Triple Life Threat: An Alternative Approach

By Donald R. Lyman

We are entering a new revolutionary and controversial phase in the US medical industry! With the discoveries of DNA telomeres, telomerase activators, and stem cell therapy that will create significant alterations to conventional medical procedures, we are facing many drastic changes - completely unknown to the general public. Science has ushered

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Apr 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957781860

Donald R. Lyman

Don Lyman, although having an actual age of eighty-seven, his biological age is twenty years younger. He credits this transformation to his dedication to following research and developments in nutritional medicine and many years as an investigative medical journalist and author of countless articles on chronic diseases and antiaging. Maybe it's because he is a health advocate, consuming at least fifty supplements a day, but then again, some say it's a waste of time and money. He subscribes to recommendations from a dozen nationally known doctors through their newsletters, as well as a reference library of three hundred reference books, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. As a proponent of integrative medicine, his specialization in research is directed primarily toward support of our senior citizens, which by the way number around sixty million. One of his successful accomplishments is the mastering of the metric system in nutritional formulation. Being analytical as well as practical, he has the ability to separate fact from fiction and is able to author important and valuable information for our many readers.

Book preview

Disclosure

This book contains advice and information relating to health care. It is not intended to replace medical advice, and should be used to supplement rather than replace the care or advice of your doctor or another trained health professional. If you know or suspect you have a health problem, it is recommended that you seek your doctor’s advice before embarking on any medical program or treatment. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date of publication. The publisher and the author disclaim liability for any medical outcomes that may occur as a result of misinterpreting or applying the methods or information suggested in this book. The entire contents of this book are based on research and information presented by a multitude of health professionals, mentioned individually in References for knowledge and educational purposes only. In presenting this information, no attempt is being made to provide diagnosis, care, treatment, or rehabilitation of individuals.

Part 1

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Solutions

Contents

Disclosure

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Our Toxic Humanity

Chapter 1: Common Diseases & Detoxification

Chapter 2: Glutathione, Antioxidants, Immune System & Phytochemicals

Chapter 3: Allergies, Adrenal Fatigue, DHEA, Asthma & Lung Power

Chapter 4: Nutritional Support

Chapter 5: COPD, Symptoms, Side Effects & Pneumonia

Chapter 6: Oxygen Therapy, CO2, Nitric Oxide & Oxygenation

Chapter 7: Heart Support, Nutritional Support, Drugs & Big Pharma

Chapter 8: Research

References

Acknowledgments

In the words of John Greenleaf Whittier, For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been!

Introduction

Our Toxic Humanity

Dietary changes, appropriate nutritional supplementation, and exercise are mainstays in the foundation of the holistic approach to chronic disease and the maintenance of health. Notwithstanding our potential to live a healthy life, a host of environmental influences deter us from this goal.¹

In the Western world, the word science is connected to our notion of progress. Science has been the tool whereby people have gained increasing control over their lives, which is viewed by most as being coincidental with improvement and progress. Few would argue that science has ushered in changes which as a whole have benefited man greatly. On the other hand, along with the benefits have come many negative consequences. One of the most formidable of these challenges is the degree to which our environment has been poisoned by substances that themselves are the very products of science.²

Xenobiotics is the term used to describe chemical compounds that are foreign to living organisms. These toxins are referred to as being exogenous or coming from outside the body, as opposed to endogenous toxins, which originate from within. Each year more than one thousand such new chemicals are synthesized, adding to the current total of more than one hundred thousand xenobiotic substances. These toxic substances include such familiar classifications of chemicals as food additives, industrial chemicals, pesticides, as well as pharmaceutical and other drugs. According to the EPA, each year nearly ten trillion pounds of chem-icals and emissions are dumped into the public sewage systems, ground, surface waters, atmosphere, and environment. Also bad are home cleaning products, cosmetics, pesticides, fertilizer, prescription drugs, food additives, alcohol, cigarette smoke, high-tech products, etc. For many in the Western world, the connection between our toxic environment and disease, both physical and mental, is not readily apparent.³

Over the last fifty years or so, many health conditions of nonobvious origins have skyrocketed, including allergies, asthma, ADD and ADHD, autism, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, infertility, insomnia, migraines, and miscarriage. Equally disconcerting is the rise in the more serious conditions of heart disease and cancer, number one and number two killers of humans.⁴

