Respiratory Problems, Infections and Asthma...

I mentioned in a diary entry earlier this week that I would give you some pointers on how you can better avoid respiratory problems which can lead to infections and asthma.

Many people wrongly think that asthma and other breathing difficulties cannot be effectively dealt with naturally. But, this is not so! There are many, many cases in which people suffering from severe asthma and other symptoms have been able to return to ‘normal’ or near normal by following a sensible ‘natural’ protocol.

As I talked about in my dairy entry I have for some time been quite intrigued as to why many customers have reported not being as susceptible to ‘bugs’ as they used to be, and also that those people suffering from asthma noticing an improvement in their symptoms.

I also never seem to catch any ‘infections’ or have any respiratory problems even though I spend a lot of time on long haul flights which are notorious for ‘picking up’ bugs due to being exposed to several hundred other people breathing circulated air. I also am exposed to bad air pollution from time to time.

Anyway, I decided to take the time to do some further research as to why the above is the case, and I am now confident that I can explain the reasons quite briefly and simply.

First of all we need to understand how we get infections and how they can cause respiratory problems both in our air passage ways and lungs can become infected.

When we breathe we are naturally inhaling everything that is in the air. This includes foreign particles, ozone, bacteria’s, viruses, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, fuel emissions and anything else that is ‘floating’ around at the time.

First line of Defense…

This air follows a passageway down to your lungs. This passageway is lined with a thick mucous called ELF’s (Epithelial lining fluids). The epithelial cells themselves have little filaments attached to them which collectively form a sort of a brush. The job of this ‘brush’ is to try to brush back the foreign particles, bacteria and viruses outside. These brushes are called cilia.

They also collect other pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide and fuel emissions etc and attach them to the mucous lining. (ELF’s) The mucous contains many anti-oxidants (or at least it should!). The anti-oxidants enable the inhaled pollutants to be neutralized!

This first line of defense is usually so effective that the pollutants don’t usually come into contact with the underlying epithelial cells. These underlying cells produce and secrete a number of anti-oxidants into this mucous barrier.

Now, if there are inadequate anti-oxidants being secreted into the mucous barrier and the ELF’s and cilia are being overwhelmed then an immune response will be triggered off by white cells coming in to help out. That may be OK if it is brought under control quickly and everything can settle down.

But…quite often the inflammatory response can be excessive and chronic inflammation can follow with damage to the epithelial cells and lung tissue.

So, by having inadequate first line defense you can possibly suffer a double whammy! On one hand you may end up with chronic inflammation and on the other you may allow possible infections to get into your system and result in a variety of other illnesses.

OK…so, what can you do to protect yourself against this situation or, if you already have a respiratory problem can you do anything about improving it?

Indeed you can…

The obvious step is of course to avoid as much as possible breathing in pollutants of any description. I hold my breath when I am crossing the road in Bangkok…and that’s not because of the risk of being run over. :)

The next step is to build up your first line of defense which is ensuring that your ELF’s have plenty of ammunition in the form of anti-oxidants in which to fight the invaders!

Any particular anti-oxidants? There are some that may be a little better than others for respiratory problems, but there is little point of just focusing on one or two if you are neglecting your overall foundation anti-oxidant defense system.

L-Glutathione is a really important anti-oxidant but it is not easy to get this nutrient in an effective supplement. The reason for this is that L-Glutathione is quite a large molecule and its bio-availability if very poor. It is also damaged by stomach acid. Most supplement companies use precursors such as Acetyl-L-Cysteine. However, we are able to use the genuine Glutathione in our Total Balance (in addition to Acetyl-L-Cysteine) because we protect it by using an enteric coating, PLUS, we use the ‘reduced’ low molecular size form. As a result Total Balance is a reliable source of the genuine glutathione.

Anyway, no matter which anti-oxidant/s you are using they must be combined with a variety of other co-factors to maximize their efficacy.

The objective is that by building up the anti-oxidant capability of the ELF’s you are not only helping it destroy ‘intruders’ but greatly minimizing the chances of an excessive inflammatory response.

Bottom line…

The above simplified steps showing the cause of respiratory problems also help explain why our customers report a decrease in respiratory problems after taking Total Balance and why I don’t seem to have a problem either. Bear in mind that I have been taking Total Balance for eight years now. The building up of the immune system like this is not a five minute exercise. It takes time…months…not weeks.

But, as a famous cosmetic ad says…’it will happen’. I can’t speak for the cosmetic companies products but there is no doubt Total Balance will strengthen your immune system and help protect you against respiratory problems. Add our Omega 3 DHA to that as well and you will be building an extra strong foundation for your future health.

In good health,

Warren Matthews