THE TRUTH
ABOUT ASTHMA
Walter Last
The
truth about asthma is that the medical treatments for it are ineffective and
dangerous, but the good news is that you can overcome it with a holistic
treatment program.
Asthma
is medically defined as a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, characterized
by a hypersensitivity of the airways. Common symptoms of asthma include
difficulty breathing with wheezing and coughing, feeling of tightness in the
chest, copious production of mucus, apprehension and increased heart rate.
Sometimes
asthma is divided into extrinsic and intrinsic asthma. Extrinsic asthma is
mainly due to allergens, be they airborne or from food. Resulting immune
reactions release inflammatory compounds that cause spasms of the bronchial
tubes. Allergy is a likely cause of asthma in about 90 per cent of children
with asthma and about 50 per cent of affected adults. These figures vary from
different sources depending on how they tested for allergy.
Intrinsic
asthma is not due to allergies, and may come from microbial infestations,
emotional factors, and mucus congestion from other causes.
With
asthma we usually see three sets of biological symptoms:
1. The airways become obstructed
due to bronchial spasms
2. The bronchial walls become
inflamed and swell with further narrowing of the airways
3. Additional airway obstruction
is caused by copious amounts of thick, tenacious mucus
During
an attack these symptoms are triggered and result in an acute shortness of
breath. Because in this situation it becomes easier to inhale than to exhale
the lungs may become hyper-inflated.
Asthma,
especially in older individuals (over 55) is also associated with a doubled
risk of other diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer,
arthritis and osteoporosis.
Some Statistics
There
is a twenty-fold difference between the highest and lowest rates in the world.
The lowest prevalence rates are found in
The
exact order may change from year to year between different countries and for
different age groups. For
·
·
The
incidence of asthma is steadily increasing, with the number of people with
asthma doubling between 1982 and 1992
·
Approximately
1 in 4 children, 1 in 7 adolescents, and 1 in 10 adults have asthma (that has
been diagnosed by a doctor
·
In
·
Indigenous
Australians have more asthma than others
Here
some additional statistics. In
In
the
The
prevalence of asthma can be as high as 30 percent among certain populations,
and internationally, cases have more than tripled in the last ten years.
Medical Asthma Treatment
The
medical profession regards asthma as incurable, although children may
spontaneously “grow out of it”. Therefore, medical treatment of asthma is
purely symptomatic and consists mainly of anti-inflammatory drugs and
bronchodilators.
Most commonly used as anti-inflammatories
are corticosteroids. These drugs reduce swelling and
mucus production in the airways, making them less sensitive and less likely to
react to triggers. Other anti-inflammatory drugs are called Leukotriene
modifiers and Mast cell stabilizers.
Bronchodilators relieve asthma symptoms by relaxing the
muscle bands that tighten around the airways. This quickly dilates the airways,
and makes it easier to breathe. It also helps to clear mucus from the lungs
because as the airways open mucus moves more freely and can be coughed out more
easily. Bronchodilators include mainly short acting beta-agonists, and in
addition Anticholinergics.
These drugs can be administered in different ways. These include a
metered dose
inhaler, dry powder
inhaler, or a nebulizer, or taken orally,
either in pill or liquid form. Most or all of these asthma drugs can be
expected to cause increasing health problems with long-term use. The worldwide
asthma statistics clearly show the inadequacy of this drug-based medical
approach.
In
the 1980’s
Other
studies revealed that asthmatics who used more than
one bronchodilator inhaler a month had a fifty-fold increased risk of suffering
a fatal asthma attack.
On
On
More recently (
More “benign” side effects of inhaled
bronchodilators include: palpitations, rapid heart beat, nervousness,
light-headedness, dizziness and tremors. Inhaled steroids can also cause yeast
infections (which are a main cause of asthma). There are numerous other
potential side effects with the inhalers.
The
World Today on
None of the medical asthma drugs in any
way stops or improves the underlying disease process. It is also well known
that the regular use of steroid inhalers makes it more difficult for the body
to fight infections.
A large trial of asthmatic children with inhaled corticosteroids
for up to six years showed that trying to suppress the inflammation did not
slow the deterioration of the airway walls, which became thicker, stiffer and
less easy to dilate with reduced lung function (The C.A.M.P. Group.
In
addition, NSAIDs also suppress bone repair and
remodeling. Studies showed that these drugs significantly inhibited matrix
synthesis and had toxic effects on cartilage metabolism. The more
"puffs" taken each day, the greater the rate of bone loss.
In May 2006 it was confirmed that high rates of inhaled corticosteroids not only
increase the rate of fractures but also trigger atrial
fibrillation (AF), the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia.
This sharply increases the risk of heart failure and stroke.
Finally, in the latest analysis at
Cornell and Stanford universities on 33,826 patients up to 80 percent of
asthma-related deaths in the
I can immediately think of
an easy way to prevent most asthma deaths. My take on all of this is that
medical asthma treatment is not just ineffective but highly dangerous.
Fortunately there are better options as will be shown in the following
chapters.
2.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND TRIGGERS
A
website of the Australian Government states “The cause of asthma is not
known, but there is evidence that many factors play a part”, and then goes on
to list the following causes:
·
Genetic factors: asthma tends to run in
families, and many people with asthma also have other allergic conditions.
