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Program AS
Asthma
Breakfast
½ c soy plain yogurt, ¼ cup sliced almonds, 1 cup blackberries, 1/8 c ground flax seeds
*
½ c oatmeal cereal, ½ c blueberries, 1/8 c chopped walnuts, 1/8 c ground flax seeds
*
½ of a medium cantaloupe, 2 poached eggs, ½ cup flax cereal
*
6 oz. grapefruit juice, 1 cup soy plain yogurt, 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
*
½ cup flax cereal, 1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds, 6 oz. tofu scrambled with ½ cup spinach
Lunch and Dinner
3 oz. buffalo burger, 1 slice brown rice hamburger bun, spinach salad with soybeans and fresh
tomato slices, 1 tsp. of flax oil and olive oil each for dressing mix
*
4 oz. sole/flounder, 1 cup steamed cauliflower, 1 small baked potato, 1 apple
*
3 oz. chicken breast mixed in a spinach salad with ½ cup kidney beans, 1 cup potato cubes,
tomato slices and other vegetables, 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. of flax oil for dressing mix
*
4 oz. Salmon baked/broiled, 1 cup steamed brussel sprouts, ½ cup brown rice
*
4 oz. turkey breast, 2 cups broccoli, 1 cup lima beans, 1 tsp. of olive oil and 1 tsp. of flax oil
for vegetables
*
3 oz. filet mignon, 1 sweet potato, and 2 broiled tomato halves, 1 tsp. flax oil
*
2 pieces of lentil loaf, 2 cups of cauliflower, and mixed greens, 1 tsp. olive oil for dressing mix
*
4 oz. beef burger, 1 slice of brown rice hamburger bun, ½ cup carrots and ½ cup celery and
other vegetables over mixed greens, 1 tsp. flax oil
*
4 oz. chicken breast with rosemary, 1 cup black eyed peas, roasted
onions or garlic, spinach salad with 1 tsp. canola oil for dressing mix
*
4 oz. flounder, 2 cups sautéed spinach, 2 cups broiled parsnips, 2 tsp. canola oil
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Program AS
Asthma
Snacks
Roasted garlic or almond butter on rice cake or celery, protein shakes with freshly ground
flaxseeds added, handful of raw almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or sesame seeds, an organic
apple, pear, or grapes, rice cakes with nut butter
Beverages
Fresh mixed vegetable juice, green drinks: Green Magma, Kyogreen, or Green Kamut (1 tsp.
1-3x day in water). Teas: licorice, chamomile, lemon balm, green tea, iced herbal teas
Avoid
Aspirin (which can worsen attacks), hydrogenated oils, sugar, allergenic foods, safflower,
sunflower, corn oils, exposure to airborne allergens, food additives, alcohol, smoking, stress.
Suggestions and Goals
Try doing an elimination diet to identify food allergens. Check for presence of Candida.
Include plenty of quality fats found in mackerel, sardines, salmon, and herring.
Supplements
EPA/DHA
Vitamin C
Magnesium
B6
B12/Folate
Selenium
Carotenoids
Mycel A
Vitamin E
Zinc
Beneficial Bacteria
Curcumin
Quercetin
Taurine
NAC
Grape Seed Extract
Boswellia Extract
Gingko Biloba
500-2,000 Mg
1-5 Grams
400-600 mg (and/or Epsom salt baths)
200 mg with B complex at different time of day
1,000 mcg of each, with B12 doses as high as 10 mg
200-400 mcg
50-200,000 IUs (Natural Mixed Carotenoids)
1 dropper once per week (not near pregnancy)
400-800 IUs/Liquid E 1-3 Tsp./day (Twinlab)
25 mg or as per ZTT
1-3 capsules to 1-3 Tablespoons
100-1,000 mg
300-900 mg
1-3 grams
1-2 grams
50-300 mg
300 mg 3x per day
80-240 mg of standardized extract
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Program AS
Asthma
Research Review
A considerable body of evidence suggests that oxidant stress results in inflammation and tissue damage in the
respiratory system, and later in immune damage, and that individuals with lowered cellular reducing capacity
are at increased risk to develop asthma. Dietary selenium deficiency lowers red cell glutathione peroxidase
activity and is associated with an increased risk for asthma, and low dietary intakes of vitamins C and E also
appear to increase asthma risk. High body iron stores increase free radical production and may also elevate
asthma risk. Environmental lead exposure depresses cellular reducing capacity. Simple dietary and
environmental interventions may significantly reduce oxidant stress and prevent or minimize the development
of asthmatic symptoms and should prove to be a cost effective approach to asthma management in addition
to current pharmacological strategies.1
Oxidant Stress
(Smoking, nutrient deficiency, heavy metals, n-6/n-3 imbalance, frequent colds)

Inflammation

Tissue Damage

Asthma
Asthma prevalence and morbidity have increased in the past 10 years in the face of improved knowledge
about pathophysiology and treatment. Diet is a newly recognized potential risk factor for asthma occurrence.
