Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi guys, I compiled your helpful responses to my asthma pt. inquiry for future reference, and added some of my own theory. Thanks to all who weighed in. Caution: Biblical reference included. Dear Luci, Enclosed are the replies regarding asthma from my doctor group. It is extremely valuable to hear from people who are seeing real patients over time and are forced to suffer when patients don't respond. It makes us try harder to find real answers. If you want me to develop a protocol and course of action for you, let me know. I don't want to spend a lot of time organizing something if you have a medical doctor or established plan to go on. Nothing personal but doctors themselves are the worst patients because they won't follow one course of action and are constantly getting a 3rd 4th and 10th opinion. There is documented value in the very act of following a protocol with faith that it will work. (Timeless Healing- Herbert Benson, M.D.) I liken it to hockey teams who are going through a losing streak. They usually say, " We have a system, and we are playing according to it, and we have to have faith in it. " Here is the bottom line: Asthma is no more a primary illness than anger is a primary sin. Anger comes from hurt or powerlessness which comes from lack-o-faith, which comes from separation from God, which comes from beer. (I may have left out a few steps.) Asthma is a severe reaction by the body to antigens. The medical route is to assume you are stuck with asthma and to apply drugs to the symptoms. Steroids to interrupt the inflammation of the respiratory tissues, bronchiodilators to relax the smooth muscle spasms of the bronchioles, um, more steroids...etc. A good analogy of the continuum of asthma is diabetes. Many people are very sensitive to blood sugar changes (i.e. ADHD kids). This is a range on the continuum called hypoglycemia. It is an arbitrary designation but doctors have to have language to discuss things or they get verklempt; another arbitrary designation. When does someone go from just emotional to verklempt? Is there a list of designators? The patient was a 8 of 10 on the Epstein Anxiousness Scale, in real danger of going into a full blown attack of verklemptsia. Other people are not so sensitive to blood sugar changes but their body does not manage in influx of sugar well due to poor insulin production or poor insulin receptor sites. Of larger concern is what this does to one's life and if unmanaged, what it can descend into. OK back to asthma: SYMPATHETIC OVERLOAD (fight or flight causing uproar in the body) Asthma can obviously become a feedback loop where the patient senses breathing difficulties which were terrifying the last time it occurred, which cause a cascade of neural and hormonal responses which can AGGRAVATE the asthma. (A toddler trips and falls, is not hurt but is surprised and hears the mom freak out; " Oh! Oh! Oh! Tommy! Are you all right!!!? " The mom (nervous system) causes the kid to become alarmed about the simple fall and the kid has a 10 minute cry. Later the mom learns to help the kid reframe a misstep and laugh at it (Oopsie! You'll be OK! HAHA) thus saving everyone the hassle of getting the kid through a non-existent crisis. It's hard however, to call upon your parasympathetic system to relax right when your breathing is being cut off causing every alarm in your body to go A-WOOGA! A-WOOGA! A-WOOGA! TRIGGERS: Like migraines, triggers can start the cascade of asthma. Learn the triggers and avoid attacks; unless the triggers are as common as oxygen and water molecules. Ms. Patient, avoid dust. Excuse me doctor but dust mites are unavoidable. Well, dog hair is avoidable. Reactions to hair and dairy and other antigens COMBINE with dust mites to aggravate asthma. The 2 allergy tests (sudden onset and delayed onset) can point to the worst offenders. You can bet dairy and wheat are among the champs. INFLAMMATION: In some people inflammation is a disaster. M.S., rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, all leave damage behind when inflammation occurs. For asthma, preventing inflammation is worth its weight in oxygen. Again, the medical approach is to pour drugs on the fire; sometimes necessary. The natural approach is to prevent the fire. See some of the suggestions below. My N.D. buddy at hockey mentioned that sugar aggravates inflammation. (ND's are always against fun. It's a rule.) CHIROPRACTIC PHILOSOPHY: Your body responds to physical stress and strain by locking joints together in an effort to stabilize the area (as in your husband's neck and upper back last year). It also responds to chemical and emotions a stress and strain by locking joints together. The joints around the mid-upper back correspond to the lungs and heart. We have had tons of infants colic resolve after having their little teeny spines adjusted. Gotta use your fingers and not much force. Adjustments help to normalize the nervous system while good diet, self enhancing emotions, and effective physical habits (how we sit, how much we move) help to keep us healthy so our joints don't respond by locking up. You must eat well, move well (including your spinal joints), think well , at the same time for a period of time to return to homeostasis. YOUR THOUGHTS CAN MAKE YOU SICK OR KEEP YOU WELL: Worry