·
Environmental factors: in wealthy, hygienic
Western countries most babies are not exposed to bacterial infections that
"kick start" the immune system in early life and direct the immune
system away from allergic responses. This makes them allergic to house dust mites, tobacco smoke, animals, pollens moulds and dust.
·
Dietary changes: changes in diet in Western
countries, such as a high proportion of processed foods, a higher salt intake,
a lower antioxidant intake and a lack of fresh oily fish.
·
Lack of exercise: spending more time inside
in front of the television means that children get far less exercise.
·
Occupational exposure: in adults, asthma can
develop in response to irritants in the workplace - chemicals, dusts, gases, molds and pollens.
Basically
this just confirms that they do not have a clue, because most of the listed
items are triggers of asthma attacks, or contributing factors, and not the
underlying causes. Not one of these listed causes has changed so drastically in
recent years to explain a doubling of asthma rates within 10 years.
A
still controversial medical favorite is the hygiene hypothesis. It postulates
that exposure to dirt, bacteria, viral infections or endotoxins
(internally produced microbial toxins) in early childhood act as natural
vaccines that boost our immune system and protect us against the development of
asthma.
For
instance in one recent study 1314 children were followed from birth to 7 years,
and the number and type of infections recorded. Children who had two or more
mild upper respiratory tract infections, such as rhinitis (running nose) per
year had the asthma risk reduced from 6.3% to 3.2% at age 7.
However,
another headline of a New Scientist article seems to say the opposite: “Severe
asthma linked to common cold.” Colds are the most important trigger of acute
asthma, at least 80% of children with deterioration in their asthma or asthma
attacks have a cold that is the cause of that, and probably somewhere between
50% and 60% of adults. Later I will show how we can understand these
contradictions.
Also
children with farm animals, dogs or cats were nearly 50% less likely to develop
frequent wheezing. However if one of the parent had asthma then there was no
protective effect.
But pets are
also a common trigger of asthma. Just touching and stroking an animal, or being
in the same room as a pet or where that pet has been, can trigger an attack.
The cause is the animal’s dander (skin scales or flakes from the fur or
feathers), or their saliva or urine. Dander can float in the air and settle on
surfaces around the home. Even animals kept outside, such as horses, goats,
cows, chickens and ducks, can trigger a reaction.
Another
study showed that the more bacteria there were in house dust the more babies
were protected from developing allergies and asthma. However, after children
have already allergies and asthma higher exposure means more disease.
The
explanation put forward is that exposure to certain types of infectious agents
and endotoxins is essential for maturation of the
immune system, and that less exposure leads to an imbalance in immune
responses.
Diet
There
is also overwhelming evidence that asthma is closely connected with lifestyle,
and especially diet. This is strongly suggested by the fact that asthma is very
common in Western industrialized countries but rare in poorer Asian and African
countries. However, when these poorer populations exchange their traditional
foods for Western food then asthma rates begin to climb.
For
example asthma was unknown in
A
letter in The Lancet (Keely, D. and Neil, P. Asthma
Paradox. p.1099,
In
these poorer countries there is a vast difference between urban and rural
eating habits, and therefore a great difference in asthma rates, while in
Western countries there is no real difference between rural and urban eating
habits and asthma rates. Another likely factor is that rural populations get
far less treatment with drugs and especially antibiotics than rich urban
populations. We will later see the significance of this.
Food Allergies and Chemical
Sensitivities
Asthma
is notorious for being triggered by inhaled allergens but this does not mean
that such triggers are a basic cause of asthma. The main problem is that there
is an underlying chronic inflammation and oversensitivity of the airways which
then reacts indiscriminately to a wide range of inhaled irritants.
One common cause of a chronic inflammatory
setting is the presence of hidden food allergies. ‘Hidden’ means that people are
not aware of the allergy because usually the body does not react to an
allergenic food to which it is exposed every day. Most asthmatics have been
shown to have such hidden food allergies. The most common foods to which
asthmatics react are cows’ milk and cheese, gluten, eggs, nuts, and seafood.
The
same applies to chemical sensitivities. The most common reactions for
asthmatics are caused by sulfur dioxide and sulfites (codes 221 to 224), by
monosodium glutamate or MSG (621 to 623), the yellow food dye tartrazine (code 102), and also salicylates
such as aspirin. MSG is not necessarily
declared as such on a food label, it may just be called hydrolyzed vegetable
protein, vegetable or Thai seasoning or natural flavoring. All food additives
are potentially dangerous and best avoided, except a few such as vitamin C or
citric acid.
Medical researchers think mainly in terms of
inhaled allergens, but in response to a study showing that cases of wheezing disorders in preschool children in the UK
doubled between 1990 and 1998 (The
Lancet (Vol 357, p 1821), even they
admit that there must be other unknown factors present to explain this dramatic
increase.
Some
Other Contributing Factors
A headline in New Scientist (
Finnish researchers
came to a similar conclusion. They found that children who eventually developed
allergies ate less butter and more margarine compared with children who did not develop allergies. Of course, health authorities have been
urging us for decades to consume more polyunsaturated fats and less saturated
fat thereby increasing the severity of asthma.
