How to protect and cleanse your lungs
Effective lung cleansing is a very powerful way to protect yourself from respiratory problems. In the light of the ongoing COVID crisis this becomes the more important. Every time I respond to clients with this suggestion, I’m amazed that doctors do not mention it to their patients.
Disclaimer: The following information is to provide education and information only. The content in this post is not intended to represent or replace medical treatment or diagnostics. Contact your healthcare provider if you are in need of medical treatment.
Whether you want to reduce breathing issues related to COVID, other respiratory infections, or problems related to respiratory allergies, lung cleansing is one essential and very powerful element. A health coach and formulator armed with a PhD in Pharmacology, I have made it my mission to seek natural alternatives to common medications where possible. Over the last few months, I have gotten about a dozen calls like the one described below. With a congruency that would impress every statistic professor, each and every client reported an improvement within less than an hour.
“I have COVID”, she said as her voice trembled over the phone. “Of course I am in quarantine and talking to doctors daily. I told them that I have battled a weakened immune system all my life. Two other family members have been diagnosed as well. They gave us antibiotics. I have learned it might do nothing for COVID as a viral disease. Two of us have sinus infections and we are all coughing to different extents. I am very scared. I called because I thought you might have a natural suggestion that can help me. She paused. “Gee”, I thought, “given the political heat people are getting over anything COVID-related, here I am. Cogito ergo sum, as I could not shake off a feeling of duty and responsibility. Statistically, most of us battle the fear of COVID, not so much COVID itself. Many people being out of jobs and businesses, add extreme pressure and existential fear. Fear produces stress, stress lowers the immune system. People with a lowered immune system are more susceptible to any infections, COVID included. “Are you still there” she asked. “Yes.” .. I will tell you here and now what I told her, her family, plus a dozen other clients. You will learn how they all recovered after just a few days. Hopefully, these suggestions can reduce panic through empowerment and knowing. The empowerment of knowing what these resources can bring, so that you can keep yourself and your family healthy or recover more quickly.
Why cleanse your lungs? Your lungs are designed to process one thing only, and that is clean air. Anything else is considered a foreign object, which the lungs will try to get rid of. That can be water, dust, a food particle or infectious intruders such as virus and/or bacteria. A downward spiral starts when the elimination process itself produces excess mucus, then considered a foreign body in itself. The cells which line the airways produce polysaccharides (a type of sugar), commonly called “mucus”, to enclose the foreign body and transport it out along with that mucus. The lungs cleanse themselves constantly. The air we breathe is rarely pure. Therefore, a little mucus production and occasional coughing are normal to cleanse the airways. The problem starts with excess production of mucus in case of a viral infection. Excess mucus can obstruct airways and lead to constant coughing. If the mucus becomes too much, cannot get out or dries out, being made of polysaccharides, now provides an ideal breeding ground for a “secondary infection” which is bacterial. Most complications from a viral infection stem from a failed effort to eliminate the mucus thus produce a secondary, bacterial infection.
If the infection persists, the lungs will increase their efforts. In the course of inflammation, the airway diameter shrinks because the muscles around those airway pipes contract and tighten the space around the mucus even more. Keep in mind, air has to have enough space to bypass all this so you can get oxygen into your body.
Once you understand this mechanism, you understand what needs to be done to possibly prevent an infection or to reduce the symptoms in case of an infection.
Remove mucus physiologically: One of the easiest ways to get rid of mucus is to turn it into a watery type liquid, which then can be easily transported out. Indeed there is something to be said about drinking water. As much as you naturally can. Excess water will be eliminated via kidneys, yes, but also through your lungs. Or, the other way around, being de-hydrated will increase the risk of mucus drying out in your airways. Staying away from or cutting back on coffee and alcohol helps because both substances have a dehydrating effect on the body. In addition, I join the consensus recommending that you stay away from dairy products and sugars during those risky times. Both can increase mucus production in the airways.
Get rid of mucus with a powerful amino acid: One specific amino-acid has the incredible power to “cut” through airway mucus within minutes. This natural amino acid will “cut” the long, sticky polysaccharide molecule-chains into a short-chain “watery” form. This amino acid is so powerful that most other countries, EXCEPT the United States, have declared it as a “therapeutic drug”. Being classified as a medication, it is recognized by doctors in other countries as a way to treat the symptoms of COVID. The dilemma in the United States is that doctors do not consider this amino acid an option for treatment of COVID-related symptoms while it is available as a nutritional supplement to everybody. When one of my clients asked her doctor about the amino acid, he stated that he and his family were taking it for prevention daily. Nevertheless, he did not suggest it to his COVID-patients. The amino acid is called N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC), at the time of publication still commonly available as a supplement in the USA. In other countries NAC is available only by prescription under the name of “FLUIMUCIL”. The prescription dose is 600 mg daily. I personally have been taking 1200 mg once, sometimes twice a day (as it is also an excellent liver cleanser) for the last six months without side effects. You can order N-Acetyl-Cysteine online in form of 600 mg capsules.
Widen the airways: Open the pipes! It seems so trivial, yet purposeful breathing can do a lot. Many apps can teach you about that – even if you make it a 5-min twice-daily habit. Exercise! Getting your body to motion will make you breathe deeper and better. We naturally suppress breathing or hold our breath in times of stress or shock. This is not good for the lung cleansing process. Supplement wise, unfortunately most of the natural lung openers are off the market. Breathing a little peppermint oil can do quite a bit for prevention yet once the muscles around the airways have spasmed, leading to wheezing or asthma, we need something stronger. Some drug stores do still sell tablets over the counter called “Primatene”. Someone told me that it is now also available as a mist or inhaler without a prescription. I personally use the tablets with great results but the inhaler might be a great alternative. Remember: While you can take the NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) preventatively daily, you only need such “airway openers” if your airways are tight or if you are “wheezing”. The other option to the OTC tablets, mists or inhalers is to ask your doctor for a prescription of anything ending in -buterol. Such medications are albuterol or clenbuterol. Albuterol is commonly sold as an “asthma inhaler” or syrup, the syrup mostly used for children. Clenbuterol can still be found on websites for racehorses, yet be careful these dosages are for horses, NOT humans !!! If your lungs get tight due to an infection, you should have a form of -buterol on hand. I would sleep better knowing that you will request the clenbuterol or albuterol from your doctor. My recommendation is to have both on hand, the -buterol and the NAC. Use the NAC preventatively, daily at 600 mg and hold the -buterol for emergency cases.
This is it for today. Breathe deep and consciously, stay hydrated and remember, this too shall pass.
Compassionately,
Dr. Gabriele Gross
