Posts Tagged asthma

For children whose vaccinations for DPT were all delayed, the risk of developing asthma decreased by 60%.

Comment by Dr. Bill Pawluk

The fact that these immunizations are …

Even “health foods” can be harmful to the body if you have developed food allergies to them. There are different types of food allergies, from serious reactions to the more common reactions that go undiagnosed.

Here is a question that we probably never think to ask ourselves… Is it possible that the foods that we eat (even supposedly healthy foods) are the cause of our chronic illnesses?

Migraine Headaches, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Asthma, Depression, Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue, Panic Attacks, Eczema, Chronic Allergies, Arthritis, Sleep Disorders including sleep apnea and snoring all may have a common cause… hidden food sensitivities. Attention Deficit Disorder, Chronic Ear Infections and even Autism in our children have also been linked to foods that they may be sensitive to.

All of us are familiar with overt food allergies… this is the kind of allergy where the food is consumed and within minutes or hours a reaction occurs, which can range from hives all the way to anaphylactic shock. This is known as a Type 1 food allergy, which involves the IgE antibody, and is very easy to self-diagnose… you eat the food and you have a reaction.

The IgE antibodies attach themselves to “mast cells” which, when activated by the offending food, release histamine and other chemical mediators producing classic allergic reactions such as hives, wheezing, swelling, stomach cramps, diarrhea, or more rarely, anaphylaxis. These cells are located in the linings of the digestive tract, urinary tract, skin, and airways, and surround small blood vessels.

Less well known and much harder to self diagnose are the Type 3 food allergies. A different antibody causes these reactions… IgG. The mechanism by which IgG antibodies evoke their allergic reactions is through the formation of immune complexes of antibody attached to food particles. The complexes circulate through the body via the bloodstream, rather than being attached solely to mast cells; they may affect any tissue, organ or system of the body.

Whereas the Type 1 allergies only occur in 2-3% of the population and are obvious when they happen, the Type 3 allergies may occur in up to 95% of us, and may not show up for 2 to3 days, sometimes up to a week, later. This is why they are known as “delayed-onset” allergies or sensitivities.

There are two main difficulties encountered when figuring out what is really going on with the foods that we eat and which ones we are reacting to negatively. First, because there is not an immediate response, it is difficult to pinpoint which food caused the problem… was it the broccoli that you ate 3 days ago or the bread you’ve had every day for the past week or the sesame oil that was used to prepare the stir-fried chicken and vegetables from the carry-out the other night?

The second complicating factor is that the actual reaction that you have may be in a form that you do not normally associate with an allergy. You know those cluster headaches you’ve had since you were a teenager? Or that irritable bowel issue that seems to crop up at the weirdest times? Or that low-level depression that your doctor keeps telling you is just a Prozac deficiency? Or that skin condition that prescription creams don’t seem to work for anymore? The list goes on and on… and the reason goes back to a keen understanding of the complex nature of how the body works… it all happens because these IgG antibodies can attach themselves to any tissue or organ that you have… and then disrupt normal functioning!

A disturbing fact is that most of us are reacting to anywhere from 3 to 10 different foods in this manner, sometimes up to 20 foods. And they are often foods that we think of as being healthy for us… milk, wheat, vegetables, fruits, nuts. Foods implicated in type 3 allergies are frequently favorite foods commonly eaten in large amounts.

It is important to note that a food intolerance, for example lactose intolerance due to insufficient lactase enzyme to digest milk sugar, is not a food allergy; however, intolerant individuals often suffer from allergy to cow’s milk. Casein, a milk protein, is one of the most common allergens in the Standard American Diet (SAD). Soy protein is also high on the list of common offenders, making soy products a poor substitute for dairy, unless testing has deemed it a “safe” nonallergen.

Other common food allergens include gluten (from wheat and other grains), yeast, corn and eggs. Chemical food additives, preservatives, and food colorings can also contribute to the problems of food allergy.

You may ask why it is that we come up with these allergies in the first place. I believe the answer is found by closely examining our dietary habits today compared to those of the vast majority of our history. Throughout history, we have eaten foods that were grown locally, picked fresh, and did not contain additives, preservatives, colorings, flavorings, etc. Furthermore, we ate the foods that were available to us according to our climate and the particular time of year.

Today, we eat what is known as a “monotonous” diet, even though we may not really be aware of this fact. Monotonous means repeating the same foods over and over again; not necessarily boring. There are many foods that we eat that appear and taste different, even though the base ingredients are the same… thus is the magic of modern food technologies. Many of the prepared foods that we eat use the same ingredients as flavorings. Furthermore, our diets today contain a large percentage of grains, compared to ancient cave man diets, which had no cereal grains.

