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Archive through February 08, 2008

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2008 ~ Mar. 2008: Health Center: Emphysema: Archive through February 08, 2008 users admin

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Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 3:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Just found out my mom has this. Anyone ever had to deal with this? Any advice? TIA....

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 4:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
People live for years and years with emphysema, as long as they take care of themselves, keep on their meds and keep the rest of their body healthy, they can thrive. This is not an ending. Your mom is in my prayers. Much love and well wishes to your whole family.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 4:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Thanks Escapee. It really was a relief of sorts, as we were really thinking lung cancer.

She is also rather depressed (not cuz of emphysema).

Actually if it weren't for her losing weight and other symptoms, (which we now think are cuz she is suffering from depression) she would have never gone to the doc and never gotten the lung xray. So maybe, depression has saved her life????

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, February 06, 2008 - 8:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Julie, I posted in your folder. I'm sure they will want her to stop smoking.

I'd contact your local branch of The Lung Association to see what they offer in terms of info, referrals and groups like Better Breathers and I know for my mom, having a pulmonary specialist (pulmonologist) was a godsend.

Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Thursday, February 07, 2008 - 8:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sunshyne4u a private message Print Post    
try to find a really good naturopath.

I've heard some cases of emphysema have been stopped and repaired thru changes in nutrition. Evidently this link between a LACK of a balanced diet rich in ???? and Emphysema was discovered from research during the Second World War. It seems that even children suffered from it then.

Anyways, Good Luck

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, February 07, 2008 - 8:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Thank you both Sea and Sun!!! We'll know more after her appt next week with a pulmonary doc.

Dahli
Member

11-27-2000

Thursday, February 07, 2008 - 9:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dahli a private message Print Post    
Julie, make her ginger tea... it is a very good beverage for this condition.

Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 5:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sunshyne4u a private message Print Post    
The western medicine doctor might have some great info as to nutrition but that isnt what they usually concentrate on during studies. I've found that often regular doctors do have some ideas as to alternative techniques BUT you have to directly ask em.

The pulmonary function test should give some answers. Geez I hate doing those things. They make you Blow into the tube so darn hard and fast ....all the while they are hollaring BLOW BLOW BLOOOOOOWWWWW! ROTFL

anyways, Keep us updated eh??

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 7:16 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Dahli, thanks for that tip!!! Are there any others?

Sunshyne, thanks too, and I will keep you updated! Thanks for asking!

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 7:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Dahli, is there any particular brand that is good or any specific name on a label I should look for? Or is any tea that has ginger in it good??? TIA!!!

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 10:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
Julie ... I didn't see this but is your mom a smoker? If she is I hope her doctors get her in a smoking cessation class soon. My father stopped 15 years ago and has no signs of lung damage.

Best of luck for your mom!!

Dahli
Member

11-27-2000

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 10:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dahli a private message Print Post    
Julie, I use real ginger root

4 cups water
2-inch piece of fresh peeled ginger root

optional: honey and lemon slice

There are three ways to make this - the method will depend on your preference:
Pour the boiled water into a teapot that you have already placed the freshly sliced ginger into. Put the lid on the teapot to stop the pot cooling down too quickly and to keep the aromatic ingredients in the tea. Steep for 10 - 15 minutes.
If you boil the water in a saucepan rather than in a kettle, you can add the ginger to the saucepan and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes before pouring after simmering.
Use a teaball to hold the sliced ginger and steep in a cup for 15 minutes. Make sure to use a saucer to cover the top of the cup to prevent the aromatic elements from escaping.
Strain the tea after steeping or boiling and serve. Add sweeteners or flavour if desired.
Drink hot, at room temperature or cold - as preferred.

Ginger should not be used if you have a high fever, an inflammatory skin complaint, ulcers or gallstones...

if she's smoking, there's not a tea or a drug that can balance out that...

Dahli
Member

11-27-2000

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 10:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dahli a private message Print Post    
You asked for it :-) Here are some other tea etc ideas

Green Pharmacy for Emphysema

Clearly, the best way to deal with emphysema, chronic bronchitis and COPD is to quit smoking. Once diagnosed, emphysema is not reversible. Still, remaining lung function can be maximized by avoiding respiratory irritants and by using supplemental oxygen. In addition, herbs that can help thin mucus or clear it from the lungs are particularly helpful.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Herbal pharmacologist Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine and Herbal Tonic Therapies, praises velvety mullein for its ability to treat respiratory conditions, including emphysema. Mullein is rich in soothing mucilage.

You can make a tea with one to two teaspoons of dried, crushed mullein leaves or flowers per cup of boiling water. Strain it carefully before drinking it. Dr. Mowrey also recommends a combination of mullein, red pepper and licorice (discussed below).

Red pepper (Capsicum, various species). British physician Irwin Ziment, M.D., urges his emphysema patients to eat a hot, spicy meal every day or down a glass of water spiked with 10 to 20 drops of hot-pepper sauce. There are two reasons for this. First, red pepper is a rich source of antioxidants that help protect lung tissue from damage at the cellular level. Second, it helps thin mucus and move it out of the respiratory tract.

