COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease): Advice and Support?

[Casey Claar]

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by grapevine (here)

Let us know how you get on at the hospital

They did one test on my lungs/chest in the shape of an x-ray. Other than obvious signs of smoking there were no other problems there.

Turns out they were more concerned with Transient ischemic attacks that I had mentioned. Basically mini-strokes that affected my vision, very fleeting, less than a minute. I had a CT scan on my head and neck, they did an echo sound test on both my carotid arteries and my heart. The heart test revealed I had atrial fibrillation, which I've never noticed in terms of a 'flutter' or missed beat etc.

They've put me on a blood thinner to reduce chances of a clot; apixaban. List of side effects are depressing reading including thinning of skin and bruising. Well I already have that permanently thanks to too many steroids including prednisolone.

If I was a car I think I just failed the road worthiness test.

Ewan,

Are natural (food-based) blood thinners an option? <-- I like the herbs list in this short article: Cayenne pepper, Ginger, Paprika, Thyme, Cinnamon, Dill, Oregano, Turmeric, Licorice, Peppermint. I, personally, use cinnamon and peppermint daily. On a side note, I am moving through my own little health issue at the moment also. Every moment is another in which to learn and invoke positive change. One foot in front of the other, eh?

[Anchor]

Posted by Ewan (here)
They did one test on my lungs/chest in the shape of an x-ray. Other than obvious signs of smoking there were no other problems there.

Turns out they were more concerned with Transient ischemic attacks that I had mentioned. Basically mini-strokes that affected my vision, very fleeting, less than a minute. I had a CT scan on my head and neck, they did an echo sound test on both my carotid arteries and my heart. The heart test revealed I had atrial fibrillation, which I've never noticed in terms of a 'flutter' or missed beat etc.

They've put me on a blood thinner to reduce chances of a clot; apixaban. List of side effects are depressing reading including thinning of skin and bruising. Well I already have that permanently thanks to too many steroids including prednisolone.

Ewan,

I hope you don't think this is pushy, but I suspect you got brushed off a bit here.

None of what you said here gives you a free pass on the lungs or the smoking damage. They found AFib and put you on apixaban because of the TIAs - that part is standard and the stroke-prevention logic is realistic.

It does not mean the COPD question you originally asked here has gone away.

A chest X-ray is not a COPD test.

It can show smoking-related changes and rule out a few other things; it cannot tell you how well air is moving or how well oxygen is getting into the blood. Spirometry is the one that actually diagnoses it. If they didn’t do one, ask for it. Same for a simple resting and post-walk oxygen saturation. A basic finger pulse oximeter is cheap (€10–20) and gives you a number you can track yourself. Improving what gas exchange you still have makes everything else - heart rate, energy, the blood thinner, the next TIA risk a bit less punishing.

Breathing is not a side issue. You already knew that, which is why you came here asking about COPD in the first place. Trust your gut here.

The bruising and thin skin: apixaban will make you bruise and bleed more easily. The skin thinning itself is mostly the long-term steroids (prednisolone does that reliably). Together they are reportedly a harsh combination; just be aware of it.

Posted by Ewan (here)
If I was a car I think I just failed the road worthiness test.

Old cars that get looked after last longer than new ones that don’t. The system that just processed you is not in the business of making old cars last. Emergency departments will keep you alive today; the rest of the apparatus has no particular interest in you still drawing a pension in twenty years.

Don't ignore the AFib or the blood thinner, but don't let them treat the lungs as an afterthought now that they have a cardiac label to write on your notes and move on to the next customer

Anchor/John..

PS: I am not a medical doctor.

[Ewan]

Posted by Anchor (here)

Ewan,

I hope you don't think this is pushy, but I suspect you got brushed off a bit here.

None of what you said here gives you a free pass on the lungs or the smoking damage. They found AFib and put you on apixaban because of the TIAs - that part is standard and the stroke-prevention logic is realistic.

It does not mean the COPD question you originally asked here has gone away.

A chest X-ray is not a COPD test.

It can show smoking-related changes and rule out a few other things; it cannot tell you how well air is moving or how well oxygen is getting into the blood. Spirometry is the one that actually diagnoses it. If they didn’t do one, ask for it. Same for a simple resting and post-walk oxygen saturation. A basic finger pulse oximeter is cheap (€10–20) and gives you a number you can track yourself. Improving what gas exchange you still have makes everything else - heart rate, energy, the blood thinner, the next TIA risk a bit less punishing.