all the time; get sick. Resent everyone; get sick, have no friends, become an administrator. Get angry all the time; have no friends, have a successful talk radio show. Be cheerful, uplifting, positive; have many friends, kids invite you over; life is better. (God gives thinking instructions for health and well being: " Finally, brethren [and sisteren], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me‹put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. " Philippians 4:8) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here are my colleague's comments. Read them with a grain of salt as each opinion needs to be weighed against specific situations. Seriously though, these docs are the cream of the crop. They care deeply for people and take time to help other docs out who ask for opinions. I have redacted their last names as we don't forward emails without permission. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hi , You should check out Dr. Buteyko's work with asthma. http://www.buteykoairways.com/index.html This link is a pretty good place to start. Dr. Buteyko basically saw asthma not as a disease process, but a predictable physiological response to over-breathing, or hyperventilation. We essentially exhale too much CO2, and by training in more conscious use of carbon dioxide, we can reverse the asthmatic response. Check it out. Here's another juicy link in this regard: http://mind-n-magick.com/search/offsite.php?http://members.westnet.com.au/p kolb/buteyko.htm NW PDX ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear , Often people with asthma were overprotected as children and may continue that dynamic with themselves in adulthood. Also often the cranium needs to be adjusted. Hope this helps. Janet Ashland, OR [Luci, this does not imply that you are a big baby and you need your head examined.] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear , About your friend with the asthma this is a long post, but there's a lot to say-- I find most people with chronic conditions have more than one factor Contributing otherwise, yes, either they, or their innate, or the medics would have figured it out and fixed it by now. There's a great book by a chiropractor called " The Stress Factor " that talks about all the things that contribute to physiologic stress that can overload the adrenals, so the body can't handle its own inflammation level. I use Dr. Brimhall's protocol as a basis (www.brimhallwellness.com)-—he's an old fashioned upper cervical guy who found he couldn't get everyone well with adjusting and just kept asking questions and finding what worked now his model is that 6 main factors can contribute and each need to be evaluated and addressed— Here are the 6 factors, along with my comments and a smattering of quotes from various authors about research that backs it up: 1—Structural—you know this one, but include the connective tissue too— diaphragm, etc. 2—Nutritional—Yes, most of us are deficient by virtue of poor soil, poor food choices, toxicity, and illness. " Nutrient levels in fruits, vegetables and some food crops have dramatically declined in the past 50 years, something that could further push consumers to opting for more nutritious organic goods. The primary reason for the decline in nutrient content and quality of several foods is the way the food is grown, processed and prepared, according to , a biochemist at the University of Texas. Recent studies of vegetables, fruits and wheat have revealed a 5 to 35 percent decline in concentrations of some vitamins, minerals and protein over the last half-century, a phenomenon that has come to be known as `the dilution effect.' " ******* " The NHANES survey profiles what Americans are eating (based on about 9,000 people) compared to the Institute of Medicine's Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Based on their results, many Americans could use to up their intakes of the following seven nutrients. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects your cells from damaging free radicals, may protect against cancer and Alzheimer's disease, helps your cells to communicate effectively and helps to boost your immune system. However, up to 93 percent of Americans are not getting enough. Over 30 percent of Americans are not getting enough vitamin C, which is crucial for boosting your immune system, helping wounds heal, protecting against cancer and fighting against free radical damage. About 56 percent of Americans are lacking in magnesium, a nutrient that is essential to build and strengthen your bones, keep your blood circulating smoothly, support your heart health and help your nerves and muscles to relax. [And magnesium is essential for smooth muscle relaxation can be used IV to stop asthma attacks R.] Vitamin A helps to preserve and improve your eyesight, promotes healthy skin and boosts your immune function, but about 44 percent of Americans aren't getting enough. " [And vit A is essential to help heal mucous membrane inflammation/infection—including lungs--R.] All the above quotes don't take into account biochemical individuality, malabsorption, etc. There's a book out by a medical doctor who cured himself of asthma by cutting out all carbs and eating just meat and salads. Ellen Cutler DC (who has written a number of books) talks about how 80% of the people with inhalant allergies have an inability to properly digest simple and complex carbs—and this gums up the works. 