A study in the British Medical Journal (September
25, 1999; 319, 815-819) shows that giving babies other milk than breast milk
before the age of four months greatly increases the risk of asthma and
allergies.
Children with low
birth weight of less than 1 kg in the
Another New Scientist
headline reads “Weekly swimming linked to lung damage” (
A
surprising Japanese study found that school children who ate more fish had also
higher rates of asthma (Preventive Medicine February 2002;34:221-225).
As we know from other studies that fish oil and even consumption of oily fish
reduce inflammations and asthma, the conclusion is that in this case the high
rates of mercury in Japanese coastal waters are the cause of such fish causing
increased asthma.
There
are also various reports of vaccinations causing asthma. One such case is
described under the title: “A case of asthma after vaccination against
smallpox.” (Ekbom, K. .Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1966;
464:170-1).
Finish researchers found that mothers can prevent eczema and asthma in
their children by taking probiotics (acidophilus-bifido bacteria) while they are
pregnant and breastfeeding. Babies normally get their mother's bacteria as they
travel down the birth canal, but modern medicine is preventing this. Babies
born by caesarian section are inoculated with
hospital bacteria such as Streptococci and Clostridia.
3. COWS’
MILK AND LACTOSE
In
the previous chapter we have seen a collection of factors and triggers, some
contradicting each other, which can contribute to asthma. However, the real
cause is the interaction of three factors:
1. Cows’ milk and lactose
2. The antibiotic syndrome or intestinal dysbiosis
3. A low stress tolerance
The
contribution of each of these three factors in each individual case may vary
greatly, and other factors and triggers mentioned previously also play a role.
Nevertheless, by addressing these three main factors and with the help of some
supportive measures you are likely to overcome your breathing
difficulties.
The
Problem with Lactose
We saw in the previous chapter that cows’ milk
allergy is quite common. This is definitely a contributing factor, as is
allergy to any other substance. But there is something else involved with cows’
milk, and that is a tendency to cause mucus congestion.
That
the medical hygiene hypothesis does not tell the full story can be seen from
the fact that the four countries with the highest asthma rates are also the
greatest producers and consumers of pasteurized cows’ milk. In
In regard to asthma there are several problems with
milk. One problem that relates to all milk is lactose or milk sugar; another is
the protein specific to cows’ milk, while a further difficulty is caused by
pasteurization. Casein, the main protein
of cows’ milk is difficult to digest, especially for babies as they have still
an immature digestive system, and after pasteurization, which destroys the
naturally present enzymes in milk.
Most European adults and older children who can
digest lactose are unable to use galactose
efficiently. Babies need galactose as an important
building component of the brain, the central nervous system and of many
proteins. Thus mother's milk is even higher in lactose than animal milk to
ensure the baby does obtain sufficient galactose.
In later life, very little galactose
is needed and this can easily be synthesized from other sugars. Therefore, most
of the ingested galactose is converted in the liver
to glucose and used as body fuel, but the amount that can be converted is
rather limited, even in a healthy liver.
This conversion is a slow and complex process
requiring four different enzymes. One of these is sometimes missing from birth,
giving rise to a condition known as galactosemia.
Continued milk-feeding leads to a build-up of galactose
in the baby and causes cataracts, cirrhosis of the liver and spleen and mental
retardation.
If the liver is not healthy, it becomes less able to
convert galactose. This fact is sometimes used as a
criterion for a clinical liver-function test. If galactose
is injected into someone with a defective liver, much of the galactose will later appear in the urine.
Mucic Acid
Unfortunately, under normal conditions only part of
the galactose is expelled with the urine. If there is
a deficiency of protective antioxidants, then the rest is mainly oxidized to galactaric acid, commonly known as mucic
acid.
The great health danger of mucic
acid is that it is insoluble. The body cannot let it pile up in vital areas and
block organ functions or blood circulation. Therefore, it forms the mucic acid into a sticky suspension in water, called mucus.
Thus mucic acid is a main component of pathogenic
(disease-producing) mucus.
It is the function of the lymphatic system to remove
dangerous substances, such as mucus, from areas of vital importance and
transport it to the organs of elimination. Mucus is too dangerous to dispose of
through the kidneys or with bile through the liver, but it has a special
affinity to the mucous membranes that line the insides of our body openings.
Such areas are the lungs, the respiratory tract and the hollow head spaces,
such as the sinuses and the Eustachian tube (a passage between the mouth and
the inner ear).
The mucus accumulates in these hollow spaces until
external factors help to sensitize the mucous membranes sufficiently to allow
the mucus to pass through. This is relatively easy in young individuals and
those with a poor sugar metabolism as they have high levels of histamine and
inflammatory adrenal hormones. Even minor irritations of the mucous membranes,
be it from cold air, dust, air pollution, pollen or germs, will sensitize these
to let some of the mucus flow out.
Such mucus cleansing may be experienced periodically
as a cold, hay fever, wet cough or running nose. In others, the accumulation of
mucus, which provides a favorable breeding ground for germs, causes chronic
infections in specific areas such as the sinuses, the middle ear, the
respiratory tract and the lungs. This may allow a permanent trickle of mucus
through the affected mucous membrane.
