Asthma Attacks

Most likely, someone you know well suffers from asthma or difficulty in breathing.

While breathing, your body takes in air which passes through the nose, the windpipe and the bronchi. It is then filtered, purified, cleansed, warmed and humidified before it enters your lungs. This all happens under the guidance of your nervous system.

In children (and adults) who have asthma, the small tubes in the lungs, called bronchioles, become inflamed and irritated. They then contract and even spasm and produce mucus which can plug up the breathing passages. Children literally gasp for air. These "attacks" can last minutes or hours and can persist for a lifetime.

Allergies, stress, pollen or pollution can bring on life-threatening attacks. These children are condemned to a life of bronchodilators, drugs and cortisone all of which have serious side effects. These can be immediate or develop over a lifetime of chronic drug use.

Some authorities feel that asthma is really a reaction to a lack of water. They suggest drinking plenty of pure water to hydrate the body. I have not met many children who like to drink pure water and recommend that parents mix in a fruit concentrate.

Many researchers, like Bart Classen, MD, of Classen Immunotherapies in Maryland, say asthma seems to be related to our current vaccination program. Vaccination alters the normal immune response and makes a child's immune system overreact to something perfectly innocuous.

Doctors of chiropractic have been helping children with asthma for years. The body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism. As long as the nervous system is allowed to function with no interference, the body should function normally. Often, however, some of the vertebrae of the spine become subluxated (moved out of place), affecting the way the nervous system controls body functions. By correcting these subluxations, chiropractors eliminate interference to the nervous system, allowing normal function drug-free!

A number of natural supplements may help you and your child:

1. Vitamin B-complex plus C stimulates the immune system and reduces the effects of stress.
2. Quercetin and bromelain act together as an immunostimulant and anti-inflammatory.
3. Vitamin A helps in tissue repair.
4. Lobelia is helpful during an attack.It is an expectorant and relaxes the muscle walls of the bronchial tree.
5. Coenzyme Q₁₀ helps to counteract the release of histamine.
6. Magnesium and calcium tend to cause some dilation of the muscle walls of the bronchi.