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This potentially dangerous disease is thought to
be compounded by o ur increasingly polluted
and chemically adulterated modern world.
Mortality has doubled since 1978, with people
who live in cities being the hardest hit. The
characteristic symptoms of asthma, which
include wheezing, coughing, shortness of
breath, and chest tightness, are produced by a
constriction of the air passages. This happens when an allergen triggers lgE antibodies in the mast cells of the bronchial tubes, which lead from the trachea to the lungs. The antibodies cause the mast cells to release their powerful chemicals - including the well known chemical mediator histamine. This causes inflammation of the membranes lining the tubes. The tubes then become thicker and produce more mucus, which restricts the passage of air. A full-blown asthma attack occurs when so many chemicals are
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released from the mast cells that the smooth muscles of the bronchial tubes contract and become narrow, making a fresh breath of air increasingly difficult. Today's medical treatments for asthma are surprisingly disappointing, considering asthma's prevalence and rate of growth. Therapy typically involves a series of drugs including bronchodilators and anti-inflammatories. However, among the drawbacks of these medications are their short-lived effects and serious side effects, including fogginess and fatigue. Long-term use of steroids poses serious risk of adrenal suppression and other complications, including weight gain.
Along with asthma, two other respiratory conditions - hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis) and sinusitis - are common. Hay fever, which is caused by pollens such as ragweed, affects as many as one in five. In hay fever sufferers, pollen triggers the mast cells of the tissues that come into contact with the environment (including the nose, throat, and eyes) by releasing mediators that cause inflammation of the delicate tissues. Sufferers experience this reaction as red, itchy, watery eyes, and a runny or congested nose. Although usually seasonal, affecting a person when his particular allergen or allergens are in season, hay fever can also be exacerbated by food.
Sinusitis is an unpleasant and often painful infection of the air-filled bony cavities that surround the nasal passages. It is caused by the inflammation that occurs with hay fever and the common cold. The main symptoms of sinusitis are a severely blocked nose, headache over the eyes, or an ache in the cheeks.
Food intolerance triggers the body by different mechanisms than traditional airborne and traditional food allergy. One theory is that in a person with food intolerance the food allergen, combined with an airborne allergy, puts additional stress on the body.
Among the many interesting research results on the effects of food intolerance and respiratory health problems are the findings of two studies conducted by Drs. Peter Fell and Jonathan Brostoff. Both studies are based on the results of testing people for food intolerance using the Food Intolerance Test. In the first study, conducted in the UK in 1988, Drs. Fell and Brostoff reported that all eight patients who had suffered for more than three years with hay fever were successful in reducing or eliminating their upper respiratory symptoms. The researchers reported that although many of these patients were skeptical that their condition had a dietary cause, the results were clear-cut improvements due to the elimination of reactive foods. By sticking to their Food Intolerance Test -designed diets, patients maintained positive results through their follow-up exams.
In a second study conducted in 1990, Drs. Fell and Brostoff found slightly less dramatic results for patients with asthma and rhinitis, but nonetheless significant to the many people seeking non-pharmaceutical treatments to their chronic upper airways diseases. Of the patients studied, whose symptoms included sneezing, running noses, coughing, wheezing, and headaches, four of the 17 completely improved and maintained their improvement with a change in diet and only an occasional need for an accompanying treatment such as a medication or inhalers. The study's authors note that these results are not surprising considering that inhalant allergens also play a major role in these conditions.
Christian Mayer, world class athlete, is among the benefactors of the attention given to the relationship between food intolerance and respiratory problems. This Austrian skier, who won the World Cup in the Giant Slalom two years in a row and a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, suffered every season with breathing problems. The stuffy air in airplanes and hotels exacerbated his condition when he had to travel to competitions. Needless to say, his coach was not happy about having one of his top skiers waylaid by a health problem. He sent Christian to an Austrian physician, Dr. Stephen Shimpf, who specializes in immunotherapy and preventative medicine in Salzburg.
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