The state of our environment is never far from a pulmonologist’s thoughts, particularly when it comes to air pollution. As with all our organs, a variety of external and internal factors impact lung health. One of the most important factors is the role environmental toxicants play in causing often-serious health complications.Given our lungs’ continuous exposure to the environment, it’s no surprise that the average person inhales an array of toxic substances. We find them in our homes and workplaces. Some of these toxicants are so lethal that even a single exposure could lead to significant health issues.

Our lungs are not just a depository for a few harmful agents. They also serve as a sort of way station for many toxic substances that cause problems elsewhere, including the liver, the brain, and other vital organs.
Along with the GI tract (gastrointestinal tract), the lungs are an entry point for many harmful agents. Dust, chemicals, heavy metals, and smoke products deposit residues in the lungs as they pass through, often triggering disabling respiratory problems.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some toxicants (commonly referred to as toxins) that concentrate in the lungs and how we can avoid or reduce the risks associated with exposure.
How Our Lungs Are Exposed to Toxins Toxins travel the world on the wind. With air pollution, we know that what happens in one part of the world, such as a volcanic eruption or toxic chemicals emitted from a factory, can affect air pollution composition anywhere.
Indeed, research on air pollution’s global travels and disbursement has shown that air pollution from one source can affect areas across entire oceans, often crossing continents in just days (1).
Air patterns and wind cycles around the world mainly distribute air pollution, but precipitation can also spread it. Rainfall can bring toxic chemicals from the air down to earth. Research confirms that rainwater samples were found to contain microplastics, while researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found rain to be a source of toxic PFAS chemicals (2).
Exposure to toxins can happen both in an industrial setting and at home. From insecticides used to spray crops to home air fresheners, the chemicals released can have untoward effects on the lungs. Asthma attacks, chemical burns of the bronchial mucosa, pneumonia, or even chronic scarring of the lung, known as fibrosis, are just some of the known effects of these exposures.
In an industrial setting, massive amounts of inorganic and organic contaminants can settle in the lung. Most workers wear face masks with or without “purification” canisters to minimize metallic, fibrous, and chemical compound accumulation in their lungs. However, these masks aren’t always worn. Employees not working in areas where the exposures originate, are secondarily exposed and often without proper protection.
Most people are shocked to discover that their home can be a source of toxic materials, whether it’s carpeting, aerosolized cleaning products, drinking water, cookware, furniture, or paint residues.
How Toxins Damage the Lungs Air pollution contains a vast array of toxic substances, including heavy metals. Cadmium, found in air pollution and cigarette smoke, is known to stimulate the formation of tumors in the lungs (3). Tin, which comes from smelting factories, can cause and aggravate asthma (4).
Other metals include nickel, cobalt, and copper. All of these can cause inflammation and scar formation in the lung after they deposit there. These metals and fibers often remain in the lung.
Other chemicals, particularly volatile organic compounds (VOCs), can irritate and physically change the airways they travel through after being inhaled, leading to bronchitis and even asthma. For those people with a history of either of these diseases, VOC exposure can exacerbate their conditions.
Unlike the heart and the brain, which are harmed by specific heavy metals and other environmental toxicants, the lungs interact directly with our environment with every breath we take. Thus, even those heavy metals that have no particular affinity for lung tissue still pass through our respiratory passages as we breathe.
Small particulate matter (PM2.5 or 2.5 microns in size) can get into our lungs, and pass through the airway into the lung tissue itself where it can cause inflammation and eventually fibrosis (5).
These metals, fibers, and even droplets are also unwelcome airway trespassers. The airways respond with bronchospasm, which is a tightening or closing of the muscles that line the airways (bronchi) in your lungs. Tightening is how the lungs deny entry to these outside invaders. This airway muscle constriction causes asthma. If the airways become inflamed, the walls of the bronchial tubes thicken, and we see an increase in mucous production that you may know as bronchitis.
This airway constriction, which can be triggered by heavy metals, and chemicals, can result in what is called “sensitization.” In this condition, the airways become ultrasensitive and react to anything that is slightly irritating, such as perfumes, cold air, or even specific food odors.
For those particles that pass through the airways and into the lung tissue itself, well, that’s a separate issue. Heavy metals such as beryllium, aluminum, and titanium can cause fibrosis or scarring of the lung tissue, a condition in which the lung stiffens and becomes more difficult to inflate.
Why Toxin Elimination is Essential Avoiding situations where exposure happens is vital. Proper respiratory protection in cases where we anticipate or expect exposure to these dangerous agents helps decrease the lung’s toxic burden and accumulation.
However, since air pollution contains many of these harmful agents, we cannot avoid exposure altogether. And maybe that shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, we should focus on elimination.
To maintain healthy lungs, we must clear out these particles, chemicals, and metals and even mitigate their harmful effects. The lungs are a gateway for everything and anything we breathe to enter our bodies.
Some particles are small enough to pass right through the lungs and into the bloodstream. These particles range from diesel exhaust, hair spray chemicals, and room deodorizers to toxins in the air carried from power plants and even other countries (via the jet stream).
We often inhale these particles, and there’s no way to prevent their accumulation in our blood and our bodies. Scientists refer to this toxic build-up as our “body burden.” Preparing ourselves to deal with this toxic onslaught is essential to maintaining optimal health.
3 Factors for Detoxification  It’s not easy to keep these unwanted contaminants from accumulating. It requires diligence, persistence, and a lot of help, starting with our body’s innate detox system, and continuing with detox and nutritional support.
1. Support Liver Health   Since the liver is needed to help break down and remove many of these chemicals, it makes sense to avoid liver-toxic medications and alcohol. Organically derived vitamins and minerals can help maintain a healthy liver and strengthen the body’s natural detoxification system.
2. Detoxify with Natural ZeoliteChelating preparations containing the zeolite clinoptilolite can hasten the removal of heavy metals and other toxins. The negative-charge of the zeolite binds to positively-charged toxic particles and eliminates them from the body.
3. Increase Antioxidant IntakePlant-derived antioxidants such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and sulfur compounds, can help keep our most precious intercellular proteins, such as DNA, safe from the oxidizing reactions that accompany detox.
The Bottom Line for Lung HealthThe lungs are both a repository and a passageway for many of the toxicants in our environment. Protecting our lungs starts with understanding that we are not only what we eat but what we breathe.
Our lungs need to be both respected and cared for, and detoxification can lessen the effects of harmful constituents that lurk in the air, and reduce our body burden of toxicants. It’s important to realize that detoxification is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous process that supports healthy lungs with every breath you take.