With a high lactose intake, the lymph channels and
lymph glands are usually congested with mucus as well. This allows influenza
and other infections to spread from the sensitized mucous membranes through the
mucus-filled hollow spaces into the lymphatic system, causing lymph gland
swellings and inflammations.
I have found that in many people the number of colds,
influenza and other respiratory infections can be varied at will from none to
several per year just by varying the lactose intake. Mucus congestion is also
the main cause of ear infections (glue-ear) and hearing problems, especially in
children.
In most cases it is not a lactose allergy but a galactose overload that is responsible for this excessive
mucus. While in the case of those suffering from cow's milk allergy more
lactose may be tolerated when it comes from goat's milk, in sensitive
individuals the lactose in goat's milk or in tablets will be equally as
mucus-forming as that from cow's milk.
Mucus and Asthma
When more mucus accumulates in the lungs than can be
expelled, asthma is likely to develop. A special feature of mucus produced from
lactose is its acid nature, which is rather irritating to the mucous membranes.
On the one hand it makes them oversensitive to airborne irritants and promotes
inflammation, while on the other hand it also induces the mucous membranes to
produce large amounts of protective mucus. All mucous membranes produce normal
healthy mucus for their own protection; this is, for instance, how the stomach
wall protects itself from being digested by its own hydrochloric acid.
Many cases of asthma seem to be predominantly induced
by galactaric acid-type mucus. I remember a patient
who was fond of yogurt and, for health reasons, prepared it from skim-milk
powder. This produces yogurt with a much higher lactose content than yogurt
from full-fat milk (see Table below). When I persuaded her to use somewhat less
yogurt and prepare it only from whole milk without additional skim-milk powder,
her asthma disappeared for good. The asthma-causing skim-milk yogurt provided
about 50g of lactose per day, while she was asthma-free on whole-milk yogurt
with about 5g of lactose daily.
See the following table for the lactose content of
some common dairy products.
LACTOSE
CONTENT OF DAIRY PRODUCTS
butter 0.5%
cheese, cottage
cheese 2-4%
goat's milk 4.3%
cow's milk 4.9%
yogurt and
ice-cream (with skim-milk powder) 5-25%
skim-milk powder 52%
whey powder 70%
With a lactose content of 52 per cent in skim-milk powder,
you may now realize how dangerous the current fad is for using low-fat
ice-cream, yogurt, cottage cheese and so forth, instead of full-fat products.
Such low-fat foods are usually made from skim-milk powder and contain three to
five times as much lactose as the equivalent full-fat foods. Sometimes
skim-milk powder is even added to butter. Therefore read the label and avoid
butter that lists 'non-fat milk solids' as one of the ingredients.
Skim-milk powder is also a favorite additive to many
other commercial foods, such as bread and other baking products, sausages and
margarine. The health-food industry is equally fond of adding lactose to many
products such as soy milk and dandelion coffee. Lactose is often used as filler
in white tablets. Try to avoid white tablets if the label does not state that
they are free of lactose or are low-allergy tablets.
The lung irritation caused by accumulated mucus also
means that the lungs are more prone to be affected by airborne allergens, food
allergies and chemicals. This could result in inflammatory swellings of the
bronchial tubes. Mucus accumulating in the lungs allows pathogenic microbes to
infiltrate. Some strains of these bacteria convert sugars into alginic acid, another form of sticky mucus.
Often there is
Candida or fungus infestation as well, which sensitizes the mucous membranes to
airborne molds. Mucus-releasing colds in this setting can be a blessing in
disguise, provided they are not treated with antibiotics. This is the reason
why children with running noses, as shown in the previous chapter, tend to have
less asthma. However heavy or chest colds tend to aggravate lung irritation and
increases asthma problems.
There tends to be less of a problem with raw milk,
especially if it is fresh and organic; this is easier to digest and causes less
allergies than pasteurized milk. Nevertheless, I found that even raw organic
goats’ milk can increase mucus problems in susceptible children.
If breastfeeding is not possible then the best
alternative is fresh clean and raw goats’ milk, it just needs some additional
folic acid and vitamin B12 (and raw egg yolk after four months of age). Hydrolyzed casein or partially hydrolyzed
whey formulas have also been found to prevent babies from developing allergies. These formulas
did relieve symptoms in more than 90
percent of infants who are allergic to cow's milk.
This indicates
that most allergy problems may be due to a combination of enzyme deficiencies
as caused by pasteurization and cooking, and dysbiosis
due to antibiotics.
Cows’ milk also provides the explanation why
children sometimes grow out of their asthma problems: as teenagers and adults
they tend to drink less milk. However, if they are still afflicted with the
antibiotic syndrome, then this may not be enough to overcome their asthma.
Understanding that mucus production from lactose is
due to a limitation of liver enzymes also shows us how we can minimize any
problem. If it is not caused by an allergic reaction, then it helps to space
out any lactose intake. For instance 5g of lactose taken in one drink may cause
more congestion than 10g taken spaced out during the day.
4.
