In Search Of Alternative Cures To COPD

I have tried the world being abundantly healthy and not so much healthy and I much prefer the former.  So I am seeking through natural means to obtain health and have more control of my body. I turned it over to the medical profession for a while, and soon realized that was a mistake that I have a big part in being healthy or not.  I had always thought so until my whole body shut down about four years ago now.  I have been struggling with my health ever since. Since I believe strongly in the Law of Attraction I feel my thinking has a great deal to do with that struggle. Now I am very grateful for the doctors who helped me through this time. I was angry and bitter at my circumstances. I had to let go and let God again in my life. But when it happened I was angry with God and angry with the doctors. I believe I still have some of that to deal with in time but that is for another blog article in another blog on Spirituality however, we are one being housed in this impermanent body so one thing is very dependent on the other and sometimes the lines run together. Maybe that was Jacob struggle in the Bible the struggle between those different parts of his being. 
Today what I want to talk about is my lungs being abundantly healthy. They are not as healthy as I want them to be. So I have been researching what I can eat. What supplements to take. What herbs are helpful in healthy lungs. 
This is some of what I found out:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of diseases with one common feature: airway obstruction. Two major diseases, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, are prominent members of this group. COPD ordinarily features constricted airways clogged with excess mucous (bronchitis) or damaged and deteriorating air sacs (alveoli), which limit the amount of oxygen the lungs are able to deliver to the bloodstream. To top this information off I have  congested heart failure which adds to common symptoms of shortness of breath and cramping legs (which cause doctors to send me for tests to see if I have blood clots.  Since this is a world of specialists and one does not talk to the other, and my GP is not great at communicating with me it leaves me with a lot of research and writing down lots of questions about my condition. 

Diet and lung disease, food selection
Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and fish keep lungs healthy.  A good amount of fresh vegetable juices are a good way to start healing, along with adding a variety of spices such as ginger, onions, and garlic.  The Mediterranean diet seems to be the closest to a great eating plan as there is:

Key components of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:

• Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
• Replacing butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil.  I use a lot of different kinds of oil and have learned to enjoy them. I prefer coconut oil for a lot of things but like , (For salads, olive, sunflower, safflower, flax seed, or walnut oils are excellent choices. With the exception of extra-virgin olive oil, olive oil has a robust flavor, while sunflower oil (pressed from the seeds) and safflower oil (pressed from a thistle-type flower) have a delicate taste and a lighter texture. If you opt for sunflower oil, you can get either high-oleic sunflower oil, which has monounsaturated levels of 80 percent and above, or the more common linoleic sunflower oil, which is high in polyunsaturates or linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. Flaxseed’s rich, nutty taste adds a pleasant flavor to a salad, and it’s a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which your body converts into omega- 3s. It goes rancid quickly—high or even room temperatures destroy its fragile structure -- so keep it in the refrigerator and use it within a few months of opening. Walnut oil is best used uncooked or in cold sauces because it becomes slightly bitter when heated.  I like sesame oil to use on salads or stir fry. I love avocado oil for salads. )  For Cooking many a chef recommend virgin oil but it does not do well at high heat. 
• Using herbs and spices instead of salt
  Peanut  flavor foods
  The high smoke point of peanut oil makes it a good choice for cooking over high heat. It contains heart-healthy phyto sterols, essential plant fats known to lower cholesterol and inhibit cancer.
   
• Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
• Eating fish (I upped my fish consumption to six meals a week. This is easy to achieve if you eat canned fish and have maybe three lunches and three fresh fish at dinner per week.   poultry at least twice a week. (I eat chicken but only chicken I get at local farms that is field raised and fed a special diet.  Same with eggs I want them organic, free range. Mostly I want them fresh. )
• Drinking red wine in moderation (optional) I drink a lot of non-alcoholic wine it taste fine to me and I get all the benefits of regular wine from what I read(. Since I do not drink alcohol it is a good alternative for people like me who choose not to drink alcohol.)

The diet also recognizes the importance of being physically active, and enjoying meals with family and friends.

Supplements for lung disease
 I think several could be helpful including fish oils since they act as anti-inflammatory agents, acetyl cysteine since it is a potent antioxidant, and perhaps a wide range of carotenoids and flavonoids. A multivitamin preparation could be helpful such as MultiVit Rx in providing the basic vitamins and minerals to maintain healthy lung tissue. Since ginger, onions, and garlic are helpful, one could take supplements instead for instance Ginger extract.  Vitamin D could be helpful taking a 20 min walk each day could get you some sunshine.  Also as Fish oil acts as a decongestant it might be helpful. 
Probiotics

tive system are closely related.  . Probiotics in the management of lung diseases. Probiotics have been defined as "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, (Here everything I read became a little hazy as I think one would have to consider the amount of probiotic taken by the person, their type of lung disease, and that persons symptoms. )probiotics include lactic acid bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces, and these are often used as dietary supplements to provide a health benefits.  Probiotics are another supplement that can be added since the repository system and the digestive system fit in digestive disease such as ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, and colon cancer. In this respect, probiotics probably act as noninflammatory agents and activators of host defense pathways which suggest that they could influence disease severity and incidence at sites distal to the gut. There is increasing evidence that orally delivered probiotics are able to regulate immune responses and help control inflammation  in the respiratory system.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
 is often used to clear the airways of people with COPD I know that I made an onion soup that had a lot of garlic and thyme and it acted like a decongestant.  Whether it does any real significant clearing of the lungs needs more study.  There is one small study from Germany that says the use of thyme oil in essential oils clears animals lungs. 