About Dr. Stewart Lonky
An accomplished medical doctor, clinical researcher, and author, Dr. Lonky has made significant contributions to the fields of pulmonology, internal medicine and toxicology. A Fellow of the prestigious American College of Physicians (FACP), Dr. Lonky is actively involved in many areas of medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, along with being a member of the American College of Chest Physicians, the California Lung Association, the New York Academy of Science, the American Thoracic Society and the American Federation for Clinical Research. In addition to advancing scientific understanding and medical care in several fields, Dr. Lonky is active in his medical practice, and is a sought-after published author. You can learn more about Dr. Lonky at www.stewartlonky.com

 Not Your Grandma’s Silver


We’ve all heard about the man who turned blue using colloidal silver, but did you know that now there is a new nano-particle silver aqua sol solution that is like colloidal silver on steroids?


Silver was used as a germicide and antibiotic long before antibiotics were developed. People used to shave silver particles or drop silver coins in water to prevent it from going bad. It worked because silver acted to prevent the growth of disease causing bacteria and organisms.


The new patented silver sol technology enables us to have a silver that stays active in the body for about 24 hours and then is cleared and never builds up to cause toxicity. The nano particle silver has antibacterial, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, anti-parasitic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory properties and more.


I recently attended a wedding where the mother of the bride had a painful burn on her hand from a cooking mishap. I offered a silver gel. By the end of the event, the burn looked and felt better. She calls it a miracle gel.


Many have used silver with good results when their children brought home the common children’s eye infection. Ear infections are no match for this silver. Women have successfully used it for vaginal infections. It can be safely used in any bodily orifice and is great in a nebulizer for the lungs.


