Bronchiectasis and pro-biotics

[alien]

G’Day Shelley,

I am not sure if you can assist me with this query but here it goes...

Last October when my health fell apart due to leaky guy and Candida, I was in hospital the doctors noticed that I cough up a lot of fluid which I have done for around 8 years that I remember. I just thought it was due to my previous years of smoking cigarettes, although I was not a heavy smoker. Initially the doctors thought I had reflux and tested me with a barium swallow (not good stuff for Candida and the bowels let me tell you). My own GP all along thought I had a rare disease called Bronchiectasis but of course had to send me to a lung/respiratory specialist for confirmation. The specialist was a ‘dick’ and said I had reflux also but after having numerous tests carried out it was indeed found that I have Bronchiectasis in both lungs although very slight in my right lung.

In Bronchiectasis damage to the airways causes them to become enlarged. This can occur when the complex cleaning system of tiny hairs called cilia which are part of the cells lining the airways are damaged or destroyed. Mucus or sputum cannot then be cleared easily from the lungs, allowing infection to occur, which leads to further damage to the airways.

There is no cure for the problem but it is not life threatening if I keep my lungs clear of the fluid through postural draining and coughing up fluid when I can. However if I am around smoke/pollution then my fluid is much worse the next day, so I avoid these situations as much as I can. Strangely enough humid weather and heat seems to help the symptoms and when I travel north of Australia where it is very humid and hot I have no fluid to drain. Obviously if I was to get a cold or flu then I run the risk of having complications and pneumonia. I have not had any severe sickness (apart from recent Candida/gut issues) for over 10 years so I feel confident that I should be ok this coming winter in Australia. If I was to get very ill I have been given Symbicort which is a strong steroid inhaler that I want to avoid at all costs. This medicine contains two active ingredients, budesonide and formoterol fumarate (previously known as eformoterol fumarate in the UK). Budesonide belongs to a group of medicines known as corticosteroids. Budesonide is a synthetic corticosteroid and is used to decrease inflammation in the lungs.

Now u have the history and what I have been told to do by the medical ‘profession’ I want to first avoid getting sick by the right use of natural products and also keep the fluid at bay by using natural products if possible, and a natural inhaler maybe?
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/Detailed/22714.html

My GP has been reading about the pro-biotic I use and what it’s resistance level is to anti-biotics brands and is prepared to use if needed, an anti-biotic that my pro-biotic will be able to work with.
If I was to get very ill I would have to take an anti-biotic. If I use a good pro-biotic whilst on an anti-biotic for a few weeks would this keep my stomach flora balanced?

Do you have any suggestions?

PS Since I have been of wheat and on the anti-Candida diet the fluid in my lungs has decreased, my imagination or a simple explanation?

[shelley]

Yes, if the doctor gives you a specific antibiotic rather than a broad=spectrum, and you took good probiotics (kefir, sauerkraut, not just pills) you'd keep your friendlies happy and healthy.

The problem with your lungs is a very simple problem, and it's all the same as throat problems, ear infections, acne - it's all mucus/ama from incomplete digestion and elimination compounded by environmental toxins and deficiencies.

That's why the candida diet helped your lung symptoms, you started lowering the toxic overload. If we don't eliminate everything properly - or fail to eat properly so that everything is easily digested, then the Ama ends up in our lungs, on our face, etc. It's all the same thing!

[alien]

Although I have the disease and lung damage, you believe I can reduce the fluid/mucus from the lungs by diet and keeping toxins from my body? I believe this to be true but really needed a second opinion as I may have been holding onto false hope. Is there herbs or foods that are good for reducing body mucus especially in the lungs etc? I was also told that some natural products can irritate the lungs (as to foods) and one of them was Echinacea. I was hoping this not to be the case as I know it is great for avoiding colds and flu’s.

[shelley]

absolutely true. The body always seeks to be healthy and balanced, and it's always our behavior that gets it whacked out, apart from congenital disorders. Reverse the behaviors that caused the issue to begin with and healing starts happening right away.

I just posted about blood purifiers, most of which are quite gentle and would be suitable in your case. I don't like prescribing Echinacea except during the very first few days of a cold/flu. Otherwise it's just too strong and depleting.

Anything considered cleansing, hot, pungent, diasphoratic and expectorant gets rid of mucus - the Cleansing Drink, ginger tea, peppermint, and keeping digestive power strong. You basically need to be on a kapha-balancing diet, which is what a candida diet is.

To heal the lungs requires clean blood and good skin food and keeping them properly moist - not mucousy but moist, as you've noticed from humid days being easier. Occasionally breathing steam scented with essential oil of lavendar is great. Whenever they feel dry/irritated then it's time for marshmallow root and slippery elm to give them a protective coating. The trick is getting them mucus-free without drying them out. your protocol should alternate between pungent (which is hot and drying) and moistening. Go by your symptoms and tongue to know which to do.

[alien]

This is the best news and advice I have had since being diagnosed, I will also pass this onto friends who suffer from Asthma. You really are magic and special.