Prescription Alternatives
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Other research has demonstrated a slight protective effect of the Mediterranean diet against asthma, atopy, and allergy in children when mothers consume it during pregnancy.
A number of good studies show that homeopathy can work well to control asthma. If this appeals to you, work with a certified homeopath. A substantial body of research shows that acupuncture can help with asthma as well.
Yoga exercises that include deep breathing and deep relaxation techniques have been found to be very effective in reducing the number and severity of asthma attacks. Researchers in London, England, trained 612 people with mild or well-controlled asthma in a set of breathing exercises called the Papworth method—which also includes relaxation training. The method reduced asthma symptoms by one-third and significantly reduced depression and anxiety. Breathing exercisers, gadgets into which you breathe in and out of as a sort of “strength training” for the respiratory muscles, are also widely available. Ask your asthma doctor which one he or she might recommend.
Although sudden bouts of exercise can trigger an asthma attack, for many people regular aerobic exercise is helpful because it increases the capacity of the lungs to take in oxygen and it strengthens the heart.
Drs. Jonathan Wright, M.D., and Alan Gaby, M.D.—pioneers in the use of nutrition to prevent and cure illness—swear by intramuscular vitamin B12 injections (1,000 mcg) for childhood asthma. Talk to your doctor; he or she should be happy to try B12 for any child dependent upon asthma drugs. If not, look for a naturopathic doctor.
Some studies show that vitamin B6 is useful in treating asthma. You can try 50 mg of vitamin B6 twice daily taken with food.
Magnesium and potassium are minerals important for good lung function. As only about 15 percent of children in the United States are believed to get even the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium, researchers have long suspected a link between low intake of these minerals and asthma risk. At USC’s Keck School of Medicine, doctors administered lung function tests to 2,566 children from ages 11 to 19 and gave them detailed questionnaires about their diets. The less magnesium these kids took in, the poorer their lung function turned out to be. Getting processed foods out of kids’ lives and introducing whole foods (the richest sources of magnesium in the diet are whole grains and leafy greens) is likely to promote better lung function, as is the use of a good-quality multivitamin.
A growing body of evidence supports a hormonal link to asthma. Women are four times as likely to have an asthma attack when they are premenstrual, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that uses estrogens can aggravate asthma. Many women with asthma find that their symptoms improve while they are pregnant, when progesterone levels rise dramatically, and that asthma returns with a vengeance postpartum. The hormonal culprit is most likely what Dr. John Lee has termed “estrogen dominance,” meaning even though estrogen levels may be low premenstrually, there is little or no progesterone in the body to balance or oppose it, causing symptoms of estrogen excess. It is very common for premenstrual asthma to clear up with the use of natural progesterone cream. (The synthetic progestins are apt to aggravate asthma.) See Chapter 19 for details on using natural progesterone.
Another intriguing theory appears in the book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. (Global Health Solutions, 1995). Dr. Batmanghelidj’s theory is based on the fact that part of the physical response the body has prior to and during an asthma attack is the release of histamines, which cause inflammation. Histamine plays an important role in the regulation of water distribution in the body. He explains that when concentrated blood (a direct consequence of dehydration) enters the lungs, the body’s response is to release histamines, which causes constriction of the airways in the lungs, thus reducing the need for water. Batmanghelidj also believes that long-term dehydration can cause an up-regulating of the immune system, causing it to overreact to allergens.
This theory makes a lot of sense. If you feel an asthma attack coming on, you can try drinking one or two glasses of water and see if that helps.
The Emotional Stress Factor in Asthma
Asthma has a very clear and definite link to chronic emotional stress. Hostility and anxiety both can directly impact lung function. In 2007, the journal Health Psychology published a study on 5,115 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study group. These young adults, aged 18 to 30, had their hostility levels measured with a standard psychological test. The more hostile the subjects were, the more likely they were to perform poorly on tests of lung function. This relationship was independent of smoking status, age, asthma diagnosis, and socioeconomic status.
Asthma inhalers using cortisone-like steroids and epinephrine are among the most effective ways to prevent and control asthma attacks. This fact should give us a major clue that asthma can be aggravated by adrenal glands that are tired and depleted because they are working overtime due to chronic stress. The adrenals are trying to produce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline (which is related to epinephrine). If your body’s best natural defense against an asthma attack is to pump out some adrenal hormones, and it is unable to do so because the adrenal glands are depleted, the inhaler is the next best thing as a temporary stopgap measure. But to the extent that this is a problem in a child or adult, a serious depletion is present and needs to be addressed.
What Sets Off an Asthma Attack
Once a person is predisposed to have asthma, a variety of factors can set it off. Here is a list of the best-known culprits:
Airborne allergens such as pollen
Animal dander
Carbon dioxide released by cooking or heating with gas
Drugs such as aspirin and beta-blockers
Emotional stress
Exercise
Food additives such as food dyes (especially yellow dye no. 5)
Preservatives such as sulfites and benzoates
Flavorings such as salicylates, aspartame, and MSG (often disguised as “natural flavors” and hydrolyzed vegetable protein)
Stabilizers and emulsifiers such as carrageenan and vegetable gums
Food allergies (most commonly eggs, wheat, citrus)
Fresh paint
Room deodorizers and household cleaners
Strong odors from cooking
Tobacco smoke
If you are suffering from asthma that’s serious enough to compromise everyday life, your best bet is to combine some type of counseling with avoiding environmental triggers and making lifestyle changes such as managing stress and good nutrition. Tackling any one of those three causes (emotional, environmental, lifestyle) will help, but it usually takes working on all three to truly solve the problem.
