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Pulmonary Fibrosis

 
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Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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Location: Cleveland, OH

PostPosted: Dec Thu 14, 2006 7:39 pm    Post subject: Pulmonary Fibrosis Reply with quote

Pulmonary Fibrosis

Have a client with this in his lungs. Besides the regular lung herbs, has anyone ever worked with someone who had this? -Darlene Agle
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Yes, have had direct personal experience. Fibrosis in lung tissue means damage has already been done, and doctors will tell you that it leads to permanent scarring, which is true IF you don't cleanse the colon seriously and aggressively for 90 days, off for 30 and on again. He must remove possible environmental hazards (dust, mold, or something at work). For one year, I took 20 grams of Vitamin C a day and 3 grams a day of B-Complex. Calcium-Magnesium (at 2000 mg for calcium). Also needs plenty of good water (Nature's Spring) and as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. Might want to try blood purifier also. If this happened to me today, I would also diffuse essential oils, though I'd have to consult on which ones to use. The good news is that the lungs are capable of fully rebuilding themselves without any scarring, if you take the right actions. -Linda Light
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My 31-year-old brother was diagnosed with this lung disease called Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis. He has had asthma since early childhood. After a persistent cough, they did a biopsy on his lung after a questionable CAT scan and found this lung disease. He has already been taking Prednisone and it is not working as well as the doctor and my brother had hoped. -Becka
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Remember Becka, drugs only are designed to suppress or block bodily functions (work against the body and not with it). This is what they are designed to do and they work quite well in this way. Your brother must build new lung tissue and cleanse itself if he is going to get better. The body is constantly rebuilding, but it must have the tools to create healthy new tissue. Eliminate all dairy foods and white sugar & white flour. He needs to drink lots of water throughout the day with lemon. A high raw diet would be beneficial. Lots of raw greens and fresh fruits.

From Nature's Sunshine, use Chinese Lung Support (6 daily, this stands for Lung Healer - Chinese). I have found this extremely helpful for chronic lung trouble. Use ALJ extract combined with Lobelia Essence to dissolve mucous in the lungs (20 drops of each 3x daily). Also, Fenugreek & Thyme is a great expectorant (6 daily). Your brother will have a lot of mucous to get rid of here. High amounts of Vitamin C are called for. Find his bowel tolerance and use just less than that amount. Also, use High Potency Grapine (3 daily). This is a powerful cardiovascular healer. -Mike Zavitz
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NSP has made a serious difference in this little girls life. Although I have never met Leia in person, this little lady has been part of our lives at the Sunshine Store for several years now. Her grandmother, Kris, is one of our customers. She is happy to report that Leia is doing great lately, and Kris is thankful the herbs have played a big part. She wanted to share what is happening for Leia in case others out there could benefit from this information. Kris is especially impressed with NSP Licorice Root Extract for reducing the serious problem of buildup of mucus in Leia's lungs. The licorice's cortisone-like activity has significantly reduced the quantity and the thick consistency of the mucus in Leia's lungs. Several other interstitial lung disease sufferers Kris has met are now using the licorice extract, also with good results. Reproduced below is an article from Xomed's website, and following that is the letter Kris sent the Sunshine Store.

Leia Peeden was born three months premature, weighing only 2.5lbs. She suffered most problems normally associated with premature births. However, in addition to these ailments, at about one year of age her guardian and grandmother, Kris Heitkemper, began to notice that Leia was experiencing hoarseness of voice and at times turning blue and purple. An assumption was made that Leia was suffering from some sort of circulation problem or perhaps an infection. But, the problem grew worse. Leia began having trouble catching her breath -- to the point where Kris was afraid to lay her flat. Instead, she held Leia on her shoulder while she slept.

