Asthma - Symptoms, Causes and Diet

Asthma is a commonly known respiratory disorder.



The term “Asthma” originates from the Greek word meaning "panting or short-drawn breath". Asthma is a disease that effects the bronchial tubes as a direct result of allergies. The phenomena of breathlessness and gasping for breath are highly associated with asthmatic patients. This is so because asthmatic patients have more difficulty in breathing out than breathing in and it is caused by a spasm of the smaller air passage in the lung. The effect is to blow the lungs up because the patient cannot drive the air properly out of the lungs before he has to take another breath. The air being pushed through the narrowed bronchi produces the wheezing sound identified with asthmatic patients.

The narrowing of the air passages in the lungs are due to different combinations of:
(a) contraction of muscles around the air passages
(b) swelling of the airway lining due to airway inflammation
(c) excessive mucus in the airways

Asthma changes progressively during the lifetime and can be treated and more importantly, it is also reversible over a period of time.

Symptoms of Asthma:

1. Wheezing and shortness of breath, the person may also turn bluish in color, feel weakness, have a rapid pulse, nausea and chest pain.

2. Coughing, tightness in the chest, profuse sweating and vomiting are common symptoms associated with Asthma.

3. Severe coughing may result in abdominal pains.

The emergence of asthma can be abrupt or gradual. A series of coughs could lead to sudden asthma whereas incase of respiratory disorders or infections the occurrence of breathlessness is gradual in nature.



The impact of a severe attack of asthma could increase the heartbeat and a patient tends to feel restless and exhausted.

Causes of Asthma:

A variety of factors lead to the respiratory disorder.

The key causes of asthma can be categorized in to 4 main types to understand the occurrence of this disorder better:

1. Allergies:

Allergy may be caused by either external environment or by a person’s food intake and consumption pattern:

a. External Elements include:

Weather conditions, drugs, perfumes ,hair spray, spray deodorants and other irritants, which vary with different individuals. Allergies to dust are the most common. Some persons are sensitive to the various forms of dust like cotton dust, wheat dust and paper dust, certain types of pollens, animal hair, fungi and insects.

b. Food Intake:

Foods, which generally cause allergic reactions, include wheat, eggs, milk, chocolates, beans, potato and beef. Additives and preservatives in certain foods such as wine, salad dressings, beer, dehydrated soups.

2. Psychological:

Asthma could also occur as a result of psychic factors. According to some studies about 25 per cent of the young asthmatics have in common a "deeper-seated emotional insecurity and an intense need for parental love and specific protection".

3. Hereditary:

Genetics and Heredity also plays an important role, and it has been estimated that when both parents have asthma or hay fever, in more than 75 per cent cases, the offspring also have allergic reactions.

4. Malnutrition:

Asthma has also been attributed to malnutrition. According to the late Dr. Royal Lee, a nutrition expert, malnutrition in general, with adrenal insufficiency, hypoglycemia and intolerance for carbohydrates are the factors leading to asthma in adults. Dr. Carl J. Reich of Canada also considers asthma as a maladaptive state of the body due to deficiency of certain nutritional elements.

Diet for Asthma:

Allopathic remedies have not been able to find a cure for Asthma. Though there are drugs and vaccines available in the market they are limited in their prowess and can only relieve the sufferer of the symptoms not the key cause. Asthmatic patients also turn to these drugs and vaccines for temporary relief and dependence on these drugs make the consumption a habit and the dosage needs with continuous usage has to be increased from time to time to get the same amount of relief. Therefore, these drugs help asthmatic patients take the easy route to relieving the symptoms but they are a far cry from easing the sufferers from the disease forever.

Here, we need to understand the key causes, work and uproot the causes of asthma to eliminate the disorder.

Caring Asthma :

1. Know and understand that allergy - which is the immediate cause of asthma - itself is an indication of low resistance and disorders that abound internally within our system caused by food habits and a leading a faulty lifestyle.

2. The cure, therefore, lies in – Detoxification and elimination of toxins from the body by stimulating the functioning of slack excretory organs and appropriate diet patterns to eliminate toxic and waste matter and reconstruct the body.

Lets get to the detoxifying and appropriate diet pattern first as a first step towards caring for the body and putting up a fight against asthma:

1. Eliminating Toxins in 3 easy steps:

a. A fast for three to five days on lemon juice with honey and cleansing the bowels daily with a warm water enema.

b. After the fast the have an all fruit diet for a further five to seven days to nourish the system and eliminate the toxins.

c. After the all fruit diet, foods may be gradually added to the diet.

Later, short fasts and periods on all-fruit diet may be required in certain cases at intervals of two or three months depending upon the progress being made.

2.Food Intake:

a. A vegetarian diet is considered best for asthma.

b. The food intake must comprise of limited quantity of carbohydrates, fats and proteins which are acid-forming foods, and a liberal quantity of alkaline foods consisting of fresh fruits green vegetables and sprouted seeds and grains.

After eliminating toxins and knowing which foods are good for the system it is important to build a diet pattern including food that are do-good and clearly avoiding foods that will create a unfavorable impact to the system.

Here, we list an easy to follow diet pattern and some foods that you need to turn a blind eye to:

3.Appropriate Diet Pattern:

a. Breakfast:

The breakfast may consist of fresh fruits with prunes or other dried fruit.

b. Lunch:

Steamed vegetables with whole wheat bread or wheat tortilla.

c. Dinner:

Dinner may consist of a large salad of raw vegetables such as cucumber, lettuce, tomato, carrot and beets' with cottage cheese, prunes or other dried fruit. The last meal should preferably be taken before sunset or at least two hours before going to bed.

4.Foods that must be avoided:

a. Why should certain foods be avoided?? : Some foods such as rice, sugar, lentils and yoghurt cause phlegm that may aggravate the incidence of asthma.

b. Avoid strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, condiments, pickles, sauces and all refined and processed foods.

c. Initially, milk and milk products should also be totally avoided but after noticeable recovery a small quantity of milk may be added in the diet.

Prevention and care of Asthma:

Consumption:

Asthmatics should always eat less than their capacity. They should eat slowly chewing their food properly. They should drink eight to ten glasses of water every day but should avoid taking water with meals. Asthma particularly when the attack is severe tends to destroy the appetite.

Honey has a cure:

Honey is considered to be highly beneficial in the treatment of asthma. It is said that if a jug of honey is held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes into contact with the honey, he starts breathing easier and deeper. The effect lasts for about an hour or so. This is because honey contains a mixture of 'higher' alcohols and ethereal oils and the vapors given off by them are soothing and beneficial to the asthma patients.

Vitamin B as a relieving agent:

A recently completed study has shown that a vitamin B, deficiency contributed to an asthmatic condition and the intake of even 50 milligrams of this vitamin twice a day can relieve the wheezing and other symptoms.
External elements can help: The patient should also follow the other laws of nature. Air, sun and water are great healing agents.

Prevent and care for asthma by regular fasting once a week, an occasional enema, breathing exercises, fresh air, dry climate, light exercises and a correct posture will definitely help go a long way in treating the disease.