Asthma Page
This unique book provides a highly authoritative yet easy-to-follow program of complementary medicines and self-care treatments to support the conventional treatment of asthma.
In Part 1, you discover the essential facts about asthma - what causes it, what triggers an attack, and what drugs your doctor may prescribe to help you manage your condition.
Part 2 explores the most beneficial natural treatments, from breath control techniques to superfoods and lifestyle changes.
In Part 3, complete a questionnaire to help choose one of three treatment programs to follow: Gentle, Moderate or Full-Strength. Each is designed to optimise your asthma care by offering specially formulated eating and exercise plans, plus suggestions to help you benefit from vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements.
As well as suggesting what to eat over a 14 day period, each program supplies healthy low sugar, low salt recipes, an exercise regime and suggested complementary therapies to try. Each fourteen day program is repeated so the program lasts for 28 days in full.
These programs are so effective you may start to notice positive changes in your breathing in as little as a week. Use them to make real changes to your health and your life.
Sample pagesIf you have not yet seen the book, click to see pdfs of sample pages from the book
Superfoods for asthma: page 56
Supplements for asthma: page 60
Moderate program day 1: page 114
Natural Health GuruDr Sarah Brewer
Sarah, experienced GP and Hospital Doctor, trained at Cambridge University. She has a special interest in nutritional health and the safe use of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements. As well as her medical qualifications (MA, MB, BChir) she is completing a masters degree in Nutritional Medicine. Sarah writes regular health columns for a variety of newspapers and magazines.
Two main types of drug are used to treat asthma: Relievers and Preventers, which are inhaled directly into the lungs using an inhaler device. The aim of asthma treatment is the total control of your symptoms so you can enjoy normal activities, including exercise and sport.
Remember, if you need to use your reliever inhaler more than twice a week, you need to use your preventer inhaler every day as well, to damp down the inflammation in your lungs that is triggering your asthma attacks.More
Monitoring your asthmaOne of the best way to monitor how well your lungs are working is to use a peak flow meter. Your peak flow readings show when your lung function is good (green zone: within 20% of your personal best), when your asthma is poorly controlled (yellow zone: between 20% - 50% of expected) and when it is dangerously low (red zone: worse than 50% of expected) as in the chart here: If your peak flow is in the green zone, your asthma is under control; if it’s in the yellow zone, your lungs are inflamed - seek medial advice. If it’s in the red or ‘danger’ zone, seek immediate medical treatment.More
Avoiding triggersLifestyle changes that minimise your exposure to your trigger factors such as house dust mite and pollen are just as important in asthma management as your medication - prevention really is better than cure. Try to work out what triggers your attacks so you can avoid these factors.More
Breath control techniquesIt’s easy to take breathing for granted, as it happens automatically with little effort or thought except when you are experiencing an asthma attack. The way you breathe when you are not having an attack, however, may also affect your asthma. Many people develop poor breathing habits such as deep sighs, gasps, breath-holding or rapid, shallow breathing that can undermine your health and well-being in several ways.More
Count your breathsEven when you are breathing three or four times more air than you need, you can feel as if you are breathing normally. Ask a friend to count your breathing rate when you are unaware, to see how high it is. The average breathing rate is 10-12 breaths per minute, but people who hyperventilate regularly breath at 15-20 breaths per minute, and someone in a state of panic can reach as many as 30 breaths per minute.More
Maintaining a healthy weightObesity and asthma are both conditions that are associated with increased levels of inflammatory chemicals in the body. It is therefore not surprising that being overweight or obese increases the chance of having asthma, and also increases its severity. Being overweight also affects how well your medication can control your asthma. This chart helps you work out the optimal healthy weight range for your height, for which you should aim.
| IMPERIAL CHART | METRIC CHART |
There is good evidence that several aspects of our modern diet are linked with the increasing incidence of allergies such as asthma. The most important nutritional advice I can give is to improve the balance of fats in your diet. Here are some of my Top Tips for helping to improve asthma symptoms.More
Identify food intolerancesAsthma can be linked with intolerances to certain foods. As many as 1 in 10 people with asthma have a sulfite hypersensitivity, for example, which can trigger an attack. Other dietary substances that may trigger asthma include salicylates, benzoates, tartrazine and MSG.More
SupplementsAlthough diet should always come first, it is not always possible to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from your food. When you have an inflammatory condition such as asthma, your need for antioxidants is greatly increased. There are no miracle cures, but some supplements can reduce inflammation, promote relaxation of the airways and improve symptoms. Each of the programs in Natural Health Guru provide a full list of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements to take, and the optimum doses, whether you are following the Gentle, Moderate or Full-Strength programs.More