Four types of dietary constituents are considered: breast feeding and food avoidance in infancy; antioxidant
vitamins, specifically vitamin C; dietary cations, specifically sodium and magnesium; and N3-N6 fatty acids.
Data are strongest for vitamin C, which is associated with protective effects of airway responsiveness, lung
function and asthma symptoms.2
Asthma and Insulin
Clinical asthma appears to be less severe when diabetes mellitus is superimposed. To examine whether insulin
influences the development of allergic reactions in the airway mucosa antigen challenge, normal and diabetic
rats sensitized against ovalbumin (OA) were used. Compared with controls, animals rendered diabetic by the
injection of alloxan presented markedly decreased cell yields from bronchoalveolar lavage after OA challenge.
The impaired response was not related to antibody production because enhanced IgE antibody titers of the
same magnitude were found in both control and diabetic animals. Similarly, the mechanism underlying the
inhibited responses could not be ascribed to hyperglycemia or intracellular glucopenia, first, because
correction of blood glucose levels through fasting did not restore the decreased response, and second,
because administration of 2-deoxyglucose, which blocks glucose utilization, did not affect the
bronchoalveolar reaction to OA challenge in normal animals. Reversal of the impaired responses was attained
by treatment of diabetic animals with insulin. There is evidence that insulin exerts proinflammatory effects.
We conclude that insulin might modulate the inflammatory component of asthmatic responses.3
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Program AS
Asthma
Food Allergy
Food allergy (FA) induced asthma is less common than FA induced atopic dermatitis, or angioedema. The
incidence reaches 8.5%. Occupational asthma due to the inhalation of various food proteins is increasingly
described. Egg proteins could be peculiarly at risk. In the childhood, all the kinds of foods can be
incriminated. In adults, FA are predominantly due to vegetal allergens, included in the following botanical
families: rosaceae, umbelliferae, and exotic fruits. Bronchi are sensitized either by inhalation of food allergens
or by inhalation of cross-reactive pneumoallergens, such as pollens, feathers, latex. The fact that FA might
create a bronchial hyperreactivity is controversial. Bronchial challenges induce late-phase reactions and
document the acquisition of an inflammatory state. The quantity of allergens gaining access to bronchi plays a
major part in the triggering of asthma. It can be modulated by variations of intestinal permeability which are
related to viral infections, aspirin, alcohol, etc. The chemical characteristics of proteins, such as
hydrophobicity might interfere with the passage through the gut mucosa.4
Food and food additive triggers play an important role in approximately 5-8% of all asthma cases. Exact
epidemiological data are lacking, partly because the etiological link is not always obvious, the diagnosis of
food hypersensitivity is often complicated and ambiguous, food triggers usually act in concert with other
trigger(s), and intraspecies and intrabotanic cross-reactivities between inhalant and nutritional allergens can
make the time-course of the symptoms confusing. The participation of airway symptoms in food allergy goes
up to 40%. Relevant diagnosis can only be established by the combination of procedures used for both food
allergy and asthma. In the therapy avoidance measures are of great importance besides usual asthma therapy,
and probably in combination with the reduction of gut permeability.5
B6: Theophylline Increases Need
Plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate concentrations were significantly lower (p less than 0.001) in a group of 28
asthmatic women when compared to 33 controls. Theophylline was administered to a group of 17 volunteers
and resulted in large reductions in plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate levels.6
Asthmatics Need 100-200 mg B6 Per Day
Urinary xanthurenic and kynurenic acid levels were measured in five patients while they were receiving 50 mg
and 100 mg of pyridoxine. The levels of tryptophan metabolite decreased progressively as the dose was
increased but remained above basal levels. There was marked clinical improvement in these patients while
receiving the higher dose only. The double-blind study with 76 asthmatic children followed for five months
indicated significant improvement in asthma following pyridoxine therapy (200 mg daily) and reduction in
dosage of bronchodilators and cortisone. The data suggest that these children with severe bronchial asthma
had a metabolic block in tryptophan metabolism, which was benefited by long-term treatment with large
doses of pyridoxine.7 Further research supports the partial block in the metabolism of tryptophan in
children with bronchial asthma.8
B12
We have studied five children with asthma with sulfite intolerance confirmed by oral challenge testing. The
challenge test with metabisulfite was repeated after premedication of all the patients with 1.5 mg of oral
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Program AS
Asthma
cyanocobalamin. In four of the five patients treated with cyanocobalamin, bronchospasm did not develop in
the second metabisulfite challenge. The possible mechanisms are discussed.9
Vitamin C
Vitamin C intake in the general population appears to correlate with asthma, suggesting that a diet low in
vitamin C is a risk factor for asthma. There is evidence that oxidants produced endogenously by overactive
inflammatory cells contribute to ongoing asthma. Vitamin C is the major antioxidant substance present in the
airway surface liquid of the lung, where it could be important in protecting against both endogenous and
exogenous oxidants.10
Magnesium
In 2633 adults aged 18-70 sampled from the electoral register of an administrative area of Nottingham, UK,
we measured dietary magnesium intake by semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, lung function as
the 1-sec forced expiratory volume (FEV1), and atopy as the mean skin-prick test response to three common
environmental allergens. Dietary magnesium intake is independently related to lung function and the
occurrence of airway hyper-reactivity and self-reported wheezing in the general population. Low magnesium
intake may therefore be involved in the etiology of asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease.11
Many asthmatic children have a slower growth rate than normal children, and a physiological delay in puberty
which does not affect final adult height. Prolonged administration of oral corticosteroids retards growth.
