NATURAL APPROACH FOR MANAGING ASTHMA, Page 1

NOTE: All the studies we will review are tagged with citation numbers like this: [2]
If you “click” on that red number, you will be transported to the actual study.
Many of the graphics can also be enlarged by clicking on them.

The Natural Approach For Managing Asthma

The Asthma Epidemic

It’s estimated that 28 million Americans now suffer from the torment of asthma, causing 11+ million visits to doctors or emergency rooms every year according to AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America). [1]

Even more troubling, the incidence of asthma in children has nearly quadrupled over the last 30 years, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). Nearly one in ten children in the US (9.4%) now has asthma, with the fastest rate of growth in the preschool-age children. [2]

Asthma is also very closely linked to allergies, and allergy-induced asthma is the most common form of asthma in the United States. 60% of people with asthma suffer from the allergic type. [3]

Asthma attacks involve 3 overlapping processes:

(1) Airway Obstruction: starts with tightening of the smooth muscles that surround tubes within the lungs, called bronchioles. These passages direct air from the trachea into little sacks called the alveoli, where oxygen exchange actually takes place. Restriction within the bronchioles causes wheezing and shortness of breath. The second process is

(2) Airway Inflammation: The linings of the bronchioles become swollen and inflamed, which then leads to

(3) Airway Irritability: where the bronchioles become hyper reactive to non-harmful substances like pollen or pet dander.

Although medical treatment with inhaled corticosteroid sprays can alleviate airway obstruction, they are not without risks. The side effects are no different than for taking steroid pills (Prednisone use is very common). These risks include abnormalities of the bones, eyes, and the immune system. [4]

That’s why I pray that:

Prevention Will Be The Medicine of The Future

Right now, adopting some basic health strategies, before you have your next child can significantly reduce the risk that your child will ever develop asthma or allergies.

Children who are breast fed for their first 6 months experience
much lower incidence of asthma and allergies. [5], [6]

An extensive, Federally funded review of the medical literature by Tufts University revealed that a history of breastfeeding was also associated with a reduction in the risk for developing acute otitis media (middle ear infections), nonspecific gastroenteritis, severe lower respiratory tract infections, dermatitis and eczema, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and childhood leukemia. [7]

Although smoking during pregnancy has been found to
contribute to asthma incidence, breast-feeding for
6 months lowed those odds significantly! [6]

This protection occurs because mother’s milk contains a form of antibodies called immunoglobulins, so drinking her milk transfers the mother’s immunity to her infant.

Children who receive antibiotics before their first birthday are significantly more likely to develop asthma, even in families with no history or risks for developing asthma.
[8], [9], [10], [11], [12]

Infants are often given antibiotics to treat middle ear infections, even though the CDC has been advising against the practice for decades, and numerous clinical trials have provided minimal results from repeated antibiotic use. [12]

A 2006 meta-analysis, which reviewed 5 other clinical trials, revealed that receiving even a single dose of antibiotics before the age of one doubles the risk of developing asthma. [10]

This is a huge problem! The epidemic growth of asthma in the last few decades roughly parallels the increased use of antibiotics to treat children for viral infections. [13]

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* Although these statements may have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration,
they are all drawn directly from the peer-reviewed scientific literature, and that's good enough for me!