Asthma is the Greek word for troubled breathing. For many years, it was considered an allergic affliction, exacerbated by pollen, dust and other airborne allergens. Famous Russian clinician G. A. Zakharyin (1829-1897) believed in healing without the reliance on medicine and saved many patients from asthmatic attacks by removing dusty curtains and throwing out carpets and rugs from the bedrooms. He believed “That only hygiene can win the battle against illness”. 

    In 1956, Hans Celie, the founder of the theory of stress, discovered through his research that during allergic reactions and/or asthma attacks the adrenal glands have lower functionality. In the 1960’s, the medical community began using new treatments for asthma and allergies containing hormones such as cortisone and corticotrophin; producing variable results. 

These days, pharmaceutical companies offer an increasing amount of new medications for the treatment of asthmatic symptoms such as restricted airways and to promote better breathing. However, the number of people affected by asthma is growing, and it is now considered one of the greatest “epidemics” of the civilized world. We believe this is due to an unfavorable ecological environment, and do not exclude the possibility that vaccines may also play a role. 

    Today, Americans are struggling with asthma and in the United States, 4,500 people die from asthmatic attacks each year. 

Usually, death occurs at night. In the 17^th century, British doctor J. Floyer, himself afflicted by asthma, believed that suffocation and wheezing was common at night because of “inflation of the nervous fibres of the lungs by Windy Spirits”. Though it is less common, asthma attacks can occur due to irritation of the bronchial tubes from smoke, toxins, laughing, coughing or simply the inhalation of cold air. 

    According to the most recent scientific findings, asthma is considered a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory system. This inflammation is the result of complicated interactions between chemical triggers and highly sensitive cells in the respiratory pathways. 

    Immunological research found that there are two types of cells in the airways of human organism that provide protection against “invaders”; lymphocyte Th 1 and lymphocyte Th 2. Subtype Th 1 secretes certain substances, such as gamma interferon and interleukin-10, that are important in the fight against bacteria and viral infections. Subtype Th 2 is “pro-atopic” or “pro-allergic” because it produces substances that aid in the reproduction of eosinophiles and so called mast cells which produce IgE, the mediators of allergy.  

    Due to the lowering number of childhood infections and respiratory diseases in the Western world, the Th 1 wing of the immune system becomes weaker, causing the Th 2 to overcompensate, and resulting in the number of allergic reactions (such as asthma) and different autoimmune conditions to grow. Artificial predisposition of organisms to allergies and growing environmental pollution lead to a growing number of people affected by allergies and asthma. In developing countries that do not vaccinate as heavily as Western countries, this tendency is not yet noted.

    Though this may seem strange, the condition of your gastro-intestinal tract and digestive system is directly related to the development of asthma. In the words of G. A. Zakharyin, “medicine is as wide as life, wrong doing causes diseases”.

    During the normal digestive process, the products are digested completely (ie. proteins become amino acids) without producing byproducts and toxins. Only not completely digested food is the source for allergic reactions and inflammation.

    In the 1990’s, research conducted in South Africa proved that for 75% of asthmatics, all their attacks were triggered by food. For another 15% of asthmatics, the attacks were triggered by a combination of food and airborne allergens. 

    In recent years this has become worse due to an increase in artificial flavors, colors and preservatives that are being added to all the products, even though many have already been banned. How many people in general, asthmatics in particular, know about these additives?!

     Existing products which may provoke allergic reactions and asthmatic symptoms include canned food, wine (sulfate), glutamates (MSG), peanuts, milk, marinated herring (Tiramine), soy sauce, caviar, eggs, chili peppers and nutmeg. However, allergic reactions, including asthma, can be triggered by virtually any product if you are allergic to it. You will not necessarily experience rashes or itchiness when you ingest these products; allergic reactions come in many forms and only some of them produce these symptoms.

    With aging or the long term ingestion of antacids, food is no longer being digested by stomach acid and enzymes, but by intestinal bacteria, resulting in different toxins and histamine levels that are much higher in people affected by allergies. This is why antihistamines are being prescribed as a salvation from allergies. Of course, histamine is also produced by mast cells as a reaction to allergens, but if these levels are heightened by billions of bacteria, the sensitivity levels would be much lower and the adverse reactions would occur faster.

     The liver function is also very important in the body’s protection against allergies. Normally, the liver destroys histamine with the aid of a special enzyme called histaminase. If the liver malfunctions, this process is stopped. Many scientists think that long term use of antihistamines has negative effects on the liver and elevates histamine levels simultaneously as it causes higher production of cortisone by the adrenal glands. This is characteristic of stress. Is the circle closed?

    That is why normal liver function and digestive processes, and intestinal flora are important means of fighting and preventing asthma.

It is also known that besides atopic and inflammatory asthma, psychosomatic asthma also exists. This form is caused by long term emotional stress or a mental snap. Children are often afflicted with this form when they seek attention from busy parents or are faced with social difficulties. The most characteristic manifestations of this form are episodic rages and nighttime asthma attacks.

    A book that I recommend to parents and that describes the emotional condition of an asthmatic boy is Dorothy Baruch’s One Little Boy.  

The three forms of asthma I mentioned above are very rare in “pure” form, and are usually interrelated. This is why the treatments must be similar, despite the seemingly different causes. 

It happens that during one’s lifetime the type of asthma changes: during one’s youth it was predominantly atopic and later in life became infectious. Difficulty breathing could be triggered by different factors such as emotions, change of weather, etc. 

    Regardless of the nature of the asthma, the reason for the bronchial tightness is a spasm of the bronchial muscles, swelling of the mucous membrane and it’s hyper secretion. In many cases, medical intervention is necessary.

    Usually these attacks are rhythmic (daily, monthly, annually) so it is possible to be prepared and to try to prevent it. It is known that asthmatics do not sleep as well as healthy people, and this lack contributes to the development of the disease. The sleeping position and the quality of air in the bedroom are very important. Since symptoms at night are more common, many physicians prescribe higher dosages of medication to be taken at night than during the day. 

    Most asthmatics know the rhythm of their disease and are able to predict a crisis. An instrument exists, a sort of “asthmatic barometer”, that measures the speed of exhaled air and thus helps to predict an oncoming attack. 

    Some reactions can be neutralized with the use of immunotherapy if the most typical allergen for an individual can be found. 

I want to stress that a huge influence on the development of this disease is the hygiene of the persons living area, general fitness, correct breathing techniques, proper nutrition and so on. These make the organism stronger against the influence of unfavorable factors in the environment, help to prevent asthma, and lower it’s clinical manifestations. 

    In my practice, I pay equal attention to all aspects of the development of asthma: it’s chronobiology (rhythm of the disease) and triggers of it’s development. When you pull the rug from under your enemies feet, they can not resist.