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N-A-C and apo-Lactoferrin helping MAC and Bronchiectasis
I've been having great success with taking a couple of supplements for the last 7 months. I wonder if anyone else has tried these particular two supplements regularly over a number of months and found success in that. I have been taking the Apo-Lactoferrin bought through Life Extension once a day and the N-A-C 600mg Sustain by Jarrow for about 7 months now.
I keep getting better and better. My lungs seem stronger though I haven't had them tested and my heavy almost constant chronic cough that I had for a couple of years is pretty much gone. I have a brief few coughs right after extensive exercise that brings up and clears a bit of thick mucus most days that I exercise but it's only for a moment about 10 minutes after an hours worth of exercise. My pulmonary doc appt isn't till October, so I don't have any diagnostic proof without tests to see if I'm rid of the heavy concentration of MAC and Aspergillus that I was diagnosed with after a Bronchcospy in January.
I have not yet taken any antibiotics or medicine for treating the MAC as I wanted to see what I could do on my own. I also use some light saline nasal spray in the mornings. I could be just lucky, but it seems those supplements are doing what some research said they might do and are helping break up the biofilms of the mycobacteria and helping my immune system keep them at bay (or maybe even rid me of them!).
I also take Jarrow Curcumin once a day for good measure to help prevent any possible inflammation for the last 4 months and have been taking 500mg of D3 sublingually but I've taken the D3 for a couple of years, so I think it's been the N-A-C and the app-lactoferrin that's working for me!
Anyone else tried N-A-C in a consistent dosing over a number of months? I think the long-term consistent dosing with the N-A-C supplement is important not just to get at and break up the hard to reach MAC that hides in its biofilms, but to prevent any new NTM from getting a deep hold in the lungs. Again, I don't know whether it's the N-A-C alone or with apo-lactoferrin, there's just much more research on N-A-C since it's been used for other useful things in medicine, like preventing liver toxicity.
Here's an initial study on it from last April in relation to lowering problems with bronchiectasis: https://respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12931-019-1042-x.
Here's another research paper on N-A-C and it's effects on breaking up resistant bacterial biofilms: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=N-acetylcysteine+as+powerful+molecule+to+destroy+bacterial+biofilms.+A+systematic+review
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To Eileen and to all of my Mayo Connect Family - as to taking NAC (the same one you take) - I have been taking this since January 2019 and when I went in for my usual breathing test in April, I was up 30% from the last 3 tests. I was amazed as the NAC was my only "new" supplement. Clearly it has had an affect on my lung capacity. My lung doctor at Brigham and Womens in Boston told me to keep taking it ( I take two a day); he was aware of NAC but really did not have a lot of information on it for those with MAC, bronchectasis and psedemonas ( all 3 of which I have had or have) . I know doctors at one of the major hospitals in San Francisco have just begun studies on NAC with patients with lung issues - It will be interesting to see how that tracks over the next few years. I have decided to take it for the rest of my life. As to the coming winter ( when I usually get very sick with pneumonia from catching colds from little children) I will be interested to see if I get as sick as I was last December and January, before adding NAC to my regimen. I take one in the AM and one in the PM - I open the capsule and dump the powder into a small glass of smoothie - it has had no side affects for me. I still take 2 puffs of Symbicort twice a day and one puff of Encruse daily. I have another breathing test later this month and I was waiting to see if my lung capacity was still 30% better before writing to the group. Thank you Eileen for this post. I will let you know more after I have the test in late August. Pam
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Hug
2 ReactionsI've been taking the time-release one (N-A-C Sustain 600 mg by Jarrow twice a day). I have no idea if it makes any difference to do the time-release on or not. I was just reading more about apo-lactoferrin and its uses for preventing and treating bacterial and viral infections. It might be useful to look into that for preventing colds and infections by taking one lactoferrin capsule a day. I've been taking the LIfe Extension formula of apo-lactoferrin but I hear the Jarrow is good also,
@pamelasc1 where do you buy your NAC ? I feel great, rarely cough but get SOB when I walk too fast( which I have always done) and now I must walk SLOW!
SOB is my only issue! Thx!
@pamelasc1 I ordered mine today. SOB is my only issue!
So 🙏 for good results! Thank you!
@kathyhg I would be afraid to add these things to the "Big Three" again for drug interaction
I just got NAC and Clear Lung so just starting them. What do you take NAC with? I don’t do juice so wondering if a glass of water will do. I was on Arakayce for 5 days and totally lost my voice. Doctor took me off and I just found out I did not qualify for assistance so my monthly copay would have been $2000.00 a month after my insurance allowed $139,000.00 for the year! Don’t think I was meant to take it! I’m anxious to learn more about the lactoferrin...
Do you use it as needed? For how long? I haven't got it yet. The pharmacy asked for "Pre authorization"(?) from the doc. I'm confused.
@eileent
I just saw your 2019 post. Have to tell you, I had started NAC after seeing an article by mercola.com (Dr. Mercola). Three years ago I was hospitalized with bronchiectasis with atelectasis and looked like a fish out of water as I could barerly get air in. I'm also a cancer patient and have 6-month PET scans. On several scans there were nodes in my lung and doctors were concerned about metastases to lungs. Well, I started the NAC inbetween PET scans and my miracle came when those nodes almost completely went away! I kept telling the oncologist that I felt the nodes were due to bronchiectas and more atelectasis after having the flu quite bad last March (which I believe was Covid as my lungs went downhill fast). I not only can get whole breaths of air now .... I have not even had to use my nebulizer treatments or The Vest lung machine thumper since last November. I'm sticking with my NAC supplements, but will look into the Jarrow time-release one.
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3 ReactionsSo wonderful to hear of your great improvement! I’ve been taking NAC 600mg sustained release by Jarrow twice a day for a couple of years now and I think it helps a lot. I am happy to hear of your success! Thanks for letting me know.
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1 ReactionHello @eileent , I found the NAC 600 you refer to, it is called NAC Sustain, but Amazon has stopped carrying it for some reason? Just wondering if there was an issue with it.