Of course, none of us eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables, and you can usually count on two hands the variety that we do eat. In other words, our repertoire of foods becomes less and less varied as time goes on. The constant, repeated exposure to the same food is the reason the body creates a mechanism to make you change your habits… the creation of the IgG antibodies is your bodies attempt to make you pay attention and make a change in your diet.

Unfortunately, in today’s medical climate, we respond to the health problems we have by prescribing pills instead of making substantive changes in our lifestyles, including changing what we eat. In fact, we are so far removed from that process now that we don’t even realize what is occurring.

So how do we find out which foods may be the ones to avoid? Skin testing, by the scratch test, as well as certain IgE blood tests identify type-1 food allergies only, but not type 3. Delayed type food allergies require an ELISA blood test that detects IgG antibodies to the problem foods.

Once the hidden food allergies have been identified, then the hard work begins… these foods need to be avoided! When tested, food allergies get reported in two levels… foods to avoid and foods to rotate.

The foods to rotate are ones that have registered a minor allergy and should be eaten no more often than every 3 days. Foods to avoid need to be avoided for up to 6 months, then reintroduced one at a time to test for continued reactivity. Retesting is sometimes warranted. Occasionally, there are foods that need to be avoided for longer periods of time.

Sometimes avoiding these foods may produce cravings and withdrawal or increased suffering instead of relief. There are often times strong emotional ties to certain foods, and the breaking of these cycles can be a trying experience. Eventually the withdrawal symptoms will subside and then you start feeling better. If cravings occur, they will usually only last a few days!

At the same time, care should be taken not to eat a monotonous diet consisting of “safe” foods, or new allergies may develop to these foods.

There are a whole host of nutritional and herbal supplements that may be helpful in dealing with these hidden food allergies and your body’s response to these food. They include:

Digestive Enzymes – a plant based digestive enzyme will help your digestive tract be more efficient at breaking down foods into their smallest parts.

Methyl Sulfonyl Methane (MSM) – this is a naturally occurring form of sulfur that helps to calm your body’s over-reaction to inhaled or ingested allergens.

Essential Fatty Acids – these “healthy” fats are anti-inflammatory in nature and help with overall gut and immune system function.

Quercetin – this bioflavanoid works to stabilize mast cells, thus it is known as the natural anti-histamine.

Probiotics – these “good bacteria” play a vital role in the normal functioning of the gut and help with digestion and assimilation of food. They also play an important role in proper elimination and immune function.

Glutamine – this amino acid is basically “fuel” for the gut cells to help them reproduce and function properly.

A Multi Vitamin – including Vitamins A, B-6 & C and Minerals like Magnesium & Zinc, which all play important roles in proper gut function and repair.

All of these supplements help to eliminate the food allergy, improve gut health, remove toxins from the body, fight inflammation, and improve immune system function.

So, as it turns out, there are many foods that you may think are healthy that actually are at the root of many of your chronic health conditions. Chances are that the foods you are reacting too are ones that you eat on a regular basis (maybe even have cravings for) and you likely have no idea that they are cause for concern.

Care to try an experiment? Determine which food is the most common in your diet and them completely eliminate it for 3 weeks. I’m willing to bet you start to feel better… and that may come in the form of better energy, better sleep, better mood, or the beginnings of control with your blood sugar, blood pressure or even a little weight loss.

Hunter Thompson is a licensed acupuncturist practicing in Laurel and Owings Mills, MD. He is on the acupuncture faculty of the Tai Sophia Institute, teaching and supervising in the student clinic. He has been teaching acupuncture for over 6 years as well as having his own private practice for 11 years. Hunter also supervises acupuncture students in the Tai Sopia Living Well with Cancer program and other Community Acupuncture paradigm programs.

Hunter received his Master of Acupuncture degree from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (now Tai Sophia Institute) and his M.A. in Transformative Leadership and Social Change from Tai Sophia Institute.

He has offered workshops in complementary and alternative healing. Hunter has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland and has worked with a Johns Hopkins Nursing and Medical School class to provide information and experience in the area of acupuncture treatment.

Hunter has experience working with patients with pain issues, infertility, asthma, mental health issues, cancer, and those seeking a greater level of health. He is on the Steering Committee of the Howard County Chapter of PFLAG.

He is also the Chief Operating Officer of Your Prescription for Health. He has been on the Your Prescription for Health Radio Show regularly.

He can be reached at 410-356-2169 ext. 211.

Acupuncture Treatment

As you know, it is the season for flu vaccines. I wanted to take a moment to answer the question on many people’s minds, “should I get the flu vaccine?”