Breathing is not a side issue. You already knew that, which is why you came here asking about COPD in the first place. Trust your gut here.

The bruising and thin skin: apixaban will make you bruise and bleed more easily. The skin thinning itself is mostly the long-term steroids (prednisolone does that reliably). Together they are reportedly a harsh combination; just be aware of it.


Old cars that get looked after last longer than new ones that don’t. The system that just processed you is not in the business of making old cars last. Emergency departments will keep you alive today; the rest of the apparatus has no particular interest in you still drawing a pension in twenty years.

Don't ignore the AFib or the blood thinner, but don't let them treat the lungs as an afterthought now that they have a cardiac label to write on your notes and move on to the next customer

Anchor/John..

PS: I am not a medical doctor.

Thank you John for all your valuable feedback. I understand I have not had the COPD tests done yet, I will push the Drs.

With regards to steroids/pred I have not had to take any in years, however my skin has been left permanently damaged on my hands and arms.

[Ewan]

Posted by Casey Claar (here)

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by grapevine (here)

Let us know how you get on at the hospital

They've put me on a blood thinner to reduce chances of a clot; apixaban. List of side effects are depressing reading including thinning of skin and bruising. Well I already have that permanently thanks to too many steroids including prednisolone.

If I was a car I think I just failed the road worthiness test.

Ewan,

Are natural (food-based) blood thinners an option? <-- I like the herbs list in this short article: Cayenne pepper, Ginger, Paprika, Thyme, Cinnamon, Dill, Oregano, Turmeric, Licorice, Peppermint. I, personally, use cinnamon and peppermint daily.

Hi Casey, yes I would definitely prefer natural remedies. The problem is to know just how much dosage of those ingredients would be required to match the expensive medical solution.

Or maybe it just comes down to the power of belief.

[Casey Claar]

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by Casey Claar (here)

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by grapevine (here)

Let us know how you get on at the hospital

They've put me on a blood thinner to reduce chances of a clot; apixaban. List of side effects are depressing reading including thinning of skin and bruising. Well I already have that permanently thanks to too many steroids including prednisolone.

If I was a car I think I just failed the road worthiness test.

Ewan,

Are natural (food-based) blood thinners an option? <-- I like the herbs list in this short article: Cayenne pepper, Ginger, Paprika, Thyme, Cinnamon, Dill, Oregano, Turmeric, Licorice, Peppermint. I, personally, use cinnamon and peppermint daily.

Hi Casey, yes I would definitely prefer natural remedies. The problem is to know just how much dosage of those ingredients would be required to match the expensive medical solution.

Or maybe it just comes down to the power of belief.

Ewan,

There is no need to guess, these things have been studied, a good Naturopath should be able to well inform you. If I can find anything relevant I will post it here for you.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Casey Claar (here)
Ewan,

There is no need to guess, these things have been studied, a good Naturopath should be able to well inform you. If I can find anything relevant I will post it here for you.

Patrick Coady (whom I know personally and can highly recommend) will help. He consults over the internet via Zoom.

Website: https://holisticwellness.solutions
email: HolisticWellnessSolutions@protonmail.com

[grapevine]

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by Casey Claar (here)

Posted by Ewan (here)

Posted by grapevine (here)

Let us know how you get on at the hospital

They've put me on a blood thinner to reduce chances of a clot; apixaban. List of side effects are depressing reading including thinning of skin and bruising. Well I already have that permanently thanks to too many steroids including prednisolone.

If I was a car I think I just failed the road worthiness test.

Ewan,

Are natural (food-based) blood thinners an option? <-- I like the herbs list in this short article: Cayenne pepper, Ginger, Paprika, Thyme, Cinnamon, Dill, Oregano, Turmeric, Licorice, Peppermint. I, personally, use cinnamon and peppermint daily.

Hi Casey, yes I would definitely prefer natural remedies. The problem is to know just how much dosage of those ingredients would be required to match the expensive medical solution.

Or maybe it just comes down to the power of belief.

