On Inside Health on Radio 4 this week: some people are being misdiagnosed as having exercise-induced asthma

On Inside Health this week: some people are being misdiagnosed as having exercise-induced asthma. So if you or someone you know has had this diagnosis, and especially if you are an athlete, more especially if medication has been prescribed, and even more especially if that is steroid medication, then I suggest you visit this BBC webpage. Rather than exercise-induced asthma, the problem may be vocal cord dysfunction, and this problem does not respond to inhalers. I suggest you also have a look at my recent blogpost about asthma.

What's the best way to prevent asthma, and by extension, prevent deaths from asthma?

Well it was reported in the Telegraph this week that doctors, by way of Dr Dinesh Saralaya, who runs a specialist clinic in Bradford, are saying that 1,000 Asthma deaths a year could be prevented if patients, even those with only mild asthma, would regularly use "their ‘preventer’ inhaler - which contains a low-dose steroid" rather than relying "solely on the ‘reliever’ inhaler when undergoing an attack. " The evidence for this claim appears to be "a poll of 333 people with severe asthma, conducted by Ipsos MORI and funded by drugs firm Novartis". Personally, I would never give much credence to research funded by companies with a financial interest in the results, and in particular to research funded by drug companies hoping to increase the sales and use of their drugs and consequently their company profits. - Would you?

But I have even stronger reasons to regard this report with scepticism. The newspaper report is illustrated with a photo of a child using an inhaler, so I'll consider in particular child sufferers from asthma. - Now I am not a doctor and I have no medical qualifications whatsoever, so if you are wanting a medical opinion you would be better looking elsewhere than on my blog. But like you I do have a brain and I can read. My personal opinion is that the best way to prevent asthma, and to prevent deaths from asthma, is to protect children from a high intake of salt/sodium. My opinion is based on the following research evidence:

In this Telegraph article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2137775/Too-much-television-is-an-asthma-risk.html, about research in Rome, Italy, led by Dr Giuseppe Corbo, despite its misleading title, the crucial finding is, "The study of 20,000 six and seven-year-olds, published in the medical journal Epidemiology, confirmed a strong link with asthma and obesity, but found that salt was the biggest risk. Those with the highest intake of salt were two and a half times more likely to develop asthma." (My emphasis.) I'll bet your brain comes to the same conclusion as mine does, doesn't it? - Protecting children from a high salt diet is the simplest, safest and most effective way to reduce their risk of developing asthma and also from any necessity to take steroid meds as treatment for asthma. (I'm not a big fan of steroid meds, especially if they can be avoided.)

This article, too, supports the wisdom of a low salt intake for children. "According to a new study published by the American Dietetic Association, high-salt foods and snacks are linked to lung changes that trigger asthma symptoms.," and that researchers in Greece found, using questionnaires, "Kids who ate high-salt foods more than three times a week saw their risk of asthma symptoms go up almost five times."

Another drug-free and very important measure to protect children from developing asthma is to avoid dosing children with paracetamol/acetaminophen (aka Tylenol and Calpol). A wealth of statistical data on this webpage http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/health/evidence-mounts-linking-acetaminophen-and-asthma.html?_r=1 suggests a link between acetaminophen and childhood asthma. Also have a read of this article from the Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3233550/Delaying-baby-vaccine-could-cut-asthma.html for another simple measure that "could halve the likelihood of a child developing asthma by the age of seven."

As well as reducing the suffering of many thousands, even of millions, of people, these simple measures could also save about £1 billion a year - nearly one per cent of the NHS entire NHS budget - that is spent on asthma. - What it would not do, of course, is boost the profits of the drug company, Novartis...

Two simple suggestions that could help to stem the worldwide increase in childhood asthma

A crucial dietary measure that would reduce the incidence and severity of childhood asthma is to avoid feeding children salty meals and snacks. - See this article, where you will read, "According to a new study published in the American Dietetic Association, high-salt foods and snacks are linked to lung changes that trigger asthma symptoms.," and that researchers in Greece found, using questionnaires, "Kids who ate high-salt foods more than three times a week saw their risk of asthma symptoms go up almost five times." 