Chapter 1

Common Diseases & Detoxification

In 1900, heart disease accounted for 8 percent of all deaths in the US, and cancer about 3.5 percent. Since 1900, the number of cases of heart disease has increased some 400 percent, and the number of cases of cancer by over 700 percent. Mathematically speaking, for a person living in the US, there is a 75 percent probability for men and more than a 50 percent probability for women of being afflicted either with heart disease, cancer, or both.⁵

The term detoxification refers to the elimination of toxins (poisons) from the body. Even though the body has a powerful capability to detoxify itself, the extent of the pollution present in today’s world often exceeds the body’s ability to detoxify. Of course, to a considerable extent, this is dependent upon one’s health and the strength of the immune system, as well as the proper functioning of the kidneys, liver, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. When overly polluted by toxic accumulation or an inability to detoxify, the body reacts by producing states of illness and disease.⁶

If the body is unable to detoxify naturally, a course of detoxification can be initiated. To be effective, you must target the (a) blood, (b) lymph, (c) colon, and (d) liver. As it courses throughout the body, blood brings vital sub-stances to the organs, tissues, and cells. Oxygen is trans-ported from the lungs, nutrients are transported from the small intestines, hormones are transported from the glands, toxins are transported to the liver for filtration and dis-posal, waste is transported to the kidneys for excretion, and immune cells are transported to all parts of the body to fight infection and inflammation. Lymph is referred to as a secondary circulatory system composed of a network of vessels (tubes) that carry the waste-containing lymph fluid from tissues and cells to the final elimination organs (liver, kidneys, lungs) to nodes, which filter the lymph fluid as it flows through the nodes, and to the thymus gland, tonsils, and spleen. Unlike the circulatory system (blood), which is powered by the heart, the lymph system relies on breathing and movement (exercise) alone to circulate the lymphatic fluid. Red clover extract, astragalus extract, and echinacea extract are powerful single herb lymph cleansers. Although the largest amount of detoxification activity occurs in the liver, a significant portion of the remainder occurs in the intestinal walls. Slippery elm bark, marshmallow root, and peppermint leaf extract are also used to detoxify the intestines. Probiotics also help restore healthy intestinal functioning. It has been estimated that up to 75 percent of detoxification activity takes place in the liver, the body’s second-largest organ.⁷

Chapter 2

Glutathione, Antioxidants, Immune System & Phytochemicals

One of the most important protective substances synthesized by the body is glutathione, also referred to as GSH, which is a water-phase molecule present in all human cells. The presence of this substance is a sensitive indicator of a cell’s overall state of health and may ultimately prove to be the single most accurate indicator of cellular health. One of the major functions of glutathione is fighting damaging substances called free radicals. The process of this phase is called oxidation and typically involves the formation of a chain reaction of many billions of free radicals that can occur within the span of a mere fraction of a second. This cascading chain reaction of free radicals attacks any cell membrane or structure it contacts, causing cellular damage in many locations throughout the body. The body’s trillions of cells face the continual challenge of neutralizing free radical reactions before they lead to cell impairment and destruction. Free radical damage is a principal contributor to progressive loss or organ function (aging), as well as to maladies such as allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arteriosclerosis, immune dysfunction, asthma, diabetes, cancer, cataracts, coronary artery disease, stroke, and COPD.⁸

Antioxidants are substances that operate against oxi-dants. They comprise a group of substances including vita-mins, minerals, and enzymes that help neutralize the dam-aging effects of oxidation within the body. Antioxidants include any substance that delays, inhibits, or destroys free radicals.⁹

The immune system is the body’s frontline defense against all forms of illness. A healthy immune system is able to ward off most challenges by infective microbes, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, and parasites. The immune cells, as is the case of other cells as well, depend upon glutathione to grow and proliferate. About 70 per-cent of the total dietary intake of glutathione is used in the liver where it is stored and exported to other organs. There is also a high concentration of glutathione in the lower regions of the lungs where it aids in neutralizing inhaled toxins, such as cigarette smoke and free radicals within the lungs. Acetaminophen, other pharmaceutical drugs, as well as other xenobiotics can deplete liver glutathione levels.¹⁰

There is a high concentration of glutathione in the lungs of healthy persons, and its deficiency is linked to many pulmonary diseases including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), acute respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal lung damage, and asthma. The lungs are especially vulnerable to oxidative attack from several inhaled sources, including airborne toxins, oxygen, and oxygen free radicals released by active white blood cells within the lungs.¹¹