Let’s set aside the safety concerns for a moment and investigate just how efficacious the vaccine really is. According to published studies on previous vaccines (we can’t provide studies on this years vaccine because there are none…yet), here are the findings:

1.     Flu vaccines provide no benefit to children under the age of 24 months. In those over the age of 2 years, only 1 in 3 children received a benefit. (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008)

2.     Flu vaccine does not prevent asthma attacks. In other words, asthmatic children who receive the flu vaccine do not fare any better than children who do not receive the vaccine. (Arch Dis Child. 2004 Aug;89(8):734-5)

3.     In healthy adults, vaccinations decrease the risk of flu by 6%, which equates to vaccinated adults missing 0.16 (less than one-fifth of one day) fewer days of work. (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006)

4.     A review of 64 studies in the elderly showed no significant decrease in incidence of flu or pneumonia in elderly inhabitants of nursing  homes. (The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 1, 2006)

This brief review of the literature was taken from an article written by Dr. Tenpenny, a physician advocate against unnecessary vaccinations. For the full article, please visit www.drtenpenny.com.

I recently published an article on our website titled, How Not to Get Sick This Flu Season. I encourage you to check it out and implement the recommendations provided.

1. H1N1 vaccine
2. Food allergies
   
3. Lack of mental focus
   
4. New Chapter Wholmega
5. Gluten
6. Vitamin D
   
7. Infected wound
8. Michelle Herling – Mind Interrupted
9. Albuterol
10. Allergies and asthma
11. Tick bite and Lyme disease
12. Light sensitivity
13. Safety of dietary supplements – media coverage

1. Cholesterol
   
2. Lupus
3. Leg shaking
   
4. Homeopathics
   
5. Resveratrol
   
6. Magnesium
7. Asthma
8. Food allergies
9. Osteoporosis
10. Thyroid medications
11. Swine Flu vaccine
12. Carpal tunnel

1. Spider veins
2. The use of probiotics when taking antibiotics
   
3. Allergies and asthma
   
4. Leaching of plastic from bottles into water
5. Immunizations

For decades now Americans have been operating with the understanding that fats are bad and are to be avoided.  Those of us with high cholesterol, various heart conditions, or even just a family history of coronary artery disease are told to go on a “low fat” diet, avoiding all forms of fat if possible.  The first thing that we do if we desire to lose weight is to start avoiding fat in our diets.  Our grocery stores shelves are crowded with products that claim “no-fat” or “low-fat” on their labels.

Well, the truth is that there are good fats and there are bad fats.  There is no question that we have entirely too many fats (of the bad variety) in our diets.  The answer to our health needs is not to avoid fats completely, but to change the balance of the kinds of fats we consume in favor of the good fats.

Back in the 1950’s men, mostly in their forties and fifties, began having a new kind of heart attack… one that was caused by a blockage in the arteries around the heart.  Medical experts of the day realized that consuming too many saturated fats, mostly from meat in the diet, and not enough polyunsaturated fats were bad for the heart.  The food industry became awash in corn, safflower, peanut, sunflower and cottonseed oils.  These are all polyunsaturated, Omega-6 oils.

In the 1970’s it was discovered that consuming too many Omega-6 fats and not enough Omega-3 fats actually promotes all of the diseases that we have been trying to avoid… heart disease, allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes, depression, obesity, etc.

Eskimos that live in Greenland are known to be remarkably free of heart disease, in spite of the fact that they have a lot of fat in their diets.  The reason is that the fats that they consume are from the fish and shellfish that comprise their diets, mostly of the Omega-3 variety.  In 1997 a study revealed that for the first time in their history, the Japanese people are beginning to show a rise in all of the same diseases mentioned earlier, and this coincides with a rise in Omega-6 fat consumption that goes with their newly “Westernized” diet.

And the truth be told, historically, until relatively recent times, before food and water was transported by truck or train, people always settled near a lake, river or stream, and always had a fresh supply of fish or seafood as a staple in the diet.  Also, studies have verified that wild game has high levels of Omega-3 fats while domestically raised animals, fed differently than what they would eat in the wild, provide almost no Omega-3 fats.

Additionally, other foods that naturally supply Omega-3 fats have fallen out of favor in our industrialized society.  Walnuts and butternuts, rich sources of Omega-3s, have been replaced with cashews and peanuts, virtually bereft of Omega-3s.  Up until World War II flaxseeds and the oil from flaxseeds, which provide more Omega-3s than almost any other edible seed, were highly valued, but have since been replaced by other oils that offer no Omega-3s.  Of all known green, leafy vegetables, purslane is the richest source of Omega-3s.  In other countries purslane is considered a food, either as a salad green or a cooked vegetable, but here it is considered a weed.

The fatty acids in the body, including the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty varieties, are used for production of many different components… possibly the most important being the prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that help regulate many functions in the body, including what every cell in the body allows in and out of it. The key is that too much production of certain ones, ones that stem from the Omega-6s, are responsible for the eventual clogging of the arteries that leads to the heart attacks so prevalent in our society today.

