Many doctors will agree that the best treatment for asthma will be to identify and then avoid it’s triggers. In some cases-these will be obvious. Some examples will be: ** tobacco smoke, cold air, exercise, ** and ** animal dander**. Seasonal asthma will usually be caused by various pollens, molds, and other of the environmental factors.
In some asthma sufferers, food allergies can be big triggers. This is the case for both my son and I. Because food allergies can vary from one person to another, there will be no handy dandy list that you can go to and find the culprits. In the case of food allergies, it takes a lot of time and good detective work to figure them out. Many times it will entail a great deal of journaling along with many different tests that your doctor will run. After a couple of weeks of this, a good pattern of which foods are causing your problems should begin to emerge.
For some people it is the environmental allergens that are accidentally ingested that are the problem. People who are allergic to ragweed will often times react to pyrethrum, which is a natural pesticide. Also people who are sensitive to molds can react to molds in foods. These common offenders would be: ** cheese, mushrooms. hot-dogs, ** and **other processed meets**.
Salicylate, which is found in aspirin and is a natural component in many fruits, may also be a big culprit in food allergies. Yellow dye #5 is also a big factor. My son also has this problem and you would be amazed at all the foods that contain this.
There are not any specifically known foods that will help prevent Asthma, but some may help to lessen its complications. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in canola oil and salmon and other cold-water fish have an anti-inflammatory effect and may be helpful in counter acting bronchial inflammation. Fresh vegetables and fruits filled with Vitamin C can be helpful in preventing bronchitis. Yogerts and whole grains are also helpful for this.
Tea is a great source of theophylline, which is a muscle relaxant that is used to help fight asthma. If you are having a mild asthma attack, it can sometimes be stopped by just drinking a cup of hot tea. *My husband and I use this on our children all of the time.*
Just like everyone else, asthma patients need to maintain a healthy diet. This can sometimes be difficult due to food allergies, but careful planning by a dietitian can help you with this.
Asthma drugs can also create nutritional problems. The long term use of steroids can cause bone loss. This makes it important for this particular person to be supplemented with Vitamin D. Potassium deficiency can be another potential problem. For this you need to just break out you banana’s, citrus fruits, and leafy vegetables.
*****None of these suggestions were meant to replace the advice of your doctor. These are just some tips that I have learned over the past years dealing with my children’s asthma and of course my own.***