When there are skin flare-ups, a nano-particle silver can be used for its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties internally and externally to bring quick results.


Nano-particle silver is a great long lasting hand sanitizer, too, with beneficial effects on the skin.


For more information on my favorite nano-particle silver, search for Silver Shield here Search | Nature’s Sunshine United States (naturessunshine.com):  
This information is for educational use and not intended to diagnose or prescribe or replace the advice of a health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.


Jeanette Barcus, CNHC 

​Holiday’s During a Pandemic
​Well...it's different this year, to say the least. Holidays, with all their good points, can be plagued with heightened emotional strain. But when you can’t get together and old traditions are upset with the concerns and constraints of a pandemic, then a new set of emotional issues can arise.
Being alone or isolated as a family from long held festivities and family closeness can bring sadness and depression if dwelt upon. With the concerns about potentially deadly exposure to illness pitted against the need for connection with loved ones, this season is ripe for family division and strife. Now more than ever, there is need for compassion and understanding of each other’s viewpoints. Even if those you love choose health over connection, now is the time to love family members enough to let them do what they feel is right for themselves and try hard not to take it personally.
With Thanksgiving only a few days away, it might be good to begin to plan now how you can make the day a truly thankful one even if you or your immediate family are the only one(s) there to enjoy it.
So how can you make lemonade from the lemons of pandemic and quarantine? Even if it’s just for yourself, what special food can you make? What special activity will bring you joy? How long can you make your list of things for which to be thankful? Who’s day can you make with a friendly call or letter?
If something more is needed to help cope better with emotional lows, many find that natural support from joy enhancing essential oils, flower essences for distress or mood elevating herbal combinations are preferred to medication and alcohol.
The experts say that planning for an event can bring just as much joy, or more than participating in the event. So what can you plan now to make some great lemonade this holiday season, no matter what?
This information is for educational use and not intended to diagnose or prescribe or replace the advice of a health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.


Jeanette Barcus, CNHC
www.herbsnwhey.com

After wearing my mask into Hy Vee the other day, I noticed that upon removing my mask outside, I was compelled to take deep droughts of fresh air. I wondered if I had been subconsciously holding my breath because I had a mask on or if my body instinctively was reducing my respiration because it did not want to breathe in carbon dioxide waste that I’d just breathed into the mask. That started me wondering about the health benefits of adequate fresh air.
     First of all, everyone knows we need adequate fresh air intake to be healthy, but we don’t usually think about it. More oxygen intake into the human body by breathing fresh air helps the body by removing toxic waste, improving brain function, improving immune functioning and much more. Combined with balanced diet and exercise, breathing clean air helps keep the immune system in tip top shape. A strong immune system can make the body resistant to common infections and diseases including flu, colds, and cough.
   Almost every virus, fungus, parasite, and many bacteria do not thrive in oxygenated environments.  In 1966 the Nobel Prize winner Otto Warburg demonstrated that the key condition for the formation of cancer is lack of oxygen at the cellular level.      
   Even though Dr. Fauchi said on the TV Show 60 Minutes that the great majority of us do not need to wear face masks if we aren’t actively showing signs of sickness, many are required to do so by social pressure or job requirements. Since that is the case, it becomes important to be aware of the value of fresh air and take steps to improve our intake during those times when we can take the masks off.  
      So to just boost health or to offset the detrimental effects of having fresh air restricted in any manner, it seems wise to consciously take many deep breaths of fresh air when possible as another way to support our own immune system health.
    Think of it as a fresh air supplement.

Keep Breathing!   
This information is for educational use and not intended to diagnose or prescribe or replace the advice of a health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Jeanette Barcus, CNHC
www.herbsnwhey.com

Certain herbs and nutrients can help provide natural stress relief and powerful support for the nervous system under fire.

