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I just received my Wei Laboratories package today. For $956 I got enough for exactly 28 days (a February month – I’ll see if I get 31 days worth next month). They only sell the pills (capsules) now so you folks don’t have to worry about the horrible tasting liquid.
My next checkup is in March. I’ll post my results then. I’ll also post how I feel every couple weeks.
Also, my wife gave me Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa. You can get it in Asian food stores for under $10 for 300 ml. One tablespoon three times per day will last you 2 weeks. It’s an herbal Chinese cough syrup that is also considered to be healthy for your lungs. In other words, even if it doesn’t help, it won’t hurt you either (and it’s cheap to try). I started taking it on Monday and it has calmed my cough considerably. It isn’t intended to cure IPF (and nobody I know of is making that claim). It just makes me feel more comfortable. I can also breath deeper than before I started taking it. I don’t feel the same tightness in my lungs. I also don’t get as tired as quickly. For those who worry about the taste, it’s surprisingly good as it is mostly honey and has a little menthol added. It tastes better than any American cough syrup I’ve ever had.
My wife is Chinese. I brought her to America 15 years ago when she was 37. She claims she has seen many Chinese people over the years, with coughs much worse than mine, take Chinese medicine and get better. My wife is not a doctor but my best friend in China is. He is a senior Chinese doctor of internal medicine (pulmonology is not his field but he’s certainly not ignorant of the subject). I told him of my diagnosis with IPF and he doesn’t think it is any big deal. Apparently the Chinese have been dealing successfully with severe lung issues for centuries. His recommendation was for me to try Chinese herbs and he thinks my bigger issue is anxiety (and likely the root cause of my lung issues). I told him my doctor wanted me on oxygen 24/7. His response – “no use”! Apparently, the added oxygen causes your cells to age faster (oxidize) causing the lungs to get worse faster (put that in your pipe and smoke it). This is common knowledge in China (even outside the medical community) but hasn’t seemed to make it to western medicine.
If for some reason I don’t get results from the Wei Laboratories treatment, I’m heading to China to find a Chinese pulmonologist. Everything I’m reading is telling me that western medicine not only has no cure, they don’t even have a reasonable treatment. The medicine is too expensive and makes you sick so you can live a couple more years. How could I do worse with Chinese medicine?
The only real hope I see of a western cure (from my research) is with genetics. It’s close but still might take a few more years. My objective is to live long enough for genetics to replace my lung cells. If I don’t make it, at least I didn’t give all my money to American pharmaceutical companies before I died. My wife will have that money to live on instead. She’s done far more for me than American pharma. :^)
Finally, I don’t expect to have any “side effects” from the Wei Laboratories treatment. Chinese medicine is basically food (herbs, spices, tea, vegetables, roots, stems, flowers, etc.) They already know foods that make people sick. They select foods that make people better for their medicine.
I hope I didn’t upset/offend anyone. I’m just a terribly cynical old engineer that too often speaks ‘matter-of-fact’-ly.
Rick
EDIT:
With regards to “no use” oxygen. What the Chinese doctor was saying was don’t use it all day, every day. It’s ok to use it when you need it.