In healthcare, we often spend a great deal of time talking about heart health, so much so that it tends to overshadow another organ that is just as important:  the lungs.  When diseases occur in the lungs, every system of the body is affected.  Like a clogged car filter, diseases like pneumonia, COPD, and COVID-19 put major strains on the rest of the body, increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other comorbidities to surface.  With enough fluid or phlegm, the lungs may be forced to work so hard that tissue and blood vessels might die.  With enough damage, the lungs might never recover.

Problems with the heart and circulation tend to make a sudden, dramatic appearance, but problems with the lungs happen gradually.  To a large extent, we have the ability to protect our lungs and make decisions that prevent them from incurring irreversible damage.  On this episode of the Pulse podcast, internal medicine physician Dr. S. Das Pamnani, discusses a variety of diseases that affect the lungs, how the lungs are affected by smoking, vaping, marijuana, and COVID-19, and what we can do to take better care of our lungs.

Learn more by visiting www.perrymemorial.org/podcast