Surprisingly Drugs and Alcohol May Not Have Killed Amy Winehouse

The toxicology report isn’t back in yet, so we don’t definitely know what killed bi-crooner Amy Winehouse. But according to one report, it might NOT have been booze and drugs (which frankly would be a bit of a surprise). It could have been related to emphysema or an eating disorder:

The Sun also reported that Winehouse had seen a doctor Friday night as part of a routine series of checkups, given her history of drug and alcohol abuse. The doctor saw nothing wrong…

But Winehouse’s clean bill of health and activity prior to her death might have masked underlying problems from years of substance abuse that eventually killed her.

“She may have had asthma and emphysema because of her smoking,” said Dr. Eric Braverman, an addiction specialist and author of the book “The Edge Effect.” “From that, you can have a terrible respiratory arrest. You can have a seizure. Your lungs can choke off your trachea. It happens in asthmatics a lot.”

“If you have a pulmonary disease, you need a lung function test, not a stethoscope,” Braverman said. “So a simple physical that tells you you have a clean bill of health doesn’t say much.”

Winehouse’s father told reporters in 2008 that she had been diagnosed with early-stage emphysema. She was also vocal about her struggles with eating disorders, which could have played a part in her death, too.

“You can also suffer cardiac arrhythmia from dieting and not eating properly,” Braverman said. “Even panic attacks in her state can constrict the lungs and bring on death.”

Respiratory conditions might not have been picked up by Winehouse’s physician.

OK, so drugs might still be to blame for her death, but not in that Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix overdosey sorta way.

Via The Dallas Voice