 

We read in this Telegraph report of research in Rome, Italy, led by Dr Giuseppe Corbo. "The study of 20,000 six and seven-year-olds, published in the medical journal Epidemiology, confirmed a strong link with asthma and obesity, but found that salt was the biggest risk. Those with the highest intake were two and a half times more likely to develop asthma." (my emphasis) See also Salt/Sodium in Foods.

 

Another important precaution is to avoid dosing children with paracetamol/acetaminophen (aka Tylenol and Calpol). There is a wealth of statistical data on that webpage which suggests a link between acetaminophen and childhood asthma.

 

Since AsthmaUK suggested this week that a third of people with asthma are at a high risk of having a potentially fatal asthma attack (see this BBC report), I reckon AsthmaUK ought to do the decent thing and bring these simple precautionary measures to the attention of asthma sufferers and their relatives and carers. Surely it is a moral imperative.

For a new perspective on conflicts of interest with regard to the pharmaceutical industry and health campaigning charities

For a new perspective on conflicts of interest with regard to the pharmaceutical industry and health campaigning charities I invite you to put the name of one such charity and the words "pharmaceutical sponsors" into your favourite search engine's searchbox. - I typed

asthma.org.uk pharmaceutical sponsors

into my searchbox and I was led to a page about a publication by The Stationery Office, viz.

The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Fourth Report of Session 2004-05

By Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Health Committee, Health Committee Parliament Great Britain House of Commons.

Whoever the actual people were who wrote this publication, they were clearly aware that the drug industry's sponsorship of charities is not motivated by philanthropy, but by greed, in the hope and expectation of increasing the sales of their drugs, and thereby increasing their profits. You may draw your own conclusions from that, as I do mine. It leads me to conclude that the advice given on the websites and in the literature of some at least of the major health campaigning charities, such as AsthmaUK, DiabetesUK, British Heart Foundation and others, may not really be in the best interests of the patients/sufferers they ostensibly serve. I hold in mind that we are constantly assured that business companies must act in the interests of their share-holders. So if I wanted to help people suffering from asthma, I personally would advise them to cut down on salt and salty food as this would improve their health in many ways. It would reduce excess fluid retention and thereby reduce excess weight, one of the risk factors for asthma, It would reduce high blood pressure if they had high blood pressure. It would reduce breathing problems. - And very importantly, if they had gained a lot of weight from using prescribed steroids for their asthma symptoms, it would speedily reduce that weight gain and the other serious adverse effects of prescribed steroids.(See my webpage about prescribed steroids.) What I would definitely not do is donate to AsthmaUK... - I don't donate to drug company profits.

Asthma sufferers benefit if they cut down on salt and salty food

I met an asthma sufferer today who didn't know that cutting down on salt/sodium is helpful for people with asthma, so I thought I'd draw attention to this again.

A crucial dietary measure that reduces the incidence and severity of childhood asthma is to avoid feeding children salty meals and snacks. - See this article, where you will read, "According to a new study published in the American Dietetic Association, high-salt foods and snacks are linked to lung changes that trigger asthma symptoms.," and that researchers in Greece found, using questionnaires, "Kids who ate high-salt foods more than three times a week saw their risk of asthma symptoms go up almost five times."

We read in this Telegraph report of research in Rome, Italy, led by Dr Giuseppe Corbo. "The study of 20,000 six and seven-year-olds, published in the medical journal Epidemiology, confirmed a strong link with asthma and obesity, but found that salt was the biggest risk. Those with the highest intake were two and a half times more likely to develop asthma." (My emphasis)

If an asthma sufferer uses or has ever used a steroid inhaler it is even more helpful to reduce salt intake. This is because prescribed steroids can, and usually do, cause salt sensitivity/sodium retention/water weight. - See Prescribed Steroids. And for information about the salt content of foods, see Sodium in Foods.

This Patient.co.uk webpage contains excellent comprehensive information about Inhalers for Asthma. Patient.co.uk is free from any commercial conflicts of interest.

Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) use in adolescents linked to doubled risk of asthma

New evidence linking the use of acetaminophen to development of asthma and eczema suggests that even monthly use of the drug in adolescents may more than double risk of asthma in adolescents compared to those who used none at all; yearly use was associated with a 50 percent increase in the risk of asthma.
Read article at physorg.com

Comment by Dr Rath Foundation: Based upon research involving more than 300,000 13- and 14 year old children in 113 centers throughout 50 countries, the results of this study follow hot on the heels of independent research that links acetaminophen (Paracetamol) not only to asthma but also to hearing loss and adverse vision events. As such, as the leading cause of liver failure in the United States and carrying a much increased risk of stroke and heart attack, it is becoming increasingly clear that the dangers of acetaminophen are far higher, and more numerous, than the business with disease and its friends in the drug regulatory agencies would have you believe.

Reduce Risk of Steroid/Oestrogen/HRT-Induced Asthma by Lowering Salt Intake

Reduce Risk/Severity of Steroid/Oestrogen/HRT-Induced Asthma by Lowering Salt Intake. There is a common element here. Certain steroids, of which oestrogen is one, frequently cause weakened blood vessels/weight gain/sodium retention/water retention/sensitivity to salt, the result of which is that the veins become distended/swollen as blood volume increases, retaining extra sodium and water. Obviously this extra weight has many negative effects on health, e.g. tiredness from carrying extra weight around, increased appetite because of needing more energy to carry the extra weight and service the heavier body, greater demands on the heart and lungs and kidneys, etc.

You can reduce all of these problems by reducing your sodium intake. You will then excrete some of the excess sodium from your body, along with its accompanying water. You will lose weight swiftly and safely and you will find your breathing is easier and you will feel much better.

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, boost your lung function and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it!

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Sodium in foods

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Boots Pharmacies offer asthma sufferers advice on correct way to use their inhalers

The Daily Mail reports on a free nationwide service (funded by the NHS) offered at Boots chemists to people with asthma to help them to get the best from their medication and their inhalers.

Cutting down on salt and salty food helps reduce asthma problems and has many other health benefits too.

See Lowering Salt Intake reduces symptoms and increases lung function in people whose asthma is usually triggered by doing sports and physical activity

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, boost your lung function and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it!

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Sodium in foods

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Salbutamol asthma inhaler is failing more than one in ten children

Salbutamol asthma inhaler is failing more than one in ten children and may be making them more likely to suffer an asthma attack. See BBC News item.


Reducing intake of salt and salty food is helpful for anyone with asthma.

Some researchers suggest that gut worms protect against allergy

Some researchers - Dr Carsten Flohr et al, of the University of Nottingham - are suggesting that gut worms protect against allergy, as reported here by BBC News. I've only read this one article on the subject, so obviously I am not in possession of an abundance of evidence, but going by the article itself, I doubt the logic of the argument.

The article states that "British and Vietnamese scientists gave local children treatment to clear their body of worms.

They found this led to an increase in dust mite allergy among the children."

And the researchers state that "this strongly suggests that gut worms have the potential to tone down human immune responses."

I myself am led to a completely different conclusion. - My conclusion is that it was the tablets (the 'treatment') that increased the dust mite allergy among the children, and that the further research they plan will be a waste of time and money, exploring in a blind alley.

What do you think?

A safe, drug-free way to reduce both the incidence and the severity of allergies, including asthma and eczema, in children, is to protect them from high sodium intake. Children should avoid salt and salty food. As well as reducing allergy problems, it also protects them from obesity and the many health problems associated with obesity.

See Children and Obesity

See also FAT RETENTION

Vitamin D may retard lung function decline

Vitamin D may slow the progressive decline in the ability to breathe that can occur in people with asthma as a result of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) proliferation, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.
Read article at physorg.com

How scientists are linking eczema and asthma

BBC News reports how scientists are linking eczema and asthma and hope that "Early treatment of the skin rash and blocking TSLP production might stop asthma developing in young patients with eczema."