I'd also recommend watching absolutely every video on YT and reading every bit of info on COPD that you can lay your hands on just to avail yourself of as much info as possible/ tips from fellow sufferers. Also AI - chatgpt is particularly good to chat to if you have concerns or worries and has the added bonus that it never tells you to stfu regardless of how many times you ask it the same question from a different direction.

I'm glad that you have decided not to go the steroid route as the side effects are unbelievably bad if taken long term. My ex husband has suffered kidney problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and loose teeth as a result.

COPD has many symptoms varying in severity. May I ask how you're actually feeling Ewan, whether you're finding it difficult to get about, able to breathe easily especially when sleeping, ie. might be useful to raise the bed one end . . .

[John Hilton]

I had Afib and was prescribed blood thinners. A few months later my eyes "exploded". Both eyes were flooded with what looked like blood corpuscles and I'm left with permanent floaters. The retinas are OK.

I stopped taking the anticoagulants and researched the cause of the Afib. Turned out that I was lacking potassium and also the D3 that I was taking meant that my body needed more magnesium than I was already taking. That helped but the final problem turned out to be an infected root canal filling. I had it removed.

Afib is basically an electrical problem, which is governed by electrolytes. But heart problems can also be caused by a low level infection. It's better to cure the Afib than to take "medication" that might mitigate the effects. Medication, by the way, that can result in a brain bleed and death.

See my previous post about D3 for COPD. D3 depletes electrolytes - magnesium especially - so it's important to get the balance right. Unfortunately, there's no way to measure these electrolytes as the body will steal them from muscle and bone in order to keep the blood levels constant. Actually, there is a way: a rather painful muscle biopsy can provide a sample in which the levels can be measured.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by John Hilton (here)
I had Afib and was prescribed blood thinners. A few months later my eyes "exploded". Both eyes were flooded with what looked like blood corpuscles and I'm left with permanent floaters. The retinas are OK.

I stopped taking the anticoagulants and researched the cause of the Afib. Turned out that I was lacking potassium and also the D3 that I was taking meant that my body needed more magnesium than I was already taking. That helped but the final problem turned out to be an infected root canal filling. I had it removed.

Afib is basically an electrical problem, which is governed by electrolytes. But heart problems can also be caused by a low level infection. It's better to cure the Afib than to take "medication" that might mitigate the effects. Medication, by the way, that can result in a brain bleed and death.

See my previous post about D3 for COPD. D3 depletes electrolytes - magnesium especially - so it's important to get the balance right. Unfortunately, there's no way to measure these electrolytes as the body will steal them from muscle and bone in order to keep the blood levels constant. Actually, there is a way: a rather painful muscle biopsy can provide a sample in which the levels can be measured.

A small thing (or not a small thing??) that might be helpful.

Afib (Atrial Fibrillation) isn't necessarily exactly the same thing as a tachycardia, but as I reported in the very valuable and detailed Heart problems and arrhythmias thread I would occasionally get a tachycardia when hiking in the high mountains, for periods ranging between a minute or two to (alarmingly, once or twice! ) well over an hour.

On that thread, Mike (Mike, where are you??) posted this recommendation:

Posted by Mike (here)
I've had all of these issues and then some. Long story short, what saved my life was:

- Coenzyme q10
- L Carnitine
- Magnesium
- D-Ribose

All suggestions by Dr Stephen Sinatra.

In this post of mine, I checked the quantities recommended:

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
I checked these 4 pages Stephen Sinatra links to about how much of each one might take, depending on whatever any underlying problems might be:

1. CoQ10
2. Magnesium
3. L-Carnitine
4. D-Ribose

The suggested amounts of L-Carnitine and D-Ribose seem like more than I'd expected, but I was VERY interested to hear the recommendations.

The brief update is that I added L-Carnitine and D-Ribose to my supplement regime. (I was already taking plenty of CoQ10 and magnesium.) I've not had a tachycardia event in the mountains or anywhere else, however brief, for 18 months now.

[Anchor]

Posted by John Hilton (here)
I had Afib and was prescribed blood thinners. A few months later my eyes "exploded". Both eyes were flooded with what looked like blood corpuscles and I'm left with permanent floaters. The retinas are OK.

I stopped taking the anticoagulants and researched the cause of the Afib. Turned out that I was lacking potassium and also the D3 that I was taking meant that my body needed more magnesium than I was already taking. That helped but the final problem turned out to be an infected root canal filling. I had it removed.

