Posted on 12/23/2019 3:54:03 PM PST by ConservativeMind
"It has not been very clear what causes the disease and there has been no therapy to stop or reverse lung destruction in emphysema," said Norbert Weissman of the University of Giessen Lung Center in Germany. "There have really been no new concepts about therapy in the last 20 years."
COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is expected to become the third-greatest cause of death worldwide by the year 2020.
In addition to airway inflammation and decreased of respiratory function, COPD is often accompanied by pulmonary hypertension, which is essentially high blood pressure in the lungs. Whether this condition was a cause or a consequence of COPD was not known.
Now, with powerful mouse models of COPD, Weissman and colleagues provide evidence that changes to the pulmonary blood vessels and the development of high blood pressure precede the development of emphysema. They further trace those effects to an inducible form of an enzyme known as nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which catalyzes the formation of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide (NO) and the nitric oxide system are important for opening up blood vessels and maintaining vascular tone. When nitric oxide levels grow too high, however, the molecule can undergo a chemical reaction forming aggressive peroxynitrite.
"Simply put, peroxynitrite can modify protein functions, leading to the destruction of lung tissue," Weissman said.
It appears this is exactly what happens in the development of emphysema. Mice lacking the iNOS enzyme were protected from both emphysema and pulmonary hypertension. Importantly, existing pharmacological agents can block iNOS activity, and mice treated with one of these drugs were protected from COPD-like changes to their lung vasculature. Treatment with the inhibitor also successfully reversed the course of the disease in the mice.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
This has a good rundown of helpful COPD supplements, with study references at the end:
https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/respiratory/copd
The Vitamin C study showing it counters some iNOS activity (supports BH4):
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/01.res.0000049166.33035.62
A study describing superoxide dismutase (SOD) helping (along with a ton of other information):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2248324/
Another resource that appears to have collected various studies and doctors protocols:
http://www.medicalinsider.com/cardiac3.html
Bkmk
THX
Funny how the medical community doesn’t know but Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley, accident lawyer sure does. /s
Thank you ... good information, some I missed.
I have a stove pot steaming day and night throughout the winter months. There’s a huge difference as the heat adhere’s to the moisture and not only stays in the room but the heat is much warmer.....and Years ago when using a wood stove I used a vaporizer all the time.
In my world “moisture” in the air is a must.
“They feel all godly pointing preaching others to stop living life they way we have historically been living. And to stop being meat eaters, gun owners, sports participants, automobile owners, single-family home dwellers, alcohol consumers, non-keto food consumers, butter and lard consumers, milk consumers, motorcyclists, boating, flying, hunting...etc.”
I think I hit about twelve of those, lol. I take the days I can now. Went to one of my artifact sites today, a goodly hike. 54 degrees here today in appalachia, it’s tropical, lol. I found two Flint Ridge bladelets of the Hopewell culture of Ohio. To think these may be from the time of Jesus and beginning of Christianity is what always brings me here. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/hopewell-bladelets-a-bayesian-radiocarbon-analysis/C0669C47BCA5000B95DD80FA0CE97977
Thanks. That gives me hope.
Oh man, I didn’t mean to slam into you like that.
I’ve seen the habit take down far too many good men, and women too, for that matter.
I was lucky, had asthma as a kid, couldn’t get a filtered Winston past my nose.
I’ve been addicted to just about everything else, and I’m certain smokes would have been the end of me, if it were up to me.
Wish you the best in slaying the beast, FRiend.
must read
No worries. I don’t smoke. But I hope they can reverse the damage in those that did.
I started smoking in high school and by the time I was 38 I had a long history as a chain smoking nearly 3 pack a day guy who could not climb a flight of stairs without having to stop to catch my breath. One day in 1991 I saw a newspaper ad for hypnosis to quit smoking. Thats not the kind of thing I would usually go for but I decided the only thing I had to lose was a couple of hours and $50 for the session. I had never been hypnotized before and although it was not like I thought it would be I apparently was hypnotized because I never smoked again. I am sure that a strong desire to quit was helpful but I swear I have not even had a desire to smoke. Considering that after 25 years as a walking chimney and many unsuccessful attempts to quit I was able to do it as easily as I did must at least be partially attributed to the hypnotism. So, if you really want to quit but have not been able to I suggest looking for a hypnotist in your area who provides the service and give it a try. I cant guarantee it will work for you but it sure did for me.
we are neighbors!
I am across the river in Ky.
LOVED the warm weather today. I was freezing in my office. Then came outside in the beautiful sunshine. Love this Christmas weather!
That is the story with my Mom as well. Very sad to see.
My Dad started smoking when he was 14. he quit after a heart attack in 1998. We both worked at the airport where fumes and exhaust were very prevelant. He was diagnosed in 2014 with Pulmonary fibrosis and his health and lifestyle deteriorated on a weekly basis. it was horrible. he passed away Nov 2017 and yet he wished he would have stuck with a cigar and a shot of booze once a day instead. I have also been diagnosed with COPD and asthma and told the PF is not far off the horizon with everything I have gone through the last 50+ yrs, and I stuck with the occasional cigar and shot every once in a great while.
Does this mean viagra can cause emphysema?
Bump
That is an excellent question. You caught what I had noticed, too.
My family takes multiple supplements and eats foods that cause NO to be created, under the assumption its all good.
I have not been able to find references to clear that up.
It makes me wonder about all of those idiopathic emphysema cases...
I learned long ago the two don’t go together. Even 1 or 2 left handed cigarettes a day give me a smokers cough.
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