A hereditary link to asthma was discovered in late 1999 by two Berkeley, California researches who spliced human genes into mice and determined that asthmatic activity could be diminished by slowing the activity of two particular genes.
Asthma now affects more than 20 million people according to the National Institute of Health. Children under age sixteen, particularly those living in urban areas, and adult over the age of sixty-five are most likely to suffer from asthma. Almost half of the sufferers get asthma before age ten. The incidence of asthma has shot up 75% since 1980 and, unfortunately, rate among children has increased 160% percent. Asthma affects people differently. Each individual is unique in their degree of reactivity to environmental triggers.
There are two forms of asthma;
- Allergic
- Non- allergic
Although the two often occur together.
Causes and risk factors
In most cases, asthma is caused by inhaling an allergen that sets off the chain of biochemical and tissue changes leading to airway inflammation, bronchoconstriction, and wheezing. Allergy may be caused by either external environment or by a person’s food intake.
Major risk factors include: physical inactivity, excess body weight, tobacco smoking, and poor diet and nutrition. Poor diets often result from over-consumption of food in general, or diets high in energy-rich components such as fat. A poor diet may also be low in dietary fibres or complex carbohydrates, and deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and colorectal cancer between them share the most risk factors, namely physical inactivity, excess weight and poor diet and nutrition. Risk factors such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are specific to coronary heart disease and stroke.
Common asthma provoking allergensinclude animal dander, allergens, pollens, mold, pet danger, chemicals, drugs, dust mites, environmental pollutants, feathers, food additives, sea foods, dairy products, nuts, yeast-based foods, fumes, mold, and tobacco smoke. But any kind of allergen can precipitate an asthma attack
Factors that can trigger non allergic asthma attack include adrenal disorders, anxiety, temperature changes, exercise, extremes of dryness or humility, fear, laughing, low blood sugar and stress. A respiratory infection such as bronchitis can also provoke an attack.
These attacks become more frequent and inflammation more severe.
Sign and Symptoms
Asthma can be difficult to diagnose conclusively. Its symptoms may resemble those of other diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis, and lower respiratory infection.
Typical symptoms of asthma attack are; ----
Coughing when it becomes severe it may results in abdominal pains.
Wheezing and shortness of breath, the person may also turn bluish in color, feel weakness, have a rapid pulse, nausea and chest pain.
Severe anxiety
A feeling of tightness in the chest
Difficulty breathing
An attack can last for a few minutes or several hours
Dietary and Nutritional factors
Eat a diet consisting primarily of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole grains. The diet should be relatively high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and contain no sugar. Include garlic and onions in your diet. Avoid gas producing foods, such as beans, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage) and large amount of bran, or take an enzymes complex. Australian study found that children given milk other than breast milk before the age of four months have a 25%-35% increased risk of developing asthma and related breathing difficulties.
Recommendations
- Black cumin seeds oil (Nigella sativa) has been a primary treatment for allergies in the Middle East. These seeds contain more than 100 different chemicals, including essential fatty acids.
- Include “green drinks” in your program.Kyo-green from Wakunaga is excellent. Take it 3 times a day, one-half hour before meal. Include ‘green’ food such as Klamath Lake Blue Green Algae, which is available in drink form and powder form.
- Use a juice fast, a fast using distilled water and lemon juice, are combination of both for 3 days each month to help rid the body of toxins and mucus.
- We all need exercise to become and remain healthy.
- Use an elimination diet to see if certain foods aggravate the asthmatic condition, such as corn, peanuts, soy, eggs, beets, carrots, colas, cold beverages, diary products, fish, red meat, processed foods, salt, spinach, chicken and turkey, white flour, and white sugar.
- Mullein oil is said to be a powerful remedy for bronchial congestion. The oil stops coughs, unclogs bronchial tubes, and helps clear up asthma attacks.
- Recent studies have confirmed that salt is indeed related to asthma. Low sodium diet improves lung functioning.
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