Finally, Kris made an appointment with Charles Myer, MD at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Myer operated on Leia within four hours of examining her -- determining that pharyngeal papillomas were present. A short time later, Leia was diagnosed as suffering from acute Recurrent Laryngeal Papillomatosis, a wart virus that began blocking both Leia's pharynx and larynx. Using laser treatment, Dr. Myer performed surgery in which Leia had to be placed under general anesthesia every two to four weeks. Due to the abnormally fast growth rate of these tumors, the treatments became increasingly more frequent -- until at age two, Leia was having laser surgery every seven to ten days. She was put on full respiration and required a tracheal tube. To make matters worse, the insertion of the trachea tube caused the virus to spread into the trachea and esophagus so that each time Leia ingested food, she projectile vomited. The virus continued to spread below the tracheal tube into her bronchus. Leia suffered tracheal and bronchial malasia. Her left bronchus collapsed on more than one occasion. That, combined with the great frequency of laser surgeries and the rapid rate of papilloma growth, put Leia at a dangerous risk during her surgeries. Leia's life expectancy was called into question. Would she be able to live beyond early childhood?

With input from Children's physicians, Medtronic Xomed, the world's largest company focusing on needs of ear, nose and throat physicians, provided the XPS® Powered Micro Debrider and blade that allows access to the laryngeal area (airway). "It works like the video game Pac Man® the way it gobbles up tissue," says Charles M. Myer, III, a physician in Children's department of Otolaryngology (ENT) and maxillofacial surgery.

It took Dr. Myer three to four surgeries, using the new SkimmerT Laryngeal Blade from Medtronic Xomed, to completely debulk Leia's airway. Her vocal cords could be visualized for the first time in three years. Kris began to hear noise for the first time in many years from Leia. She sounded like a six-month-old, and she was now five years old. Leia, who had only been able to communicate with sign language until this point, now began to learn how to speak. After a lifetime total of 200 surgeries, the powered shaver has decreased Leia's surgery schedule to once every four to six weeks, as opposed to once every seven to ten days, allowing Leia more independence (less surgery time; more "normal" life). At age seven, Leia still remains on a Bipap ventilator 24 hours a day, but does enjoy an occasional movie night out. She can speak and is learning to add tonal quality to her speech. She uses a harmonica to learn how to breathe through her nose. Her grandmother, Kris, home schools Leia and reports that she is an avid computer enthusiast. According to Kris, "Leia's quality of life has absolutely flourished. Every day is a miracle. The powered shaver blade from Medtronic Xomed has given Leia the ability to smell and taste. It has given her voice and character. Her quality of life has far superseded our expectations, and many others. Without the shaver, she wouldn't be this far. I know that for a fact.

Here is Kris's letter to Susan and Jeff: "Hi! This is Kris Heitkemper. I wanted to let you know about Leia for your newsletter. her full name is Leia Peeden-Heitkemper. With her recurrent tumor growths in the larynx, pharynx, trachea and bronchus; along with her tracheotomy since age 2 years, she clogs up in her airway several times a day. the mucus becomes very tenacious and sometimes is difficult to get up requiring suctioning. Due to her tumor condition, she has had much bleeding in the trachea from the suctioning. to avoid this, I have highly encouraged her to cough, frequently lavaging down a few cc's of normal saline to loosen and open her airway.

"Leia has had 6-˝ years of nearly 200 surgeries, use of a ventilator and other health problems. Leia also has conditions of bronchial and tracheal malasias which totally collapse parts of the airway; several times she has had a left collapsed bronchus and numerous times of atelatactasis (areas of collapse in the lungs).

"To say the least, Leia's health condition has been "guarded" with prognosis; at one time I was told she had a poor chance of survival. One of her diagnosis is interstitial lung disease. being around people, especially children, would nearly always end up with a hospital stay centering around severe pneumonia. Jim and I have always been cautious with her exposures. our determined care and Leia's high spirit to survive life have led her to a better condition and diagnosis. We have worked diligently with her many doctors as well as tried many nature's sunshine supplements and herbs.

