Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Lung Stuff, Part 12: Bronchiectasis
Writing this on January 25th. My 25th day of plant-based eating. Doing it because I want to stop …coughing. I’ve said for years that I can fix this Bronchiectasis thing if I really wanted to if I would just stop eating crappy foods. More to the point, if I stopped eating phlegm-producing foods (see my Blog entry on the ultimate phlegm-free diet).
I know what you’re saying … “hey, Don, I read your Blog for the mildly amusing stories that occasionally offer a bit of inspiration and don’t want to talk about phlegm.”
I hear ya. So here’s the lesson …if you’re going to do something, make a plan, do the research, and then follow the plan and remember the research. Like, at one point in my life I knew how to do Calculus and was damn good at it. I actually ENJOYED Calculus. But the last time I thought about Calculus was sophomore year of college (1993) and now, if you put me in a basic Calculus course, I would quite likely fail. Because I haven’t been doing it for 20+ years, don’t have my notes, and am not doing it every day, it’s all gone. Poof. My brain forgot it.
That’s how it is with the brief obsession I had with living a phlegm-free life. I researched it. Obsessed about it. Assumed I knew everything. And then just went about living a phlegm-free life, but since I didn’t refer back to my notes, I slowly forgot some basics. Like these two things…
- Fruits: Lighter fruits, such as apples and pears, are better. Reduce sweet, heavy or sour fruits such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, figs, dates, avocados, coconuts, and melons, as these fruits increase mucus.
- Nuts: Reduce all nuts as they are too oily.
- Avoid overeating, especially at night.
Guess what I’ve been doing for the entire month of January? I’ve been eating 1 Cup or more of nuts EVERY DAY and I’ve been eating two oranges EVERY NIGHT. I should know better. Yet it seems I have about as much of a chance at passing a Calculus mid-term as I do living a life without phlegm, coughing, and wheezing because I’m not constantly practicing and improving.
I’m in sales for a living. I read a book a month. Follow sales and motivation Blogs and social media accounts, I watch things to keep me motivated and energized, and I am CONSTANTLY learning and adapting to the new sales and advertising things.
See what I’m getting at? I need to be constantly improving how I treat my body for this Bronchiectasis thing. Oh, for the record, I will NOT be trying to rekindle my passion for Calculus. Just sayin’.
So, if you’re a family member (or friend) who always worries about my breathing and coughing, this Blog entry is for you. I’m working on it. I know what I’m doing wrong and will fix it. If you’re stopping by because you accidentally found me while searching “phlegm”, “phlegm-free eating”, “Bronchiectasis”, “wheezing”, “breathing”, “lung health”, or “Calculus” …glad you found me. Read this Blog entry (that I also linked above) because if you apply the rules, you’ll breathe better and cough less.
And remember, never stop improving and learning and reviewing your progress in any part of your life that’s important to you.
Don Kowalewski 