Breathe Better, Live Better

June 13, 2025 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Hello, friends. Did you know that most healthy people can survive up to 30-60 days without food if they have adequate water? However, without water, a healthy person can only survive 3 to 7 days, as the body quickly becomes dehydrated, affecting every organ—especially the brain and kidneys. But while survival is possible without food or even water for several days, human beings can only survive a few minutes without air. Research shows that brain damage begins after just 3 minutes without oxygen, with irreversible damage or death after 6 to 10 minutes. 

In fact, did you know that oxygen is so important that human life began with a breath of air? In Genesis 2:7 we read: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (NKJV).

You see, without breath, there is no life. Breathing, however, can easily be taken for granted—unless one suffers from asthma or other related illnesses. 

God programmed our bodies to breathe automatically, so it can be easy not to think much about it. But what kind of air are we breathing, and how deeply? These are important points to consider for good health.

“In order to have good blood, we must breathe well,” writes Ellen White in the book Ministry of Healing. “Full, deep breaths of pure air, which fill the lungs with oxygen, purify the blood. . . A good respiration soothes the nerves; it stimulates the appetite and improves the digestion; and it induces sound, refreshing sleep” (p. 272). 

What wonderful benefits just from breathing fresh air deeply and regularly! It may be helpful now and then, to remind ourselves to sit up straight or stand tall and breathe deeply—it can be very refreshing and rejuvenating to take a deep breath of fresh, clean air. This is because the lungs are constantly throwing off impurities, and they need to be constantly supplied with fresh air to do their work properly. 

So, how can we get plenty of fresh air? Here are some tips:

1.     Make sure that when indoors, the room you are in has plenty of ventilation—especially the room where you sleep! Open the windows and let the fresh air come inside—you will feel refreshed!
2.     Make a conscious effort throughout the day to pause and take in several deep breaths—inhaling and exhaling slowly to the count of 10. This can bring relaxation and clearer thinking. The brain needs a lot of oxygen. Although it is only about 2 percent of the entire body weight, it receives about 15 to 20 percent of the body’s blood supply to meet its oxygen needs.
3.     Best of all, get outside in the sunshine and fresh air and exercise! This will accomplish many good things at once! As we saw in a previous video, exercise is truly one of the most important things we can do for our health. And sunshine has many benefits, such as promoting Vitamin D production in our bodies. Vitamin D is necessary for many things such as healthy bone formation, proper immune function, cell growth, nerve and muscle function, and reducing inflammation. It also promotes a better mood and better sleep. Research has shown that although too much sunshine can lead to skin cancers, other cancers and infectious diseases could result from too little sunshine. And according to some reports, exposure to UV rays from the sun may help with autoimmune diseases like psoriasis and lupus, and one recent study also suggested it might help alleviate asthma. 

So, I encourage you to go outside, get some fresh air and sunshine, and see how beneficial it can be!

And until next time, may God bless you as together we seek a more abundant life in Him! 

Let’s pray together just now.