A prescription I don't mind giving
Even though I've built my practice on using natural remedies whenever possible, I'm still always amazed by the simple ways we can improve our health—ways that a lot of us would never think of. And that includes treating asthma.
One study was done in which researchers compared the diets of 515 adults with asthma to 515 adults without the disease. They found that the asthma patients ate less fruit each day than the asthma-free group. And the asthmatic patients who ate at least 46.3 grams of citrus fruits daily had about half the risk of suffering more serious asthma attacks than the people who ate no citrus fruit at all.
Folks, we're not talking about a lot of fruit here: A medium orange weighs a full 145 grams. It's worth a try if it helps you to breathe better—not to mention, tastes great too.
At the conclusion of this particular study, researchers had also tied low intakes of manganese, an antioxidant, to an increased risk of asthma. They weren't sure why the asthma patients' manganese intakes were lower than in the non-asthmatic patients. But one way for you to be sure you're getting enough of this nutrient is to eat natural, whole foods—which will supply more than just manganese. Foods high in manganese include pecans, brazil nuts, almonds, barley, rye, split peas, oatmeal and raisins.