The intact glutathione molecule can be effectively delivered directly into the lungs via aerosolized particles where it is absorbed by pulmonary alveolar cells. The enterocyte cells lining the intestinal tract absorb it by diffu-sion and export it to the blood. The molecule is also able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Glutathione is now available in a liposomal form for oral supplementation.¹²

Phytonutrients, also called phytochemicals (phyto means plant in Greek), are biologically active plant substances whose classification encompasses many compounds not traditionally considered essential. They are vitamin-like compounds that function to actively prevent disease, regulate bodily functions, and fine-tune metabolic processes. Alkaloids, isoflavones, terpenes, indoles, and phenolic acids are only several of the classifications of phytochemicals that are found in plants, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Phytochemicals have been associated with the prevention and/or treatment of at least four of the leading causes of death in the Western world—cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), arthritis, and osteoporosis.¹³

Flavonoids are phytochemicals that supply the water-soluble colors to fruits, vegetables, leaves, grains, seeds, and bark. In the early 1900s, Dr. Albert SzentGyorgyi reported that flavonoids reduce blood vessel wall fragility and capillary permeability. Although they are chemically unrelated, flavonoids work synergistically in performing many of vitamin C’s well-known functions.¹⁴

Chapter 3

Allergies, Adrenal Fatigue, DHEA, Asthma & Lung Power

Millions of people are walking around suffering from respiratory allergies, asthma, recurring colds, and bronchitis, and this doctor says they don’t have to. He says one factor is a problem called adrenal fatigue (AF), which is a collection of symptoms that occur when the adrenal glands, which produce stress and inflammation-fighting hormones, that no longer function properly. Some doctors may call this problem asthma. Adrenal fatigue is most often associated with a wide range of symptoms, including lack of energy, insomnia, blood sugar swings, cognitive impairment, and depressed mood. But AF also can have a significant impact on the immune system. The problem is that it is not recognized by conventional physicians because it doesn’t show up on regular lab tests. As surprising as it may sound, if you suffer from a respiratory allergy to dust, pollen, ragweed, pet dander, or other environmental allergen, or if you have asthma that recurs despite treatment, there’s a chance that your real problem is improperly functioning adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing the hormone cortisol, which releases into the bloodstream in response to stress, and dehydroepiandros-terone, or DHEA.¹⁵

DHEA is a precursor to hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Adrenal fatigue (AF) usually occurs when patients undergo extended periods of stress, which causes levels of DHEA and cortisol to become elevated for long periods of time, usually four months or longer, depend-ing upon the individual. This surplus of DHEA and cor-tisol overtaxes the adrenals, resulting in a sharp drop in DHEA and cortisol levels. When the glands no longer pro-duce sufficient amounts of these hormones, the immune system becomes overactive, thus producing inflammatory responses even when there’s no real threat or infection looming. Allergic responses, respiratory infections, asthma, or COPD are the result. Most conventional doctors treat these conditions by prescribing antihistamines for allergy symptoms and corticosteroids to ward off asthma. In other words, as expected, they treat the symptoms, not the dis-ease. If you suspect that you have AF, it’s best to see a naturopathic physician and have your adrenal function tested. This doctor’s preference is a saliva test, which is more accurate than a blood or urine test. Your physician will retest you every three or four months after treatment begins to see if your levels have improved.¹⁶

The treatment protocol for AF involves supplements to boost adrenal function and/or increase resistance to stress. They are (a) ashwagandha, (b) rhodiola, (c) siberian ginseng, (d) vitamin B5, and (e) vitamin B12.

Other recommendations are sleeping for seven to eight hours a night, take a midday nap, eliminate all refined sug-ars from your diet, and minimize daily stress by exercising or listening to calming music.¹⁷

As a matter of information, when your lungs are wheezing, some physicians could recommend a nutri-tional IV consisting of B vitamins, vitamin C, glutathione, and magnesium. After an hour’s treatment, the coughing should stop. Such is the power of nutrition-based thera-pies. Approximately one in twelve people in the US have asthma, and an estimated three hundred million people in the world have this respiratory problem.¹⁸

There are about twenty drugs that are available to treat asthma, but side effects could include osteoporosis, anxiety, and sore throats as a result of fungal overgrowth. None of these medications work at the root cause of the asthma. If you want to treat the underlying triggers of asthma, holistic medicine is the answer. Research has shown that asthma sufferers are worse for city dwellers because of environmental pollution, including inside the home. Indoor pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common, so use a HEPA filter, use a kitchen fan while cooking, and limit the use of candles and incense.¹⁹

