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Use olive oil, organic butter, ghee, grape seed oil, coconut oil and cold pressed oils for cooking and flavoring. I do not recommend flax seed oil for children as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. There is scientific evidence that the oil is not processed in the body to help promote anti-inflammatory responses due to weak enzyme systems in children. If children are unwilling to eat fish and sea vegetables for their omega-3 intake, there are good tasting cod liver oil preparations made by Carlson Labs and Nordic Naturals. (3,5,8)
4) Clean up the diet by removing simple sugars and regulate insulin levels. These sugars include glucose, sucrose, fructose and lactose and processed white flours. These sugars are ubiquitous in cereals, juices, cookies, cake, candy, pastries, soda, soft drinks, shakes, snack bars, milk, cheese, ice cream, bread, pasta, crackers and, unk, snack and fast foods. (5, 7,8, 9)
5) Sugar, like salt, is dehydrating to the body. Dehydration increases histamine levels. Histamine is another pro-inflammatory chemical that can worsen asthma. Water helps reduce histamine levels. Sixty-seven to seventy percent of a child's body is made up of water. Make sure children with >asthma drink water as their main beverage and keep them well-hydrated. I have personally watched a wheezing child improve using hydration as a main part of her treatment. (1, 2)
6) Clean up the dyes, preservatives, food colorings, artificial sweeteners and additives found in most foods listed in numbers 3 & 4 above and in many prescription drugs, antibiotics and over the counter medicines. Several of these chemicals are known to interfere with important enzymes needed for production of pro- and anti-inflammatory immune chemicals
7) Encourage a diet of whole, fresh, simple foods including vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, whole grains, sprouted breads and some fruit. Flavor foods with fresh culinary herbs and spices. Depending on factors specific to the individual child, some children with asthma will improve on a diet of non-starchy vegetables, meat, chicken, fish and eggs, nuts and seeds and fats with small amounts of grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, sugars and fruit.
Others will improve on starchy vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fruit with small amounts of non-starchy vegetables, animal proteins and fatty foods. (6, 8) Processed foods and beverages taste good yet they have little to no nutritional value. As a mainstay in the diet, they can be harmful to a child's health, especially for a child with a chronic inflammatory condition like asthma.
8) Relieve tension on the autonomic nervous system. The best way to do this is through evaluation and care by a doctor of chiropractic, osteopathathy or a cranial sacral therapist. Some children, whose asthma is more related to an imbalance in their autonomic nervous system rather than a problem with their diets, will respond better to these types of treatments. The diet changes will still be of benefit nonetheless.
9) Avoid Motrin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. In a subset of children with asthma, these medications will increase the production of pro-inflammatory leukotrienes. 10) Address stressors that may affect the emotional state of the child. Increased peer pressure, academic pressure, over stimulation, over scheduling, problems in the home, inability to express emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety, worry and grief with build up of these emotions, exposure to violence, anger or fighting, and feelings of smothering and suffocation are some of the concomitant stressors that serve as triggers for children with asthma.
References:
- Batmanghelidj, MD, F., ABC of Asthma, Allergies and Lupus
- Batmanghelidj, MD, F., Water: For Health, For Healing, For Life: You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty
- Enig, Ph.D., Mary, Know Your Fats
- Ivker, DO, Robert, Nelson, ND, Todd, Asthma Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment Program for Asthma
- Weil, MD, Andrew, Spontaneous Healing
- Wolcott, William and Fahey, Trish, The Metabolic Typing Diet
- www.glycoscience.com
- www.mercola.com
- www.nancyappleton.com
March - April 2003
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Wellness Articles 