Red pepper is far from the only spicy plant with expectorant value. The ancients used all of the hot spices to thin mucus and help propel it out of the lungs, particularly garlic, onions, ginger, mustard and horseradish. I'd recommend any or all of them.

Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) and other herbs rich in vitamin C. A good deal of research demonstrates that vitamin C has mucus-thinning properties and helps treat all manner of respiratory conditions. In that case, I must put in a good word for camu-camu, the Amazonian fruit with the world's highest vitamin C content. On a dry-weight basis, it is nearly 4 percent vitamin C. That may not sound like much, but lemons have only 0.56 percent, and no other high-C fruit or vegetable comes close to camu-camu.

Camu-camu is not readily available in the United States. Until your neighborhood grocer carries it, feel free to use citrus fruits, bell peppers, guava, watercress and all the other high-C fruits and vegetables. Rosehips are also a good source.

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). This herb is very high in cineole, a potent expectorant compound. If I had emphysema, I'd add a teaspoon or two of powdered cardamom to fruit juice or tea.

Other herbs high in cineole (in descending order of potency) include spearmint, rosemary, sweet Annie, ginger, lavender, nutmeg, bee balm, peppermint, tansy, yarrow, cinnamon, basil, turmeric, lemon leaf, hyssop, tarragon, lemon verbena and fennel.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus). Eucalyptus oil is very high in cineole. This herb, a potent expectorant, is an ingredient in several sore throat lozenges and in commercial chest rubs.

Studies suggest that the benefits of a eucalyptus chest rub are an illusion. When inhaled, eucalyptus stimulates cold receptors in the nose, producing a feeling of increased air flow but no demonstrable decongestant activity.

Other studies, however, show that cineole has both expectorant and decongestant activity when ingested. Personally, I'd forget the chest rubs and go with a tea made with one to two teaspoons of dried, crushed leaves per cup of boiling water. Drink up to three cups a day.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Licorice contains nine expectorant compounds plus ten antioxidant compounds. If I had emphysema, I'd add an occasional teaspoon of sweet, powdered licorice root to herbal beverage teas. (While licorice and its extracts are safe for normal use in moderate amounts--up to about three cups of tea a day--long-term use or ingestion of larger amounts can produce headache, lethargy, sodium and water retention, excessive loss of potassium and high blood pressure.)

Peppermint (Mentha piperita). Peppermint contains nine expectorant compounds. In addition, its main active component, menthol, reportedly has mucus-thinning properties. You can take peppermint as a tea, tincture or capsule, but do not ingest the oil, which is for external use only.

Seneca snakeroot (Polygala senega). Commission E, the German expert panel that judges the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines for the German counterpart of the FDA, recommends one to two teaspoons of seneca snakeroot tincture as an expectorant. This herb is useful in treating emphysema and bronchitis, according to Norman Bisset, Ph.D., professor of pharmacy at King's College at the University of London and author of Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum). Although basil is not widely known as an expectorant, it does contain six compounds that are useful for this purpose. I personally like pesto so much that I thought I'd mention this herb. Pesto is that wonderfully flavorful pasta sauce made with garlic and fresh basil, and in my opinion it's a particularly nice way to get a medicinal dose of both herbs.

Elecampane (Inula helenium). With respected British herbalist David Hoffmann, author of The Herbal Handbook, reporting expectorant and lung-protective benefits for this herb, I would probably use it if I had emphysema. Try one to two teaspoons of dried, crushed herb per cup of boiling water. Drink up to two cups a day. Elecampane is bitter, so you can add lemon, licorice and honey to taste, or make a tea of mixed herbs.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare). Oregano contains six compounds that are expectorants. Like basil, it's not widely known as an expectorant, but also like basil, it's a wonderful culinary herb.

Tea (Camellia sinensis). Speaking of expectorant teas, regular old green or black tea contains six expectorant compounds and one, theophylline, that can help mucus move up from deeper in the lungs. It also contains some caffeine, which studies have shown has some antidepressant value. That and its stimulant effect might help people with emphysema feel better.

Mucokinetic Mule

This emphysema tea kicks like a mule, so be careful how much of the ingredients you use. A mucokinetic herb, by the way, is one that has the ability to move mucus up and out of the lungs. Most of the herbs in this tea are mucokinetic.

Start with small amounts of herbs and add more only if your sinuses and taste buds can handle it. The herbs to use are garlic, ginger, hot pepper, horseradish and mustard; steep them in two cups of boiling water for ten minutes. You can add a bit of fruit that contains vitamin C, such as lemon or orange.

