Benjamin Franklin famously once said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. growing up, we have also heard "prevention is the best medicine", "prevention is the best cure" and my personal favorite, "the best way to deal with a problem is to not have the problem in the first place." All these axioms are more applicable today than ever. What Corona virus has taught us that we must be proactive and take responsibility for our own health and wellbeing.

When it comes to Neuro Muscular Diseases (NMD) such as Muscular Dystrophy (MD), the risks are quite high for developing debilitating symptoms from any current or future viral outbreaks. There are two preventive measures we can consider doing to minimize the risks. Both these measures needs to be implemented together for maximum benefits.

1. Improve immunity and lung function through diet and nutrition

2. Strengthen lungs and enhancing their capacity to inhale more oxygen through cardio and/or breathing exercises

Importance of enhancing lung capacity :

The overall health of the lungs and it's capacity to inhale oxygen is very important specially when it comes to our ability to thwart viruses and other dangerous substances that can enter our body through our lungs. The health of our lungs becomes critically important for people with NMD as in these conditions the respiratory muscles gets weakened a lot. The higher the capacity of our lungs to inhale oxygen the more protection we have from viruses and other pathogens.

Unfortunately, the capacity of our lungs declines as we grow. According to the research lung's capacity to inhale oxygen starts to go down as we enter our 30's. By the time we get closer to 50 years, the capacity can fall as much as 50% which means less oxygen for our cells. Unfortunately, for those of us who have some form of MD (Muscular Dystrophy), this decline can be even faster.

Improving immunity and lung function through diet and nutrition:

1. Eating foods that are rich in nitrates and iron help protect and boost lung function.

Beets, beet greens, radish, parsley, Chinese cabbage are all rich in nitrates. While, spinach, lentils, black eyed peas, kidney beans, chickpeas and pumpkin seed have a very high iron content. Iron is needed to create more red blood cells which in turn carry oxygen to all the cells in the body and transport CO2 back to the lungs to be eliminated. As you can see both functions are critically important.

2. Eating vitamin C rich foods protect and boost lung function as well.

Vitamin C is one of the master antioxidant that is used by the body to fight infections and virus attacks. Vitamin C is also needed for the better absorption of iron in the body. In other words, if you eat iron rich foods but do not have enough vitamin C it will not be of much help in creating more red blood cells. So add foods that are rich in Vitamin C such as citrus fruits, colorful peppers, pomegranate and many other fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is water soluble and hence doesn't stay in the body for long. That is why we must eat / snack on foods high in Vitamin C multiple times a day.

3. Eating foods that are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids also protect and boost lung function. Some of these foods include broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, guava, kale, mangoes, mustard and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, blue berries, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. Most bright and dark color fruits and vegetables are higher in these protective antioxidants.

4. Consuming good quality turmeric for protecting and improving lung function.

A study of 2500 people showed that curcumin which is an active ingredient in turmeric and is anti-inflammatory in nature can help boost lung function.

Strengthen lungs and enhance it's capacity to inhale more oxygen through yoga:

Like most people, those of us having Neuro Muscular Diseases like MD do not use our entire lung capacity and due to that reason we are unable to inhale enough oxygen. This leads to low oxygen saturation (amount of oxygen in the blood) which leaves us vulnerable when exposed to viruses. As per the leading pulmonologists (lung experts), the best step one can take to prevent damage to lungs is increasing oxygen intake and exercising our body regularly is one of the best ways forward. When we exercise our body (however much we can), it becomes flexible, stronger, more resilient and as a result it is in a better position to withstand any external attack. The same is true for lungs as well. By exercising them daily we can make them strong, resilient and capable of thwarting viral attacks. Exercising the lungs daily provides four distinct benefits:

a. Exercising the lungs daily helps increase it's capacity thus enhancing their ability to uptake more oxygen

b. Exercising the lungs daily help them expel/dissolve toxic waste including dust particles, CO2, and many types of viruses / pathogens that gets into in the lungs through the air that we breathe

c. Exercising the lungs helps us get rid of the accumulated stress, anxiety and other negative emotions

d. Lastly and more importantly, exercising the lungs daily help increase the oxygen levels in the body which helps improve our immunity

There are two forms of exercises which I recommend for protecting and boosting lung function as well as increasing its capacity.

1. Yoga Postures: NMD like Muscular Dystrophy can severely limit one's movements. However, there are many yoga postures that can be done even on a chair /wheel chair. Yoga postures when done correctly requires one to inhale / breathe consciously. Yoga postures, allows us to enhance and improving lung function. When we do yoga postures our breathing patterns change and we begin to inhale a lot more oxygen and exhale more CO2.

2. Rhythmic breathing exercises. Certain rhythmic breathing exercises greatly protect and enhance lung function. These exercises when done daily also expand lung's capacity which in turn allows them to inhale more oxygen. Lungs have 300 million tiny air sacs through which the oxygen is passed to the red blood cells to be distributed throughout the body. Many types environmental pollutants, viruses and dust particles can and do enter the lungs when we breathe air. Daily practice of rhythmic breathing exercises help protect our lungs by reaching in the deepest part of our lungs and expelling many these harmful viruses and substances. in the last two decades, hundreds of research studies have shown how the benefits of breathing exercises are being used in clinical settings to improving lung function and for reducing stress/anxiety, enhancing energy levels, overcome negative emotions, and bringing more peace and calmness. A "win-win" for everyone, don't you think so?

My recommendation: In order to protect and improve lung function do rhythmic breathing exercises daily. You can also add some form of yoga 3-4 times a week for added benefits. Rhythmic breathing exercises should be learned through a certified instructor so he/she can properly guide you through the steps and also answer questions as well. Breathing exercises are safe for most people with MD but it's always good to check with your doctor first.

The rhythmic breathing exercise that I personally do daily is called SKY breathing exercise. SKY has helped strengthen and improve my lung function, increase lung's capacity to inhale more oxygen and reduces stress and anxiety. It is taught as part of a SKY Breath Meditation workshop by "Art of Living Foundation".

In the following video, I have covered some of these important points.