Emphysema is a progressive disease in which the tiny air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) break down, reducing the area available for gas exchange. This means that insufficient oxygen reaches the vital organs, and too much carbon dioxide enters the bloodstream. Emphysema is particularly common among heavy smokers and sufferers of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Industrial pollutants may also be a cause, as well as hereditary factors.
The exact cause of pulmonary emphysema is unknown. Cigarette smoking is closely associated with the disease, and in some cases a genetic link is suspected, in that a significant number of people with emphysema lack a gene that controls the liver’s production of a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin, or AAT. Emphysema rarely occurs before the age of 40, and women appear to be less prone, although with the increase in the numbers of women smoking this may change.
Symptoms
• breathlessness, especially on exertion
• a cough producing sputum
• chest may become barrel-shaped as the disease progresses
• a blue tinge to the skin (cyanosis)
• respiratory failure may eventually occur
TREATMENT
Ayurveda
Boil 2 or 3 cloves of garlic in 2 cups of water until tender. Crush into the water and drink to relieve chest pain. Stramonium may be useful.
Herbalism
Peppermint tea will soothe inflammation and help to open lungs. Slippery elm bark soothes the chest and lungs, and can be added to any herbal tea.
Aromatherapy
Massage oils of cedarwood, peppermint, or eucalyptus into the chest daily, to open lungs and reduce coughing. Make an inhalation of eucalyptus, and use as required to expel phlegm.
Homeopathy
Emphysema cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be alleviated and the condition arrested by constitutional treatment. See coughs , bronchitis , and asthma for remedies that fit specific symptoms.
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