Emphysema Health Dictionary

In normal breathing the lungs spring back into their usual shape after expansion by the act of breathing-in. In emphysema, elasticity has lost its spring so the lungs become permanently expanded. Differs from chronic bronchitis by destroying walls of the air sacs. The chest is barrel-shaped through hyperinflation. Trumpeter’s lung; glass-blower’s disease, smoker’s disease. Stethoscope reveals ‘distant’ heart sounds of right heart failure, for which Hawthorn is indicated. Breathlessness on exertion. The victim cannot dispel the sensation of puffed-up lungs.

Through a lack of oxygen other muscles weaken. Rate of breathing may increase from 14-30 times per minute. Always ‘clearing the throat’. Overweight worsens.

Alternatives. Lobelia, Wild Thyme, Coltsfoot. Ephedra (practitioner only).

To loosen and thin tough mucus: Iceland Moss, Garlic, Coltsfoot, Gum ammoniac, Fenugreek seeds, Liquorice, Khella.

Decoction. Equal parts: Valerian, Liquorice root. 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; simmer 15 minutes. Dose: 1 cup once or twice daily and at bedtime.

Tablets/capsules. Lobelia, Iceland Moss, Garlic.

Formula. Equal parts: Elecampane, Iceland Moss, Wild Thyme. Dose: Powders: 750mg (three 00 capsules or half a teaspoon). Liquid extracts: 1-2 teaspoons. Tinctures: 1-3 teaspoons. In water, honey or banana mash, thrice daily, and during the night if necessary.

Practitioner. Alternatives.

Formula (1). Liquid extracts: Ephedra 2; Elecampane 1; Lobelia 1. Dose – 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon). Liquid extracts: 1-2 teaspoons. Tinctures: 1-3 teaspoons in water etc as above.

Formula (2). Liquid extracts: Ephedra 2; Liquorice 1. Dosage same as Formula 1. The action of both formulae is improved when taken in cup of Fenugreek decoction.

Hyssop Wine. Good responses observed. 1oz herb macerated in 1 pint white wine or Vodka for 3-4 weeks; shake daily.

A. Barker FNIMH. Liquid extract Mouse Ear 60 drops; Liquid extract Pleurisy root 30 drops; Tincture Goldenseal 30 drops; Tincture Myrrh 20 drops; Tincture Ginger 20 drops. Pure bottled or distilled water to 8oz (240ml). Dose: 2 teaspoons every 3 hours.

Diet. Low salt. High fibre. Avoid all dairy products.

Supplements. Daily. Vitamin A 7500iu. Vitamin E 400iu. Folic acid 1mg. Vitamin C 200mg. Iodine, iron. Deep-breathing exercises. 2 Garlic tablets/capsules at night. For acute respiratory infections that irritate emphysema add Echinacea. 

A disease in which the walls of the air sacs in the lungs, known as alveoli (see alveolus, pulmonary), are progessively destroyed, thus reducing the area of lung available for exchange of gases. Emphysema usually develops along with chronic bronchitis, in a condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In almost all cases, emphysema is due to smoking. Rarely, an inherited deficiency of a chemical known as alpha1-antitrypsin results in tissue damage, particularly in the lungs and liver. As the disease progresses, damage to the alveoli causes increasingshortness of breath. Once the damage to the lungs has occurred, there is no treatment that can reverse it. Stopping smoking will reduce the rate at which the lungs deteriorate.

The presence of air in the body’s tissues. Divided into two types, surgical and pulmonary emphysema, the former occurs when air escapes from leaks in the LUNGS and OESOPHAGUS – perhaps as the result of injury or infection – and collects in the tissues of the chest and neck. Air occasionally escapes into other tissues as a result of surgery or injury, and bacterial infection can also produce gas in soft tissues (see gas gangrene under GANGRENE). Air or gas gives the affected tissue an unmistakable crackling feel when touched. X-rays of an affected area will usually show the presence of air. Such air is generally absorbed by the body when the leak has been sealed.

The second type of emphysema affects the lung tissue and is called pulmonary emphysema. It is now grouped with other lung disorders such as chronic BRONCHITIS and some types of ASTHMA under the umbrella heading CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). See under this entry for further information.

A pulmonary condition with loss of elasticity in the alveoli and the interalveolar septa...the meat-foam and their interleaving sheaths that you fill up when you breathe. If a septum gets too stretched over time, several of the little sacs will coalesce together, decreasing the surface area for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. If enough of these sacs lose their separateness, like small soap bubbles joining to make a few larger ones, breathing gets harder because each breath accomplishes less interchange of gases, resulting in emphysema Caused by years of bad asthma, tobacco smoking, chemical damage, and other chronic lung disorders, it can be halted but not reversed. The first breath you take as a newborn defines forever the number of the alveolar bubbles...they cannot be regenerated if they coalesce together.

A pathologic accumulation of air in tissues or organs

n. air in the tissues. In pulmonary emphysema the air sacs (*alveoli) of the lungs are enlarged and damaged, which reduces the surface area for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Severe emphysema causes breathlessness, which is made worse by infections. There is no specific treatment, and the patient may become dependent on oxygen. The mechanism by which emphysema develops is not understood, although it is known to be particularly common in men in Britain and is associated with chronic bronchitis, smoking, and advancing age. See also chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In surgical emphysema air may escape into the tissues of the chest and neck from leaks in the lungs or oesophagus; occasionally air escapes into other tissues during surgery, and bacteria may form gas in soft tissues. The presence of gas or air gives the affected tissues a characteristic crackling feeling to the touch, and it may be visible on X-rays. When air moves to the mediastinum the condition is known as *pneumomediastinum. It is easily absorbed once the leak or production is stopped.

condition in which the alveoli of the lungs are dilated, or an abnormal amount of air is present in tissues of body cavities.