Imagine becoming short of breath after performing household tasks or simply walking out to your car. Picture what it would be like to be tethered to an oxygen tank 24/7, having to wear a nasal cannula and tote an oxygen canister every time you went out. Envision the logistical challenges of short trips, let alone air travel. And think about a daily routine of multiple medications and inhalers, increasing debility and isolation, and little hope for improvement.
This is reality for the nearly 13 million Americans who suffer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD, which encompasses emphysema and chronic bronchitis, not only impairs quality of life, it is our third-leading cause of death. Although there is no known cure for this progressive condition, there are therapies—besides the steroids, bronchodilators, and frequent antibiotics conventional physicians typically recommend—that improve symptoms and may even retard lung damage. In short, there is help for COPD.
“Blow” Out the Mucus
A common symptom of COPD is increased mucus secretion. In healthy people, mucus is constantly being produced but is cleared from the lungs by the action of tiny hair-like cilia that line the airways. The cilia beat rhythmically, creating vibrations that liquefy and move mucus up the trachea and throat, where it is swallowed or expelled. In patients with COPD, however, overproduction of mucus overwhelms the system, and the “mucociliary escalator” gets bogged down.
As mucus accumulates in the lungs, it not only blocks the airways but also becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and increases risk of pneumonia and other infections. Coughing is the most natural way to bring up excess mucus, and indeed a phlegmy, chronic cough is a hallmark of COPD. As the condition worsens, however, shortness of breath makes it hard to muster up a productive cough.
That’s why an inexpensive device recently caught my eye. Called the Lung Flute, it’s a 14-inch-long rectangular tube with a mouthpiece and a long, thin mylar reed that, when gently blown into, produces low-frequency sound waves that mimic the natural oscillations of the cilia. These vibrations travel into the chest, stimulate the airways and cilia, and thin and mobilize mucus, effectively enhancing mucociliary clearance. Talk about real help for COPD!
Recognized by Popular Science as one of its Best of What’s New Awards, the FDA-approved Lung Flute was shown in one eight-week clinical trial to increase sputum production and improve quality of life.
Mucus-Clearing Supplements for Treating COPD
Oral agents that thin excess mucus by either liquefying it (expectorants) or breaking it down (mucolytics) are another option for treating COPD. My favorite is a liquid form of potassium iodide called SSKI, which has been in continuous clinical use for well over 100 years. When I was an intern at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, we routinely ordered SSKI for patients with lung congestion, and I continue to “prescribe” it to this day.
Mucolytics are even more promising. In fact, research suggests that they should be a first-line therapy for COPD. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in Lancet, COPD patients treated with a mucolytic drug for a year had significantly fewer and less severe exacerbations, and their use of inhaled corticosteroids declined.
The best natural mucolytic is N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine. This inexpensive supplement has been shown to reduce COPD-related inflammation and improve lung function and clinical outcomes. In one clinical trial, study participants who took 1,200 mg of NAC daily had better inspiratory capacity and forced expiratory volume (standard tests of pulmonary function), as well as improved exercise endurance—an important outcome because physical activity is compromised in patients with this condition.
Glutathione for COPD: Restore Antioxidant Defenses
In addition to improving lung function, NAC is also a powerful antioxidant that boosts levels of glutathione, the hands-down front-line defender against oxidative stress in the respiratory tract. Concentrations of glutathione are more than 100 times greater in the lungs than in the serum! In fact, some researchers believe that NAC’s benefits stem from its antioxidant properties rather than its mucolytic effects.
This makes sense, because oxidative stress is the underlying cause of COPD. Long-term exposure to irritants—from smoking in most cases but also from exposure to secondhand smoke or environmental pollutants—creates a storm of free radical damage and inflammation that narrows the airways and destroys the aveoli, the tiny, honeycomb-like sacs in the lungs where the capillaries pick up oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
You’d think that boosting glutathione levels would be an obvious therapeutic goal, but it isn’t. Glutathione is a natural antioxidant, and that alone causes it to be overlooked by most physicians. Furthermore, it’s hard to get it where it’s needed. Oral glutathione doesn’t raise levels in the blood, let alone the lungs, and intravenous administration is surprisingly ineffective at targeting the respiratory tract. There is, however, one proven method, and that is to inhale it directly into the lungs via a nebulizer.
Nebulizers are devices that break liquids into tiny droplets that can be inhaled. When nebulized glutathione is administered in five to 10 minute treatments a couple of times a day, it increases antioxidant concentrations in the lungs, reduces free radical damage, increases oxygen saturation, and improves pulmonary function. Although inhaled glutathione isn’t a conventional treatment for COPD and most of the studies on this therapy have involved patients with cystic fibrosis, it has developed a loyal following among many patients and physicians.
Additional Help for COPD
These are not the only unconventional therapies for treating COPD. Magnesium relaxes and opens the airways, fish oil reduces inflammation, and vitamin C raises glutathione levels. Women should also consider bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, as estrogen has been shown to improve lung function. And every patient should rule out sleep apnea, which often overlaps with COPD.
Most patients with COPD aren’t diagnosed until at least 50 percent of their lung capacity is gone, and this degree of damage makes it an uphill battle. But given the scarcity of conventional options for treating COPD, these natural therapies are certainly worth a try. Let me know how they work for you.
Recommendations for Treating COPD
To learn more about getting help for COPD at the Whitaker Wellness Institute—including inhaled glutathione and Lung Flute, which require a prescription—call (866) 632-8890.
The suggested dose of SSKI for COPD is 3–6 drops in water 2–3 times a day. Be aware that continuous use of SSKI requires periodic monitoring of thyroid hormones. The recommended dose of NAC is 1,200 mg per day, taken in divided doses. Suggested doses of the other supplements are: magnesium 500 mg once or twice a day, fish oil 2–6 standard capsules daily, and vitamin C 500–1,000 mg several times a day. These are sold in health food stores or may be ordered from the clinic at (800) 810-6655.
