Re: [DIYbio] what's mucostasis?

Does surfing improve the lives of cystic fibrosis patients? Is there causation or merely correlation?

            Cystic fibrosis is a life threatening disease with no cure, but researchers are now finding that the sport of surfing could possibly improve the lives of CF patients and even lead to finding a cure.  Surfing is a sport that allows a person to glide across the water due to the force of a wave in the salty ocean.  Surfing requires physical involvement, as the athlete must paddle themselves into a wave to accomplish the task of surfing. It also requires the athlete to push themselves up from a prostrate position up onto their feet as quickly as possible while the surfboard glides along the face of the wave. Once standing, the athlete's core muscles are in constant use as the body needs to maintain balance while the board is forced along by the wave.  The sport of surfing is becoming famous around the globe, but the connection between cystic fibrosis and surfing was first discovered in Australia.

            Australian surfers and researchers realized a correlation between surfing and cystic fibrosis while providing treatment to children.  At a CF clinic in Australia, it was noted that the patients who regularly surfed felt increasingly better and had stronger lung functions than the non-surfers (Surfline, 2008). Researchers in Australia teamed up with Dr. Scott Donaldson and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to test this theory. Donaldson reports, "Surfers with cystic fibrosis had fewer lung exasperations [than non-surfers]" (Peck, 2006).  Mark Elkins, a researcher at Sydney's Prince Alfred Hospital adds, "Surfers said their chests and sinuses felt clear and they coughed up much of the thick mucus that clogs their lungs. Doctors wondered why. Was it the exercise? Or was it the saltwater?" (Carroll, 2008).  Researchers and doctors concluded that it was a combination of both exercise and salt water.     

            The salt water inhaled while surfing replenished salt lost due to the defective CF gene.  It enters the body and acts as a lubricant to prevent mucus build up (Peck, 2006).  It also allows CF patients to breathe much easier.  Caleb Remington, pictured on the left, is a young CF patient who surfs each day so he can simply breathe (Christensen, 2010).  Remington no longer surfs merelyfor recreation purposes, noted by his comment, "I now surf to live" (Kauffman, 2010).  Remington originally lived in Chicago until he read about the effects surfing has on CF patients and he made the decision to move to California to surf each day.  Remington states, "After reading all this, I wanted to jump out of the hospital bed and run to California because I knew God had one awesome adventure lined up for me!   When I got in the water and paddled out for the first time, it felt like a gallon of mucus leaving my throat" (Christensen, 2010).  After surf sessions, Remington takes satisfaction in enjoying a deep breath, a simple pleasure that would otherwise not be performed. 

            As a form of primary research, some interviews were conducted with people to determine if they experienced healing powers from the ocean.  Eric Ramos, a Hawaiian, has been surfing for over 16 years.  He discovered the effects surfing has on CF patients while competing on the North Shore with some Australian surfers who had CF.  When asked if he has seen surfing and the oceans heal before, Ramos quickly answered, "Yes. Surfing is a way of life for Kanaka Maoli [Hawaiians]. Surfing frees the soul and the body. That's why you can still see old men in their 60's that still surf. Surfing is a complete visual of life itself. If you look at the water long enough you can understand what I mean."  Ramos truly believes that surfing has the ability to heal the average person, along with CF patients.  Ramos concluded the interview by noting how important communication was to the evolvement of surfing and CF.  He mentioned that nearly every child desires to surf, and if the CF children knew it could save their life, they would do anything to try it. The people just need to have the information. 

            The greatest opposition to surfing's remedy on cystic fibrosis is the lack of communication.  Many CF patients and families have never heard of this possible treatment, therefore they do not have access to it.  Due to this fact, many people may have initial doubts of the ocean's power on CF because they are uninformed.  Once the facts are provided and CF patients experience the healing from surfing, this opposition will diminish. 

Is there a way to transfer the healing element of surfing into a medical form for clinical use?