"Currently, Leia takes daily injections of a type of chemotherapy with very minimal side effects. However, she is ventilator free and not in need of oxygen for the past 2 ˝ -3 months. We attribute "our" success to many factors. Leia takes 3 Phyto-Soy capsules daily; 1 Freeze Dried Aloe Vera capsule daily; and 1 capsule each of phytonutrients. (This regimen was doubled for 6-9 months and recently decreased.) She also has been taking Licorice Root Extract, 15 drops in 10 cc water three times a day, for over a year now. It definitely thins down her tracheal secretions so she can cough them up without need for suctioning. (I was out of this product once and noticed quite a difference!). We always keep Ultimate Echinacea on hand for Leia and ourselves. With any sniffle, exposure to illness, or sore throat, we take 20 drops in water 1-3 times a day until symptoms are gone.

"All in all, with Leia's most complicated health condition(s), it has taken us a couple of years to come up with just the "right" combination needed for her needs. Her doctors are aware of our herbal usage. Some agree, some disagree. but they all agree that Leia is, in fact, a medical miracle! She is our angel of light and teacher of love.

"Recently, Xomed, a medical company that makes "new" products for surgical procedures did a layout and testimonial on Leia. she was the first to "create" this product, taking many risks. However, because of her courage to try something new and our prayers answered to try this, she is the pioneer who has saved many other people's lives with the same type of disease." The website is: www.xomed.com click on patient testimonials. -Susan Lebovitz
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Just found out today my old boss and a great guy (70 years old) was just diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. Doctor will treat with prednisone and says if this slows it down, he could live 4-5 more years, if not . . . I don't know how receptive he would be to alternatives but I feel it's important to at least give him information. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. -Carol Halford
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ALJ and E-Tea. -Marilyn Navarro
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Q: A client is diagnosed with Pulmonary fibrosis and told there is no help--- and is seeking out another route---If anyone has experience with this, what has worked the best and any info you can give would be helpful? Thanks. -Geraldine Huisman
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I just happened to have two cases of this and also just finished doing a bunch of respiratory research on it.....I know it is way long but you just have those moments sometimes. ;-)

If you look at it symptomatically there is no help because nothing will tone down the symptoms without addressing the cause and the medical profession doesn't seem to want to practice in that manner because there are no prescriptions involved for profit. So when they tell you that death is inevitable in 5 years, it means there is no drug for it they have right now.

It is hard work and a very serious disease. There are no miracle cures or quick fixes. But I don't believe anything is a death sentence if you help the body help itself. If you follow a rigid program and change your lifestyle habits then you can stop the progression of it and in many cases reverse it. Breathing and lung function can improve. Inflammation can be lessened. Most of what is needed is to deal with the underlying fire or cause of chronic inflammation and you can support the body's fight against it.

It does require a total lifestyle change and supplements for the rest of your life because it isn't something that can be ignored but it also can be something you can live a quality life with too.

The first step is to intervene or modulate the immune system in how it is attacking the lungs. This is much like any other autoimmune disorder in this sense. You help the immune system identify the cells being attacked as part to the body so the immune system will stop attacking them. Reducing inflammation so the lung can heal is part of this also. The colostrum will help here.

Using a cell detoxifier and improving over all lung function and flexibility is a must. Oxygen levels need to be increased but gradually as not to oxidize to fast throwing the CO2 out of balance. This will take a strain off the breathing. This will help the body detox and reduce free radical damage too.

Pulmonary fibrosis is primarily caused by the environmental toxins and molds the lungs are over-exposed to. Some areas that it develops most is from working at an auto body shop or doing carpet cleaning, pool cleaners with the chlorine or wherever someone is exposed to harsh chemicals.

