Learn About the Respiratory System

BREATH IN -- your body gets oxygen from the air. Rib muscles contract to pull ribs up and out. The DIAPHRAGM muscle contracts to pull down the lungs. Tissue expands to suck in air. BREATH OUT -- you get rid of other gases that your body does not need. Rib muscles relax. The Diaphragm muscle relaxes. Tissue returns to resting position and forces air out.

The SINUSES are hollow spaces in the bones of the head. Small openings connect them to the nasal cavity. The functions they serve are not clearly understood, but include helping to regulate the temperature and humidity of air breathed in, as well as to lighten the bone structure of the head and to give resonance to the voice. The NASAL CAVITY (nose) is the preferred entrance for outside air into the Respiratory System. The hairs that line the inside wall are part of the air-cleansing system. Air also enters through the ORAL CAVITY (mouth), especially in people who have a mouth-breathing habit or whose nasal passages may be temporarily obstructed, as by a cold. The ADENOIDS are overgrown lymph tissue at the top of the throat. When they interfere with breathing, they are generally removed. The lymph system, consisting of nodes (knots of cells) and connecting vessels, carries fluid throughout the body. This system helps resist body infection by filtering out foreign matter, including germs, and producing cells (lymphocytes) to fight them. The TONSILS are lymph nodes in the wall of the pharynx that often become infected. They are an unimportant part of the germ-fighting system of the body. When infected, they are generally removed. The PHARYNX (throat) collects incoming air from the nose and passes it downward to the trachea (windpipe). The EPIGLOTTIS is a flap of tissue that guards the entrance to the trachea, closing when anything is swallowed that should go into the esophagus and stomach. The LARYNX (voice box) contains the vocal cords. It is the place where moving air being breathed in and out creates voice sounds. The ESOPHAGUS is the passage leading from the mouth and throat to the stomach. The TRACHEA (windpipe) is the passage leading from the pharynx to the lungs. The RIBS are bones supporting and protecting the chest cavity. They move to a limited degree, helping the lungs to expand and contract. The trachea divides into the two main BRONCHI (tubes), one for each lung. These, in turn, subdivide further into bronchioles.

The single most important thing an individual can do to protect and preserve the respiratory system is to not smoke. Tobacco smoking is perhaps the single worst activity an individual can do in regards to health. In addition to nicotine, a powerful drug that affects the heart and blood vessels, tobacco smoke contains carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a well-known toxic gas that reduces the ability of hemoglobin in red blood cells to carry oxygen to all the cells in the body.

Tobacco smoke also contains tars and other chemicals that damage the delicate cells in the mucous membrane lining the respiratory tract. Cilia projecting from that membrane are either paralyzed or destroyed by cigarette smoke. Pollutants and other particles, which then cannot be removed, settle in the lungs. The extra mucus produced in response to an irritated respiratory tract provides an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

Many illnesses or disorders result from smoking tobacco. If smoking is continued over a period of time, those illnesses become progressively worse. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer are a few of the serious disorders that can result from smoking. All can lead to death.

Respiratory System chart: Wall Chart [Wall Chart]

Respiratory System (Quickstudy: Academic) [Pamphlet]

Just Relax Just Inhale and Exhale (Respiratory) by wordsunwords

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