ANTIBIOTICS AND STRESS
A
recent paper presented by the Wellington Asthma Research Group showed that
antibiotic use, especially in the first year of life, is associated with a
fourfold increase in the likelihood of asthma. Furthermore, children who received broad-spectrum antibiotics in early
life, which kill a wide range of bacteria, were 8.9 times more likely to suffer
from asthma (New Scientist 30 September 2003).
Antibiotics
actually are a major contributing cause of asthma and not just a trigger or
inflammation enhancer. These antibiotics kill the healthy intestinal bacteria
that normally protect us from pathogenic invaders entering the blood through
the intestinal wall. Now Candida and other fungi and disease-causing microbes
can take over. Their breakdown products, called endotoxins,
start entering the bloodstream and cause immune reactions.
Gradually
Candida begins growing long root systems through the intestinal wall, and
breaks down its integrity. This allows partly digested proteins to get into the
blood and cause allergic reactions against a wide variety of foods and
chemicals. From this we get an overworked and hyperactive immune system. This
also causes a general or systemic inflammatory condition in the body, because
the stressed adrenal glands are increasingly less able to produce enough
anti-inflammatory hormones.
When
we have an internal fungus problem we also tend to attract fungi on our skin
and mucous membrane, such as the mouth, vagina and the outside coating of our
lungs and airways. While the general hypersensitivity and inflammatory setting
makes asthmatics sensitive to a wide range of inhaled irritants, they are especially
sensitive to inhaled molds.
Clinical Evidence
A
recent research paper (G. Huffnagle and M.C. Noverr in the January 2005 issue of Infection &
Immunity), confirms this model of how antibiotics cause asthma.
One of the
researchers commented: "Our research indicates that microflora lining the
walls of the gastrointestinal tract are a major underlying factor responsible
for the immune system's ability to ignore inhaled allergens. Change the
microflora in the gut and you upset the immune system's balance between
tolerance and sensitization."
And further:
"... we found that differences in host genetics and the type of allergen
used didn't matter. The immune responses were literally identical.” His
conclusion was that changing the composition of microflora in the gut
predisposes to allergic airway disease. The researchers suspect that changes in
gut microflora caused by widespread antibiotics use and a modern high-fat,
high-sugar, low-fiber diet may be responsible for the
major increase in the last 40 years of asthma and allergies in Western
countries.
In a recent trial it was found
that the use of anti-fungal remedies reduced the incidence of hospitalisation
for severe asthmatics by 75 per cent (Scotsman.com News 16 Jun 05).
Antibiotics and
Candida may also explain the link for the recent observation that the
biological children (not adopted ones) of mothers with depression, anxiety
disorders and panic attacks had very high rates of asthma and other allergy
problems. For instance 67% of children were affected when the mother had severe
depression and 46% when mothers had panic attacks.
Candida is
known to cause depression and other mental and emotional disturbances. Babies are inoculated with the intestinal
bacteria of the mother during the passage through the birth canal and also
during breastfeeding. If the mother has Candida, then that is passed on during
this crucial phase.
MYCOPLASMA
Closely
related to dysbiosis and the antibiotic syndrome are
the mycoplasmas or mycoplasms.
These are pleomorphic organisms without cell walls. “Pleomorphic” means that
they can change shape from protein blobs to viral, bacterial and fungal forms,
depending on the health of the organism in which they live.
Mycoplasmas
have been shown to be a main factor or contributing factor in the causation
many chronic diseases, including cancer, arthritic and rheumatic diseases,
autoimmune diseases and asthma. Several independent researchers have reported
the proliferation of certain microbes in all of these diseases. In various
degenerative diseases these protein units grow into cocci and higher bacterial
forms and finally into fungi.
Everyone
seems to have some mycoplasmas, which are formed from
the breakdown of body tissue. However, mycoplasmas
begin to proliferate with a decline in health and vitality.
By
weakening the immune system and the metabolism they prepare the way for the
development of degenerative diseases. Toxins released by mycoplasmas
may also interfere directly with the respiratory chain and make the metabolism
inefficient with an overproduction of lactic acid. This causes general overacidity, mineral deficiencies, over-sensitivity,
inflammations and pain.
Two
factors that greatly contribute to the rise of mycoplasma
are dead teeth and overgrowth of the intestines with harmful microbes. Dead
teeth and the surrounding jawbone can become concentrated breeding grounds of
harmful microbes, releasing a steady stream of toxins into the
circulation.
In one study 31 of 55 patients with chronic,
stable asthma also had a low-grade airway infection with mycoplasma
pneumoniae, or with chlamydia bacteria. These
patients were treated with suitable anti-microbials
for six weeks and had significant improvements in lung function.
According to researchers asthmatics with mycoplasma infection had six times more mast cells than
patients with no infection. Mast cells are associated with allergies. In a
mouse model with mycoplasma infection the airways
become hyperreactive and inflamed.
Conventional medicine regards mycoplasmas,
similar to Candida, as relatively harmless and occurring as a side effect of
other, more serious infections. However, extensive clinical and microbiological
evidence shows that mycoplasmas alone can cause a
range of diseases even when no other infectious agents are present. The
elimination of these pathogenic mycoplasmas requires
a fully functional immune system in addition to prolonged anti-microbial
therapy.