• Stress-J. This herbal blend features calming herbs like passionflower, hops, chamomile and other botanicals, which provide occasional stress-relieving support.
• AnxiousLess™ features Sceletium tortuosumto help ease occasional anxiousness and promote feelings of confidence without drowsiness.
• Nutri-Calm® is loaded with B-vitamins, which support a host of nervous system functions. It also contains schizandra fruit, valerian root extract, passionflower flowers extract and hops flowers extract to help maintain a sense of calm and peace of mind.
• Valerian Root. This root has been used for centuries to help with occasional sleeplessness. It contains valerenic acid, which appears to affect GABA receptors in the brain.
• Kava Kava. This herb is popular in Polynesia for its use in helping with mild stress and anxiety.
• Lavender Essential Oil is soothing and calming. Diffusing it helps you relax and de-stress.

How to De-Stress in a Stress Filled World
With all that’s going on in the world, I don’t need to tell you what stress is.
The tips below have helped many.  Maybe something here will help you, too.
How can I de-stress or become stress-free?

• Prayer, Praise and Meditation. Encourages the body’s innate healing power.
• Breathing. Focusing on deep, slower breathing helps muscles and brain relax.
• Sleep. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night to renew body and brain.
• Check Your Diet. Increase your whole food intake (especially your greens). Decrease your caffeine and sugar intake.
• Reading – Getting lost in a good book encourages relaxation.
• Journaling. Record your feelings, the things you are thankful for and the things that bring you joy. Review often.
• Volunteer. Serving others helps you get out of your own head.
• Avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs or rich foods, add to stress in the long run.
• Check out natural help in the form of herbs, homeopathics, essential oils and vitamins/minerals.
• Turn off Negative news. Sure you need to know what’s going on, but not on and on and on. You can’t see the positive when inundated with the negative.

Which exercises work best for stress-reduction?

• Yoga helps lower blood pressure, heart rate and stress.
• Dancing- fun activities reduce stress.
• Cycling. Get outdoors and rediscover child-like joy as you pedal at whatever intensity you choose.
• Tai chi supports mind and body
• Gardening helps people de-stress. And it can help you burn up to 400 calories per day!
• Walk outdoors. Soak in nature and feel the stress melt away.

Stress comes as a result of what you think. Change your thinking to change your life. Think differently. Let things go. Think positively. Focus on all that’s still good right now and be thankful for all the good you still have all around you every day.
Submitted by:
Jeanette Barcus, CNHC
www.herbsnwhey.com
​

Approximately 50 thousand Americans are affected by allergies according to a survey by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. In addition, at-work productivity losses associated with the treatment of allergic rhinitis (hayfever) have been estimated to cost the United States up to $4.6 billion annually. The most significant losses were the result of reduced productivity at work associated with the use of sedating over-the-counter antihistamines.
Allergies are hypersensitive reactions by the immune system to normally harmless every day substances such as pollen, mold and dust mites. The body releases histamine and other inflammatory substances from mast cells that cause all the symptoms we associate with a respiratory allergy (changes in blood flow, coughing, mucus production, watering eyes, sneezing and narrowing of the airways in the lungs) in an effort to expel the offending substances.
Most often, antihistamine medications are used for common allergic symptoms. More often than not, the side effects of these medications are worse than the original allergy symptom.
People who want to support the immune system to reduce the body’s hypersensitivity and not just treat symptoms, turn to improved diet, lifestyle and supplement with herbs and nutritional supplements like the following.
Stinging nettle – useful when there is congestion, coughs, runny noses, sneezing and other respiratory allergy symptoms.

Quercetin- as a flavonoid found in apples, onions and black tea, it offers anti-allergenic, antihistaminic and anti-inflammatory activity.

Bromelain – is an enzyme from pineapples that has demonstrated good results in treating upper respiratory tract irritations.

Bitter Orange (Fructus aurantia), is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for expelling excess mucus and congestion.

Each of the above supplements may be used individually for their respective benefits. Medical doctors, Naturopathic doctors, Herbalists and native medicine men have historically taken individual beneficial natural substances like those above and found that the combined effect was much more effective than the individual.

If you would like more information on the above supplements individually and in a blend, check out the product named HistaBlock.

This information is for educational use and not intended to diagnose or prescribe or replace the advice of a health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.