Sometimes the problem lies with airborne pathogens that infiltrate the lungs. Living in moldy houses may be the major culprit in many cases of pulmonary fibrosis. Black mold is the latest topic on this. Bacteria, viruses and mycoplasma all infect the lungs, and may well lead to pulmonary fibrosis as these pathogens play a major role in many other autoimmune diseases. After years of exposure and not putting anything in to help the immune system deal with this then it starts to break down. The Colostrum will help here as well. The respiratory system is our first line of immune defense as well as being the first layer of the pH buffering system to help maintain cellular health. The interstitial tissue is affected by the toxins and things become clogged or stagnant an the cells can't dump toxins like they should. This sends them into an anaerobic state with a lot of waste products.

One way to understand the development of pulmonary fibrosis is to look at it as a matter of quantity. If you've been exposed to more environmental toxins, fungus, molds or other pollutants than your body can handle, you can develop pulmonary fibrosis as your body becomes overwhelmed. The immune system no longer can function properly, and inflammatory immune system components end up doing jobs they shouldn't be doing, trying to attack the pathogens or get rid of the toxins residing in the lungs. However, they are not designed to do this job, and they end up causing inflammation and scarring, and thus pulmonary fibrosis develops.

As too much of something is causing the problem, it is important to limit exposure to whatever caused the problem in the first place. It could be mold or bacteria in a house or workplace, workplace toxins, who knows what. It is not always easy to identify. Try and change your living and working conditions to where you are breathing pure air, or at least as pure as possible. Or get a high quality filtering system to take particles out of the air.

Other things can contribute to this too. This is where the big lifestyle changes come in for most.

The consumption of aspartame (in diet drinks, Equal, NutraSweet) causes many health problems as it can lead to the production of formaldehyde and other toxins in the body. So get rid of the diet sodas and pretty much most of the chewing gum on the market. The sugar really isn't any better here either. Studies show that a teaspoon of white sugar disrupts your immune system for 2 hours. Move towards eating as many whole foods and organic products as possible.

Increase your intake of the Omega 3 essential fatty acid. Essential fatty acids are important for pulmonary fibrosis because cells cannot properly oxygenate and function if they are lacking EFAs.

Olive oil and flax oil for salads, and palm or coconut oil for cooking, may be best choice in oils. Coconut oil or fat from any coconut product can help optimize Omega 3s, fight viral infections, increase energy levels and even help with weight loss. Better still, the mid-weight essential fatty acids that comprise about 50% of coconut oil have also been known to be anti-inflammatory.

Pulmonary fibrosis took years to develop. It will not improve fast. First you have to work on the autoimmune response and stop the inflammation. Then you rebuild the lungs, detox the chemicals and kill the pathogens living in the lungs. You need to oxygenate your body.

Turning off the over-responding immune system so that you can stop further damage to your lungs is an important first step. Sterols and sterolins help with this. These plant fats have decades of research behind them showing that they modulate the immune system. This research has shown that simple plant fats, sterols and sterolins, relieve autoimmune symptoms by turning down the over-responding immune system.

They turn off the inflammatory, autoimmune response that causes the fibrosis in pulmonary fibrosis. Using them will help protect your lung tissues and prevent further damage to them. Thai Go will help with the inflammation part of this due to the xanthones in it. I would look at adding some APS II possibly too.

When Th-1 function is low, our ability to fight off cancer, bacteria and viral infections is reduced. And when Th-2 cell function is high, secretion of Interleukin 6, a powerful inflammatory factor, increases. The Th-1 side becomes worn out and weakened over years of fighting pathogens and pollutants. The Th-2 side, with Interleukin 6, then takes over and tries to get the job done, but it fails and causes scarring, inflammation and fibrosis. Low levels of Th-1 cells cause high levels of Th-2 cells. Reduce Th-2 levels by taking sterols and sterolins, and you raise Th-1 levels.

Double-blind controlled studies show that sterols and sterolins boost Th-1 cells functioning and keep Th-2 cells from overproducing inflammatory agents such as Interleukin 6. Symptoms abated within weeks. Inflammation decreased, pain subsided, and damaged tissues began to heal.

