Many of you replied to my post maligning turmeric so I thought I had better put the record straight!
Briefly as poss: was suffering from what I thought was Pleurisy and went to docs yesterday, got referred straight away to hospital and was kept in overnight as my chest was clear and after numerous ECGs, drugs, bloods, and an x ray they were flummoxed. I had mentioned my thyroid a few times but as usual was told everything was fine and it was functioning perfectly (!) So, after I was discharged today I googled "breathlessness and Hashimotos" and lo and behold found out that it is a known problem and is I think what has been causing my problems for the last few months.
So, my apologies to Turmeric! However what I have learned re oxalates means I will definitely be avoiding it for a while
Written by
infomaniac
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Fibromyalgia can give similar symptoms and there is some crossover with hashi's.
I really hope that the NAC helps - it's not been a problem for me, but best taken in the evening as I said in previous post or it'll make you drowsy - warning though, it smells of rotten eggs, so best keep it in the fridge to improve its shelf life.
HLAB35 and infomaniac I just thought you might like to know that Swanson brand N Acetyl Cysteine healthmonthly.co.uk/swanson... doesn't have that rotten egg smell (maybe faintly if you stick your nose in the open bottle and take a big sniff ). I've been using it for a while now.
I've not noticed it makes me drowsy but I always seem to be tired so maybe I wouldn't notice. I normally take it at lunchtime but have just taken it (about to go to bed) so will see if it helps sleep.
I take NAC - the Swanson one - and it really helps with thinning mucus in the lungs. I can cough the mucus up rather than have it permanently sitting in a puddle at the bottom of my lungs, harbouring bugs.
As an ex-heavy-smoker I really couldn't do without it. I suspect my future will involve COPD eventually (horrible thought, but realistic), but the NAC is, so far at least, helping to keep my lungs functioning reasonably well.
The only issue I have with it is that I have to take a break from it fairly regularly because it is so efficient at shifting mucus that my lungs can end up too dry.
humanbean How many NAC capsules do you take daily?
I have COPD (gave up smoking over 30 years ago, never more than 20 a day when I did smoke), diagnosed 2013 but now I realise signs were there before.
I don't have mucous normally (just a small amount when I have a lung infection) but I do have pseudomonas colonised in my lungs. My GP describes it as a sticky mess sitting in the bottom of my lungs containing the bacteria, waiting for something to cause it to flare up, and I've been ill with it most of this year. I can no longer take Ciprofloxacin for the pseudomonas as I've had bad side effects so unless I'm I'll enough for IV antibiotics then all I can do, according to my GP, is cough up the gunk which is impossible when you're not loose and mucousy!
I take one NAC daily bit don't find this does anything. I've been reluctant to increase it as the directions are one daily.
When I take it I only take 1 x 600mg capsule a day, and I don't take it every day because I find it counter-productive to do so. I don't have lots of mucus either. But what I do get won't come up without the help of the NAC. I just wish I could cough the stuff up in such a way that I could get a sample, but I never do.
Although I used to have a smoker's cough in the winter I very rarely developed obvious respiratory infections. Since giving up smoking 7 or 8 years ago I have even less evidence of infection. I hardly ever cough. I only get breathless if I let my iron levels drop. But I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if the gunk I have is bacterial in origin, and I'm sure I already have COPD, it just isn't severe enough (yet) for me to seek a diagnosis.
I would take more NAC if I thought it helped. If you read this page :
it discusses dosages for various conditions and there are references to people being dosed with as much as 2400mg per day. My attitude is, rightly or wrongly, that if its okay for them then its okay for me. I've never taken that much, the most I've taken is 1200mg, but I would take more if I thought it would help.
Thanks HB. Interesting link. I might try 2 capsules daily and see if that makes a difference. That article makes a couple of references to long term use (10 months) being effective whereas short term use (8 weeks) not being effective. I will experiment
Did you know that NAC is used in a gas form in hospitals for people with severe breathing problems? I don't know the details of it, but it is a standard treatment under some circumstances. I guess it might be more effective if applied directly to the lungs rather than swallowed in a capsule. Pity we can't try it for ourselves.
I'm confused. You were taking turmeric because you were breathless? Or you thought turmeric had made you breathless? But, yesterday, I thought you were talking about inflammation. That's what I was talking about.
No I was taking it because I wanted to reduce inflammation. When I got the chest/breathing issues I was looking fr a culprit so started googling turmeric and that's when I found stuff about the downside to taking it. Bottom line is I was taking far too much so will be laying off it for a while
The inflammation post was a different one to the turmeric one (posted when I was trying to work out what was going on with me!)
OK Well, anyway, taking turmeric made me retain a lot of water, and now I can't get rid of it! And it can only be the turmeric because that's all that was different.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
). I've been using it for a while now.
Turmeric or Curcumin? 
Strange iron panel results (part 2!)
Elderly mum's blood test results (part 2)
Blood results part 2 
