Asthma NZ by Jane Cronin

Asthma NZ: What can be done to manage asthma?

As we all know New Zealand has one of the highest asthma rates in the world, affecting around 20% of New Zealanders, and the exact cause is not fully understood. 

Asthma is a disease of the airways (bronchial tubes) that carry air to the lungs and carbon dioxide out.  In its simplest terms an asthma attack occurs when a trigger causes the bronchial tubes go into spasm, constrict, become inflamed and thick mucus is produced.  This makes it hard to breath and symptoms include wheezing, breathlessness, tight chest and a persistent cough. There are many known triggers such as food allergy, fumes, sudden temperature change, exercise, air born allergens (e.g. pollen or pet hair), colds and flu. 

So back to the original question is there anything that can be done to manage asthma?

Food allergies/intolerances – These have been implicated as they cause inflammation in the body and cause it to overact. They may also manifest as eczema and hay fever.  There are different sorts of tests to identifying foods or environmental allergens.  Once they are known they can be excluded or kept to a minimum in the diet, depending on the severity of allergy.

Vitamin C - As the body tries to clear itself of mucous, it can be helpful to have additional support (beyond our own natural immune response) to help clear the airways and sooth the throat. If you experience regular breathing difficulties you may have lower levels of vitamin c in your lungs. Studies have sown that Vitamin C is rapidly depleted when fighting winter threats, and as it is a water soluble vitamin it is not absorbed in the body, so it needs to be ingested.

Dairy products – These foods increase mucous so should be kept to a minimum or avoided especially if there is a history of ear, nose and throat infections.

Keep you digestive system in top condition – The digestive system houses 70% of the immune system and has a strong affect on respiratory health and illness prevention.  Also steroidal drugs used for treating asthma can damage digestion.  Therefore think about probiotics and eliminate allergic foods.

Quercetin – This is a flavonoid, a substance found in fruit, often used in supplements.  It is good for stabilising the immune cells so they don’t release histamines that cause inflammation.

MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) – This is a sulphur based substance that has anti-inflammatory effects.  It is mostly known for helping with joint health and joint conditions; however it is also useful for the management of allergy triggered asthma.

Omega 3 – has anti-inflammatory affects and are very beneficial  for people with allergies and respiratory issues.

Magnesium – This mineral has muscle relaxing effects, which is shown to help the respiratory system.

Coffee – Caffeine has been shown to dilate the bronchial tubes and can help with mild symptoms.

Exercise – Regular exercise is beneficial to asthma, although care has to be taken as some asthma is induced by exercise.  Yoga in particular has been shown to be very beneficial for asthma. 

Buteyko Breathing technique – centres round mouth breathing and hyperventilation as a cause of asthma.  There are centres in the Auckland area that teach this technique and according to The Natural Standards Database there is good evidence for its use.

Keeping well – Asthmatics are more susceptible when they contract colds and flu.  To prevent illness work on digestive health

If you have a topic you would like our Naturopaths to address email Jane Cronin or Shane Mason at apple@nhlab.co.nz