High folate levels could help prevent allergic reactions and reduce symptoms

An article published online on April 30, 2009 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology revealed the discovery of researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center of a role for the B vitamin folate in lessening allergy and asthma symptoms.

Pediatric allergist Elizabeth Matsui, MD, MHS and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 8,083 individuals aged 2 to 85 to obtain information on folate levels and respiratory and allergy symptoms. African-Americans were found to have the lowest levels of folate at 12.0 milligrams per milliliter, a finding that could not be attributed to low income or socioeconomic status.

Compared to subjects whose folate levels were highest at 18 nanograms per milliliter or more, those whose levels were 8 nanograms per milliliter or less were found to have a 30 percent greater risk of having high amounts of immune system markers known as IgE antibodies, which are elevated in allergy. Subjects with low folate levels were also more likely to report allergies, wheezing, or asthma. Those with low levels of folate had a 31 percent greater risk of skin allergies, a 40 percent greater risk of wheezing, and a 16 percent greater risk of asthma compared to those whose folate levels were highest. Continue Reading

Asthma severity in children associated with low vitamin D levels

In the May 1, 2009 issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and women's Hospital in Boston report a link between insufficient levels of vitamin D and increased severity of asthma in children.

Asthma which is characterized by airway hyper-responsiveness to certain stimuli, results in coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. For unknown reasons, the prevalence of asthma is increasing, particularly in industrialized nations. Juan Celedón, MD, DrPH, Augusto Litonjua, MD, MPH, and colleagues measured serum allergy markers and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 616 children aged 6 to 14 living in the central valley of Costa Rica, an area that has a high incidence of asthma. Lung function tests and allergy skin testing were also conducted. Continue Reading

Compound in broccoli may help protect against asthma and other respiratory disease

In the March, 2009 issue of Clinical Immunology, researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report that sulforaphane, a compound that occurs in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, may help protect against respiratory inflammation and the diseases it causes, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and allergic rhinitis.

For their study, the team administered doses ranging from 25 to 200 grams of a preparation of broccoli sprouts, which contain high amounts of sulforaphane, or a preparation of alfalfa sprouts, which do not contain significant amounts of the compound, to 65 men and women for three days. Gene expression of phase II antioxidant enzymes was evaluated in nasal passage rinse samples collected before and after treatment. These enzymes, which include glutathione-s-transferase M1, glutathione-s-transferase P1, NADPH quinine oxidoreductase, and hemoxygenase-1, scavenge free radicals which are believed to be the mechanism by which air pollution and ozone cause airway inflammation. Continue Reading

Lower vitamin D levels associated with common cold

An article published in the February 23, 2009 issue of the American Medical Association journal Archives of Internal Medicine revealed an association between lower levels of serum vitamin D and decreased resistance to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), otherwise known as the common cold.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Boston, and the University of Colorado analyzed data from 18,883 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) of U.S. participants aged 12 and older. Physical examinations following enrollment obtained blood samples and information including the occurrence of recent upper respiratory tract infections. Stored blood samples were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

Nineteen percent of the participants reported having a recent cold. For those whose serum vitamin D levels were lower than 10 nanograms per milliliter, the incidence was 24 percent, for subjects whose levels were 10 to less than 30 ng/mL the incidence was 20 percent, and the rate dropped to 17 percent among those with levels of 30 ng/mL or higher. After adjustment for demographic and other characteristics, those whose vitamin D levels were lowest experienced a 36 greater risk of URTI, and those whose levels were 10 to less than 30 ng/mL experienced a 24 percent greater risk compared with participants whose levels were at least 30 ng/mL. The association was significantly stronger for those with asthma. Continue Reading

Prenatal Nutrition, Postnatal Allergy Protection

(HealthDay News) -- An apple a day while you're pregnant may indeed keep the doctor away. But the real beneficiary could be your unborn child.

Recent research suggests that when moms-to-be eat apples during pregnancy, their offspring have lower rates of asthma.

And, mothers who consume fish during pregnancy may lower their child's risk of developing the allergic skin condition called eczema.

"There are influences that occur in utero that can have lasting impact," said Dr. Jennifer Appleyard, chief of allergy and immunology at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. "More and more, we're finding influences for later health develop earlier than we anticipated."

More than 20 million Americans have asthma, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about 6.2 million of those are children.

Eczema is an allergic condition that makes the skin dry and itchy. It's most common in babies and children and is sometimes called atopic dermatitis.

Dutch researchers recently followed 1,253 children from before birth to age 5. Their mothers completed food questionnaires during their pregnancies, and their children's health was assessed with a symptom questionnaire. The children's diets were also assessed.