For further information see Candida and the
Antibiotic Syndrome.
THE STRESS FACTOR
There
are signs that asthmatics are sensitive to stress or have a low stress
tolerance. The adrenal glands and their hormones are mainly involved with our
response to stress.
Stress
can be beneficial when it is voluntary as in a self-chosen adventure or when it
is over short periods followed by rest and recovery periods. The detrimental
effect comes from prolonged, unusually severe or chronic stress.
A
common example of unusually severe stress is when a newborn baby is separated
for more than a few minutes from its mother. An example of combined unusually
severe and prolonged stress is when a newborn baby is kept away from its mother
for days or weeks and subjected to medical procedures.
A
common example of chronic stress is when a baby is fed a breast milk substitute
to which it is allergic. This sets in train a sequence of events that lead
directly to asthma and other chronic degenerative diseases.
In
1936 Hans Selye, a Canadian professor of experimental
medicine and surgery, discovered the ALLERGY-STRESS MECHANISM.
He described this in his pioneering book The Stress of Life (McGraw-Hill).
So far the medical profession has not yet grasped the importance of his
fundamental discovery for understanding the diseases of our society, I assume
because it is not profitable to do so. However, in light of this stress model
of disease we know now what we need to do to heal ourselves.
Initially an environmental
challenge such as an incompatible food or emotional stress causes an ALARM
REACTION. The adrenal glands release inflammatory hormones and adrenalin, and
the sympathetic nervous system is over-stimulated. This may result in an acute
allergic reaction or a general inflammatory condition, hyper-excitability,
palpitation, anxiety, eczema, susceptibility to colds and other infections,
anger, and poor digestion with abdominal discomfort.
Commonly this alarm
reaction occurs in early childhood when we are first introduced to wheat or
cows' milk, egg, maize or soymilk, and then settles down to several decades of
hidden allergies with minimal symptoms.
If we continue eating the
same problem food nearly every day or continue to be plagued by stressful
memories or conditions, then the stress becomes permanent and the body adapts
by releasing anti-inflammatory hormones. The symptoms of the alarm reaction
with its inflammatory tendency subside. This is the RESISTANCE PHASE, a state
of adaptation with a hidden or masked allergy.
However, eventually the capacity
of the adrenal glands to produce sufficient anti-inflammatory hormones becomes
exhausted and we enter the EXHAUSTION PHASE. Now we have a maladaptation
to allergens and emotional stress with chronic and generalized inflammations.
These may manifest as asthma, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and any of the
other diseases typical in our society. Finally even this chronic inflammatory
condition subsides and we have the stage of advanced old age with senility,
debility and the final insensitive stages of degenerative diseases.
This description shows the
normal progression of the stress-allergy mechanism over decades of our lives;
however, if our parents had already weak adrenal glands when we were conceived,
or if we endured severe and prolonged stress immediately after birth, then our
adrenal glands are already severely compromised even as a baby.
In this case we may
develop an age-related chronic disease at an early age. This may be arthritis
or asthma or diabetes or a form of cancer. Which disease develops depends on
inherited factors as well as on environmental and emotional factors.
Fear has a direct
relationship with our heart rate and breathing. Initially we may hold our
breath, and later hyperventilate and have palpitations. It is my perception that
anything that interferes with the proper bonding of a newborn baby with the
mother has the potential to induce a permanent subconscious fear in the growing
child.
In particular I believe
that a main contributor to asthma is the fear of being left alone or being
abandoned which remains subconsciously for life if the newborn baby is taken
away from the mother for an extended period in hospital.
This subconscious fear
weakens the adrenal glands and also affects the lungs. This is the reason why
the antibiotic syndrome, allergic reactions and mucic
acid in these individuals lead preferentially to breathing problems rather than
to digestive or nervous system disorders, or to sinus inflammations and throat
infections as in some other individuals.
Researchers
in the
Severe
asthmatics were up to five times more likely than the general population to
have a range of mental problems, including anxiety disorders, panic attacks and
extreme shyness. Even with milder forms of asthma there were up to
two-and-a-half times more mental problems (The World Today -
5. WHAT YOU CAN DO
The described sequence of
events leading to asthma also shows you the requirements for genuine health
improvement and to overcome asthma. Basically you need to
1.
Sanitize your
gastro-intestinal tract
2.
Eliminate harmful microbes
from your blood and lungs
3.
Avoid cows’ milk and
lactose
4.
Avoid other sources of
mucus congestion and inflammation
5.
Remove chronic stress from
your life.
Initially it is also
prudent to continue minimizing or avoiding asthma triggers, rebuilding and
strengthening health with an improved diet and suitable supplements, and
minimize the effects of chronic stress such as over-breathing.
SANITIZING THE GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT
The main
treatment for Candida and the antibiotic syndrome is directed at sanitizing the
gastro-intestinal tract. This is combined with a low-allergy diet that is also
low in simple carbohydrates. Furthermore, molds or
yeasts in food should be avoided as their breakdown products may cause
unpleasant immune reactions.