Growth should be monitored in children taking over 0.8 mg day-1 of inhaled corticosteroid, but the priority
should be to treat the asthma adequately.12
Selenium
Lowered selenium (Se) status has been observed in asthma patients. Se supplementation might be beneficial
to patients with intrinsic asthma, who may be at risk of Se deficiency.13
EPA/DHA
A questionnaire, containing questions about the frequency of eating more than 200 foods, was sent to the
parents of 574 children in whom we had measured recent wheeze (by questionnaire), AHR (by exercise) and
atopy (by skin prick tests) six months before this study. Children who ate fresh, oily fish (>2% fat) had a
significantly reduced risk of current asthma (odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.72; P0.01). No
other food groups or nutrients were significantly associated with either an increased or reduced risk of current
asthma. These data suggest that consumption of oily fish may protect against asthma in childhood.14
Since airway inflammation may play a central role in the pathophysiology of asthma, we studied the effect of
omega-3 essential fatty acids on bronchial responsiveness in 7 atopic patients suffering from seasonal asthma
due to airborne allergens, and positive to intracutaneous skin reaction to two or more allergens. The present
data strongly suggest the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with omega-3 essential fatty acids could
decrease bronchial hyperreactivity in atopic patients.15
n-6/n-3 Imbalance
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Program AS
Asthma
The last two decades have seen an increase in the prevalence of asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis in
developed countries. This increase has been paralleled by a fall in the consumption of saturated fat and an
increase in the amount of polyunsaturated fat in the diet. This is due to a reduction in the consumption of
animal fat and an increase in the use of margarine and vegetable oils containing omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFAs), such as linoleic acid. There is also evidence for a decrease in the consumption of oily fish
which contain omega-3 PUFAs, such as eicosapentaenoic acid. Linoleic acid is a precursor of arachidonic
acid, which can be converted to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), whereas eicosapentaenoic acid inhibits the
formation of PGE2. PGE2 acts on T-lymphocytes to reduce the formation of interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) without affecting the formation of interleukin-4 (IL-4). This may lead to the development of allergic
sensitization, since IL-4 promotes the synthesis of immunoglobulin E (IgE), whereas IFN-gamma has the
opposite effect. Changes in the diet may explain the increase in the prevalence of asthma, eczema and allergic
rhinitis.16
Approximately 55% of children use alternative therapies for asthma management.17
Herbal Therapies
A comprehensive literature search was performed of relevant English-language papers and abstracts were
identified through a MEDLINE search and from bibliographies of the identified papers. The results show
positive effects of these herbs on bronchodilation, pulmonary function tests, and antagonism of asthma
mediators such as histamine and platelet activating factor, corticosteroid levels, and clearance of mucus.