Well for all I know the scientists may be right about this. But what I know for sure is that both eczema and asthma conditions are improved by reducing salt intake significantly, and that reducing salt intake is completely safe, with no adverse side-effects, and benefits the health in countless other ways too.

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it!

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Sodium in foods

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Come on, Asthma UK! - Tell people about the safe, easy to reduce their symptoms! - Just eat less salt and salty food!

Lowering Salt Intake reduces symptoms and increases lung function in people whose asthma is usually triggered by doing sports and physical activity

This article appeared on the website of Asthma UK almost 4 years ago. They don't seem to have given much publicity to the benefits of lowering salt/sodium intake since then. - It seems a shame not to.

***Note added May 2nd 2012: The link I have given above no longer works, and the article to which it refers appears to have been removed from AsthmaUK's website. That's a great shame. AsthmaUK is missing an opportunity to help asthma sufferers to reduce their symptoms and breathe more easily in a simple, cost-free way.

I suggest that AsthmaUK could have a page of low salt meal suggestions or recipes. This simple, safe, drug-free change to eating habits produces massive health benefits, not just to people with asthma. - Come on, Asthma UK! - Get telling people about how they can boost their lung function by cutting down on salt!

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, boost your lung function and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it!

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.ukThe site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.
Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Extra Vitamin D may reduce severity of asthma in children

New research suggests that it may be possible to diminish symptoms of asthma by using vitamin D. A study, based on children with asthma in Costa Rica, has found that low blood levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased severity of the disease, with more hospitalizations, increased use of inhaled steroids, and weakened immune function.
Read article in the Globe and Mail (Canada)

Omega-3, Vitamin C and Zinc may ease childhood asthma

A combination supplement containing omega-3, vitamin C and zinc may improve symptoms of asthma suggests a new study from Egypt. These three nutrients were associated with improvements in asthma measures, lung function, and markers of inflammation in the lungs, according to findings of a randomised, double blind, placebo-self-controlled crossover trial published in Acta Pædiatrica. “Children with moderately persistent bronchial asthma may get benefit from their diet supplementation with omega- 3 fatty acids, Zinc and vitamin C,” wrote the researchers, led by Mohammed Al Biltagi from Tanta University in Egypt.
Read article at nutraingredients.com

Reducing intake of salt/sodium also helps in preventing and in reducing asthma symptoms.

Many sweets and chocolates sold in the UK, especially children's sweets, contain harmful chemicals.

Never mind the sugar! Are our children being poisoned by their sweets?
article by Alex Renton in the Daily Mail

I've only just come across this interesting article, which was published on Jan 1st this year, but better late than never...(o:

I do hope you will read all of the original article because it contains such a lot of information important in safeguarding children's health. - Here is an extract:

"During my investigation, I found dangerous colourings and preservatives in famous names such as Cadbury Roses chocolates, Maynards, Wrigley's gum, Jawbreakers, Jelly Babies, Kiddies Mix, Refreshers, Lovehearts, Hubba Bubba bubble gum and Fizz Bombs, as well as a huge range of corner-shop sweets sold as Nisha's or Family Favourites.

Novelty sweets branded on Bratz dolls and cartoon character Scooby-Doo had them too. A build-it-yourself gingerbread house from the John Lewis toy department had more bad dyes than any other item I found.

If it's cheaply made and highly coloured, it seems, it's more likely than not to have an 'azo-dye' (a synthetic nitrogen-based compound dye) in it - and that includes all the children's favourites: the snakes, marshmallows and bootlaces sold loose in corner shops.

The chief villains - the ones everyone agrees are dangerous - are mainly colours derived from coal tar. These are known as the 'Dirty Six' and go under the names sunset yellow (or E number 110), carmoisine (E122), tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), quinoline yellow (E104) and allura red (E129).

They're reds and yellows, and commonly found in sweets, jellies, ice lollies, fizzy drinks and many obviously coloured foods, such as icing on cakes. Three of them have been linked with asthma and other allergies. Many of them are banned in medicines, or must carry warnings.

