A family residing in California is chillin' out and hangin' 10 on the beach waves as they surf their way for longevity despite having cystic fibrosis. The Montelone family has had several of its family members afflicted with the life threatening disease which is hereditary in nature, causing mucus buildup in the lung tissues, and ultimately causing early mortality.
However, the Montelone family has had better days discovering that those afflicted with the disease in their family had easier breathing after being consistently exposed to the beach environment, according to a recent report from Fox News. It has been touted by some researchers that the salt content of the sea and the mist that gets inhaled by patients affected by cystic fibrosis helps in the clearing of the supposed mucus buildup and eventual scarring of lung tissue.
Not only are the afflicted family members eased of the difficulty of breathing and subsequent complications, they are also able to benefit from the healthy lifestyle of getting active and engaging into sports and wellness. The mother of the family, Paulette, even admits that the activity not only prolongs the lives of several of her family members, but also allows them to enjoy the company of each other as a family.
Even with the prevailing presence of patients afflicted with this debilitating disease worldwide, around 70,000 and counting, researchers and scientists still haven't found a direct cure, though they are optimistic that there is something with the sea salt's effect on the lung mucus lessening which may provide further means to fully understand and counteract the progress of the sickness.
Preliminary saline treatments have been administered as a means to control cystic fibrosis in patients as early as 2006, especially when several Australian doctors found a trend with the control group of patients who surfed.
Although the disease usually claims lives even well before the average expectancy of 40 years for those who have the disease, the surfing activity provides a therapeutic effect and a positive psychological effect on the self, as stated by one of the children of the Montelones.
