Asthma affects millions of people across the globe, it is one of the most common diseases around. Here are 10 ways to naturally reverse asthma by the way you eat.
Asthma affects way too many people. The number of people affected by asthma grows every year. I wonder if pollution might have something to do with the rising number of asthma cases. Every one in twelve people will have asthma. That is about 25 million people in the United States. More than 53% of people with asthma have had an asthma attack since 2008. Asthma is more common in children. One in every 9 children will have it.
Asthma is a lifelong disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. It can limit a person’s quality of life. While we don’t know why asthma rates are rising, we do know that most people with asthma can control their symptoms and prevent asthma attacks by avoiding asthma triggers. The number of people diagnosed with asthma grew by 4.3 million from 2001 to 2009. Symptoms of asthma aren’t ones you can ignore. However, asthma medications can be harmful to your body, and cause negative side effects. Thankfully, there are a few natural ways to reverse the effects of asthma. Here are 10 natural ways you can reverse your asthma!
- Drinking Coffee – Drinking coffee on a regular basis is a great way to combat asthma. Coffee contains caffeine, a drug similar to theophylline. Theophylline is a bronchodilator drug that opens the airways to the lungs. This relieves one of asthma symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and breathlessness. Studies have shown that caffeine has the same effect. This review found that even small amounts of caffeine can improve lung function for up to four hours. Therefore caffeine can affect the result of a lung function test (e.g. spirometry) and so caffeine should be avoided before taking a lung function test if possible, and previous caffeine consumption should be recorded.
- Dark Chocolate – Just like coffee, dark chocolate contains caffeine. It mimics theophylline, relieving you of asthmatic symptoms. Dark chocolate is also loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health. If you buy quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, then it is actually quite nutritious.
- Fruits and Vegetables – Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to seven servings a day appears to cut asthma exacerbation rates in half, whereas restricting consumption to Standard American Diet levels leads to a significant worsening of lung function and asthma control.
- Omega – 3’s – Lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are well known to involve out-of-control inflammation. Recent discoveries reveal that asthmatics have reduced production of pro-resolution molecules. Other studies have found that experimental animals treated with these omega-3 derivatives have less severe asthma attacks.
- Eat less Omega 6’s – Cut back on eating Omega 6 foods sources like safflower oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, or soybean oil. Fast food also contains lots of omega 6’s.
- Avoid These Foods – Some foods can trigger an asthma attack. Some of these foods are cow milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, and citrus fruits! Your asthma attacks might be a result of a trigger food!
- Avoid Additives – Food preservatives, food colorings, and flavoring agents have been found to cause asthma attacks in some people, so make sure to read food labels. Sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite are all potential triggers. Sulfates are the most common additive asthma trigger.
- Stop Taking Aspirin – Aspirin can be a trigger for some asthma patients. About 20 percent of adults are sensitive to and have symptoms when they take aspirin. Their asthma symptoms worsen and they are more likely to have an asthma attack after taking aspirin, products that contain aspirin, or another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen or naproxen.
- Avoid Alcohol – Certain alcoholic beverages can induce an asthma attack. It may be an allergy to a product within the alcoholic drink. Janna Tuck, MD says, “even in those who aren’t allergic, alcohol can worsen other allergy symptoms, especially from food allergies.”
- Don’t Get Stuck in Traffic – Pollutants and fumes belched out by cars can cause you to experience an asthma attack. If you live in an urban area, be sure to check air quality forecasts before heading out on your morning commute.