Afib is basically an electrical problem, which is governed by electrolytes. But heart problems can also be caused by a low level infection. It's better to cure the Afib than to take "medication" that might mitigate the effects. Medication, by the way, that can result in a brain bleed and death.

See my previous post about D3 for COPD. D3 depletes electrolytes - magnesium especially - so it's important to get the balance right. Unfortunately, there's no way to measure these electrolytes as the body will steal them from muscle and bone in order to keep the blood levels constant. Actually, there is a way: a rather painful muscle biopsy can provide a sample in which the levels can be measured.

This is spot on. Mine got low after a chronic infection - long story, not told yet.

I found out that Magnesium levels can be determined from hair samples - but try getting that done in Australia. My Doctor, on being requested for that, said "I wouldn't even know what to do with the results".

My response was the usual, FU, and I just took a lot of Magnesium Glycinate for three months and all the symptoms of Mg deficiency went away.

Mega dosing on D3 must be balanced with K2 (vital) and Mg (to make it all work properly) with plentiful hydration. My own mix is D3 10,000IU K2 240mcg Mg (Glycinate) 300mg all taken half AM half PM. I'm not dead or having any issues after a year of that - but that is no basis for recommendation given what I have survived so far - we are all built differently.

[John Hilton]

Posted by Anchor (here)
My own mix is D3 10,000IU K2 240mcg Mg (Glycinate) 300mg all taken half AM half PM. I'm not dead or having any issues after a year of that - but that is no basis for recommendation given what I have survived so far - we are all built differently.

For me it's daily 10,000 iu D3, 200µg K, and 300 mg magnesium glycinate three times a day. I also sprinkle potassium chloride salt on my main meal and I take a dispersible tablet once a day, which contains 500 mg of potassium chloride.


I had tachycardia only once, over two years ago. I believe it was caused by dehydration - electrolyte imbalance. But the arrhythmia was caused mainly by the tooth infection. I seem to be free from problems now.

[Mike Gorman]

Posted by John Hilton (here)
I had Afib and was prescribed blood thinners. A few months later my eyes "exploded". Both eyes were flooded with what looked like blood corpuscles and I'm left with permanent floaters. The retinas are OK.

I stopped taking the anticoagulants and researched the cause of the Afib. Turned out that I was lacking potassium and also the D3 that I was taking meant that my body needed more magnesium than I was already taking. That helped but the final problem turned out to be an infected root canal filling. I had it removed.

Afib is basically an electrical problem, which is governed by electrolytes. But heart problems can also be caused by a low level infection. It's better to cure the Afib than to take "medication" that might mitigate the effects. Medication, by the way, that can result in a brain bleed and death.

See my previous post about D3 for COPD. D3 depletes electrolytes - magnesium especially - so it's important to get the balance right. Unfortunately, there's no way to measure these electrolytes as the body will steal them from muscle and bone in order to keep the blood levels constant. Actually, there is a way: a rather painful muscle biopsy can provide a sample in which the levels can be measured.

Interesting information re: D3 & Magnesium - as you might have seen I tend to speak of the benefits of D3, in recent months I have been taking a good dose of Magnesium each day and I find I am sleeping much better, I was motivated to up my Magnesium almost unconsciously, I found myself just doing it, funny that!

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by John Hilton (here)

For me it's daily 10,000 iu D3, 200µg K, and 300 mg magnesium glycinate three times a day. I also sprinkle potassium chloride salt on my main meal and I take a dispersible tablet once a day, which contains 500 mg of potassium chloride.


I had tachycardia only once, over two years ago. I believe it was caused by dehydration - electrolyte imbalance. But the arrhythmia was caused mainly by the tooth infection. I seem to be free from problems now.

Hi John Hilton, and Anchor and Mike Gorman. Thank you all for your recommendation of Magnesium. Since reading these posts I finally sourced and obtained it, 2nd day today taking 400 mg (2x 200 caps) with my meal, alongside my normal 9.5k IU D3 and 240 mg K2 (2X 140). I think it’s too soon for me to be looking for benefits, but I’m confident in your witness of personal experience.

