Ageing causes many changes in the respiratory system. Pulmonary functions (that allows breathing capacity to increase) start declining after a certain period in young adults, and the major changes with ageing in lungs include decreased elastic recoil, stiffening of the chest wall and reduction in the respiratory muscle strength.

As age advances, there is some bending forward of the thorax (the part of the body that is situated between the neck and the abdomen and supported by the ribs), and with lessened lung capacity and loss of the natural structure (which helps in exchange of respiratory gases known as alveoli structure), residual volume increases. A little exertion makes an older person breathe at a higher rate per minute and he feels breathless.

From the modern point of view, bacterial infection is the common cause of a number of chest diseases, but exposure to climatic changes, dust and food allergies also set a proposal to these problems. Whereas smoking tops the list of contributing factors of chronic bronchitis, shortening of breath with or without cough and cancer in most of the elderly persons, lessened immunity and low strength also make an old person to fall sick repeatedly. Alcoholism, malnutrition, diabetes, renal dialysis and treatment with drugs which suppress natural immunity system are known to make such patients prone to tuberculosis.

Though earliest visible symptoms in most of the lung diseases are the same, care must be taken in case there is severe breathlessness, fever or symptoms of hypoxia i.e. deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body. The clinical picture of Pneumonia in elderly is quite variable, but the most constant feature is an increase in the rate of respiration whereas older patients of asthma have a continuation of the disease acquired at a younger age.

There are a number of herbal and herbomineral preparations which strengthen the respiratory system and also have curative effect. Mulethi, Kantkari, Pippali, Pushkarmool, Tulasi, Banafsha, Bansa and Somlata are some of the foremost herbs which are being used for centuries for mild or moderate respiratory problems. For expulsion of mucus from the respiratory tract and lower the mucin containing body secretions , classic ayurveda recommends herbal formulations like Shringyadi Churna, Talishadi Churna and the famous Sitopladi Churna to be taken with honey.