Putting it in Reverse
One of my best friends smoked cigarettes for several years when she was younger. One winter she developed a smoker's cough and decided she didn't want to be saddled with that all her life. With some difficulty, she finally quit smoking for good. But the damage had been done. Several months later her doctor told her she had emphysema, which she struggles with to this day.
As I've seen first-hand, emphysema is a terribly debilitating respiratory illness that's sometimes referred to as COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD also includes chronic bronchitis. And although these two diseases are quite different from one another, their effect is the same: long-term deterioration of the respiratory system.
A new study now shows that the number of deaths attributed to COPD yearly is probably severely underestimated. But there is some good news about natural methods that can successfully treat COPD. And some of these methods are also useful for common lung function deterioration, which affects just about everyone as we age.
According to the World Health Organization, almost 3 million people die of complications related to COPD every year. But a team of researchers, headed by the Imperial College School of Medicine in the UK, believes the COPD crisis is actually much worse than that statistic suggests.
Over a 7-year period, researchers examined more than 300,000 Welsh and English death certificates that mentioned COPD. The underlying cause of death was listed as COPD in 60 percent of these cases. But the UK team concluded that the contribution of COPD to many of the remaining 40 percent was underestimated. In their report, published in this month's European Respiratory Journal, the researchers estimate that the actual total of COPD deaths is as much as two-thirds higher than the official estimate. The reason? Many deaths attributed to pneumonia, heart attack and other causes overlook the substantial contribution that COPD plays in these deaths, according to the UK team. They suspect that this may be the case worldwide, putting the actual yearly death toll of COPD closer to 5 million.
If you're a non-smoker, your chance of developing COPD is relatively low. But studies have shown that lung function deteriorates for all of us as we age, making us more susceptible to predatory viruses that cause pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses. Fortunately, there are several nutrients that have been shown to significantly support lung function.
In the e-alert "C-ing Stars" (6/12/02) I told you about another UK study (at the University of Nottingham) that investigated the relationship between lung function and the intake of magnesium, and vitamins C, E, and A. In 1991, researchers surveyed more than 2,500 subjects to assess the relationship between diet, asthma and COPD. Nine years later, approximately one half of the original group participated in a follow-up survey. As in the first phase, each subject completed a food frequency questionnaire, as well as a questionnaire regarding respiratory symptoms, smoking, and other variables. Subjects also had breathing levels tested in each phase.
After analyzing the data, researchers reached two important conclusions: 1) Subjects who consumed higher amounts of vitamin C had better lung function than those with lower levels of vitamin C intake; and 2) Higher amounts of vitamin C and magnesium intake were associated with significantly improved lung function in the cases of those suffering from asthma or COPD.
The researchers didn't offer a recommendation about the dosage level of vitamin C required to reap the protective benefits, but the study indicates that the average participant in the survey was not supplementing with mega-doses.
The HSI Forum currently contains a thread titled "Please HELP!!!! COPD…." in which a member named Misty asks for suggestions in how to naturally treat her 65-year-old mother who was recently diagnosed with COPD. Misty 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." This is a very informative thread that I'll review in more detail in this coming Friday's "This week in the HSI Forum." For now, I'll share this response to Misty's plea, from a member named Lynn who recommends the treatments of Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., for COPD. Lynn writes, "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."
Lynn is right on track. In the August 2002 issue of his Nutrition & Healing newsletter, Dr. Wright discusses COPD at length, and states that nebulized, inhaled glutathione is "the No. 1 natural treatment for COPD in my practice."
E-Alert readers will recognize glutathione as the powerful antioxidant and amino acid molecule that I've written about many times. In Dr. Wright's treatment, glutathione is taken via a nebulizer; an apparatus that dispels liquid in a fine mist to be inhaled.
Dr. Wright cautions that by the time a COPD diagnosis is made, lung tissue is usually so badly damaged that nutritional treatments can't cure most cases of COPD. But he adds, "I can safely say that this type of therapy usually stops and at least partially reverses the progression of the disease. Often, improvement can be quite significant."
Dr. Wright's article (available online to his subscribers at wrightnewsletter.com) contains a 13-point checklist of the vitamins and nutrients essential to treating COPD-related disorders. And as you might guess, his list parallels the Nottingham University research with recommended daily doses of both vitamin C and magnesium.
Needless to say, mainstream doctors tend to attack COPD with prescription drugs that might make breathing easier, but don't improve damaged lung tissue. So if you suffer from COPD, or if you know someone who does, rest assured that there are safe and natural ways available to treat this unforgiving disease.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute Sources: "What do Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients Die From? A Multiple Cause Coding Analysis" European Respiratory Journal, vol. 22, no. 5, November 2003, ingenta.co.uk "Lung Disease Deaths Underestimated" Reuters, 10/27/03, msnbc.com "Prospective Study of Diet and Decline in Lung Function in a General Population"
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2002;165:1299-1303, ajrccm.org
"Conquer COPD and Breathe Easier Naturally - Without Spending your Future Attached to an Oxygen Tank!" Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Nutrition & Healing, August 2002, wrightnewsletter.com |