Maybe two years ago I began D3 supplements, based on info from (YT chan) Dr. (Nurse Practitioner) John Campbell. I grew to trust him, and his guests, through the Covid years. Learned how D3 is essential to our various immune system features. Bumped it in stages, topping at 10k/day by a year or so ago, when I added K2 after reading about that here on Avalon. I have also read here about Magnesium, but didn’t pull that trigger. So, thanks.

John, about your quoted post above, I am unsure what you mean by “three times a day”. Do you mean you split those amounts into 3, taken over a day, or do you do that fully x3 per day? My question is fair, as dosage info must not be obscured by communication preferences.

Another thing, the only thing I found (and bought loads of ON SALE), is labelled “Magnesium Bisglycinate. In the store, I consulted with a seemingly-competent staff member, and she said it was the same as Mg Glycinate. Anybody care to comment on that? Thanks for any info.

[Anchor]

Posted by Johnnycomelately (here)
Another thing, the only thing I found (and bought loads of ON SALE), is labelled “Magnesium Bisglycinate. In the store, I consulted with a seemingly-competent staff member, and she said it was the same as Mg Glycinate. Anybody care to comment on that? Thanks for any info.

She is right. They are effectively synonyms in this context. You need to discern from the label the amount of "elemental magnesium" in the dose rather than the physical weight of the supplement. This is almost always stated clearly on the label for example "Magnesium from Magnesium Glycinate 150mg" the balance being the chelating compounds.

[John Hilton]

Posted by Johnnycomelately (here)
John, about your quoted post above, I am unsure what you mean by “three times a day”. Do you mean you split those amounts into 3, taken over a day, or do you do that fully x3 per day? My question is fair, as dosage info must not be obscured by communication preferences.

Darn, I typed a comprehensive reply and the forum trashed it. I'll type this in a text editor then copy-paste it!

I take a capsule of magnesium glycinate before breakfast, around midday and before bed. Each capsule contains 133 mg of elemental magnesium (allegedly). If I wasn't taking D3 then I'd probably need only 2 capsules daily. On rare occasions, I still get "restless leg syndrome" at night so I seem to be on the lower limit of what my body needs.

Magnesium bisglycinate is the same stuff.

According to the magnesium-potassium pump theory, we need four times as much potassium as magnesium. If true then this is especially important for heart function. One source says that this theory is bunkum. But I take potassium on the basis that it probably won't harm me and it seemed to help with my previous heart problems. As we age, the body is less able to absorb electrolytes (allegedly).

Note that we also need ordinary salt and other electrolytes and the amount that's required probably varies according as the prevailing temperature, physical activity and what we eat.

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by John Hilton (here)
... and the amount that's required probably varies according as the prevailing temperature, physical activity and what we eat.

... and which doctor, AI, or social media chat we trust .

[Vicus]

Nice to see you with fine humor "old car"

But I think you are from the "muscle" cars lineage...they need just fine tuning...et voila! roaming again!



Everything behind you soon...

[Ernie Nemeth]

I just back from doctor. Was diagnosed with COPD. But, the breathing test said otherwise. Loosing bone mass in my upper body according to the x-ray. Why? Pre-diabetic from the blood test, always have gotten "sugar crash" in the mornings.

So, in my estimation, I am healthy and hale.

They'd like me to stop smoking but they have no effective treatment for that - at least treatments that work for me.


I am to watch my diet for excessive sugar content. But I don't eat sugar directly, like cookies or the like. So he wants me to test everything I eat. Even bread, and rice? What?
Then I'll see him in December again.

The reason I went to see him is because I cannot sleep, wake up after two hours. But no reason, no stressors, no indicators. Two months now. But I beat that with a concoction from Alex Jones called Down 'N Out. I have slept like a baby for an entire week now. Yippee! Nothing worse than no sleep.

[Ernie Nemeth]

I tested the Down N' Out last night, I didn't take it and woke up three hours later unable to fall asleep again. Weird.

An Avalon member was inquiring about the product but I bought it while InfoWars was still up and running. I don't think it is available anymore. Alex might have a replacement on his new site.

These are the ingredients, if the member or others are interested in finding a similar product elsewhere:

German Chamomile Herb 150mg
Lemon Balm Herb 100mg
Valerian Root 50mg
Passion Flower Herb 25mg
Melatonin 4mg (spellcheck never heard of melatonin)