Submitted by:
Jeanette Barcus, CNHC
www.herbsnwhey.com
​

There is a mind-body connection. What you think can manifest itself in your body as a health promoting environment or a health undermining environment. In natural health, there is a theory that is contrary to the germ theory. It says that germs might not be the cause of sickness but that the environment that is created around the organs and cells is what determines whether a person is likely to be a good host for germs to move in and wreak havoc or not.
Our thoughts can make us sick or keep us healthier. That is why being thankful on a regular basis and not just one day a year can be a great tool for a health promoting tool box.
Thankful people are more optimistic. Optimistic people are happier and take better care of themselves. That leads to a healthier environment in the body, and that leads to better health.
Grateful people feel more connected to other people.
Gratefulness helps people manage stress. Its hard to be bitter and unhappy after counting blessings. If we can see, hear, breathe, walk, talk or think, we have much to be thankful for. Many would trade places with us in a heartbeat. One author said as people we are often, “ Sitting on a whale, fishing for minnows.” We often take for granted the monumental things we have to be thankful for and ignore them while grumbling because we don’t have something less.
Gratefulness boosts the immune system. At the University of Utah, researchers found that students who were deemed to be optimistic (which can result from thankfulness) maintained higher numbers of blood cells that protect the immune system as compared with those who were pessimistic.
Gratefulness can also lead to better sleep, improved emotional balance, more energy, more self-confidence, and more creativity.
It’s no wonder the Bible says, “In everything, give thanks.” It’s good for us!
       At times the mind or body needs help to calm down and be able to see the multitudinous things there are to be thankful for.  Maybe there is a need for minerals like Ionic trace minerals or Mineral Chi Tonic, or maybe just a calcium/magnesium supplement or magnesium by itself.
   Maybe stress has been so relentless the body is depleted of B vitamins.  In that case, check out: Nutri-Calm, Methyl B12 Complete or B-complex.  When the body is depleted of B vitamins, it cannot utilize magnesium.
       Other potential helps: Distress Remedy: Release It: Find Strength: Energ-V: Anxiousless; Stress J; Mood Elevator; Stress Relief Chinese

Jeanette Barcus, CNHC
www.herbsnwhey.com

Are you Missing out on the Benefits of Fabulous Fiber?
Now, many Americans might disagree about how great fiber is, because they like it taken out of most processed foods to give the foods a smoother mouth feel and quicker access to the sweet, starchy part of grains and fruits, but without fiber, the human body can suffer many ills.
Fiber can be found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts seeds and supplements. The Institute of Medicine recommends that Men under 50 get 38 grams of fiber per day and women get 25. For those over 50 the recommendation is slightly less. The average American might get half of the recommended amount on a daily basis. No wonder there is so much suffering with gastrointestinal ailments, appendicitis, cancer of all kinds, diabetes, hypoglycemia, high cholesterol, gallstones, gallbladder problems, hormone imbalance, infertility, immune system problems and being overweight.
Fiber helps absorb toxins, excess cholesterol, xenoestrogens, slows the release of sugars into the blood stream, promotes a feeling of fullness and lubricates the bowel for easier elimination. The two types of fiber are soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is broken down into beneficial short chain fatty acids in the small intestine by friendly bacteria. It provides beta-glucans that help reduce cholesterol and also is food for good bacteria which helps the immune system. Insoluble fiber does not break down in the body, but bulks the stool, absorbing toxins and protecting the body from auto-intoxication and constipation.
If a person has had a low fiber diet for quite awhile, adding higher fiber foods and supplements should be undertaken gradually. The body needs time to adjust. Adding large amounts of fiber all at once to a low fiber system can create gas and bloating.
Eating enough high fiber food to make a difference can be a challenge to many people. Adding a high quality fiber supplement with plenty of water to the diet can help.
 Psyllium Hulls Combination; Slippery Elm; LOCLO; Nature’s Three; Everybody’s Fiber; Intestinal Soothe and Build; Fat Grabbers
This information is for educational use and not intended to diagnose or prescribe or replace the advice of a health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Jeanette Barcus, CNHC
www.herbsnwheystore.com