Slow Lung Damage from Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis.

There's no use crying over spilled milk-or smoked cigarettes.
A lifetime of smoking is the main cause of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, two very similar lung diseases that doctors include under the grouping of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

Both cause mild to severe shortness of breath, and both are irreversible. But it is extremely useful to slow the progress of these diseases so that you don't have to take corticosteroids, powerful drugs that ease breathing but also cause a wide range of devastating side effects, such as osteoporosis and diabetes.Moreover, you need to decrease your risk of further lung damage from respiratory infection, because a "minor" respiratory problem can avalanche into fatal pneumonia.
Alternative home remedies can help you achieve those goals, says JoAnne Lombardi, M.D., a pulmonary specialist in Belmont, California. "You can't get back the lung function you've lost," she says. "But nutritional and other alternative remedies can be an adjunct to conventional medical care in helping to maximize lung function and prevent respiratory infections."

PROTEIN POWDER: It Won't Take Your Breath Away
Many patients with COPD are malnourished, Dr. Lombardi says. "I believe it is the leading cause of declining lung function in these patients," she says. Malnutrition, which also cripples the immune system, is a problem for those with COPD because they may find that eating is uncomfortable. It causes the stomach to press against the diaphragm, the sheet of muscle below the lungs and above the digestive organs that assists respiration. That makes shortness of breath even more severe, says Dr. Lombardi. "I believe the remedy for malnutrition has to deliver a lot of calories and protein with very little bulk," she says.
Protein drinks do exactly that, she says. Start the day with a protein powder, mixing it in a blender with fat-free milk or fruit juice, Dr. Lombardi says. Follow the dosage recommendations on the label.

GREEN POWDER: Maximum Nutrition, Minimum Bulk
When you fix your protein powder drink, add a powdered, nutrition loaded" green drink" made from barley grass, green algae, or other chlorophyll-rich plant foods. The combination will provide plenty of protein and calories as well as lots of other nutrients and enzymes, nutritional sparks that power biochemical reactions in the body.
Dr. Lombardi favors the products Green Magma and Kyogreen. Mix 1 to 3 teaspoons with the protein powder. Then, there's one more ingredient to add to that breakfast mix.

FLAXSEED: Decrease Inflammation
Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may playa role in decreasing lung inflammation and easing breathing, Dr. Lombardi says. Blend up to ¼  cup of ground flaxseed with your morning drink. You can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder, she advises, and keep the leftovers from spoiling by storing them in an opaque container in the refrigerator.

ANTIOXIDANTS: Maximum Lung Protection
Studies show that smokers who have higher intakes of vitamin E and other key nutrients in their diets are less prone to develop COPD. That's because these nutrients are antioxidants that block the rust like cellular destruction of the lungs that is sparked by cigarette smoke. Dr. Lombardi thinks that antioxidants can also help protect a patient with emphysema or chronic bronchitis from further decline in lung function. Here are her antioxidant recommendations.

•    Vitamin C: 500 to 1,000 milligrams three times a day.
•    Vitamin E: 400 to 800 international units (IU) daily. Look for a product
      with mixed tocopherols, the most effective form of the nutrient.
•    Selenium: 200 micrograms daily.
•    Coenzyme Ql0: 10 to 50 milligrams three times a day.

TAURINE: Protect Yourselffrom Pollutants This amino acid may help protect the lungs from pollutants such as ozone, Dr. Lombardi says. Follow the dosage recommendations on the label. You can take up to 1,500 milligrams a day, says Dr. Lombardi, but if you take more than 500 milligrams daily, divide the doses.

MAGNESIUM: Strengthen Breathing Muscles
The mineral magnesium is involved in hundreds of biochemical processes, including maintaining normal muscle contraction. "It can strengthen the skeletal muscles involved in breathing and relax the bronchi, the tubes that lead to the lungs," Dr. Lombardi says. She recommends 300 to 500 milligrams a day in three divided doses.

CARNITINE: Another Boost for Breathing
An intake of 250 milligrams of carnitine one to three times a day can also help strengthen skeletal muscles, Dr. Lombardi says.

CAROTENES: Taste a Rainbow

Carotenes obtained from food sources may have antioxidant effects that protect against lung damage, says Dr. Lombardi. Eat highly colored foods such as red, orange, and yellow peppers; dark green, leafy vegetables; and a variety of squashes.

Help To Reduce Smooking.
No alternative home remedies of any kind can work for emphysema or chronic bronchitis if you don't first quit smoking, says JoAnne Lombardi, M.D., a pulmonary specialist in Belmont, California. And quitting may have just have gotten a little easier. The nutritional supplement Sulfonil, manufactured by Thorne Research, is believed to bind with nicotine receptors in the brain to help block the craving for cigarettes, and it may do it more effectively than a nicotine patch, Dr. Lombardi says. For as long as you have cravings after you quit, whether it's 3 days or 3 months, take two capsules when you wake up, one capsule every 4 to 6 hours during the day, and two at bedtime, says Dr. Lombardi.