Nebulizing Hypertonic saline as a Natural Cystic Fibrosis Treatment
Hypertonic saline has mucolytic properties in that it can disrupt some of the ionic bonds in the gel of the mucus in the lungs which makes the mucus thinner and easier to remove from the lungs in patients with cystic fibrosis. It also removes the DNA from the mucus, making it possible for proteolytic enzymes to digest the mucus-proteins so that they can then be naturally removed from the body. Below, we talk more about how to use proteolytic enzymes to cure cystic fibrosis. But nebulizing with hypertonic saline reduces the viscosity of mucus in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients making it easier for them to breathe, but it also has protective effects on lung cells as well to halt the progression of cystic fibrosis.
In cystic fibrosis patients, the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein doesn’t adequately promote chloride ion secretion into the airway and doesn’t prevent absorption of sodium ions from the airway. When the sodium ion absorption is increased and the chloride ion secretion is decreased, there are insufficient levels of salt in the airway to maintain hydration of the airway surface in the lungs. This leads to dehydration of the airway secretions and disruption of the cilia that would normally remove mucus from the airway. Mucus is then retained in the airway, creating a situation that can lead to infection. Hypertonic saline, when it is nebulized into the lung, increases the depth of the liquid layer on the airway surface by increasing salt levels in the lungs. This salty liquid layer helps protect the lung from infection and the hypertonic saline not only deposits itself onto the airway surface, but it also draws additional water onto the airway surface through osmosis for further protection. The extent to which airway lubrication is enhanced through nebulization of hypertonic saline varies depending on the concentration and dose (expressed in time) of the saline solution administration. The recommended dose is between 6-7%. Restoration of airway moisture usually lasts about 10 minutes following treatment, but it can last longer if the dose is higher. Nonetheless, a short restoration of airway moisture can benefit the lungs a great deal and provide some protection from infection by killing pathogens that cannot tolerate a salty environment or by washing away pathogens that would otherwise be stuck in sticky mucus.
Hypertonic saline also triggers a cough reflex which allows mucus to be cleared from the lungs in those with cystic fibrosis. Also, hypertonic saline reduces the formation of biofilm in the lungs by bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. And it increases levels of glutathione and thiocyanate in the airway surface liquids, two thiols that protect the lungs from oxidative injury. We talk about the use of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), L-Cysteine, and Acetylcysteine (which are related compounds) that both degrade into glutathione in the body in a different post. NAC and/or Acetylcysteine can be taken by mouth or nebulized into the lungs. Both methods of administration thin mucus in cystic fibrosis patients while promoting removal of toxins from the body. And both NAC an Acetylcysteine can be used safely with hypertonic saline treatments.
Hypertonic saline is administered in concentrations up to 7% in a nebulizer twice daily though normal saline at a 3% concentration can also be used for treatment if 7% concentration is not available in the country where you live. With long-term use (of 1 year or longer), lung function improves permanently in cystic fibrosis patients according to scientific studies. Hypertonic saline can stop the progression of the disease and it also constitutes a cure for cystic fibrosis, though we recommend that patients who wish to use this form of treatment do so as part of a protocol that includes several healing treatments to cure cystic fibrosis and not as a stand-alone treatment. Also, patients need to be aware that the first 1 to 10 times that they do hypertonic saline treatments, their airways might tighten initially. Doctors often administer steroids via bronchodilators before hypertonic saline nebulizer treatments in cystic fibrosis patients to prevent this from happening, but molecular hydrogen therapy is a less harmful alternative to steroid treatment. The tightening of the airways usually stops within the first 1 to 10 treatments with hypertonic saline.
Molecular hydrogen can be used via nebulizer or as drinking water to maintain open airways in cystic fibrosis patients. Molecular hydrogen functions as a powerful antioxidant in the lungs and throughout the body and as such, it has an anti-inflammatory effect that opens the airways. It’s used in asthma patients to maintain open airways as an alternative to bronchodilator treatment. There is a dose-dependent relationship in terms of the effects of hypertonic saline on cystic fibrosis. As the concentration of hypertonic saline is increased, viscosity and thread-forming ability of the mucus is lessened according to scientific studies. In other words, cystic fibrosis patients will experience greater benefits using a hypertonic saline solution at 6-7% concentration than they would at lower concentration levels. Patients should be aware that at higher concentrations, coughing does increase, however. For some patients, increases in coughing may necessitate the use of lower concentrations of hypertonic saline or even normal saline as an alternative.
Nebulizing Hypertonic Saline and Hyaluronic Acid as a Natural Cystic Fibrosis Cure
Some cystic fibrosis patients can’t tolerate nebulized hypertonic saline solution by itself. In about 8% of patients, cough and narrowing of the airways, as well as saltiness of the solution makes the treatment intolerable. In these patients, a 7% hypertonic saline solution with 0.1% hyaluronate/hyaluronic acid can be used instead of just hypertonic saline to reduce the unpleasant side effects of the treatment. Do not use the hyaluronic acid sold for cosmetic use. You must be this hyaluronic acid in saline from your doctor.Doctors and scientists who have worked with hypertonic saline solution and hyaluronic acid say that the use of hyaluronic acid and hypertonic saline solution in a nebulizer can cure cystic fibrosis, or at least halt the progression of the disease. The hyaluronic acid is a humectant that draws moisture to it, maintaining moisture longer in lung tissues.
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Using Hypertonic Saline and Hyaluronic Acid to Cure Cystic Fibrosis: What You Need to Know
If you have never used a nebulizer to administer hypertonic saline and you or your child or a loved one has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, it is important to know that the first time hypertonic saline is nebulized, the patient may experience a narrowing of the airways. Doctors who administer hypertonic saline in a nebulizer (with or without hyaluronic acid), often administer a bronchodilation medication (usually steroids) prior to treatment to prevent this problem. Often, airway narrowing lessens after the first 10 doses of hypertonic saline treatment. Indeed, cystic fibrosis patients who are not initially able to tolerate nebulizing with hypertonic saline, often do well the second or third time it is administered. Adding hyaluronic acid at 0.1% lessens the airway constriction, but it’s important for patients to be prepared for this reaction prior to beginning use of hypertonic saline as a cure for cystic fibrosis.
