Emphysema
I seem to come up against a brick wall whenever I look for an alternative treatment for emphysema. Is there anything you can suggest to help this condition?
Emphysema is an enlargement of the tiny air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs and the collapse of their walls. In good health, the clusters of these air sacs, which are connected to small airways called bronchioles, provide a rigid structure - which keeps the airways open but with emphysema, this structural support is destroyed. This means the airways are narrowed and, when you breathe out, the bronchioles collapse. In effect, this reduces the surface area through which oxygen can be absorbed and carbon dioxide eliminated. The symptoms include increasing breathlessness and susceptibility to chest infections and there is no cure.
Some holistic practitioners advise stepping up your vitamin E intake - vitamin E enhances the activity of vitamin A which helps protect tissue surfaces - and also works to help boost the supply of oxygen to the body. Vitamin E-rich foods include broccoli, vegetable oils, spinach, eggs, wholegrain cereals, soya beans and leafy greens. Vitamin A-rich foods include the fish oils and all yellow fruits and vegetables.
Homeopathy can also help but don’t try and self-prescribe. Find a medically qualified practitioner who will do what is called a constitutional diagnosis to find the right remedy for your personality, your reaction to pain and your symptoms. Send an SAE with 60p in stamps to The British Homeopathic Association, 27a Devonshire Street, London W1N 1RJ. For other qualified homeopaths, call The Society of Homeopaths (01604-817890). For a free copy of the ARH Register of qualified homeopaths from the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths, phone 08700 736339 or visit www.a-r-h.org online.