Breath-Taking: What Our Lungs Teach Us about Our Origins, Ourselves, and Our Future

Description

From an expert in pulmonary medicine, the story of our extraordinary lungs, the organ that both explains our origins and holds the keys to our future as a species We take an average of 7.5 million breaths a year and some 600 million in our lifetime, and what goes on in our body each time oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide expelled is nothing short of miraculous. "Our lungs are the lynchpin between our bodies and the outside world," writes Dr. Michael Stephen. And yet, we take our lungs for granted until we're incapacitated and suddenly confronted with their vital importance. In Breath Taking, pulmonologist Michael Stephen takes us on a journey to shed original and much-needed light on our neglected and extraordinary lungs, at a most critical societal moment. He relates the history of oxygen on Earth and the evolutionary origins of breathing, and explores the healing power of breath and its spiritual potential. He explains in lay terms the links our lungs have with our immune system and with society at large. And he offers illuminating chronicles of pulmonary research and discovery--from Galen in the ancient world to pioneers of lung transplant--and poignant human stories of resilience and recovery--from the frantic attempts to engage his own son's lungs at birth to patients he treats for cystic fibrosis today. Despite great advances in science, our lungs are ever more threatened. Asthma is more prevalent than ever; rising stress levels make our lungs vulnerable to disease; and COVID-19 has revealed that vulnerability in historic ways. In this time, Breath Taking offers inspiration and hope to millions whose lungs are affected and vital perspective to us all.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Similar books

• 

  ADHD is Not a Four Letter Word: Drug Free Strategies for Managing the Gift that is ADHD

  By Karen Ryan

  ... John F. Kennedy Justin Timberlake Karina Smirnoff Kurt Cobain Liv Tyler Magic Johnson Malcolm Forbes Melissa Joan Hart Michael Phelps Michelle Rodriguez ...

• 

  Breastfeeding and Human Lactation

  By Karen Wambach, Becky Spencer

  Although the gifts might be smaller, these practices are still in use by formula companies today ( Fortin, 2007; Tanovic, 2014). In the United States, ...

• 

  Freedom from Obesity: Unlock Your Combination to a Healthy Weight

  By Karen Warren Locklear

  If you've lost sight of the dream of ultimate health and wellness, and you never again want to experience the dieting roller coaster, this book will empower you to understand that being lean and fit starts from the beauty within your mind.

• 

  Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine

  By Andrew Chevallier

  With its jargon-free text, fantastic photography, and focus on safety, this guide enables ease of understanding no matter what your level of herbal expertise.

• 

  Clean House Clean Planet

  By Karen Logan

  Casey Kitty's Litter Box Deodorizer Casey the Kitty is my daughter Sophie's favorite cat; she belongs to our neighbor, Laurie. We can't have cats because Sophie's daddy is allergic to them. Casey is a most friendly cat and willingly ...

• 

  Nutrition Research: Concepts & Applications

  By Karen Eich Drummond, Alison Murphy-Reyes

  by S.M. Robson, S.C. Couch, J.L. Peugh, K. Glanz, C. Zhou, J.F. Sallis, and B.E. Saelens, 2016, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116,988. Reprinted with permission of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 6.

• 

  Therapy and the Postpartum Woman: Notes on Healing Postpartum Depression for Clinicians and the Women Who Seek Their Help

  By Karen Kleiman

  At least 10–20% of mothers will suf- fer from postpartum depression (Kumar & Robson, 1984), defined officially as a major depressive episode that has an onset within 4 weeks postpartum, according to the fourth edition of the Diagnos- ...

• 

  Nutrition for Brain Health: Fighting Dementia, Second Edition

  By Laura Town, Karen Hoffman

  ... L., Smith, M., & Segal, R. (2020). Stress management. HelpGuide. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm Robson, D. (2015). Dos and don'ts to preserve your brainpower. BBC Future.

• 

  Breastfeeding and Human Lactation

  By Karen Wambach, Becky Spencer

  Another group of studies report that breastfeeding does not appear to influence resumption of coitus, coital frequency, and other indices of sexuality (Grudzinskas & Atkinson, 1984; Knodel & Chayovan, 1991; Robson et al., 1981) What do ...

• 

  Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain without Turning into One

  By Karen Duffy

  Buff's dog Gibson was a Golden Labrador Retriever puppy, a hair-raising furball of energy who was inflicted on our family for a year. Gibson went through a chewing phase that lasted ...