Ginseng (Panax ginseng)

There are a couple of studies from China that suggest taking Ginseng might be helpful. The subjects were able to do more exercise than the control group that took a  placebo.

Curcumin (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric, a spice commonly used in curries, is the source of powerful medicinal compounds collectively called “curcumin.  . So far, scientists have found that curcumin may have significant antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant effects.  Asian traditional medicine had long used , curcumin has also been shown to reduce airway inflammation. As a powerful antioxidant, curcumin may help fight the oxidative stress believed to underlie COPD, while blocking inflammation at the molecular level. It may also be of highly valuable in the treatment of COPD.

Breathing Exercises Like pursed lip technique, breathing from the diaphragm, Yoga breathing can help improve your lung function.  These breathing techniques work best when one is short of breath.

Exercise is another way to improve breathing health.  It seems strange that when one is short of breathe to ask

 them to exercise but strengthening your arms and legs does help you to improve your breathing. 

Supporting Research

Ambrosino N, Palmiero G, Strambi SK. New approaches in pulmonary rehabilitation. Clin Chest Med. 2007 Sep;28(3):629-38, vii. Review.

Bartolome R. Update on the management of COPD. Chest. 2008;133(6).

Booker R. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Part two--management. Nurs Times. 2007 May 1-7;103(18):28-9.

Bourjeily G, Rochester CL. Exercise training in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Clin Chest Med. 2000;21(4):763-781.

Cahalin LP, Braga M, Matsuo Y, Hernandez ED. Efficacy of diaphragmatic breathing in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review of the literature. J Caridopulm Rehabil. 2002;22(1):7-21.

Chuck A, Jacobs P, Mayers I, Marciniuk D. Cost-effectiveness of combination therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Can Respir J. 2008;15(8):437-43.

Collins EG, Langbein WE, Fehr L, Maloney C. Breathing pattern retraining and exercise in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. AACN Clin Issues. 2001;12(2):202-209.

Davis CL, Lewith GT, Broomfield J, Prescott P. A pilot project to assess the methodological issues involved in evaluating acupuncture as a treatment for disabling breathlessness. J Altern Complement Med. 2001;7(6):633-639.

Ferri F. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009, 1st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier. 2009.

Gigliotti F, Romagnoli I, Scano G. Breathing retraining and exercise conditioning in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a physiological approach. Respir Med. 2003;97(3):197-204.

Gross D, Shenkman Z, Bleiberg B, Dayan M, Gittelson M, Efrat R. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis. 2002 Oct-Dec;57(5-6):242-6. Ginseng improves pulmonary functions and exercise capacity in patients with COPD.

Guell R, Casan P, Belda J, et al. Long-term effects of outpatient rehabilitation of COPD: A randomized trial. Chest. 2000;117(4):976-983.

Guo R, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Herbal medicines for the treatment of COPD: a systematic review. Eur Respir J. 2006 Aug;28(2):330-8. Review.

Jaber R. Respiratory and allergic diseases: from upper respiratory tract infections to asthma. Prim Care. 2002;29(2):231-261.

Jones A. Causes and effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Br J Nurs. 2001;10(13):845-850.

McKeever TM, Scrivener S, Broadfield E, Jones Z, Britton J, Lewis SA. Prospective study of diet and decline in lung function in a general population. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001;165(9):1299-1303.

Qaseem A, et al. Diagnosis and management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Int Med. 2007;147(9):633-8.

Rahman I, Kilty I. Antioxidant therapeutic targets in COPD. Curr DrugTargets. 2006 Jun;7(6):707-20.

Romieu I, Trenga C. Diet and obstructive lung diseases. Epidemiol Rev. 2001;23(2):268-287.

Seamark DA, Seamark CJ, Halpin DM. Palliative care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review for clinicians. J R Soc Med. 2007 May;100(5):225-33. Review.

Smit HA. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and protective effects of food intake: from hypothesis to evidence? Respir Res. 2001;2(5):261-264.

Stey C, Steurer J, Bachmann S, Medici TC, Tramer MR. The effect of oral N-acetylcysteine in chronic bronchitis: a quantitative systematic review. Eur Respir J. 2000 Aug;16(2):253-262.

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease
Judi Singleton is the owner of bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less





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