One
unpleasant side-effect of most methods used to reduce the pathogenic microbial
overgrowth of the intestines is the Herxheimer
reaction - a sudden worsening of symptoms due to toxins released by the dead or
dying microbes. This is sometimes used as a diagnostic tool, especially for
Candida.
To avoid or
minimize unpleasant side effects I recommend initially flushing out the
gastro-intestinal tract when taking anti-microbial remedies. This takes the
dead or dying microbes immediately out of the body and greatly minimizes
discomfort. After several days the flush may no longer be needed. Usually the
first reaction is the strongest.
An
alternative approach is to start with a low dose of an anti-microbial and
increase only very slowly. In this way the die-off symptoms are milder but
remain for much longer. With this method it is especially important to maintain
a strict diet. I generally prefer the flush method, but if you cannot use that
for any reason, then try this slow approach.
Another principle
is to take a high dose of probiotics or beneficial lactobacteria 30 to 60
minutes after the anti-microbial remedy, and before eating or drinking anything
containing carbohydrates.
Normally the
intestinal wall is densely covered with microbes, either beneficial or
pathogenic ones. When we take beneficial bacteria during Candida overgrowth,
then the good bacteria cannot get a foothold on the intestinal wall, and
largely just pass through the intestines.
Therefore we
must first make some free space at the intestinal wall by ingesting an
anti-microbial agent, such as garlic. We need to wait a while until the
anti-microbial has cleared the stomach and then we take a high-potency probiotic, commonly a culture of acidophilus and bifido
bacteria.
Now these good
bacteria can easily occupy the vacated spaces at the intestinal wall. However,
if we do not follow up with probiotics, then the next time we ingest any
carbohydrates the fungus will quickly multiply and fill the empty spaces again.
In this way
we can quickly regenerate a healthy intestinal flora. However, it takes much
longer to eliminate the spores and fungal roots growing through the intestinal
wall. Therefore we need to be careful, use a suitable diet and continue to
avoid or minimize drugs and chemicals that may kill our beneficial bacteria.
SYSTEMIC ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY
Furthermore,
in long-standing conditions the fungus or other microbes will have invaded the
bloodstream and lodged in other parts of the body, especially the lungs. For
this we need to take stronger action. While continuing with high doses of raw
garlic may initially clear the blood, it is generally preferable to alternate
between different anti-microbial remedies. Commonly used for this purpose are
wormwood, olive leaf and pau d’arco.
Sometimes also oxygen therapy or colloidal silver are being used.
A combination of these methods should be used
from one to two months to eliminate not only fungi but also most harmful
bacteria and viruses from the body, giving the immune system a chance to get
back into control.
It is
advisable to use probiotics from time to time during prolonged anti-microbial
therapy, and especially immediately after terminating this therapy. Therefore,
once a day or several times a week you may take a probiotic
30 to 60 minutes after the anti-microbial and before ingesting any
carbohydrate. After finishing the anti-microbial therapy continue to take
probiotics for several weeks before breakfast.
MINIMIZING MUCUS CONGESTION AND INFLAMMATION
As pointed out previously,
the mucic acid produced from lactose is highly
irritating to the mucous membranes lining the bronchial tubes and lungs. This
stimulates the secretion of protective mucus, which then tends to clog up the
airways, and it also increases inflammatory tendencies. All this provides an
ideal breeding ground for pathogenic microbes to thrive in this environment.
Therefore, an important
rule is to avoid all lactose-containing products. Read labels, avoid any suspicious-looking
food, and be aware that not all food additives may need to be declared on the
label. While pasteurized cows’ milk and
skim milk products are the most serious offenders, initially avoid even potentially
beneficial foods, such as goats’ milk yogurt. When you are free of asthma, you
may again cautiously re-introduce potentially beneficial goats’ milk products,
such as yogurt, kefir, and natural cottage cheese and cheese.
Small amounts of butter
are usually alright, except if allergic to cows’ milk. However, even fats,
especially saturated fats, ingested or formed in the liver from excess
carbohydrates, can increase mucus congestion if they are not properly removed
from the blood.
Avoid Gluten
Gluten tends to damage the
intestinal wall by having an irritating and inflammatory effect on the
intestinal lining. It also blunts the absorption villi
of the small intestines and contributes to malabsorption.
Many individuals knowingly or unknowingly are highly sensitive to gluten and
have varying degrees of celiac disease associated with mucus formation,
inflammation and allergies.
However, basically
everyone seems to be temporarily affected when digesting gluten as this tends
to make the intestinal wall more permeable to only partly digested proteins.
This greatly increases the likelihood of food allergies developing. The common
gluten grains are wheat, rye, barley and oats. Gluten is also routinely added
to many processed foods.
While you still have
asthma completely avoid all gluten products, and later be very careful. In
previous centuries gluten was less of a problem because on the one hand the
gluten content of grains was much lower than today and on the other hand much
of the gluten was enzymatically predigested by proper
sourdough baking. Therefore, if and when you want to re-introduce gluten
products after overcoming your asthma, continue to avoid or minimize wheat and
use preferentially spelt and rye sourdough bread (also see Wheat & Gluten).