3. Mental and emotional stress—Can definitely cause increased inflammation, etc. Or sometimes the symptom or disease is like the body holding a bookmark for a trauma that hasnt been fully processed yet. Read about the amazing results just from treating the emotions with EFT (www.emofree.com) or HBLU (www.hblu.org). 4. Allergies and sensitivities—identifying and avoiding or resetting the body can help an enormous amount. Think NAET or Ellen Cutler's BioSET. 5. Toxicity— " Using cleaning sprays and air fresheners at least once a week can increase your risk of asthma by 30-50 percent, according to European researchers. The team analyzed data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, which included information about 22 centers in 10 countries, along with interviews some nine years later. They found that people who used cleaning sprays at least weekly had a 50 percent increase in asthma symptoms, wheeze and medication use. Meanwhile, people who used the sprays at least four days a week were twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma. " ***** " In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a report with this startling finding: more than 90% of the U.S. population carries a mixture of pesticides in their bodies. " ***** " the Environmental Protection Agency says that indoor air can be two to five times (and even up to 100 times) more polluted than outdoor air. " ***** " In one [study of the body burden of chemicals in United States residents], researchers found at an average of 91 " industrial compounds, pollutants and chemicals " in the blood and urine of nine volunteers and a total of 167 chemicals in the group. According to the research, conducted by Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York with the Environmental Working Group, " 76 cause cancer in humans or animals, 94 are toxic to the brain or nervous system, and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal development. " None of the people tested worked with chemicals or lived near an industrial facility. " etc. on toxicity-- 6. Electromagnetic stress—Including sensitivity to EMFs and using acupuncture. So, I think, yes, there's a lot to do to help. Sometimes a lot of help is needed, sometimes just a few things will tip the balance. I think adjusting always needs to be part of the mix. Meanwhile, the medical drugs can be lifesavers, even if they do cause their own problems. Basically, they're just regulating the body from the outside perhaps eventually her body will be able to self- regulate again. Good luck, Robin Aurora, Oregon ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Hi , > > As I work with asthma - there is SOOOO much of it around these days - I > observe the connection between dyspnea and calcium needs. Powdered calcium, > taken with each episode of distress, will temper that distress within the > minute. As a person treats in this manner of response, the occurrence = and > severity - of episodes begins to downtrend. Remember, when a person needs one > nutrient, that nutrient needs all of its compadres in order to be properly > used... meaning get her on the liquid minerals as well. Along with that, she > needs to bring up her vit C and vit D needs. > > Dairy is a major component of asthma, both contributory and stimulatory. > 'Rattly lungs' can be symptomatic of the mucus production of casein > consumption. When a person goes without diary for 2 - 5 days, their body will > begin to discharge the residual mucus. If noticed in the lungs, it is called > pneumonia, treated with antibiotics, rest and 'good food' meaning lots of milk > ... hence downtrend of mucus purge. So, changing from cow-sourced > liquid-sourced foods to liuqid plant foods can make a Huge difference in the > occurrence and severity of acute episodes . One or two months of liquid aloe > (1 ounce/day) for 30 - 60 days after than change will further the cellular > mucoid cleanse. > My 2 cents in this New Year. > Sunny > Eugene, ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ , Btw, I totally agree with Sunny re dairy and asthma. If the patient has not done a trial of absolutely no dairy anywhere in her diet for 2 weeks, have her do that and see what happens. J Janet ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ , I have to agree with Sunny on this one. Here's the headline: MILK CAN CAUSE ASTHMA SYMPTOMS, as can a poor environment, dust, mites, mold, pollution. Get rid of the milk. And add calcium and Vit D from cod liver oil. Dairy half-life is 52 days, so it can take three to six months to drain all the mucus causing stuff from the system. For converting the milk sugar more quickly, I've had some success using a Standard Process product Lactic Acid Yeast. Minerals, especially calcium are very important in these folks as well. Christian Medford ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I found an interesting article on the subject of milk consumption. http://www.youngagain.org/m4.html Alan ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Look up asthma and magnesium. It might be worth a try to get the muscles in the bronchi to relax. sharron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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