Doctors today commonly recommend some sort of mechanism to keep blood thinner rather than thicker.  The mechanism-du-jour is to take a baby aspirin every day.  Thromboxane is a prostaglandin that initiates the clotting mechanism in the body which, or course, is needed to keep us from bleeding to death from a cut.  But too much thromboxane can be responsible for abnormal clotting, or the tendency for blood to be too thick.  And it is the Omega-6 fats that lead to thromboxane over-production and the Omega-3 fats that reverse that trend.  Some researchers feel that Omega-3 fats from fish may serve as an alternate to aspirin for reducing clotting and preventing heart disease without any side effects.  Thromboxane is also a potent constrictor of arteries, again, a necessary action if one is cut and bleeding.  But the over-production of thromboxane, from the over-consumption of Omega-6 fats, can lead to chronic constricting of the arteries in the body, which shows up as high blood pressure.  Increasing Omega-3 fat intake can help relax and stretch out these blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure.

Studies have indicated that certain fats can affect cancerous tumor growth in different ways.   Generally, fats high in Omega-6 fatty acids actually encourage tumor growth while fats high in Omega-3 fatty acids can block tumor growth.  And, apparently, this fact can even be more important than overall nutritional status, as demonstrated by a study done in South Africa comparing colon cancer rates of people in a small fishing village and similar people in Cape Town, an urban city. Even though the people in the city consumed twice the amount of fruits and vegetables, supplying the nutrients that are known to help prevent colon cancer like fiber, calcium and antioxidants, they had six times the incidence of colon cancer. The difference was the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids that the villagers consumed because fish was a staple in their diets, which translated into 3 times the amount of Omega-3s and considerably less Omega-6s in their blood.

The Omega-3 fatty acid known as DHA is the most prevalent fat in the brain and in the retina of the eye.  Many countries throughout the world require that DHA be added to baby formulas, but not in the United States.  As a fetus is developing in a mother’s body, DHA is transferred to the baby through the placenta from the mother’s supplies.  If the mother’s diet consists of too many Omega-6’s and not enough Omega-3’s then the baby cannot get all of its needs and eventually ends up suffering in its ability to develop optimally.  The same is true once the baby is born and is nursed… Mom’s diet needs to have more Omega-3’s.  A recent study has proven that babies that are supplemented with the Omega-3 fatty acid DHA end up having higher intelligence scores than babies who do not.  The Omega-3 fats have also been shown to improve Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.) and Autism in children and depression and even schizophrenia in adults.

So the bottom line is that in the Standard American Diet (SAD) we get entirely too many Omega-6 fatty acids and not enough Omega-3 fatty acids.  The answer is not to just stop the Omega-6 consumption.  In fact, I would challenge you to try… practically every prepared food that we eat has the polyunsaturated fats that we would need to avoid.  The answer is to lower the amounts of Omega-6s andsubstitute them with the Omega-3s.  By all means, increasing consumption of cold Atlantic fish will help, but realize that much of the fish at the grocery store these days is actually farmed, not caught wild, and eats differently than in the big ocean. And, of course, as is the case with other domestically raised animals, these fish end up having higher Omega-6 and lower Omega-3 levels.

Ultimately, I come to the conclusion with my patients that they need to supplement with fish oil and/or flax oil products.  Fish oil products, sometimes known as MaxEPA or EPA/DHA, come in different strengths and quality.  The oil should come from cold Atlantic fish (not farmed).  The higher strength products come with 300mg EPA and 200mg DHA per capsule, and the lesser strength would be 180mg/120mg.  There are also enteric-coated fish oil capsules for those who taste fish all day long from a lack of proper digestion.  There is also a company that has a patented process of getting the DHA from algae (like the fish do) for people who prefer a vegetarian source.  Flax oil can be found in the liquid oil or in gelcaps.  The process of pressing the seeds is vital to the integrity of the oil.  Flax oil cannot be heated.  The idea of “cold-pressing” is sort of a misnomer… the result of friction is heat, so the “pressing” that happens needs to be carried out in a very controlled environment so the oil quality is not effected.  I also prefer to use the “high lignan” flax oil.  The liquid needs to be refrigerated and only carries a shelf life of 3 months. The capsules are good for a year, or so.

As pharmacists, we have a responsibility to know the products available and have them for our patients.  Lastly, I think it is always important to practice what we preach… take you essential fatty acids!

References:

Erasmus U. Fats the Heal, Fats that Kill. 2^nd ed. Burnaby BC Canada: Alive Books; 1993.

Ensminger AH, Ensminger ME, Konlande JE, Robson JRK. Foods and Nutrition Encyclopedia. 2^nd ed. Vol 2. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc; 1994.

Murray MT, Pizzorno GE. Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements. 2^nd ed.Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing; 1996.

Shils ME, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross AC. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9^th ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkens; 1999.