            Once cystic fibrosis patients realized the positive effects surfing has on their breathing and treatment, doctors desired to understand why this was occurring. Researchers focused on these patients and noted that the salty air breathed while surfing, combined with exercise, was able to relieve some pain felt by CF patients and allow them to finally breathe with ease.  Due to this discovery, a hypertonic saline solution has been created for CF patients who do not have the luxury of surfing each day (Surfline, 2008).  The hypertonic saline solution has twice as much salt as the ocean for stronger effects on the body (Carroll, 2008).  The solution is breathed through a machine to provide the same positive effect surfing creates.  The saline solution is able to lubricate the lungs and prevent mucus build up.  Donaldson and other researchers were actually surprised by the success a simple sodium chloride solution had on CF patients.  It seemed too simple, but provided the greatest remedy for patients (Peck, 2006). Corky Carroll writes in The Orange County Register (2008):

            Australian doctors found that 41 percent of those who received the treatment [hypertonic saline solution] avoided serious complications such as weight loss, coughing up blood or a dangerous infection as compared with 16 percent of the other patients. The solutions helped remove mucus from the lung for at least eight hours, according to the UNC study of 24 patients, also published in the journal [New England Journal of Medicine].  Many CF patients across the globe now inhale this hypertonic saline solution every day, mimicking a "surf session" to relieve the symptoms of cystic fibrosis (Surfline, 2008).  

Conclusion

            The life-threatening genetic disease of cystic fibrosis does not currently have a cure, but advancements in treatments have been improving and lengthening the lives of CF patients.  The discovery of surfing's natural remedies has been found to help CF patients feel better. The salty air inhaled while surfing has been correlated to allowing CF patients breathe easier.  Due to this discovery, a hypertonic saline solution has been created so CF patients across the globe may have access to the healing effects of surfing, regardless of actually riding a wave in the ocean.  This advancement in cystic fibrosis research could possibly lead to a cure for the deadly disease.  As for now, cystic fibrosis patients are encouraged to seek the sea for their natural medicine. 

References

Carroll, C. (2008, January 25). How Surfing Helps Cystic Fibrosis Patients. The Orange County   Register. Retrieved from http://www.ocregister.com/news/surfing-129322-cystic-fibrosis.html

CFF. (2009, October 10). About Cystic Fibrosis.Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/

CFF2008. (2008, April 1). Pacsun Pipeline to a Cure. Retrieved from         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Iop-w98YE&feature=related

Christensen, Dave. (2010, August 20). Remember to Breathe. Surfing Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.surfinghandbook.com/2010/08/remember-to-breathe/

Connelly, Laylan. (2010, June 26). Pro Surfers Help Kids with Cystic Fibrosis Catch Waves. Orange County Beach Blog. Retrieved from http://beach.freedomblogging.com/2010/06/26/pro-surfers-help-kids-with-cystic-fibrosis-catch-waves/24783/

Cystic Fibrosis: How is Cystic Fibrosis Treated?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, U.S.   Department of Health and Human Services.Retrieved from             http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cf/cf_treatments.html

Kauffman, Hattie. (2010, September 6). Doctor's Orders: Hit the Beach and Go Surfing. CBS. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/06/eveningnews/main6840072.Shtml

Mull, Jeff. (2010, August 25). Surfing for Cystic Fibrosis. The Grind TV Blog. Retrieved from http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/20050/surfing%20for%20cystic%20fibrosis/

Peck, Peggy. (2006, January 19). Studies Look to Sea for Cystic Fibrosis Treatment. CNN Health. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2006-01-18/health/cf.saltwater_1_cystic-fibrosis-mucus-lung-function?_s=PM:HEALTH

Schoenstadt, Arthur. (2008, September 4). Causes of Cystic Fibrosis. eMedTV. Retrieved from http://cystic-fibrosis.emedtv.com/cystic-fibrosis/causes-of-cystic-fibrosis.html

Schoenstadt, Arthur. (2009, March 12). Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. eMedTV. Retrieve from    http://cystic-fibrosis.emedtv.com/cystic-fibrosis/treatment-for-cystic-fibrosis.html

Sharma, Girish D. (2010, March 1). Cystic Fibrosis.EMedicine. Retrieved from             http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1001602-overview

Surfline. (2008, June 27). Surfing Leaders Support Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser. Retrieved from http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/press-release/surfing-leaders-support-cystic-fibrosis-fundraiser_16461/

Thackray, Emily. (2005, December 3). Inside Story: Cystic Fibrosis: Facing My Own Death. The Times.Retreived from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/ar      ticle598709.ece

Weir, William. (2010, October 4). Study: Human Growth Hormone Effective Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. Hartford Courant. Retrieved from http://www.courant.com/health/hc-uconn-cystic-fibrosis-hormone-20101004,0,5114248.story

Welsh, Michal J. and Alan E. Smith. (1995, December). Cystic Fibrosis. Scientific American.Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/~luckie/cfarticle.html