Stem Cell for husband

[campbell88]

Hello, my husband, JC, is 63 years old and has COPD, primarily chronic bronchitis. JC was diagnosed with COPD 3 years ago, but had symptoms several years before that. His doctor said he is not showing any signs of emphysema yet. We are considering autologous stem cell treatment. I would like to find the right treatment center for him. I?ve been reading the posts on this website for a few weeks now ? just trying to learn as much as I can.

My main question is - will stem cell therapy work for chronic bronchitis? The clinics that treat COPD tend to emphasize emphysema in their online literature, patient testimonials, etc. Has anyone out there with chronic bronchitis received stem cell therapy?

My husband has had a very rapid decline over the last year. He now gets out of breath frequently, and has coughing spells. Mucus in his lungs is a constant problem, especially in the mornings, and lately, he always seems to have infections. For the last 6 months, he has been on rounds of prednisone and antibiotics every few weeks. A couple of weeks after he gets off the prednisone, the mucus starts to build up again, and he feels tightness in his chest.

My second question is what would you recommend as the top 1 or 2 natural supplements for clearing mucus from the lungs?

Thanks to Barbara and Jeannine for making this website possible.

 

[Jeannine]

Hi Campbell

YOur husband needs to keep his lungs clear of mucus as much as possible because that's what is causing his frequent lung infections.

The MOST useful thing for clearing mucus is glutathione in a nebulizer. This one requires a prescription from your husband's doctor to be sent to http://apothecure.com in order to receive it.

This isn't always something doctors are willing to do, so there are a few others that will be of some benefit.

NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) 600 mg 2 to 3 times daily. You can order this from Puritan.com (the link is at the top of this website). They have some of the lowest prices.

Vitamin D3 - at least 5,000 IU daily (also low cost) and available on Puritan.

A good multi-vitamin as well as at least 1,000 mg of Vitamin C each should help to reduce the number of colds he gets.

I hope he is using inhalers and should be checking his oxygen levels to be sure he isn't dropping below 90 upon exertion or he could be damaging his heart.

We have another site specifically for COPD. It's called http://copdliving.com There is alot of helpful information there for people with emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

I cannot say for sure if I have heard of any stem cell treatments speficially for bronchitis, but I would start by contacting the stem cell clinics listed at the top of this page and ask them what they treat, what type of procedures they use (adult stem cells, umbilical cord), are the cells inserted by IV, catheter, etc and the cost of their treatment for starters.

Good luck and please feel free to post as many questions as you would like to ask.

 

[barbara]

Welcome - I will send you a list of stem cell resources as well. There are several clinics that treat COPD and chronic bronchitis falls under that umbrella. You need a clinic that is working to regenerate his lungs (he may have a lot of scarring at this point) and address the mechanisms that are triggering the mucus and inflammation. Another good product to reduce inflammation is Curcumin. I take around 4000 mg a day in the morning. Only use the brands that offer 95% curcuminoids. You can click through on the Home page to Puritan's Pride. This company is always having a lot of specials. I also use a lot of dark cherry products to reduce inflammation in addition to what Jeannine has already mentioned.
If his lung strength is low, you might want to consider the Airestream PowerLung www.seachangeforlife.com A lot of us with lung problems swear by it, but you have to be diligent and use it daily or guess what - it doesn't work. (That was a hint to those that keep their's hidden in a drawer or the top shelf of the closet).

 

[JC the Fox]

Campbell - What a lucky lady you are to be married to a guy named JC!!!!

He is also a lucky guy, as well; especially since he does not have any emphysema symptoms. There is another thread here about the impending approval of Daxas (roflumilast), which has shown great results in improving lung function and reducing exacerbations.

I tried the inhaled glutathione several years ago (It improved me, but it made me very sick to my stomach). In any event, I had a local compounding pharmacist make it up for me, and my wife's insurance paid for it. I was lucky in that a local Urgent Care physician also believed in vitamins, minerals, and natural cures.

JC

 

[barbara]

Inhaled glutathione can be tough to use. It took me a good month to really be able to say I could easily inhale it for ten minutes. At first, I sputtered and coughed so much that I had to keep turning the nebulizer off. It is now much easier for me. I would suggest that anyone that does have great difficulty (I also used to experience sob after nebulizing it which lasted for 15-20 minutes at times) that you try using a weaker solution than what is recommended and do not attempt to nebulize for a full 10 minutes. Work your way up. I am currently involved in a project that may allow glutathione to be presented in an easier way than nebulizing. When I know more, I will post about it. It seems very promising.

 

[campbell88]

Thank you all for the wonderful feedback - very helpful! We're going to ask my husband's doctor about inhaled glutathione at his next appointment. Plus I'm going to start contacting some of the stem cell clinics.