Nutritional Prescription for Allergies and Asthma
1. Avoid processed foods such as chips, cakes, cookies, puddings, cheeses, canned foods, and frozen foods that contain additives, preservatives, dyes, or flavor enhancers such as MSG and hydrolyzed protein.
2. Avoid excessive sugar and refined white flour.
3. Avoid overdoing caffeine, which puts stress on the adrenal glands. Limit intake to one 8-ounce cup of coffee per day. If you can give it up all together, or switch to tea, all the better.
4. To treat asthma, you can try taking some or all of the following supplements, in addition to what is recommended in the Six Core Principles for Optimal Health:
• Quercetin, 500 mg daily and up to twice daily.
• Vitamin C, 1,000 to 4,000 mg, three to four times a day (has antihistamine-like activity and supports the adrenal glands).
• Vitamin A (preformed, not as beta-carotene), up to 50,000 IU a day in divided doses for up to two weeks to help heal mucous membranes and resist infection (do not take over 10,000 IU daily if you are pregnant or if you could become pregnant).
• Vitamin B6, 50 to 100 mg three times a day.
• One of the following forms of magnesium: malate, citrate, gluconate, or glycinate, 200 to 300 mg three times a day.
• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), 500 mg two to three times a day.
• Licorice root tincture to support the adrenal glands (follow directions on the container). The glycyrrhizin in the whole plant tincture is removed in deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), which we recommended for ulcer and other digestive problems, but it’s this substance that helps fortify adrenal function. Don’t use for more than three weeks if you have high blood pressure, and keep in mind that licorice that has not had its glycyrrhizin removed can interact dangerously with several drugs. Diuretics, especially those that don’t spare potassium, and digoxin (Lanoxin) can both lead to irregular heartbeats, cardiac arrest, and dangerously high blood pressure when combined with nonglycyrrhizinated licorice extract.
• St. John’s wort (Hypericum) to help control anxiety, 300 mg three times daily.
• Ginkgo biloba in a standardized extract, 60 mg one to three times daily.
Preventing and Treating Colds and Flus Naturally
We have been led to believe that we “catch” more colds in the winter because of the colder weather. But the common cold was unknown to the Eskimos before the white man went to the Arctic, bringing his refined white flour, sugar, and alcohol with him. And why do some people regularly get colds and flus while others seem immune? Maybe it has something to do with lifestyle. Bacteria and viruses are everywhere, all of the time, and those who have poor resistance because of their lifestyle choices are the ones most likely to end up sickened by them. As Louis Pasteur, the father of the germ theory, said on his deathbed: “The germ is nothing; the terrain is everything.”
Busy Americans think they don’t have time for a cold or a flu. They stock up on cold and flu drugs that control symptoms. Once they’ve managed to mask those symptoms, they consider themselves to be well again, and they go on with their lives. Truth be told, what these people are doing is not healing but suppressing symptoms. Symptom suppression bypasses the immune response to illness, essentially robbing the immune system of the opportunity to push the body through the natural healing process. Fever, the production and expulsion of mucus, cough, and fatigue are all considered nagging symptoms to be banished, but they are also natural and beneficial healing effects orchestrated by the immune system. When they are allowed to run their course as much as possible, the body is cleansed, rejuvenated, and better educated for the next bug that comes around.
To allow this process to happen, dress warmly and rest as soon as you begin to experience any symptoms. Warmth is important when you’re fighting a flu or cold, because warmth accelerates the action of the immune system. If you have a fever, consider it a blessing; this is the body’s way of “cooking out” the bug that has infected it. The same goes for children. Too many parents panic and pull out the Tylenol as soon as their kids’ temperature hits 100, and this is counterproductive to a child’s healing process. Don’t suppress coughs or the flow of mucus with drugs—this will prevent you from expelling toxic material from your body. Rest and recuperate for as long as you need to. It will be well worth the extra couple of days away from work or school. That being said, never let a persistently high fever or cough get out of control. See a doctor if necessary.
When the weather turns cold, we tend to overheat our homes, creating dry, low-humidity air. Microorganisms (germs) multiply faster in your nasal passages when the humidity is low. (Didn’t we just say in the section on allergy that it’s good when the air-conditioning is on because it dries things out? Right—but microorganisms don’t cause allergies. Drying out nasal passages reduces natural mucus production so the nose can’t get rid of those bad bugs as quickly.) When the heat goes on, a humidifier should go on with it.
When you feel cold or flu symptoms, act immediately. Even a few hours can make a big difference. Get to bed early, stay warm, avoid junk food, and drink plenty of clean water and hot herbal or green tea. Too much sugar will depress your immune system, making you more susceptible to opportunistic germs.
