Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Emphysema

Nutrition and Supplementation

Before breakfast, drink a mixture of one teaspoonful of pure, cold-pressed olive oil and apple juice to provide essential fatty acids and help eliminate toxic waste.

Experts recommend a raw-foods diet with emphasis on vegetables and raw fresh vegetable juices. Garlic and onions should be part of the daily diet. Frequent use of spicy foods, such as chili peppers, ginger, and horseradish, helps keep lungs clear of mucus.

Avoid gas-forming foods, such as legumes and cabbage; any foods that require a great deal of chewing; and fried or greasy foods and salt. Also eliminate foods that form mucus, including meat, dairy products, wheat, tobacco, junk foods, and processed foods. Daily supplements include:

vitamin B6 (50 mg)-helps remove cadmium (from smoking) from the body

chlorophyll (as directed on label)-helps you breathe easier

coenzyme (60 mg)-improves lung Oxygenation

vitamin E (1000 IU)-an oxygen carrier; Use emulsion form

vitamin C (5000 to 10,000 mg, in divided doses)-aids in healing inflamed tissues

vitamin A (100,000 IU daily for 1 month, then 50,000 IU until relief, then 25,000 IU; do not exceed 8000 IU daily if you are pregnant)-repairs lung tissue

N-acetyl cysteine (250 mg)-repairs and protects lung tissue

glutathione (250 mg)-repairs and protects lung tissue .

(Consult your healthcare provider regarding the duration of treatment.)

Aromatherapy

Rub your chest with diluted essential oils of cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, or pine for easier breathing. You also can place a few drops of one of the essential oils on a tissue or handkerchief and inhale deeply.

Bodywork and Somatic Practices

Try Oriental bodywork or reflexology. Soothing, restorative results will also come from Trager, CranioSacral Therapy, polarity therapy, Aston-Patterning, and Therapeutic Touch.

Herbal Therapy

To ease coughing and other discomforts of emphysema, choose one of the following herbal remedies: For excess mucus, try coltsfoot, thyme, or mullein tea before each meal. To make any of the teas, steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried herb in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes; strain. If you're bothered by constant coughing, try either of two tea blends: equal amounts of coltsfoot, mullein, and licorice; or equal amounts of marshmallow, mallow, colts foot, mullein, violet, and red poppy flowers. To make either of the teas, steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of the blend in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes.

You also might try eating hot, spicy meals laced with generous amounts of cayenne or ginger.

Other helpful herbs include comfrey, fennel seed, fenugreek, rosemary, and rose hips. Herbal products are available in health food stores and in some pharmacies and supermarkets. Follow package for specific directions.

Hydrotherapy

Steam inhalations are very effective for loosening and expelling mucus. Add a few drops of a favorite essential oil, if you wish.

Under professional supervision, you also might try constitutional therapy or hot compress applications. For directions on these therapies, see "Hydrotherapy" in the "Introduction to Complementary Therapies" section.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture Acupuncture may be used to tone the lungs and improve circulation to the area, making it easier to breathe. This modality also can help relieve coughing spasms and curb nicotine cravings in emphysema sufferers who are trying to kick the tobacco habit.

Acupressure Manipulating various lung, conception vessel, and bronchial points can help quiet coughs and ease breathing.

Chinese Herbal Therapy Chinese herbs can be very effective in treating many symptoms of emphysema. Herbal formulas used to treat chronic bronchitis (as emphysema is sometimes called) are Pulmonary Tonic Pills, Ping Chuan, Bronchitis Pills (compound), Special Medicine for Bronchitis (also called Hsiao Keh Chuan, available in pill or liquid form), Shedanchuanbeye Extract, and Fritillaria Extract Pills. Cordyceps is often used alone or with a formula to tonify the lungs.

Yoga and Meditation

Any yoga pose that expands the lungs and relaxes the chest can help alleviate the discomforts of emphysema. Performing a daily routine of at least four poses-Fish, Camel, Bow, and Warrior-can be particularly beneficial.