Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that affects 15 million
persons in the United States. An estimated 5 million children have asthma, which makes it
the most common chronic disease of childhood.
Some 60 percent of people who use steroids long
term for asthma and other diseases will develop a mood disorder, such as
depression or manic depression. Obesity is
a known risk factor for type II diabetes, heart disease and some forms of
cancer. Evidence is now mounting that obesity is also a risk factor for asthma.
Smoking during pregnancy is known to raise a child's future asthma risk.
Intermittent periods of worsening airway inflammation, indicated by
exacerbations in asthma, lead to faster lung function decline.
Natural therapies for asthma
management
Avoid or reduce exposure to allergens listed above
Eat more cold water fish with high content of
Fish-Oil-Wild. Eating oily fish like salmon
or mackerel regularly may reduce the risk of asthma symptoms, according to new British
research.
Have hot soup and tea -- warm liquids lessen severity
Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Have a wide variety of produce, preferably organic.
Reduce hydrogenated and trans fats
Reduce omega-6 oils such as corn, safflower, and sunflower
Fish
oil supplements may
help reduce the severity of exercise-induced asthma.
Eating oily fish such as salmon or trout during
pregnancy appears to help protect babies predisposed to asthma from developing
the condition during their first years of life.
Forskolin supplements
could be helpful. See
Forskolin
supplement information here.
Boswellia is an
Ayurvedic herb that has been found
to be helpful in asthma. You can find
Boswellia here.
There is no added benefit with peak flow monitoring for asthma management
Reduce your sugar intake,
for a natural sugar alternative, consider stevia.
Reduce weight - Excess pounds increases the likelihood of being hospitalized for
a severe asthma attack. Diet Rx works well for appetite suppression.
Fish oils, omega-3 fatty
acids, and asthma
Fish oil intake compared with olive oil intake in late pregnancy and asthma in
the offspring: 16 y of registry-based follow-up from a randomized controlled
trial.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 July. Olsen SF, Østerdal ML, Salvig JD, Mortensen LM,
Rytter D, Secher NJ, Henriksen TB. Maternal Nutrition Group, Department of
Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Our aim was to examine whether increasing maternal intake of omega-3 PUFAs in
pregnancy may affect offspring risk of asthma. In 1990, a population-based
sample of 533 women with normal pregnancies were randomly assigned 2:1:1 to
receive four 1-g gelatin capsules/d with fish oil providing 2.7 g omega-3 PUFAs
(n = 266); four 1-g, similar-looking capsules/d with olive oil; or no
oil capsules. Women were recruited and randomly assigned around
gestation week 30 and asked to take capsules until delivery. During the 16 y
that passed since childbirth, 19 children from the fish oil and olive oil groups
had received an asthma-related diagnosis; 10 had received the diagnosis allergic
asthma. The hazard rate of asthma was reduced by 63%, whereas the hazard rate of
allergic asthma was reduced by 87% in the fish oil compared with the olive oil
group. Under the assumption that intake of olive oil in the dose provided here
was inert, our results support that increasing omega-3 PUFAs in late pregnancy
may carry an important prophylactic potential in relation to offspring asthma.
Asthma triggers include
Additives to alcoholic beverages or foods — metabisulfites, MSG,
tartazine (yellow dye #5), yeast, sulfite additives in wine.
Allergens from animal dander, cockroaches, dust mites or mold spores, pollen (trees,
grass, weeds), indoor and outdoor pollutants. Children who are sensitive to cats
appear to have an increased risk of developing asthma or hay fever as young
adults.
Cleaning agents have many chemicals that could cause lung tissue damage. These
cleaning fluids used in hospitals may present a health hazard to staff, and
potentially patients. People who work as cleaners have higher-than-normal rates
of asthma, asthma-like symptoms such as wheezing, and skin problems such as hand
eczema.
Foods such as eggs, milk, nuts, soy, wheat and peanut. Toddlers who consume large amounts
of margarine and foods fried in vegetable oil may be twice as likely to develop asthma as
their peers who eat less of these foods.
Changes in humidity or barometric pressure.
Diseases such as GERD, sinusitis, rhinitis, viral infections, hyperthyroidism.
Drugs-- aspirin, NSAIDs, beta blockers, sulfites, estrogen.
Irritants -- tobacco smoke, wood-burning, perfumes, cleaning agents, carbon dioxide,
pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone. Children who live near a busy
road may be at increased risk of wheezing, a symptom of asthma.
Exposure to air
pollutants may increase the risk of death among people with severe asthma. Almost 100 million people in 21 U.S. states
breathe unhealthy levels of tiny particles spewed by coal-burning power plants,
cars and factories.
The closer people with asthma live to roadways with heavy traffic,
the lower their lung function.
Physical triggers--exercise, hyperventilation, cold air.
Physiological factors - stress, psychological factors. Stress of finals may worsen the
symptoms of asthma.
Infant swimming lessons in an indoor pool may have the unintended effect of
raising some children's risk of asthma later on.
