Evescafe

Orthodox western medicine views the lungs and airways as an efficient gas-exchange system, drawing air into the body, extracting the oxygen (which is carried away in the bloodstream), and excreting surplus carbon dioxide and water that are produced by the body’s metabolic processes.

Air travels through the nasal passages into the trachea or windpipe, passing through the larynx, where its movement sets up the necessary vibrations that enable us to speak. It moves onward through a network of bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli to ensure that as much air is exposed to as many blood vessels as possible to allow the vital gaseous exchange to take place.  

In mechanistic terms, respiratory disorders are associated with blockages in the airways: infections causing inflammation, and pollutants or allergens causing irritation, which may lead to excess mucus production, phlegm, and catarrh. Orthodox treatment center on antibiotics to combat micro-organisms or on expectorants to encourage coughing and expel phlegm.

Traditional Western (Galenic) medicine regarded the lungs as damp in character. They were closely associated with the phlegmatic humor, so any excess would be characterized by watery catarrh, while deficiency would lead to dryness with harsh coughs. Hot, dry herbs were used to treat excess conditions and cold, damp ones to combat deficiency. A more holistic western approach links the lungs and breath to tension: deep breathing exercises are now recognized as an important component in relaxation.