Lung power is the number one predictor of how long you’ll live. The correlation was even stronger for heart disease. This makes one think of all those workout gurus who keep telling everyone to do cardio exercises, but all they do is wear down your heart and lungs. Studies prove that lung power will keep you going longer, but most doctors don’t measure it. The best way to tell how powerful your lungs are is a measurement called VO2 max, which measures the amount of oxygen your lungs can use while you’re exercis-ing at maximum capacity. And the more oxygen you can get to your body, the better your body works. VO2 max is written in milliliters of volume per kilograms of body weight (ml/kg) because oxygen and energy needs are dif-ferent depending on big you are. A 70–79-year-old male would test 28–35 VO2 as compared to a 50–59-year-old male at 34-41 VO2. A female at equivalent ages would test at 20–27 and 24–33 VO2 respectively. Some specialists would chart a total measurement of (a) how strong your bones are, (b) your muscle strength, and (c) your capacity to squelch inflammation.²⁰

Chapter 4

Nutritional Support

A recent discovery showed that quercetin (a flavonoid that is an antioxidant in plants) is a natural antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory. In natural forms, you can get it from onions, apples, berries, broccoli, capers, cherries, citrus fruit, cranberries, leafy green vegetables, grapes, tomatoes, and red wine. Quercetin can also increase your power output when you exercise.²¹

Vitamin D is also very important for your health, especially cancer prevention. A study by the journal Anticancer Research says that the more you make vitamin D from UVB rays, the lower your chances of dying from fifteen kinds of cancer. The sun protects you from cancer, enhances your health, and is vital to your well-being. If you use sunscreen, be aware that it lowers your body’s ability to make vitamin D up to 95 percent, and in addition, sunscreen may contain chemicals that are known carcinogens such as octyl methoxycinnamate, avobenzone, benzophenone, and others. Besides making vitamin D from the sun, your body also starts to produce another natural protectant called melanin, which causes your skin to darken or tan. All it takes is twenty minutes a day. If you are going to be in the sun for a long time before you are tan, use a natural ingredient such as zinc oxide for protection. Even better, add some shea butter to it.²²

Chapter 5

COPD, Symptoms, Side Effects & Pneumonia

More than eleven million people in the US have been diagnosed with COPD, but an estimated twenty-four million may have it and not even realize it. There are plenty of prescription drugs and inhalers available from doctors to treat COPD, asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, but these products just treat symptoms.²³

COPD affects your lungs, causing reduced airflow, which makes it difficult to breathe. It can worsen over time and may include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or both. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD, but there are also other potential causes, including long-term exposure to chemical fumes in the home or workplace, secondhand cigarette smoke, air pollutants, and dust.²⁴

COPD affects your lungs when you breathe causing air to travel down your windpipe into your lungs and then into smaller airways called bronchial tubes. At the end of these tubes, there are bunches of tiny elastic air sacs called alveoli, which expand when you breathe air in, and deflate when you breathe out. This is how your body transfers oxygen into the bloodstream and then discharges toxic carbon dioxide waste. Some people also have increased mucus production and secretion because of an overabundance of mucus-producing cells and oversize mucus glands in their airways compared to healthy people. This results in a chronic cough, which is your body’s defense mechanism, and attempt to clear the airways of mucus that comes up from your lungs. Some people may also have difficulty clearing the excess of mucus because of their ineffective cough.²⁵

There is a nutritional product that claims to ease the following symptoms: (a) shortness of breath during daily activities, (b) chronic cough, (c) wheezing, (d) chest tightness, (e) frequent respiratory infections, (f ) blueness in your lips and fingernails, (g) fatigue and lack of energy, and (h) excess mucus or phlegm production. This product consists of four amazing nutrients that include NAC or N-acetylcysteine, astragalus, licorice root, and vitamin D. In your next trip to the doctor for your semiannual blood test, be sure to include vitamin D, since epidemiological studies suggest that this deficiency increases risk of viral respiratory tract and bacterial infections and that vitamin D may play a role in the development and treatment of asthma.²⁶

If you first decide to try drugs for treatment of COPD, there are common side effects that you many face, such as inflammation of the nasal passages and throat, thrush in the mouth and throat, bronchitis, sinusitis, and upper respiratory tract infection. The current medical treatments for breathing problems like asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema are dangerous steroid-type drugs and albuterol inhalers. Steroids may shut down the immune system, and recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest steroids may cause cataracts, glaucoma, and even blindness.²⁷

