Asthma: A new approach to relief 

It’s a disease that affects approximately 15 million Americans, and new cases are showing up in record numbers. Especially dangerous for the elderly, this disease is also a serious problem among teenagers. African American children are 200 percent more at risk than white children. 

The disease  is asthma. 

Asthma is primarily an allergy-related disease, and allergies in general  are on  the rise in the United States, with  an incidence assuming epidemic proportions. Not just a collection of bothersome symptoms,  asthma can be a killer. Death from asthma is on  the increase, showing  a 300 percent increase in the last 10 to 15 years, with similar epidemics in New Zealand, England,  and Australia. 

What Is Asthma? 

Asthma is a breathing disease  in which  the airways become obstructed or narrowed as the result  of chronic irritation or inflammation. The chronic nature of  the inflammation causes  the airways to become hyper-reactive to many different irritants. Allergies often trigger asthma, and cigarette smoke aggravates  the condition. 

Allergies are often inherited, and so many people have a predisposition to develop asthma. 

The two classic symptoms of asthma are a chronic, recurring cough, usually a dry cough, and wheezing. The wheeze  is expiratory, an audible breathing out. Especially if it occurs at night, wheezing is  a dangerous early sign of  the disease. Shortness  of breath and labored breathing also occur with asthma, along with tightness in the chest. The tightness  usually happens in  the morning, but it can occur at any time. Some people describe  the feeling as similar to the sensation of a belt being tied around their chest. Symptoms can occur to 10 to  20 years before  asthma is ever diagnosed. 

Weight loss can occur in severe cases when people are too sick to eat. Additionally, sometimes during a severe asthma episode, the asthmatic may become cyanotic or blue.  The pink  in the fingernails turns blue, a condition that can be quite dangerous. 

How Is Asthma Diagnosed? 

Because  asthma shares many symptoms with other diseases, its diagnosis  involves pulmonary function testing.. Pulmonary specialists can make a definitive diagnosis, evaluate  the asthma’s severity, determine how much immediate attention the condition requires, and prescribe the appropriate treatment. 

Every person with  asthma should rule out allergy as a major contributing cause to asthma. 

What’s the Problem with Inhalers? 

Many adults and children today carry inhalers, a breathing device containing a prescription medication that has  the ability, much like adrenaline, to expand constricting airways during an asthmatic episode. The inhaler medication dilates  the airways so that air can move in  and out of  the lungs more easily. However, although the inhaler dilates the airways, it does nothing for the inflammation or irritation in the airways. In fact, it may make the irritation and inflammation worse.  By using  the inhaler,  the asthmatic obtains momentary relief, but is concurrently causing the condition  to worsen. The next time  the asthmatic has an episode, it may be more severe because  of the medication. 

In addition, medical research indicates that inhaler medication may be the primary cause for the increase in mortality from  asthma throughout the world. 

Inhalers have a function, but they must be used with caution  and under the guidance of  a physician. Overuse is one part  of the problem. Instead of using the inhaler two or three times a day, some asthmatics use it four to eight times a day in anticipation of problems. Those are the people  that seem  to develop severe asthma, sometimes life-threatening asthma. 

What Are  the Best Treatments  for Asthma? 

The good news is that asthma is reversible. One key is to recognize the underlying causes of the disease. 

Food allergies are a common cause of asthma. Food allergies  are not the only cause  of the disease, but the link is extremely common. Hundreds of research articles tie food allergy  to asthma. Other allergens -- such as dust mites and animal dander -- can also contribute to the condition. 

Allergic patients can become allergy-free by changing their diet to eliminate allergic foods  and improving their nutrition. A clear relationship exists between asthma  and under-nutrition or improper nutrition. 

The science of nutrition  and herbal medicine has come of age. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, study reported in the medical journal  The Lancet showed that homeopathic remedies  for asthma  work better than placebo. All kinds  of nutritional remedies are available to eliminate allergic foods, and herbal remedies can reduce  the inflammation with no side effects. 

Persons with asthma can  and should exercise, but for many asthmatics, exercise provokes coughing. However, many great athletes are asthmatic, such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Despite her asthma, Joyner-Kersee developed into one of  the greatest women athletes in the history  of the world by learning  to control her condition. Exercise, paradoxically, is part of effective asthma therapy, but it must be done in a proper  and controlled manner. 

How Are Food Allergies Diagnosed? 

A simple blood test can identify allergic foods that could be triggering asthmatic symptoms. Immuno Laboratories is widely recognized as  the leading toxic food testing facility  in the world. Since 1978, Immuno Laboratories has performed more than 250,000 food allergy tests  and is the only lab in the world that can accurately reproduce its test results. 

In contrast  to traditional allergy testing that tests for immediate reactions, Immuno Laboratories tests for delayed reactions to 115 foods. Many allergic food reactions can take up to three days to produce  symptoms and are almost impossible  to detect without Immuno Laboratories’ sophisticated blood test. Because it has been proven to be so accurate, the Immuno Laboratories test is money-back guaranteed. 

With these results,  a physician qualified in the areas of nutrition, herbal medicine,  and asthma can design an eating  and lifestyle program that will not only relieve asthma symptoms, but also allow asthmatics  to exercise without having an asthmatic attack. 

Such  a program is especially critical for pregnant women. A good nutritional dietary program that eliminates allergens from their diets will not only help their asthma and eliminate their dependence on medication, but may also help prevent allergic problems in their babies. 

Sue’s Story 

Sue had allergies most of her life  that ultimately developed into asthma. Her condition became so severe that she was hospitalized because she couldn’t breathe. The doctor prescribed meprednisone that relieved her asthma symptoms, but caused other problems. Sue learned about Immuno Laboratories and was tested. Within two weeks she learned that she was allergic to cane sugar, beef, bananas, and haddock. She immediately eliminated those foods from her diet. 

As  a result, Sue’s asthma problems disappeared and she lost 17 pounds in the process. She is completely off  medication and breathing well. In Sue’s case, she was eating a banana a day, a food that happened  to be one of the common allergies that provoked an asthmatic attack. 

Treating  the Cause, Not  the Symptoms 

All people who have asthma are not allergic to bananas like Sue, but they  may be allergic  to other foods that are triggering their asthma.  The best way for asthmatics  to improve  their health is  to learn what is causing the problem  and to address those issues, rather than focusing on simply treating  the symptoms. Good nutrition can reverse many allergies, including asthma, and relive the debilitating symptoms  that curtail so many people’s lives  and activities. Good nutrition -- and the elimination  of food toxicities -- can give asthma sufferers their lives back.