I can't of course comment on specific antigens that could trigger asthma, as there are so many, but precisely because of this, a strategy focusing on improving general health, fitness and immune status will likely be protective against a broad range of potential asthma triggers (I was highly reactive to several, including the classic sensitivities to house dust and bronchial infections). There's a history of severe asthma in several generations of my mother's family, so there are probably genetic factors operating, but nonetheless my own experience in gradually improving and finally mastering the asthmatic response was very successful. For some years I could find no alternative to bronchodilator inhalants for relief of symptoms, with decreasing effectiveness over time - though initially palliative, they tend to make spasm worse the more they are used (there is research data that supports this experience). However I found that sodium cromoglicate - an inert substance which coats the mast cells in the lungs to inhibit the histamine response - was useful at the outset in controlling spasm and supporting my commitment to a regular exercise regime. As I became fitter, I was able systematically to reduce and withdraw it.
The biggest influence on my overall health and resistance to spasm over time, as I've said, was improved lung function and aerobic power through regular exercise, and learning the Buteyko breathing method about ten years ago set the final seal on my transformation from an "asthmatic". This is well worth investigating seriously for anyone with breathing issues, and there is a lot of information available on the web and in print. The basic technique, though initially counter-intuitive, is very simple (Professor Buteyko's clinic in Russia allegedly gave enquirers nothing more than a ten minute talk and a 1-page instruction "manual") and doesn't really necessitate the trouble or expense of formal training for a motivated adult (I learned it from a book), though children might present a different challenge, and special methods have been developed to teach it to youngsters. A spot of googling will yield helpful links.
David
Without trying to go off topic, I appreciate what you wrote as I have an 8 year old with borderline asthma. I'm glad you were able to cure yourself with diet and lifestyle changes. I was recently talking to my doctor and he recommended the following website: http://www.asthmastory.com/ . There is some new evidence that possibly half of all adult onset asthma cases may be caused by a new strain of Chlamydia. There is also some compelling evidence that some infant and youth asthma may be attributed to ureaplasma ( http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/G144.htm , http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/G107.htm ) which tends to occur alongside Chlamydia infections.
-Rick
--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, David Nyman <david@...> wrote:
>
> I think you're right that something seems to be changing, and not just in
> the US. For example, the incidence of childhood asthma seems to be very
> much on the increase, judging both by what I hear and the number of inhalers
> I see everywhere. Some of this, I would imagine, is simply more diagnosis
> combined with the tendency of the medical profession and drugs industry to
> medicalise everything, but this can't explain the whole phenomenon. Is it
> air pollution, dietary issues, obesity, excessive cleanliness leading to
> compromised immune function - or some combination of factors?
>
> You're quite correct that personally I'm lucky to have had few issues of
> this sort. However I did suffer from asthma decades ago, diagnosed by an MD
> with a pendulum (don't ask!) to be the consequence of a number of food
> allergies, the sources of which I religiously eliminated from my diet for
> some months. Alas, this had not the slightest effect, so finally in a bout
> of sheer frustration and scepticism, I ground some of the banned substances
> into a paste and performed a sublingual challenge (allegedly risking
> anaphylactic shock). Result: absolutely nothing. The asthma was ultimately
> permanently banished through a combination of weight reduction, improved
> aerobic fitness, and Buteyko breathing techniques. One interesting aspect
> of my improving condition was that, one by one, the stressors that had
> tended to produce an attack (e.g. cold air, smoky atmosphere, exercise, full
> stomach, red wine) ceased to trigger any wheezing, until ultimately I had
> become "immune" to them all, even in combination. So this tends to confirm
> that one's general health, fitness and immune status are critical to
> defending against environmental stress of various, apparently unrelated,
> kinds.
>
> David
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