COPD Treatment - Natural COPD Medication Options
Research regarding the use of natural supplements to treat COPD is quite early, so no confident statements can be made at this time, but antioxidants and the following nutrients and herbs could be considered:
Creatine may help with muscle strength and endurance.
Ginseng in very low dosages
Omega- 3 fatty acids can be anti-inflammatory agents. Japanese researchers at Kagoshima University Hospital found that supplements of omega-3 fatty acids appeared to improve patients' breathing difficulties -- possibly by countering the airway inflammation seen in those with COPD. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are found largely in oily fish, and to a lesser extent in flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil. Half of the 64 patients drank a liquid supplement rich in omega-3 fats each day; the other half drank a supplement containing omega-6 fats, another type of polyunsaturated fat found in many foods, including vegetable oils and meat. After two years, patients in the omega-3 supplement group showed an overall improvement on tests that measured their breathing during a short bout of exercise.
Glutamine is an amino acid
BCAA supplements could be helpful for protein synthesis

COPD and Glutamine, Glutamate
Low plasma glutamate and glutamine concentrations are often seen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Glutamine or glutamate supplementation may be a good option for preventing further metabolic disturbances in COPD patients. However, the metabolic effects of glutamate supplementation have never been compared with those of glutamine supplementation. In a new study, repeated ingestion of glutamine and glutamate resulted in different effects on the plasma amino acid concentration. In both groups, ingestion of glutamine but not of glutamate increased the plasma concentrations of citrulline and arginine, substrates produced in the intestine and the liver.

Omega-3 helpful in COPD
Japanese researchers at Kagoshima University Hospital found that supplements of omega-3 fatty acids appeared to improve patients' breathing difficulties -- possibly by countering the airway inflammation seen in the disease. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are found largely in oily fish, and to a lesser extent in flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil. Half of the 64 patients drank a liquid supplement rich in omega-3 fats each day; the other half drank a supplement containing omega-6 fats, another type of polyunsaturated fat found in many foods, including vegetable oils and meat. After two years, patients in the omega-3 supplement group showed an overall improvement on tests that measured their breathing during a short bout of exercise.

COPD and Weight Loss
Among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), usually emphysema, a low fat-free body mass index appears to be associated with greater mortality. There is a clear association between decreasing body mass index (BMI) and mortality both in the general population and in those with COPD. Fat mass is a metabolic inactive energy source, but fat-free mass contains the metabolic active organs, skeletal muscle being the largest of these organs.

COPD and depression
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD who suffer from depression have shorter survival times, suggesting that antidepressant medication, or natural antidepressants, or psychological interventions may improve their outcomes. Natural antidepressants such as low doses of 5-HTP or St. John's wort, are worth a try. Depression is more common in patients with COPD than in the general population.

COPD pathophysiology
COPD primarily affects the distal airways. As a rule, inflammation affects bronchioles at the level of the respiratory bronchiole extending to the alveolar wall.Airway walls are infiltrated with macrophages and lymphocytes. In contrast to asthma, the airway lymphocytes tend to be CD8+ rather than CD4+ cells. The CD4+ cells that are present in COPD tend to be Th1 rather than the Th2 cells found in asthma. Neutrophils are found in greater numbers in the airway lumen, and peribronchiolar fibrosis is seen in mid- to late-stage disease. Affected airways tend to be < 2 mm in diameter; airway obstruction results from structural narrowing caused by the inflammatory process, loss of elastic recoil due to breakdown of intra-alveolar elastic fibers, and loss of alveolar attachments from emphysema-induced alveolar septal destruction.

COPD and particle Inhalation
The pathogenesis of COPD mirrors a chronic inhalational dust-induced disease. The inorganic dust in cigarette smoke is aluminum silicate or kaolinite, a common component of clay soils. Kaolinite has been recovered in the alveolar macrophages of smokers and has been reported as a constituent of tobacco products. On inhalation, kaolinite deposition in the distal lung may promote macrophage accumulation within the terminal airways leading to a respiratory bronchiolitis. In the susceptible smoker, important genetic, environmental, immunologic, and mechanical factors interact and modulate this small airway inflammation, ultimately leading to the pathologic lesion of emphysema.

End stage COPD - COPD surgery
At some point in time, many patients with end-stage COPD require intubation and mechanical ventilation to sustain life. COPD surgery is available. A type of operation called lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) can provide lasting benefits for people with COPD, including improvements in exercise ability, quality of life, and survival. COPD is a disease closely associated with smoking, involves the destruction of the tiny air sacs in the lungs where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide. LVRS works by removing the diseased portions of the lung, making the whole organ function better. LVRS, however, is not for everyone with emphysema. People with COPD in the upper portions of the lung who have low exercise capacity seem to glean the most benefit from the operation.

COPD Exacerbation
Steroids do improve several outcomes during an acute COPD exacerbation, and a 10- to 14-day course seems appropriate. Antibiotic use has been shown to be beneficial, especially for patients with severe exacerbation. Changes in bacteria strains have been documented during exacerbations, and newer generations of antibiotics might offer a better response rate. There is no role for mucolytic agents or chest physiotherapy in the acute exacerbation setting. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation might benefit a group of patients with rapid decline in respiratory function and gas exchange.

Asthma and COPD

COPD Symptom - What are the symptoms of COPD?
Cough is usually the first COPD symptom to develop. It is productive with phlegm (sputum). It tends to come and go at first, and then gradually becomes more persistent (chronic). Breathlessness ('short of breath') and wheeze may occur only when you exert yourself at first (for example, when you climb stairs). These symptoms tend to become gradually worse over the years if you continue to smoke. The damaged airways make a lot more mucus than normal. This forms sputum (phlegm). Wheezing with cough and breathlessness may become worse than usual if you have a chest infection. Sputum usually turns yellow or green during a chest infection.

COPD Drug Treatment
Advair does not have a significant effect on survival rates in patients with chronic obstruction pulmonary disorder (COPD). Advair is made by the drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline.  A combination of two GlaxoSmithKline drugs may help keep patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from suffering severe complications. The company already reported that the combination -- known as Advair in the United States, Viana in Germany and Seretide in the rest of the European Union -- did not significantly cut the rate of death in COPD patients. Advair contains a combination of fluticasone and salmeterol.

COPD and steroid inhaler treatment
Inhaled corticosteroid therapy can termporarily improve lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but after several months the decline in lung function resumes. Therefore, the long term benefit of inhaled steroid use by COPD patients is questioned.

Cough and COPD
In adults between 20 and 44 years of age, the presence of chronic cough and phlegm greatly increases the risk of COPD, even after adjusting for smoking. The presence of chronic cough and phlegm is not an innocent symptom, but is an early marker of airflow obstruction. American Journal Respiratory Critical Care Medicine 2007;175:32-39.

COPD questions
Q. Hello; have you  heard of anybody prescribing pregnenalone for COPD. . chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ?
   A. No we have not. We would be quite cautious in using pregnenolone for COPD since most people get COPD from smoking, and smoking damages heart tissue which makes it prone to palpitations. Pregnenolone can aggravate heart rhythm problems.

Q. I have COPD and have been taking flaxseed for the last 2 weeks and it may all be in my mind but I swear that my breathing has greatly improved. Can flaxseed be of benefit to COPD patients? I keep very active but generally run out of breath easily. This week I have been able to do so many things without being completely out of breath. The only thing I am doing differently is putting 1 tablespoon of ground flaxeed in my oatmeal. Have studies ever been made on the benefit of flaxseed on lung disease patients?
   A. We have not seen specific studies with flaxseed and COPD, but it could be possible since flaxseed has some anti-inflammatory properties.