As Spring is now upon us, and the earth around us budding, and the weather getting warmer, and the rainy month of April soon approaching, things get in the air that eventually end up in our airways. For most of us this is not an issue. But if we have reactive airways, meaning our airways are more sensitive to the environment, well, we might end up with Allergy flares, runny nose, itchy eyes, cough, wheezing, Sinusitis, bronchitis and let’s not forget Asthma.
This stack will focus more on Asthma.
Warning- This is a long one with plenty of links in case you want to dive a bit deeper.
Asthma- aka reactive airways disease affecting your lungs and bronchi. What does this mean in simpler words? It’s when your airways, in the case of Asthma, react adversely to some irritant you most likely inhaled or even got into your body thru food or skin.
I actually believe Asthma and Chronic Sinusitis are very similar in terms of what causes them, just different areas of the body are involved.
Today I will not be going into specific treatments for Asthma but moreso some potential causes. If you learn the causes and avoid them, then you have a greatly reduced chance of Asthma.
Antibiotic treatment increases the severity of Asthma in mice.
When young mice are given antibiotics, it changes the normal healthy bacteria or flora in their gut. The flora generally work with the immune system to keep diseases from occurring or progressing.
Take home point (THP): antibiotics can have some not so great side effects. Use them wisely.
Cleaning products linked to adult asthma.
Fine inhaled particles get into the lungs and can cause inflammatory changes. Top of the list were farmers, followed by aircraft mechanics and typesetters. General cleaners, office cleaners, domestic helpers and care workers all featured on the list. So too did hairdressers and laundry workers. Experts say a person's working environment is to blame rather than their occupation per se.
Take home point (THP): Be careful what you breathe in.
Children exposed to two phthalates have elevated risk of asthma-related airway inflammation.
Children exposed to diethyl phthalate and butylbenzyl phthalate -- phthalate chemicals commonly found in personal care and plastic products -- have elevated risk of asthma-related airway inflammation, according to researchers
Take home point (THP): What you put on your skin can cause ill health.
Evidence Mounts Linking Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Asthma - NYTimes.com
Warning - Link behind a paywall. Thanks NY Times.
Not exactly well done studies, but enough to consider that asthmatics decrease their use of Tylenol (acetaminophen).
Take home point (THP): The media likes paywalls, but if you don’t pay you might avoid their nudging propaganda.
Exposure to common toxic substances could increase asthma symptoms
More on chemicals and asthma. More chemicals in urban environments and there is more asthma. Think there is a link??
Take home point (THP): Hmmm, do ya think maybe all these chemicals just might be a problem??
A higher fat, lower fiber diet was correlated with worse asthma.
Take home point (THP): Higher fat diets implicated, but they did not differentiate between different types of fat. I wonder if Omega-3 anti-inflammatory vs Omega-6 inflammatory fats would make a difference. I would bet they do.
Take home point (THP): Another real surprise ?? Fast foods whether due to processed chemicals or industrial fats used in cooking can increase inflammatory disorders.
Gastric Bacterium Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) Protects Against Asthma
The traditional healthcare system has been waging a war on H. Pylori since it has been discovered. But perhaps what they do not realize is that:
Take home point (THP): many of the bacteria in our bodies work with us to prevent disease. This time H. Pylori helps protect against asthma.
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked With Airway Changes in Children With Severe Asthma
Take home point (THP): Lower Vitamin D levels increase risk of asthma severity in children.
Another study showing natural Omega 3 fats in the diet are important to decrease Asthma. The study also suggested that higher Saturated Fat in the diet also DECREASES Asthma.
Take home point (THP): There is a big difference between inflammatory and non-inflammatory fats. If you were taught that fat is bad for you and that Saturated fats are even worse, I suggest you remove those programming, propaganda, thoughts from your head as it is not true. Also please do NOT go searching for foods high in alpha linoleic acid. Most searches link to plant only based sources and are prejudiced against natural non-plant based sources. One I saw showed how chocolate cake was healthier than a burger without the bun because the cake had more alpha linoleic acid.
Sometimes I just shake my head #SMH
Meat has so many needed and healthy proteins and amino acids, not to forget vitamins and minerals.
How Stress Influences Disease: Study Reveals Inflammation as the Culprit
Take home point (THP): Stress screws with cortisol function so inflammation is not decreased. Chronic stress worsens most things, and Asthma is definitely one of them.
Take home point (THP): More dietary fat decreased risk while the lower dietary fat varieties increased risk. I guess fat isn't so bad now, is it?
Lower Levels of Sunlight Exposure Link to Allergy and Eczema in Children, Study Suggests
Take home point (THP): Increased exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk of both food allergies and eczema in children, according to a new scientific study
Not that unexpected.
Take home point (THP): Soda and its high sugar content most likely increases generalized and airway inflammation enough to increase risks of Asthma.
Pre-Pregnancy Overweight May Program Teen Asthma Symptoms
Now they are blaming pregnant mothers for their childrens Asthma a decade or more later.
Take home point (THP): Being overweight is an inflammatory condition. Asthma is an inflammatory condition. Do you see it now????
Take home point (THP): A ketogenic diet is Anti-inflammatory.
The Food and Drug Administration estimates that one out of a hundred people is sulfite-sensitive, and five percent of those also suffer from asthma.
Here is a good read on Sulfites in foods.
Take home point (THP): Avoid sulfites. See, that’s pretty simple advice.
Dysbiosis in the Gut and the Lung can worsen Asthma
Take home point (THP): I bet you didn’t know there is a biome in the Lung as well as the Gut. FYI- there are different biomes throughout our body. When we learn to keep them in balance we are much healthier. Antibiotics often mess with this balance so choose wisely whether you truly need an antibiotic.
Well I am getting tired of typing so I think I will stop now. There were actually more studies to cite but I hope you get the main gist.
Asthma is a reactive airways inflammatory condition made worse from most environmental substances that increase inflammation. So look around you and try to stay as natural as possible and avoid chemicals and highly processed foods.
You can prevent Asthma if you better understand how not to antagonize it.
But you may be able to replace the word ‘Asthma” with other names of health issues and improve those issues as well. Words like Sinusitis, IBS, Eczema, Migraines, etc, etc, etc.
As always, comments and questions encouraged.
"The media likes paywalls, but if you don’t pay you might avoid their nudging propaganda."
No need to pay to comb through media propaganda for information. Library cards are $0 and typically come with online access to medical databases of full-texts. Don't need self-appointed 'authorities' and 'experts' gatekeeping and translating for us peasants