Eat Well Live Well Age Well Lung Health Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 06 August 2021 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Eat Well Live Well Age Well Lung Health Keeping up with annual screenings and avoiding airborne pollutants are important to maintaining healthy lungs, according to Cedars-Sinai experts. Photo by Getty Images. The podcast "Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well" recently spoke with Peter Chen, MD, assistant director of the Women's Guild Lung Institute and director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, about preserving lung health. Chen explained that keeping up with annual screenings and avoiding airborne pollutants are important to maintaining healthy airways. "The best thing we can do is to minimize the harm we do," Chen told podcast host Patricia Greenberg. "If you're breathing in anything other than air, it's probably not good for your lungs." Small particles from air pollution, wildfire smoke, cigarette smoking and vaping can all do harm. Larger particles are trapped in mucus produced by the lungs, then swept into the throat to be swallowed or cleared out when we cough. But smaller particles can work their way into lung tissue and cause lasting damage. Chen advised staying indoors when the air-quality index is poor or wildfires are burning nearby-surgical and cloth masks cannot filter out these particles. He also cleared up the myth that lungs can recover from damage caused by smoking. They simply can't. "When you smoke, particulates deposit in your lungs, and we just can't get rid of them," Chen told Greenberg. Chen recommended that anyone over age 50, who has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or more and quit within the past 15 years, have annual CT scans for three years to check for signs of lung cancer. Click here to listen to the complete episode from "Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well." Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release Eat Well Live Well Age Well Lung Health Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home