Stress promotes the release of cortisol, which in turn causes Interleukin 6 to be secreted. Continued physical stress to the lungs from toxins triggers the release of Interleukin 6 which then attacks infected lung tissue. Sterols and sterolins reduce those levels of cortisol and IL-6, and reduce inflammation.

One of the few treatments the medical doctors recommend for pulmonary fibrosis is the very expensive (and fairly toxic with unpleasant side effects) interferon treatments. Certainly increasing interferon levels in your body is valuable. You can do a natural interferon using germanium. You can get some protection using milk thistle combo too. I would use the Bone/Skin Poultice here too to support lung regeneration.

As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine - October 21, 1999 - Interferon Gamma -1b was shown to improve lung function in a small group of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Along with suppressing the "proliferation of fibroblasts and the production of connective-tissue matrix protein," gamma interferon has been shown to increase T helper 1 cells and decrease the T helper 2 cells."

A good probiotic here is essential to help increase the alpha interferon levels. It will get your intestines in better shape and kill pathogens throughout your body. This gives like a secondary level support.

Sterols and sterolins are the first step in helping your body deal with pulmonary fibrosis. We have these in the pH Green Zone. I would look at adding some SOD here to it too.

Studies have not been done on pulmonary fibrosis using sterols and sterolins, but in one major double-blind study on rheumatoid arthritis, the results were so astounding that halfway through the study everyone could tell who was getting the sterols and sterolins and who was getting the placebo.

I would look at some Whole Leaf Aloe as well.

Acta Anatomica, a European journal, states that long chain carbohydrate molecules have a coding capacity surpassing that of amino acids. In March, 2001, Science Magazine dedicated virtually the entire magazine to the essential saccharides that make up these cellular communication keys. The University of California, San Diego, announced the establishment of a Center for the further research and development of the Science of Glycobiology. And the President of the Royal Academy of Medicine in London, Dr. John Asford, said that "Sugars are going to be the molecules of the next decade."

Dr. Danhof is regarded by many as the leading authority on the aloe vera plant. He has a medical degree with specialties in internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He has written 80 research papers.

Also, since you want to achieve anti-inflammatory action and movement of sugars then you would also look at the adrenal support to help with all of this. Envrio Detox would help with the cleansing part of this. I would start with one per day and work up to six per day on this.

Glutathione - Major Cellular Detoxifier Vital for Fighting Pulmonary Fibrosis

Quite clearly, toxins in the lung are a major issue in pulmonary fibrosis. As you can see from the many types of pulmonary fibrosis that are named for the toxins or pathogens that caused them, toxins and pathogens are the number one cause of pulmonary fibrosis. And thus one of the most important issues to deal with if you hope to improve. The more toxins you can eliminate from the lungs, the better you will do. The single best detoxifier and pathogen killer for your lung cells, and every other cell in your body, is glutathione. You will activate this with the NAC. There is some in the Milk Thistle combo but I would add extra. You need the polyphenols to help activate it as well. This would be the green tea extract.

Glutathione should be in every cell in your body. The liver also uses a considerable quantity in its work. Glutathione is your body's major cellular detoxifier, and one of two main antioxidants made by your body. It even kills viruses and other pathogens in your cells.

What happens in pulmonary fibrosis is that with long term exposure to toxins and to pathogens that produce toxins, the glutathione in your lungs becomes depleted. To make matters worse, the autoimmune condition that develops inhibits further glutathione production in your body, and thus toxins build up in the lungs cells. It is your immune system's misguided attempts to deal with these toxins and pathogens in the lungs that leads to the fibrosis. In fact, in research shows that in all autoimmune diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, glutathione levels are always depleted. Glutathione has been successfully used with COPD and emphysema and certainly would be of benefit for pulmonary fibrosis too.

