Air sacs destroyed by smoking

Dear Dr. Gott: In addressing the detrimental effects of smoking, do the air sacs in the lungs ever regenerate or repair themselves, or are they damaged or destroyed permanently?

Dear Reader: The cellular effects of tobacco smoke can be temporary (bronchitis, asthma) or permanent (emphysema, lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis).

As a general rule, the alveoli (air sacs) are destroyed permanently by tobacco smoke because of toxins that kill or inactivate these delicate and vital structures.

Thus, it is vitally important that smokers quit at a young age, before permanent and life-threatening cellular changes occur.

For example, a 25-year-old woman can stop smoking and experience healing and improvement in pulmonary function.

In contrast, a 68-year-old, two-pack-a-day smoker probably will not improve upon discontinuation; the chronic damage is done for good, except that his risk for lung cancer might be reduced.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Pulmonary Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: I am a 27-year-old woman, and I’ve had a hole in my eardrum since age 7. At 14 years old I was operated on without success. The doctor (specialist) I go to now thinks I should try again, despite only a 70 percent chance of it being successful. I’ve had some hearing loss, but I can live with that. I would love a second opinion.

Dear Reader: You should obtain a second opinion to confirm your otolaryngologist’s recommendation. Today’s surgery is more successful and complex. The procedure, a decade or two ago, involved using – believe it or not – a tiny strip of cigarette paper that, when placed over the eardrum, acted as a supporting structure upon which new cells could grow. This was not always successful.

In my opinion, your eardrum needs repair so that water and other liquids won’t enter your middle-ear compartment and cause significant damage and infection.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Ear Infections and Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.