In line with the diet discussion.
For me it has to do with two things.
One being the hiatal hernia that can be a cause of symptoms related to acid reflux, So my choice to stay away from the foods that is suggested to stay away for acid reflux.
The second is the immune system and wanting to keep the immune system as strong as possible. Much can be helped with a strong immune system. Therefore, again my choice, eating fresh produce, lean meats in moderation, lots of legumes and lentils, whole grains. certain fresh fruits and water/liquid intake to stay hydrated to help put moisture where it needs to go and replenish what water is lost throughout the day.
I would imagine many of us have changed or adjusted our eating habits and are trying to do what we all knew was best avoiding, or trying to avoid, processed foods.
Regarding dairy, we still hear so many different beliefs about dairy and mucus. For me my choice is to have it in moderation.
I recently heard a doctor put it very simply what to do to help ourselves with our health and health problems.
1. Avoid processed foods.
2. Aerobics and Weight Lifting
3. Sleep and Recovery.
What's left is to be strong and determined to do it all or get back up if we fall down and start over again. Wishing us all strength and determination.
Barbara

I heard something more to the effect that the nutritional factor is not 100% backed by science and and that she prefers that her patients not avoid dairy b/c of the protein, calcium, etc. But saying she prefers that is not leaving room for the people for whom it would be a disaster to have it. Nor does she consider or suggest that there may be other foods that could be substituted for any food that is problematic for someone. And to say that the nexus between diet and bronchiectasis isn’t 100% scientific implies that it can well be quite significant short of 100%. Seventy percent? Eighty-percent? So sure, no set diet is recommended but diet overall, which can be tailored to a person’s own sensitivity to certain foods, can absolutely be a huge factor in the management of our disease and has been in my case. And as it has been for many of the chronic illnesses people suffer that doctors routinely treat with drug after drug after drug. Otherwise the functional medicine world would not be booming as it is right now. She tells people to go about their lives in terms of their nutrition, yet I find this attitude to be very superficial, and very symptomatic of the lack of training that most doctors have in holistic health, and as we know, in nutrition. To her credit, she does say that these are just her views from her own practice, however.
I have not followed the same diet since I first was diagnosed, and my diet has continued to change to accommodate either improvement, or decline. In the process, I’ve learned even more than I knew about the precise nutritional value of so many foods that can actually help me sustain a balance, however precarious, as I do my best to navigate this disease and avoid drugs that may have long-term effects on other systems and create other problems. I am grateful that this vigilance is helping me move into the future with better overall health so that when there is really no alternative to taking a drug temporarily, I will be strong enough to weather its deleterious effects. It just makes me sad to see so many people on constant antibiotic treatment, which is often only very temporarily effective. Taking a probiotic pill just isn’t enough to counteract the damage to the microbiome and to one’s overall health.