As it is inflammation that essentially causes the fibrosis of your lungs, the sooner you can reduce the inflammation, the better it will be. Because this anti-inflammatory supplement also supports the heart and lung in its other actions, it is particularly good for pulmonary fibrosis. Lack of oxygen always puts a strain on the heart, so the more you can support it while fighting pulmonary fibrosis, the better. This is where the Thai Go and the Green Tea help. You could also add some Hawthorne berry there too. I know we don't have it but I use pleurisy or milk weed here too.

When you have pulmonary fibrosis, you will be overly acidic. Acidosis leads to many degenerative conditions in your body, and is one of the principal causes of degenerative disease development in your body.

By improving your pH levels (reducing your acidity) using pH green zone, you will also be reducing inflammation in your body. This can be a big help with arthritis. In addition, as your pH improves, your body will be better able to detoxify your lungs and every other cells in your body. If you are too acidic, you body will not release toxic acid from cells. As your pH improves, it will release them and thus your cells will be able to better detoxify. Silica helps to repair lung tissue too so I would look at using larger quantities of HSN-W. Silica is a nutrient good for helping any soft tissue heal, including the lungs. The lining of the arterial tissue is dependent upon silica for strength and support. Lung tissue function and elasticity are silica dependent. Silica promotes mucous flow and reduces coughing. And supports the regeneration of mucous membranes. Silica stimulates cell metabolism and is also an anti-inflammatory.

Getting more oxygen into the cells takes a strain off the breathing and gives you more energy. It also helps the body detoxify so you start out taking small amounts. The Herbal Trace minerals can help with transport here.

Of even greater importance is it's oxygenating ability. Many oxygen products get oxygen into the body. What they can't do though, is to actually get the oxygen into the cells.

Using ionic trace minerals in an acidic solution, enables it to be taken into cells. Where it then produces oxygen, detoxifies the cell, and uses its free radical fighting ability to help stop free radical damage. The more you take; the more cells get oxygenated.

Reduce the scar build up with MSM and Protease Plus. The MSM is good for membrane flexibility, alkalinity and is an anti-inflammatory too. You will have to increase the amount taken here to about 10-12 per day though. The protease will go into the blood stream when taken on an empty stomach and clean it up.

Many studies show that enzymes help relieve inflammation, dissolve fibrin and fats clogging arteries, and improve circulation. This will help get oxygen to more cells in your body. -Kimberly Balas
Source: NSP Advisor
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Geraldine: This is what I was told I had a few years ago....and this is what got me involved in Nature's Sunshine and going back to school to become a Holistic Health Practitioner.

I remember when I got this news...and thought I only had 3 yrs left to live.... I had been on oxygen for 2 1/2 yrs at this point and my blood oxygen rate was only 50 while ON OXYGEN!... and I was just horrified.... I was in my early 40's and had never smoked....

This was the first time I went against the medical Dr's and found a Nat. Dr who used NSP....

First of all, I moved out of my home.... There were toxins in the home...they think now it was formeldehyde and asbestos..and maybe mold.... So I'd suggest moving if possible. Until we were able to move, I lived in a tent outside for a month.

The ND then put me on cleanses.... I did the colon, liver, parasite, yeast, lymph, and toxin cleanse. Of course I did not do them all at once... I also took ALJ and colloidal minerals and vitamin supplement. I will have to check with my ND to see everything I took.

I didn't muscle test for the heavy metal detox but the enviro detox instead...And I was on that for a looooonnnngggg time. I think at least 6 months.....

I also did a lot of visualization, prayer and meditation.

I gradually started getting better a little each week..... The last CT Scan of my lungs showed 90% clear!!! My pulmonologist was amazed, but thrilled! Since that time I was no longer on oxygen. Keep the faith! Your body can heal anything!!!! -Kim S
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Wow Kim, that was a plateful. I believe Astragulus raises interferon levels, too. -Desiree
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Astragalus does raise interferon but can be contraindicated in inflammatory conditions according to Christopher Hobbs. -Kimberly Balas
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