Improved symptoms were also seen in patients with allergic rhinitis specifically on histamine-induced
reactions, e.g., rhinorrhea, sneezing, and itching. From the review, there has been a role for some herbal
medicines in the treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Usage of herbal medicines has increased in recent
years. Many of these medicinal plants provided relief of symptoms equal to allopathic medicines used. The
amount of research on these products, especially in the United States, is limited. There is a lack of control of
quantity and quality of the components in these remedies. Yet, many have fewer side effects than current
therapy. Throughout the history of medicine, drugs have been developed from traditional medicine. By
continuing to investigate how some of these herbal interventions work, we may be able to find additional
effective medicines to treat asthma and allergies.18
Boswellia
The gum resin of Boswellia serrata contains boswellic acids, which have been shown to inhibit leukotriene
biosynthesis. In a double-blind, placebo- controlled study forty patients, 23 males and 17 females in the age
range of 18 - 75 years having mean duration of illness, bronchial asthma, of 9.58 +/- 6.07 years were treated
with a preparation of gum resin of 300 mg thrice daily for a period of 6 weeks. 70% of patients showed
improvement of disease as evident by disappearance of physical symptoms and signs such as dyspnoea,
rhonchi, number of attacks, increase in FEV subset1, FVC and PEFR as well as decrease in eosinophilic
count and ESR. In the control group of 40 patients only 27% of patients in the control group showed
improvement. The data show a definite role of gum resin of Boswellia serrata in the treatment of bronchial
asthma.19
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine
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Program AS
Asthma
A multicenter, double-blind and placebo-controlled study was therefore conducted to evaluate clinical efficacy
of using Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) to treat bronchial asthma . Three hundred and three asthmatic
children were classified by Chinese doctors, according to a standardized questionnaire designed on the basis
of basic logic of Chinese medicine, into three groups of specific constitution (group A, B and C). Group A
consisted of 32 herb A-treated patients and 34 placebo-treated; group B, 74 herb B-treated and 64 placebotreated; and group C, 55 herb C-treated and 44 placebo-treated. The study period was six months. Both
treatment group and placebo group showed an improvement in all clinical parameters, thus demonstrating a
placebo effect. However, the improvement was usually greater in the treatment group.20
1. Greene LS. Asthma and oxidant stress: nutritional, environmental, and genetic risk factors. J Am Coll Nutr
1995;14(4):317-24.
2. Weiss ST. Diet as a risk factor for asthma. Ciba Found Symp 1997;206:244-57.
3. Vianna EO, Garcia-Leme J. Allergen-induced airway inflammation in rats. Role of insulin. Am J Respir Crit
Care Med 1995;151(3 Pt 1):809-14.
4. Moneret-Vautrin DA, Kanny G, Thevenin F. [Asthma caused by food allergy]. Rev Med Interne
1996;17(7):551-7.
5. Nekam KL. Nutritional triggers in asthma. Acta Microbiol Immunol Hung 1998;45(1):113-7.
6. Delport R, Ubbink JB, Serfontein WJ, Becker PJ, Walters L. Vitamin B6 nutritional status in asthma: the
effect of theophylline therapy on plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and pyridoxal levels. Int J Vitam Nutr
Res 1988;58(1):67-72.
7. Collipp PJ, Goldzier Sd, Weiss N, Soleymani Y, Snyder R. Pyridoxine treatment of childhood bronchial
asthma. Ann Allergy 1975;35(2):93-7.
8. Collipp PJ, Chen SY, Sharma RK, Balachandar V, Maddaiah VT. Tryptophane metabolism in bronchial
asthma. Ann Allergy 1975;35(3):153-8.
9. Anibarro B, Caballero T, Garcia-Ara C, Diaz-Pena JM, Ojeda JA. Asthma with sulfite intolerance in
children: a blocking study with cyanocobalamin. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1992;90(1):103-9.
10. Hatch GE. Asthma, inhaled oxidants, and dietary antioxidants. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;61(3 Suppl):625S630S.
11. Britton J, Pavord I, Richards K, et al. Dietary magnesium, lung function, wheezing, and airway
hyperreactivity in a random adult population sample. Lancet 1994;344(8919):357-62.
12. Price JF. Asthma, growth and inhaled corticosteroids. Respir Med 1993;87 Suppl A:23-6.
13. Kadrabova J, Mad'aric A, Kovacikova Z, Podivinsky F, Ginter E, Gazdik F. Selenium status is decreased
in patients with intrinsic asthma. Biol Trace Elem Res 1996;52(3):241-8.
14. Hodge L, Salome CM, Peat JK, Haby MM, Xuan W, Woolcock AJ. Consumption of oily fish and
childhood asthma risk [see comments]. Med J Aust 1996;164(3):137-40.
15. Villani F, Comazzi R, De Maria P, Galimberti M. Effect of dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated
fatty acids on bronchial hyperreactivity in subjects with seasonal asthma. Respiration 1998;65(4):265-9.
16. Black PN, Sharpe S. Dietary fat and asthma: is there a connection? Eur Respir J 1997;10(1):6-12.
17. Andrews L, Lokuge S, Sawyer M, Lillywhite L, Kennedy D, Martin J. The use of alternative therapies by
children with asthma: a brief report. J Paediatr Child Health 1998;34(2):131-4.
18. Bielory L, Lupoli K. Herbal interventions in asthma and allergy. J Asthma 1999;36(1):1-65.
19. Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, et al. Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial
asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study. Eur J Med Res
1998;3(11):511-4.
20. Hsieh KH. Evaluation of efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines in the treatment of childhood
bronchial asthma: clinical trial, immunological tests and animal study. Taiwan Asthma Study Group.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 1996;7(3):130-40.
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