Allergies and Asthma
Allergies
and asthma are big business. Approximately 50 million Americans suffer
from allergies, and approximately 20 million suffer from asthma. With
some overlap between the conditions, more than 60 million Americans
experience either allergies, asthma, or both.
The costs for
medications, hospital and emergency room admissions, and loss of
business productivity are huge - approximately $18 billion annually.1
And, the impact on children is significant and ongoing - 14 million
school days are missed annually due to allergies and asthma. These
disorders are the number one reason for school absenteeism.2
Standard
treatment for allergies and asthma consists of a variety of
medications, and if you have one of these disorders, you know all about
the meds. For allergies, typical medications include antihistamines and
corticosteroid nasal sprays. You may also undergo more aggressive
therapy - desensitization injections, known as immunotherapy, which are
given regularly over a period of years.
For asthma, the gold
standard of medication is inhaled corticosteroids. Asthma inhalers are
now so much a part of daily life that they appear regularly as props on
television serials and in film. In plot-driven, contrived "difficult"
moments, lead actors - children and adults - pull out their inhalers and
take a quick dose.
The challenge, of course, with allergy and
asthma medication is there is no end-point. There is no cure. Asthma and
allergies, for the most part, are lifelong conditions requiring
lifelong medication. Might there be a better way, an alternative
solution?
"Alternative" is the key word. Medical treatment is
designed to combat symptoms, and is successful to a certain extent with
allergies and asthma. Underlying causes are not addressed, however, and
symptoms continue year after year. What else might be done?
Enter
chiropractic care. Chiropractic health care, with its unique
comprehensive approach, is able to offer positive benefit to a variety
of conditions and ailments. In the case of allergies and asthma, these
"hypersensitivity conditions" may respond well to therapy designed to
normalize the body's flow of nerve signals. To use a metaphor,
chiropractic treatment removes roadblocks to the body's natural healing
abilities. Restoring these imbalances may help reduce such
hypersensitivity reactions.
Chiropractic care frequently
includes nutritional counseling, a critical component for people with
allergies and asthma. Such individuals need as much physical
optimization as possible, and nutritional awareness is key. A balanced
food plan will help support all metabolic systems, reduce irritation
caused by deficiencies, and provide fuel for exercise programs.
The
benefits of chiropractic care are wide-ranging, and may be very useful
in cases of hypersensitivity disorders such as allergies and asthma.
Nutritional Approaches for Allergies and Asthma
In addition to avoiding one's specific hypersensitivity triggers such as dairy products, shellfish, or gluten, there are many proactive nutritional solutions available. All will help restore the body's natural ability to create internal balance and more normal functioning.
The most important recommendation is to drink enough water. Most of us don't do this. Coffee, tea, juice, and soda don't count. Water is the key - eight cups per day are recommended. If you're not used to drinking water, start with four cups per day, get used to doing that, and work your way up to eight cups per day.
Put simply, if you're not drinking enough water, your internal metabolic environment is toxic. For those with hypersensitivity problems, not drinking enough water exacerbates the problem. Drink water!
Also,
make sure you're doing food combining - eating portions of protein and
portions of carbohydrate at each meal. Combining protein and
carbohydrate is metabolically efficient, keeping your blood sugar level
throughout the day, and removing unwanted stress on your endocrine and
other systems.
1Weiss K: The costs of asthma. Asthma and Allergy Foundation, 1998 [updated 2001].
2The Condition of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001.
Chiropractic Care Can Help...