Women who consumed the most apples during pregnancy -- more than four a week -- had children who were 37 percent less likely to have ever wheezed than children of mothers who had the lowest consumption of apples during pregnancy. Additionally, youngsters born to apple-loving moms were 46 percent less likely to have asthma symptoms and 53 percent less likely to have doctor-confirmed asthma than those whose mothers shunned the fruit.

The mechanism behind apples' apparent protective effect needs further study, but may have something to do with the flavonoids and other antioxidants contained in apples, said Dr. Devang Doshi, director of pediatric allergy and immunology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, also found that mothers who ate fish more than once a week had children who were 43 percent less likely to have eczema than women who never ate fish.

"This was a good study, but we need a lot more evidence still," said Doshi, who pointed out that the children in the study generally had well-balanced, nutritious diets, and that may have played a role as well.

So, what's a pregnant woman to do? "The general consensus is that women should consume a good, well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, and not to overindulge in any one food," he said.

Appleyard recommends avoiding nuts, peanuts and shellfish while you're pregnant to reduce the risk of your child developing a food allergy.

While this advice applies to everyone, it may be even more important for those with a family history of allergies. And Appleyard added that women who are vegetarians have to weigh the risks and benefits of following such dietary restrictions.

She agreed that prenatal nutrition is an area that needs a lot more research but suggested that pregnant women might want to "pick your foods wisely, because what you're eating today may not only nourish your body, but may have an impact on your baby's future health."

Appleyard added that for preventing asthma, avoiding cigarette smoke both before and after birth is crucial.

More information
To learn more about allergies and their causes, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Funny but True Facts About Big Pharma, Bill Maher

"If you believe you need to take all the pills the pharmaceutical industry says you do, then you're already on drugs."

"We won't stop being sick if we don't stop making ourselves sick."

"The government isn't your nanny. They're your dealer and they subsidize illness in America. They have to. There's too much money in it. You see, there's no money in healthy people and there's no money in dead people. The money is in the middle, people who are alive (sort of) but with one or more chronic conditions that puts them in need of Celebrex, Nasalnex, Valtrex, or Lunesta."

"50 years ago children didn't even get Type 2 Diabetes. It's now an emerging epidemic as are a long list of ailments which used to be rare but have been 'mainstreamed.' Things like Asthma, autism, acid relfex, arthritis, allergies, adult acne, attention deficit disorder. And that's just the A's."

"In Hillary Clinton's health care plan, the words NUTRITION and EXERCISE appear just once. The word 'drugs' appear 14 times, just as the pharmaceutical companies wanted. You know, they're advertising weasels...

Love to say ' when diet and exercise fail'. Well, DIET and EXERCISE don't fail. A FACT brought home last week by a Duke University study that showed exercise, yes EXERCISE, is just as effective as a cure for depression as Paxil and Zoloft. So ASK YOUR DOCTOR if getting off your ass is right for you!"

"The answer just isn't another pill."

HIGH-DOSE VITAMIN C FIGHTS ASTHMA

(OMNS) People with severe asthma have low blood concentrations of ascorbate (vitamin C), particularly men [1] and children [2].

Effective asthma treatment is readily available with cheap, safe and convenient vitamin C. The only requirement is to take enough vitamin C to be effective. Typical dietary quantities and low supplemental doses do not work. Robert F. Cathcart III, M.D., who has treated many asthma sufferers, says “Asthma is most often relieved by bowel tolerance doses of ascorbate (vitamin C). A child regularly having asthmatic attacks following exercise is usually relieved of these attacks by large doses of ascorbate. So far all of my patients having asthmatic attacks associated with the onset of viral diseases have been ameliorated by this treatment.”[3]

If you want asthma relief, consider trying this:

Go to a discount store and buy a large bottle of 1,000 mg vitamin C tablets. The cost should be less than $15.

Beginning when you awake in the morning, take 1,000 to 2,000 mg of vitamin C every 30 minutes and continue doing so until you have a single episode of loose stool (not quite diarrhea). If you haven’t had loose stool after 15 hours on this dosage, increase the vitamin C to 3000 mg every 30 minutes.

After you have a loose bowel movement, reduce the dosage to 2,000 mg of vitamin C every hour. You will quickly find the dosage that is right for you. Adjust the dosage of vitamin C downward to stay below the dosage that will cause loose stool and adjust it upward to relieve asthma symptoms. The usual maintenance dosage to remain asthma-free is 15,000 to 50,000 mg of vitamin C per day taken in eight equally divided doses.

People with asthma should also avoid tobacco smoke, minimize stress in their lives and minimize their consumption of junk foods, meat and dairy products.

Remember:
Vitamin C replaces antibiotics, antihistamines, antipyretics, antitoxics, and antiviral drugs at saturation (bowel tolerance) levels. It reduces inflammation.

A vitamin can act as a drug, but a drug can never act as a vitamin. Continue reading >>