Environmental control measures include removing carpets from the patient’s bedroom and living areas, weekly washing of bedding and clothing in hot water, specially designed mattress and pillow covers, removing stuffed animals, keeping pets outdoors. Quilts made of synthetic fibers like polyester might trigger wheezing in some children with asthma.
Aspirin and asthma
Results from the Physicians Health Study indicate that
regular use of aspirin may reduce the risk of new-onset asthma in adults.
However, there is no evidence that aspirin improves symptoms in people who
already have asthma, and it may, of course, cause acute breathing difficulties
among individuals with aspirin-intolerant asthma.
Weather and asthma symptoms
Asthma symptoms can be worsened by certain types of weather. Some asthma
patients get worse with cold, dry winter air. Windy weather stirs up pollen and
other irritants. Sometimes hot and humid air is harmful. Thunderstorms can
trigger asthma worsening in some patients due to changes in barometric pressure.
Children and exposure to asthma
triggers
Children who are genetically vulnerable to asthma are less likely to develop the
condition if their exposure to a variety of allergy triggers can be limited.
Asthma attacks, which are marked by inflammation in the airways, are often a
response to allergens and irritants like cigarette smoke, pollen and dust mites.
Shielding children from multiple allergens at once helps lower the odds of their
developing asthma. In contrast, prevention that focuses on only one allergy
trigger at a time is ineffective. Keeping children's surroundings clear of
tobacco smoke, furry pets and dust mites. The latter can be controlled by
regular household cleaning and keeping the home free of dust traps like
curtains, pillows and "cuddly" toys, Maas noted. Breastfeeding for as long as
possible is also important,. Breastfeeding and dust-mite avoidance are the two
most effective measures against asthma development. Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews, online July 8, 2009.
Asthma information
Asthma may be classified as mild,
moderate, or persistent. Patients with persistent asthma require medications that provide
long-term control of their disease and medications that provide quick relief of symptoms.
Medications for long-term control of asthma include inhaled corticosteroids, cromolyn,
nedocromil, leukotriene modifiers and long-acting bronchodilators. Inhaled corticosteroids
remain the most effective anti-inflammatory medications in the treatment of asthma.
Quick-relief medications include short-acting
beta agonists, anticholinergics
and systemic corticosteroids.
Airway
inflammation in asthma
Airway inflammation is the primary problem in
asthma. An initial
event in asthma appears to be the release of inflammatory mediators (e.g., histamine, tryptase, leukotrienes and prostaglandins) triggered by exposure to allergens, irritants,
cold air or exercise. The mediators are released from bronchial mast cells, alveolar
macrophages, T lymphocytes and epithelial cells. Some mediators directly cause acute
bronchoconstriction, termed the "early-phase asthmatic response." The
inflammatory mediators also direct the activation of eosinophils and neutrophils, and
their migration to the airways, where they cause injury. This so-called "late-phase
asthmatic response" results in epithelial damage, airway edema, mucus hypersecretion
and hyperresponsiveness of bronchial smooth muscle.
Safety of
medications and inhalers unclear
Long-acting beta agonists such as Serevent (salmeterol, GlaxoSmithKline) and
Foradil (formoterol, Schering) are also sold in combination with inhaled
corticosteroids, such as Advair (salmeterol plus fluticasone, GlaxoSmithKline)
and Symbicort (formoterol plus budesonide, AstraZeneca). They are used in the
treatment of asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Several studies have
linked long-acting beta agonists to an increased risk of severe asthma attacks,
hospital admission for asthma, and even deaths. Dr. David M. Lang of the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio reviewed data on asthma hospitalizations in
Philadelphia from 1995 to 1999 and prescription rates for long-acting beta
agonists and other asthma drugs. In 1997, expert guidelines were released that
recommended adding long-acting beta agonists to low-dose inhaled corticosteroids
for patients whose asthma wasn't adequately controlled with the steroids. Dr.
David Lang discovered that asthma hospitalization rates increased with
short-acting beta agonist prescription rates, but fell with long-acting beta
agonist prescription rates. African Americans were six times more likely to be
hospitalized for treatment of asthma than Caucasians). The risk was greater if
they had been using short-acting beta agonists. However, use of long-acting beta
agonists appeared to be protective, with lower rates of hospitalization. Based
on the findings, David Lang concludes in the August Annals of Allergy, Asthma
and Immunology that these findings do not support the argument that treatment
with long-acting beta agonists is a major cause of increased illness with
asthma. Both long-acting and short-acting beta agonists can cause the user to
develop tolerance to the drug, which leads to worse reactions to asthma
triggers. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, August 2009.
Email inquires
I have a frequent respiratory restriction, that currently is relieved with an
albuterol inhaler. It is constant, i.e. I need to use the inhaler three to four
times a day to allow free breathing. Attempts with additional inhaled drugs
intended to provide longer relief have produced not better or more long term
results. What is odd to me is that frequently after eating there is a sudden
increase in respiratory restriction, which is always in the upper chest/lower
throat region. This doesn't seem like the classical asthma with which I am
diagnosed. Do you have any thoughts about this or any suggestions?
It is not possible for us to make a diagnosis without doing a
medical examination and review of medical history and lab studies.