Avoid Moldy Foods
Dietary yeasts and molds as well as mushrooms greatly increase the difficulties of susceptible individuals, frequently causing allergic reactions and flare-ups of asthma. In addition, some molds may damage the liver, for instance a mold that frequently grows on peanuts and is present in peanut butter. Molds commonly grow on dried fruits and on poorly stored grains and nuts, also on the outer leaves of cabbage and the skins of various fruits. Molds may be in food at such low levels that we cannot taste or smell it. Cooking or processing does not help as allergic reactions commonly are against the cell walls, regardless if the fungi are dead or alive.
A study in the
Washing whole grains and nuts, susceptible fruits and
vegetables before cooking or eating helps to remove molds; drying in the sun
destroys fungi and prevents their development. Preferably remove environmental
molds, for instance those on walls and bathroom tiles.
Frequently antibiotics are routinely added to animal
feed for meat production; this applies especially to poultry and pigs.
Antibiotic residues may impair the intestinal flora of the consumer of such
products and thereby encourage the spread of Candida. In addition, the meat
itself may be infested with Candida or other fungi because of the prolonged use
of antibiotics while, on the other hand, resistant strains of harmful bacteria
may be present. I do not recommend habitually eating such meat. As a general
rule I recommend to avoid meat from feedlots.
Allergies
Food allergies, chemical sensitivities and airborne
allergens are major causes of inflammation and, with this, of deteriorating
asthma conditions. It is difficult to do much about airborne allergens but
fortunately these usually clear up when food allergies and chemical
sensitivities are corrected.
As explained before, this is mainly done by
re-establishing a healthy intestinal flora. Until this is accomplished it is
recommended to follow a low-allergy diet or to do elimination food testing to
eliminate offending foods.
A main reason why foods cause allergic reactions is a
deficiency of digestive enzymes. Therefore, initially you may also use
digestive enzyme supplements to minimize allergy problems.
Other
Causes of Inflammations
Allergies, molds, mucic
acid, as well as Candida and other microbes are the most common causes of
inflammations. If we are persistently exposed to some or all of these, then the
inflammation will be chronic or permanent.
Another aggravating influence is an overacid body. The main reasons for this are allergens and
microbial toxins which make the energy metabolism inefficient. Instead of
producing energy from glucose, cells produce only lactic acid, which makes the
lymph fluid too acid. This can also happen if the diet is too high in sugar and
refined flour products, or if the diet is too low in alkalizing minerals as
from fruit and vegetables.
The more acid the body fluids are the more histamine
is released, and this greatly intensifies any allergic reaction. Therefore,
make the necessary dietary adjustments to avoid or minimize sweet food and
refined flour products, and instead use alkalizing fruits and vegetables.
Another inflammation booster is cooked food in general,
and especially food that has been heated to above the boiling point. Therefore
maximize the intake of anti-inflammatory raw food, and do not heat the food to
more than 100°C.
The linoleic acid in seed
oils, an omega-6 fatty acid, is pro-inflammatory while the omega-3 fatty acids
in fish oils and linolenic acid in linseed are
anti-inflammatory.
REDUCING
STRESS
By sanitizing your
intestines, eliminating microbial infestations, and minimizing allergens you
have taken some major steps to reduce the chronic stress load in your
life. But there may be other problems,
both biological and emotional. Therefore, see what more you can do to improve
your adrenal glands.
You may have dead teeth,
commonly with root canal fillings. These tend to become breeding grounds for
anaerobic bacteria that may cause chronic jawbone infections and weaken the
immune system. You may also have amalgam fillings that constantly leach mercury
into your system, or two different metals in the mouth that act like a
corrosive battery.
Other chronic stressors
are electromagnetic fields which are especially detrimental in the bedroom.
Living or working for extended periods under fluorescent light is a stress as
is looking for long periods into a TV or computer screen. See Healthy Living for suggestions on minimizing these
harmful dental and environmental factors.
Emotional Health
Individuals with weak
adrenal glands tend to use stimulants to get more drive for daily living, and
easily become addicted to whatever they regularly use. Others try to get
stimulated with loud music or daring activities.
However, what is really
needed is the opposite of continuously stimulating weak adrenal glands. This
includes restful activity in nature such as gardening and leisurely walking;
relaxation and slow breathing exercises, meditation and especially
inter-personal activities that make you feel loved, safe and protected.
For a small child that may mean lots of touching,
cuddling and sometimes sleeping in the parents’ bed; older children thrive on
praise and knowing that they can come to their parents with any problem, doing
things together as a family, going camping (see Emotional
Security in Children). As adults we need a dependable and caring partner,
and still continue to thrive on much touching, cuddling, and gentle relaxing
massages.
By permanently removing
the offending environmental or emotional stress, and at the same time supporting
the body with high-quality nutrition and strong emotional support, we slowly
begin climbing back. Our adrenal glands leave the exhaustion phase and re-enter
the resistance phase with a period of quiet recovery and finally move back into
the alarm phase with a series of acute healing crises. At the end of this long
healing process we may have re-acquired the adrenal functions and
disease-resistance that we had as a small child before we started getting
colds, allergic reactions, digestive upsets and asthma.
A holistic asthma
treatment program is in preparation.