|
| Pulmonary Emphysema |
Question:
What is pulmonary emphysema?
Answer:
Emphysema is a pulmonary deficiency usually caused by years of free
radical damage that results in degenerative changes in the air sacs of
the lung. Emphysema patients suffer shortness of breath, congestive
heart failure, cough and increasingly troubled breathing. Pulmonary
emphysema results in the destruction of the lung's gas-exchange
structures, called alveoli.
A potential therapy for emphysema involves the FDA-approved drug
all-trans-retinoic acid. Previous studies showed that treatment of
normal rats with all-trans-retinoic acid increases the number of
alveoli. Further animal studies showed that treatment with
all-trans-retinoic acid reversed changes associated with emphysema, thus
providing nonsurgical remediation of emphysema, and suggesting the
possibility of a similar effect in humans. All-trans-retinoic acid also
was shown to improve lung elasticity recoil and to enhance alveolar
surface area.
All-trans-retinoic acid is a drug that should be prescribed by your
doctor. If the high cost of this drug makes it cost-prohibitive,
consider taking four drops of emulsified liquid vitamin-A (100,000 IU) a
day. Refer to the Vitamin-A Precautions.
Free radicals and changes of antioxidant enzymes are thought to play a
role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
|
|