Drink this tea slowly and with caution! It will be very hot and could trigger gagging. If you can tolerate it, however, it will help unplug that mucus and get it flowing. If you just can't get it down, don't force it. Instead, try some of the other herbs mentioned in this chapter.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 10:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
Quit smoking and regular exercise are the 2 best things she can do.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 11:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Thank you all so much. She is going to be quitting smoking. But (for now) the doc is concerned more about her depression, so they are moving cautiously. Like they are not going to put her on Chantix until they get the depression "under control" as Chantix can have some bad side effects on a depressed person. At any rate she has already cut back, but she has been smoking for like 40-50 years, so I think it will take time to wean herself. I am sure she is addicted to the nicotine.

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 11:29 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
Wow ... I sure hope she's able to stop smoking and get her depression under control.

My mom passed 5 years ago of COPD. She had never smoked in her life. It was damage from second hand smoke. Possibly from when she was a child and her father smoked or from when my dad smoked. Very sad.

I'm hoping that your mom isn't smoking around others. It's so bad!

Dahli
Member

11-27-2000

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 11:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dahli a private message Print Post    
My mom died suddenly last year after being diagnosed with chronic bronchitis. She had smoked for more than fifty years and Allen Carr's book finally clicked for her and she was able to quit easily. Unfortunately it was too late and her heart quit as well.

If your mom isn't already try to get her to exercise and get some sun for depression, it can really help as do the omega 3 fats. The tea will also help some as stated in that very lonnnng (sorry) post above.
Hugs to you Julie!
I hope all works out, a mom is tough to lose.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 11:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Does anyone know how important exercise is, if you consider the fact that she is already very thin? (5'7" and about 110-114 lbs.)

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 11:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
Exercise is always important Julie. It's good for the heart and it's good for the soul no matter what weight you are. Walking is a great exercise. It will also help clear out her lungs as she stops smoking.

Dahli
Member

11-27-2000

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 1:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dahli a private message Print Post    
Yes good for the heart, soul and the mind. Also it may improve her appetite which can help with maintaining and balancing proper weight...

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 1:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
julie, why aren't they giving her Wellbutrin? It helps with stopping smoking AND it's an antidepressant.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 2:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
Julie my mom was thin too. But it was the exercise before she became bedridden that the doctors credited for her living so long. The year before she died her new doctor - who was afraid of her case - sent her to a heart specialist. They did an angiogram, and the doctors up there were amazed. They said she had the heart of a very healthy 40 year old, not the frail 63 year old she was at the time. They said it was all the walking and bike riding that she did before becoming bedridden.

As I told you in your folder, her lung problems were not caused by smoking. But smoking aggravated the problems. That with the lack of proper meds took my mom away way too soon. Your mom can have along life ahead of her as long as she takes care of herself.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 2:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
julie, why aren't they giving her Wellbutrin? It helps with stopping smoking AND it's an antidepressant.


It depends on the type of depression, and what other problems she has or meds she's on.

Also Bupropion can cause weight loss so if she's too thin it might be they don't want anything to cause her to lose more.

ETA that's assuming they don't have her on it.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 3:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
She has not seen the pulmonary guy or the psychiatrist yet. So we'll know more next week. Thanks for all your input!!! I do appreciate it and I feel like I have a little "feel" of this now...

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Friday, February 08, 2008 - 3:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
The exercise is extremely important.. the better muscle tone she can build and maintain now is essential and I know with my mom, even whe she was in her early 70s her doctor said even a little bit of weight loss (she lost 7 pounds) would make it easier for her to use her by then limited lung capacity. Honestly in her last 10 years her doctor said what kept my mom going was that she did her breathing treatments faithfully and worked out with her light hand weights, rode the exercise bike, monitored her BP and still would walk. She couldn't sleep for long periods, so she'd get up in the night, finish reading her paper and then put on her oxygen and walk a mile in circles around the house. They had carpet put in that was very high grade, no toxic fumes even when new, and it was very dense/flat so it allowed her to walk with her oxygen cart thing and there was a circle through their LR, DR, Kitchen, FR, entry hall and she measured out how many circles in a mile. So there she'd be at 2am, walking and their dog would often get out of his bed in the bedroom and join her and my dad said sometimes he'd wake up and see the two of them and even join them! Mom did the maximum she could do for as long as possible and her doctor said it was a major factor, in fact he said it was not what he was doing so much but what she was doing.

Now normally they tell people to go off dairy, because of mucus, but, my mom had had osteoporosis and did drink a glass of skim milk every day. She resisted stopping smoking for so long, really too bad. She had COPD and Emphysema and later chroinc bronchitis too.

They also felt it was very important to stay away from exposure to repiratory viruses and she got her flu shot every year, as did my dad. If he did catch something, he's sleep in another room.

Mom was never on antidepressants but she definitely was depressed. Probably just refused to consider them, that was her personality.

It sounds like they are proceeding with some caution, which is a good thing. I agree, your mom can live with this a long time if she starts treating it now (my mom put it off for a long long time. It was like she was angry with herself and thus punished herself. She admitted later that she even didn't quit smoking out of spite, even after my dad quit (he was sort of an ass about how he bugged her, but he was really scared too).