Our
Story
As our founder
puts it, "I wish someone had
told me about NAC years ago."
This company
was created to do just that - tell you about the difference NAC can
make in your health and that not all NAC is alike. Unless
you're taking stable, active NAC, you could be wasting your time and
money. Or worse, missing out on the benefits.
My brother
owns and manages an international business, has a beautiful, loving
family with children and pets, and seems to be living the American dream.
But about 15 years ago, he started feeling the cost of a lung disease
he'd had as a teenager. I remember when the doctors told him there was
no cure, and it would either stay the same, kill him or go away! There
had only been 10 reported cases of this, and they didn't know much about
it. So, he had a lung lavage, which is basically rinsing them out. Together
with his unshakable will to be healthy, he seemed to have won. But the
scar tissue eventually increased, and he became more and more short
of breath. The sight of a flight of stairs increasingly got more depressing.
Mucus became a big problem, especially in the morning.
Then he started
getting colds, bronchitis and flu, shrinking away from situations were
he might catch something. Things got much worse when he contracted pneumonia
twice and developed bronchiectasis, one of the COPD conditions, and
then pulmonary fibrosis. Even though he was dealing with health issues,
he still had a family and business to maintain. He needed help. He was
next to tears when he told me he was afraid he wouldn't be there for
his children as they grew up. My brother is a smart guy with a big heart
and as stubborn as can be sometimes. When his newest doctor's best advice
was, "Don't smoke, and try not to get sick," he wouldn't accept
that nothing could be done. Add that to being determined, and his mind
was set on finding an answer. He spent hours upon hours researching
on the internet, and found out about one of the most researched supplements
in the world: an amino acid derivative called N-acetyl cysteine or NAC
for short. (The Germans call it ACC, but it's the same thing.) After
he had read countless medical studies about NAC, he knew he had found
his answer. But he now he needed to find the most effective, highest
quality he could. He started using effervescent (fizzy) NAC from Germany
early in 2004, and it has been such a godsend for him, that he wanted
to tell as many people as he could, who were in a similar situation.
So we started this company to show you the research he found, and offer
the the most stable, active NAC you can get, outside of injections and
prescriptions.
The Whole
Story
About
thirty-five years ago, I started noticing that I was becoming short
of breath more easily, and coughing up junk, without having a cold.
Long story short, I was finally diagnosed with a rare lung condition
called Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis (PAP). At that time, there weren't
more than a handful of people who had contracted this condition. It
had killed some people, but I got VERY lucky. I had moved to New York
City, and the condition worsened. My hometown lung specialist recommended
that I see Dr. Harry Steinberg at Long Island Jewish Hospital. He became
something of a hero to me. I had no health insurance at the time, but
recognizing the rare nature of my condition, arranged for me to have
a whole lung lavage, which had never been done at LIJH. It was done
as a case study, and all for free. I was in the hospital for a week,
and they literally 'washed out' my lungs with salt water, one at a time
(of course). My luck didn't stop there; within six months, the condition
went in to complete remission, and although left with some scarring
and a slightly reduced lung capacity, I lived a relatively normal life
for almost 20 years. In the meantime, I had moved to Maryland. Then
about fifteen years ago, I had two cases of walking pneumonia. Who knew
there was a pneumonia vaccine, that anyone at risk for lung infections
should get? Not me. After that, I started to get bronchitis at least
twice a year. With each subsequent case, my bronchial tubes took longer
to heal, and eventually I developed bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis.
I was always able to maintain a cardiovascular routine on my elliptical
and rower, but got short of breath much more easily walking up steps,
etc. Again, because of the rare condition I had all those years ago,
I was accepted as a patient by the head of pulmonary medicine at Johns
Hopkins. After a CAT scan confirmed the diagnosis (but quieted deeper
fears of cancer, etc), and pulmonary function tests put my current lung
capacity at about 60%, I was pretty much told to 'try to avoid lung
infections, don't smoke, and get new PFTs each year'. That was it. It
wasn't enough.
I started obsessively researching my condition to see how I could help
myself. This is when I first came across NAC. I read study after study
from Europe about how it was shown to reduce acute exacerbations of
bronchitis, mostly in COPD patients. Though my condition was more a
restrictive one, rather than obstructive, it had some similarities,
mostly to do with mucous hypersecretion, but certainly in frequent bouts
of bronchitis. It was well tolerated, with almost zero side effects.
I had to get some. An important thing I found was to make sure to take
a multiple vitamin with zinc and selenium, since it tends to reduce
those, only because the body naturally uses its zinc and selenium to
bind to toxins for insulation from them, and NAC removes those toxins
along with the zinc and selenium. (Further research found that meat
and nuts had the zinc and selenium needed.) Using the requisite resourcefulness,
I obtained some from Holland, and started taking it in the spring of
2004. I took 600 mg effervescent tabs, twice a day. At that time I was
paying about a dollar a tab, but soon found a German source for about
half the price. Fast forward to November 2007. I had exactly ONE case
of bronchitis since MAY 2004! And it was milder than all the preceding
cases. Not only that, I barely even had a cold. I get a flu shot every
year, got a pneumonia vaccination in Fall 2004 (another result of my
own research), and felt like at least for the time being, I was winning
my personal battle. Even the doctors at Johns Hopkins were somewhat
impressed, though they maintain that it's anecdotal evidence. That's
OK, it's MY anecdote, and no one knows their body like you do. Then
I started thinking about how I wish someone had told me about NAC years
ago. Again, long story short, we have found a way to make the effervescent
form of this powerful antioxidant amino acid available here. This is
pharmaceutical quality NAC, made in Germany. It's got a great berry
taste, and it's the taste of health to me. Take time to read through
the science of NAC. Educate yourself. If we're able to make a difference
for people, then maybe we can be what Dr. Harry Steinberg was to me.
Sincerely,
A.J. Sadlier
HealthierLungs.com
Story
Update
After slowing
down the progression of pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and interstitial
pneumonitis for eight years, using effervescent NAC, it finally reached
a point where my brother started to research lung transplants. Living
only five hours from one of the top three transplant hospitals in the
country, he went to Duke University for an evaluation, was put on the
list for a double lung transplant and moved to temporary quarters there
in September of 2008. On October 27, 2008, he received a very successful
double lung transplant. He has just celebrated his eighth year with
new lungs, can run up the stairs, and has continued taking NAC religiously.
There has been substantial research in Europe on transplant prolongation
using NAC, and even the renowned Head of Transplant Research at Duke,
Dr. Scott Palmer, told him that when grant monies become available,
NAC is on his list to study. Even though the doctors there can't 'officially'
recommend it yet, they know he uses it and don't object. Over the last
eight years, his wife and children have had many cases of common colds,
or flu, but he, even with a suppressed immune system, has only had a
few very mild colds. He calls NAC his 'surrogate immune system'.
Over the course of this
journey with my brother, I have seen him take the reins on his health
issues, do tireless research to help himself, and maintain his deliberate
optimism. I never once heard him complain in all those years, or feel
sorry for himself. I was with him in Durham, NC, when he got 'the
call'. We prayed together and went to Duke. I'll never forget the
look on his face when they rolled him into the operating room - a
giant smile beaming for me. I can't express the amount of respect,
pride and love I have for my brother, but his story of courage, and
relentless research is here to benefit others in similar situations.
We believe in paying it forward for our blessings.