Natural Therapies for Emphysema and COPD

Book excerpt: The first book to address emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from a nutritional and alternative medicine approach • Explains the benefits of detoxification, dietary changes, and food combining • Details 45 suggested herbs and 26 nutritional supplements as well as information on how to stop smoking Approximately 35 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with some form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)--emphysema constituting 18 million of that group. Worldwide, as many as 293 million people suffer with these conditions. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in America, claiming nearly 120,000 lives annually. Yet conventional approaches to treatment, with their regimens of drugs and unceasing physical therapy, provide neither cure nor significant relief. In Natural Therapies for Emphysema and COPD, Robert Green shows that alternative holistic therapies ranging from herbs to homeopathy offer great promise in relieving COPD’s debilitating symptoms. Starting with the basics of the physiology of respiration, Green presents a comprehensive program that includes detoxification, dietary changes, nutritional supplements, and herbal medicine; breathing techniques and exercise options such as aerobics, yoga, qigong, and tai chi; and alternative therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture, and massage--noting how and why each therapy works. He also details how to stop smoking, includes resources for alternative health practitioners, and provides sources for the alternative products recommended.