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Breathing naturally on a day to day basis is something that many chronic asthmatics like you may dream of. With daily symptoms of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath – breathing is definitely not something that comes easy.

Usually more than one type of asthma medication is needed to help you control these symptoms, and quite often you are probably using them more than once daily.

Though medication works very well at managing your symptoms of asthma as they arise and worsen, but what if you could prevent the severity of your symptoms long term?

Learn about the underlying causes that trigger your asthma to worsen so that you can prevent those terrifying symptoms from occurring so regularly.

What are the triggers of Asthma?

There are many triggers to asthma that you are probably very well aware but in case you aren’t, please have a look at the following common triggers amongst asthmatics.

• Cigarette smoke
• Mould
• Animal dander
• Dust
• Pollen
• Cold drinks
• Air Conditioning
• Diesel fumes

Being a chronic asthmatic, these environmental triggers are most likely second nature to you, so knowing to avoid these triggers the best you can is probably something that you do not need to hear again.

So what I will talk about instead are the lesser known causative factors and triggers that you may not know about.

Omega 3 Fatty Acid Deficiency

If you do not eat fish at least three to four times a week at least then you be at risk of an Omega 3 fatty acid deficiency which sucks because Omega 3 is great for asthmatics like yourself!

Being deficient in omega 3 means you miss out on the natural anti-inflammatory action that omega 3 fatty acids contain – and you need all of the anti-inflammatory action you can get because asthma is caused from excessive inflammation of the airways.

I know I know, you may not like the taste or smell of fish, or maybe the price of fish doesn’t suit your weekly budget but there are alternative ways to still receive your omega 3.

You could take a fish oil capsule so you don’t have to taste the fish at all – but you must ensure you have a minimum of 3-4 capsules a day for it to be beneficial.

Or if you are vegetarian or vegan you could take a flax seed oil liquid that you can throw in a smoothie or put in a salad dressing at 1 to 2 tablespoons a day or take the capsules!

Food Allergy and Food Sensitivities

Food allergies and sensitivities are commonly linked to the worsening of asthmatic symptoms.

You may have had a skin prick test that indicated you were allergic to a variety of environmental allergens, but failed to show any allergy to food.

Skin prick tests only test for immediate allergic reactions which involve IgE antibodies. But in the case of food sensitivity, IgG antibodies are only involved which are not picked up on a skin prick test.

Getting tested by an Allergist that tests for both IgE and IgG antibodies or doing a food challenge will help you find out exactly what you could be reacting to so that you can avoid exposure to these food sensitivities that may trigger a worsening of your asthma or initiate asthma attacks.

Food sensitivities worsen asthma as it induces inflammation and excess mucous production reducing the passage of air as well as inducing bronchospasm.

Cow’s milk, sodium benzoate (preservative), sulphur dioxide (preservative commonly found in dried fruit) in particular are very common food sensitivities amongst asthmatics that you may want to consider in chronic asthma.

Low Stomach Acid

Low stomach acid is a common problem particularly in asthmatics, where an approximate 80% or children with asthma have low stomach acid.

Low stomach acid is often initiated by a cow’s milk allergy, which results in irritation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and digestive system, inhibiting the release of hydrochloric acid into the stomach for proper digestion.

If you have low stomach acid, you will become very prone to nutrient deficiencies and the production of even more food sensitivities that can worsen your asthma.

So the first step is to determine if you have food allergies that may be maintaining low stomach acid from child hood, and secondly rule out if you have low stomach acid or not.

To learn more about the symptoms to low stomach acid and what you can do to improve digestion, please read my article on Food Sensitivity – What Causes it and How to Treat it Part Two and Three.

Yes There is More

In Part Two I will discuss the significance of Magnesium deficiency on asthmatic symptoms as well as some further handy tips you could incorporate into your daily lifestyle.

References

1. Roberts, G and Lack, G. Food Allergy and Asthma – What is the Link? Paediatric Respiratory Reviews Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 205-212 (September 2003).

2. Nguyen Myngoc T. Effect of Cow Milk on Pulmonary Function in Atopic Asthmatic Patients. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 1997; 79(1): 62-64

3. Noah J. Friedman, Robert S. Zeiger . The role of breast-feeding in the development of allergies and asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – June 2005 (Vol. 115, Issue 6, Pages 1238-1248

4. Jen – Yuan Hsu, Han Chung Lien, Chi Sen Chang and Gran Hum Chen. Abnormal acid reflux in asthmatic patients in a region with low GERD prevalence. Journal of Gastroenterology, Volume 40, Number 1 / January, 2005

5. Okamoto M et al. Effects of dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids compared with n-bronchial asthma. Intern Med. 2000 Feb;39(2):107 – 111

6. Schubert, R et al. Effect of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Asthma after Low-Dose Allergen Challenge. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2009;148:321-329

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About Chloe Orford

Chloe Orford is the co-founder of Live Allergy Free - A website that gives you helpful tips, guides and awareness on how best to relieve your allergies. Having treated myself and many others of food and environmental allergies...read more.

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