Colds and flus are passed on from one person to another more through shaking hands than any other cause. This is a good reason to keep your hands away from your face and to wash your hands before you eat, just like your mother told you! When the Japanese have a cold or flu, they would never think of going out into a crowd without first donning a surgical mask over nose and mouth.
Another major factor that contributes to cold and flu season is the holidays. Not only do family gatherings and travel stress us out, but also we tend to overeat more during the holidays and consume more alcohol and sweets that suppress the immune system.
The number one, all-time, and most effective medicine for colds and flus is an ounce of prevention: a nutritious diet, plenty of clean water, exercise, enough sleep, and relaxed time spent with loved ones. However, since these simple guidelines are easier described than adhered to, here are some natural helpers for fending off and alleviating colds and flus. One of the most important keys to warding off a cold or flu is to start treating it early, at the first signs. If you wait until you have full-blown symptoms and feel miserable, the medicines only alleviate the symptoms somewhat.
Cold/Flu Kit for Kids
Sick kids aren’t about to swallow some yucky-tasting medicine, and with their sensitive taste buds, it’s easy to get a “Yuck.” Fortunately, kids find most of the cold and flu essentials easy to tolerate. The Oscillococcinum tastes like sugar—no problem. Most kids like zinc lozenges, especially when they’re coming down with a cold, and chewable vitamin Cs are easy to find. They’ll probably hate the throat spray—it does pack a punch—but it’s worth a try. A spoonful of dark, rich, sweet honey is good for soothing a cough in children over 1 year of age.
Echinacea
Taken at the first sign of a cold or flu, echinacea can help boost the immune system. Many herbalists like to combine echinacea with gold-enseal and astragalus. If you feel worse after taking these herbs or any others, stop taking them, as you may be allergic to them.
Hyssop
This ancient herb has been used for at least two millennia to treat sore throats, chest colds, and laryngitis. In the 1800s, herbalist Nicholas Culpeper prescribed hyssop for ear infections and “all griefs of the chest and lungs.” It’s an excellent aid for getting tough mucus moving up and out of the body. You can make a hyssop tea by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb to a cup of boiling water and allowing it to steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink a cup of this infusion up to three times a day. Children should take a smaller dose: ½ cup of infusion three times daily for kids ages 6 to 12 and ¼ cup for kids ages 2 to 6. Children younger than 2 can take 1 or 2 tablespoons three times a day.
Never take essential oil of hyssop internally; instead, use it for steaming out coughs, flu, bronchitis, and asthma. Put two drops of hyssop oil and one drop of peppermint oil in a small pot of water. Heat until steaming, turn off the heat, drape a towel over your head, and gently inhale the steam (be careful not to get too close to the steam). Ten drops of hyssop added to 1⅓ tablespoons of almond or sunflower oil make a soothing chest rub.
Here’s a new take on the old “spoonful of sugar” scenario: Researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that 1 tablespoon of buckwheat honey worked better to calm a child’s nighttime cough than dextromethorphan, the active ingredient in many commercial cough medicines. Buckwheat honey was used because its dark color reflects a high content of antioxidants, which are believed to play an important role in honey’s cough-soothing properties. Never under any circumstances give honey to a child under 1 year of age, as it can cause infant botulism.
Chinese Herbs
The Chinese have dozens of tried-and-true herbal remedies called “patent medicines” that they have used for thousands of years. These are just starting to catch on in the United States. They are available at many health food stores and herb s
hops. Two of the most popular Chinese cold prevention remedies are Yin chiao and Ganmaoling. If you’re starting to get a cough or other symptoms in your lungs, try Sangchu tablets. These herbs work very specifically to balance the body and work best if they are taken alone, without any other medication. See the Resources and Recommended Reading section for sources.
Homeopathics
Many people respond well to homeopathic medicines. Coldcalm by Boiron can work well for colds, and many people swear by Oscillococcinum for the flu. Boericke and Tafel makes a cough syrup called B & T Homeopathic Cough and Bronchial Syrup.
Herbal Teas
Quite a few tea mixtures can help with cold and flu symptoms. Chamomile tea works well, and Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime tea contains chamomile and other soothing and relaxing herbs. The same company makes Mama Bear’s Cold Care tea, which is mostly peppermint and licorice and works well for soothing a cough. For respiratory ailments, look for teas containing licorice, fennel, and horehound. For sinus ailments and headaches, look for chamomile, echinacea, goldenseal, and bayberry. Again, if your symptoms get worse, you may be allergic to the herb, so stop taking it.
Ginseng
Studies have shown that 100 mg a day of ginseng extract can significantly cut your chances of catching a cold or flu bug.
Your Natural Remedy Travel Kit
Keep preventive medicine in your desk drawers at work so that if you feel a cold or flu coming on, you don’t have to wait until you get home to treat it. When you travel, always plan ahead by bringing natural remedies for colds and flus, indigestion, insomnia, and tension or stress. It’s especially important to plan ahead during the holiday season, when we often combine extra-stressful travel, cold weather, too many immune-depressing sugary foods, and family tensions. Also remember to drink plenty of clean water and take your multivitamin every day. Here are suggestions for your travel kit: