Coping with COPD
This week in the HSI e-Alert
“Please help! My mom is 65 and was diagnosed with COPD
yesterday.”
As I mentioned earlier this week, a member named Misty began a thread on the HSI Forum to ask other members for suggestions in treating her mother for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She says, “They have her taking a dozen different meds, including steroid treatments and she feels worse now than when she was having her breathing attack.”
COPD is term used to describe either emphysema, chronic
bronchitis or both. These are two different diseases that create the same result: long-term deterioration of the respiratory system. Unfortunately, they can’t be cured, but they can be treated in order to slow and sometimes even halt the progression of deterioration.
A member named Terri agrees with Misty’s comment about the medications. Terri writes: “I too have a Mom who was diagnosed with COPD. She’s 74 and has been on prednisone for a few years now. What a horrible med that is. So many side effects but the worst is the leaching of her bones. Now her bones are so brittlethey fracture easily.”
Several members have posted suggestions for natural alternative treatments. Linda says, “I had a friend that had breathing problems and I suggested 25000 IU of beta carotene and it helped him a lot.” A member who calls himself samsam has COPD and says that one of the things that works for him is an air purifier that’s also an ozone generator.
A member named Nancy also has COPD and recommends several basics in treating the disease: “Clean out all cleaning supplies from under the kitchen sink they give off fumes and can trigger attacks. Remember her lungs are seriously sensitive. Get your Mom to exercise – sounds ludicrous – but a mile a day will help her expand her lung capacity and the attacks will lessen.” In addition, Nancy suggests breathing techniques combined with
meditation; eating only whole foods, fresh fruits and
vegetables; and chiropractic care. She says, “Keep her spine in alignment so nerve impulses are distributed freely throughout the body.”
Several posts in the thread recommend using a nebulizer, an
apparatus that a member named Adria describes as a device that “produces ultrasonic mist which I then inhale via a face mask. This moisturizes my respiratory system.” And a member named Lynn points out that Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., recommends nebulizer use. She says, “In his written newsletter he has talked about the use of nebulized glutathione. He says it’s the best thing he’s ever seen for emphysema and copd.”
In fact, Dr. Wright’s Tahoma Clinic helped pioneer nebulizing
with glutathione; a powerful antioxidant and amino acid molecule that I’ve written about in many previous e-Alerts. You can find out much more about COPD and Dr. Wright’s comprehensive protocol to treat this disease in Tuesday’s e-Alert “Putting it in Reverse” (11/11/03 – see below).
Other topics of interest on the HSI Forum this week include
diabetic medications, thyroid iodine test, jet lag, prostate
enlargement, memory loss, and a thread titled “Headaches from coffee?” in which members share tips on how to continue enjoying coffee without the occasional coffee headache.
And now onto football
There’s no way to put a positive spin on what happened to the Ravens last Sunday. A freak punt that bounces back, a blown pass interference call at the 3 yard line, and an injury that sidelines your starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. That odd and embarrassing game in St. Louis, ended with a deer-in-the-headlights gaze on the face of our backup, Chris Redman. Unfortunately, it may be a sign of things to come. This Sunday the Ravens face the Dolphins, a good team that’s also struggling, coming off of three straight losses. They were dominated at home last week by Tennessee and are probably going to come back fighting hard. But Ray Lewis will show Ricky Williams the turf, and if Jamal can hold on to the ball and get some good blocking, our Lewis duo could be the driving force on Sunday, helping us cling to our ever-slimming lead in the AFC North. It’s hard to say what’s in store for my guys in Miami. This much we know: Champions rise above adversity. And a win in
Miami would be a timely and much-needed boost. Go Ravens!
(Please.)
