One 73-year-old reader told us last week that he still suffers from mild emphysema 20 years after he gave up cigarettes. What could be done to help improve his symptoms, which includes shortness of breath and a bad cough in the morning? One reader recommends Life Extension Foundation's N-acetylcysteine for breaking up mucus, and any general, but good quality, vitamin C, beta carotene and magnesium. Another suggests the Nikken sleep system, which uses infra-red and magnetic technology, or instead visit a Bowen practitioner, a therapy that apparently has a good track record for treating emphysema. Another recommends a tried and tested remedy used by her own father to keep his asthma, hay fever and emphysema at bay - horseradish sauce. Another family remedy, suggested by one reader, is bromelain and onion soup, taken once every other day. Bromelain is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, says our reader, and it's a strong proteolytic enzyme, which is good for digesting protein. It's also important to avoid mucus-generating foods, such as dairy. In a similar vein, another reader suggests a vegan diet with large amounts of raw foods, which has helped her overcome a long-standing and chronic lung disorder. And buy yourself a mini-trampoline, says another reader. A study prepared in 1980 by the University of Michigan discovered that the gentle up-and-down motion on the trampoline helped improve breathing of people with severe emphysema. Think breathing disorders, and think Buteyko breathing method, developed by a Russian professor who discovered that around 150 diseases were caused by chronic hyperventilation, which, in turn, causes airway abuse.