Among people sixty-five years old or more, the risk of readmission to the hospital after heart failure, heart attack, or pneumonia is extremely high. Within one year of dis-charge, hospital readmissions occurred 36 percent of the time. Pneumonia is a special situation, all in itself. The medical community, in most cases, does not employ the necessary protocols to treat people for the underlying causes of pneumonia. Pneumonia often gets its start in seniors thanks to a weak heart that cannot adequately pump blood through the lungs. This allows for a better environment for bacteria, a breeding ground for pneumonia. Consequently, all treatments aimed only at the bug with no treatments to strengthen the heart will fail. If you are over sixty-five and come down with pneumonia, you will need to strengthen your heart and, in addition, your immune system. This bug that causes pneumonia, streptococcus pneumonia, not only attacks your lungs, but can also invade your heart. So you will additionally need to attack the bug where it lives—in your lungs. At this point in time, you will need treatment with antimicrobials. A treatment of choice would be an antimicrobial colloidal silver product which is effective against bacteria, viruses, and even fungi. It would be inhaled (breathed in) via a nebulizer, which turns a liquid into a mist. For more information on a future purchase of this nebulizer, just contact our reference.²⁸

Chapter 6

Oxygen Therapy, CO2, Nitric Oxide & Oxygenation

High oxygen levels can kill any living organism, including the most virulent bacteria and viruses, and yet when properly administered, high concentrations of oxygen can produce miracles. We know that oxygen deficiency is a factor in a number of conditions, and that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can not only supply oxygen to the affected areas, but also alter metabolism in a way that results in long-term health benefits. This specific therapy refers to highly concentrated oxygen under high atmospheric pressure facilitated in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. HBOT forces oxygen into areas of impaired microcirculation because it does not require red blood cells to carry the oxygen. During time in the HBOT chamber, oxygen opens narrowed blood vessels by lowering inflammation, which is the cause of the impaired microcirculation. Once a person is out of the chamber, these new blood vessels remain open and able to deliver oxygen-rich blood where it is needed. By reducing inflammation, the catalyst for many diseases is removed. A few HBOT centers have remained independent and the cost is about $100 to $200 per treat-ment. You can also purchase smaller HBOT units that can be used at home.²⁹

When the delivery of oxygen is impaired, a condition called hypoxia (low oxygen) develops. When that happens, tissues begin to release various chemicals called inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and that triggers inflammation.

This process further impairs microcirculation, and as a result of a vicious circle, the condition grows progressively worse. As we age, our bodies become progressively more inflamed, and this means they are becoming more hypoxic or oxygen deficient.³⁰

Of course, the natural solution or response to one’s deficiency of oxygen, if it is serious enough to conflict or to limit one’s daily lifestyle, is to secure a portable oxygen concentrator. There are a dozen companies that offer this equipment and your purchase choice would depend on your lifestyle activities. If I were to select one, it would need a battery power pack to last up to 4 hours, and would weigh less than 5 pounds. The only bad feature is the cost, which is around $2,500 for new models, but there could be a used one available. If you’re unfortunately housebound, then perhaps a cumbersome tank-style product would be adequate. This all depends upon one’s circumstances.³¹

Molecular scientist Stephen A. Levin, PhD, from UC Berkeley, says, The lack of oxygen in the tissues is the fundamental cause for all degenerative disease. And Dr. Arthur G. Guyton, author of the book The Textbook on Medical Physiology, wrote, All chronic pain, suffering, and diseases are caused by a lack of oxygen at the cellu-lar level. As oxygen levels continue to decline in the air, levels of CO2 are higher than any time in recent history. The problem is that CO2 binds to hemoglobin in the red blood cells, and hemoglobin is the carrier that delivers oxygen to the cells, but CO2 shuts down those carriers making it impossible for oxygen to get to the cells. For all is not lost, there is a miracle molecule that your body already makes that has the power to pump fresh oxygen to every cell in the body. This molecule relaxes and expands your blood vessels improving circulation and giving your cells increased oxygen.³²

This natural breakthrough is nitric oxide, the signaling mechanism already inside your body, especially in your arteries. When your body has sufficient nitric oxide, it gives you better blood flow for healthy blood pressure and boosts circulation throughout. Dr. Jonathan Stagier, professor of