chiropractor

Many elderly folk complain of shortness of breath. I have found this exercise to be helpful for my patients.

Start by sitting or standing up straight, shoulders back or as they say in the military, square. (If you are in a sitting position, you'll need to scoot to the front of your chair so that your arms may fall relaxed and straight at your sides for this exercise.)

Drop your arms relaxed with hands by your sides, thumbs inward touching your body, and the back of your hands facing the front. The action required is to turn your thumbs 180 degrees outward (away from the body so that now the palms are facing the front.) You can feel this rotated your arms and shoulders causing them to make you stand or sit straighter! While holding that position, pull your head and neck backward without bending it backward (extension) without the shoulders moving. The ears are now aligned with the shoulders from a side (lateral) view. Imagine your back is to a bookcase and there is a book sticking out slightly. You are using your head to push the book back into the bookcase even with the other books. (This move resembles a chicken's neck while the chicken is walking). You will take five deep breaths slowly while holding this proper posture position, ensuring your stomach expands when you breathe inward. After the fifth breath, you will release the position (relaxing the muscles) but you will not go back to the slouch position. Just relax the muscles in your shoulders and arms. You can perform this exercise daily several times as it just feels great naturally opening your chest by drawing your shoulders back! Increase the exercise weekly by adding a breath each week.

In addition, you may be experiencing dehydration, which will cause inflammation in your lungs. Asthma sufferers experience this lack of hydration on a regular basis. Increase your intake of water daily. Sodas, fruit juices, coffee and alcoholic drinks do not count as a substitution for water intake. Hydration is extremely important at the beginning of your day. It can set the tone of your whole day because it is so important to so many functions in the body, especially your lungs.

By adding exercise and hydration to your daily routine, you will allow your lungs to function more efficiently and you will be better positioned to start a walking exercise program.