My friend Dr. Gerald Lemole, a professor of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Temple University School of Medicine, alerted me to important studies on how the lymphatic system affects health — especially heart health.

Few physicians really understand the importance of the lymphatic system, which is the part of the circulatory system that cleans the tissues and supplies special nutrients.

Dr. Lemole developed a series of breathing exercises, which he demonstrates in his excellent book, “The Healing Diet.”

These exercises improve lymphatic circulation and removes toxic substances from the heart and lungs.

As we age, most of us forget to take deep breaths. Yet deep breathing does more than just oxygenate the tissues and organs, it also pumps fluid through the lymphatic vessels.

For maximum health, you should try at least once an hour to take ten deep breaths and then slowly exhale. This also lessens your risk of developing pneumonia.