All of them, government scientists now agree, can cause or exacerbate hyperactivity or attention disorder.

For my daughter - who's pretty busy, not hyperactive - the worry is what's known as the cocktail effect: these colourings combined with commonly used benzoate preservatives (which go under E numbers 210 to 219) may exacerbate other allergic conditions as well as hyperactivity.

The benzoates, according to the FSA, are thought to worsen symptoms of asthma and eczema in children who have these conditions - and they're banned in food products for the under-threes."

You may like also to visit http://www.actiononadditives.com/Home/

Asthma sufferers are to get free prescriptions in a move which has caused fresh concern about how costly new health proposals are to be funded.

Free medicine for asthma sparks funding row
article in the Sunday Telegraph

Extract:

"It is understood that Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, is drawing up plans to extend the prescription charge exemption recently awarded to cancer sufferers to other serious conditions.

But the proposal has caused anxiety at The Treasury where ministers are demanding that the plans be self-financing as the NHS faces unprecedented pressure on its budget.

It will be announced this week that compensation payouts for medical negligence have risen sharply and are set to double next year, putting further pressure on new spending projects.

The cost of extending free prescriptions to asthma sufferers, which is expected to be announced this Spring, could cost tens of millions of pounds a year.

It has been the subject of a long running row between Mr Johnson and The Treasury with the latter insisting that it is funded through money raised from other prescription charges, but this may be nowhere near enough.

There are also concerns that the move will prompt demands from sufferers of other debilitating conditions, such as Alzheimer's, to be made exempt from charges."

So medical negligence payouts are set to double next year? - Does anyone ever think to try to reduce the incidences of medical negligence? - What about including medical negligence in the topics dealt with in Medical Ethics courses? - To get medical students to think about the harm they may do and the suffering/difficulties/problems/expense they may cause by not familiarising themselves with the side-effects of drugs they will be prescribing, for instance, before they actually cause the harm and destroy the lives of their innocent victims/patients.

As a result of Georgina Downs' campaign, people in the countryside at risk from crop sprays must be given better protection, the High Court has ruled.

Crop sprays a risk to health, rules High Court
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"the Government has been ordered to "rethink" its policies on pesticides so that human health is given more priority.

The ruling by Mr Justice Collins is a landmark victory for Georgina Downs who launched a one-woman campaign after her own health was damaged by crop spraying.

She argued that the Government had ignored evidence that agricultural chemicals damaged the health of people who - like herself - lived close to crop fields.

In his ruling the judge said Miss Downs had produced "strong" evidence to back her case and granted her application for a judicial review.

He said the Government had failed to meet its obligations under EU law to protect rural residents and communities from the possible harmful exposure to pesticides.

Miss Downs, whose home near Chichester, West Sussex, borders crop fields, launched her independent UK Pesticides Campaign in 2001.

Last month her campaigning against the unrestricted use of pesticides earned her a Woman of the Year award.

She had claimed that the Government based its decisions on an assumption that people suffered only occasional and short-term exposure.

Miss Downs said the Government had failed to address countryside residents such as herself, "who are repeatedly exposed to mixtures of pesticides and other chemicals throughout every year, and in many cases, like mine, for decades".

She told the court that she had collected evidence that agricultural chemicals caused a variety of health problems including cancer, Parkinson's disease, ME and asthma.

And she claimed that under current rules local people were not even entitled to a warning about what was being sprayed near their homes and gardens."

Delaying a baby vaccination by two months could dramatically reduce the risk of child asthma, new research has found.

Delaying baby vaccine could cut asthma
Article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DTP) jab is given to babies by the age of two months.

Although the triple vaccination is commonplace, experts now believe that it might provoke an immune system response which predisposes the body to the lung condition.

However they now believe that delaying the jab by only two months could halve the likelihood of a child developing asthma by the age of seven.

Researchers at Manitoba Institute for Child Health and the University of Manitoba, in Canada, gave 11,531 children four doses of the combined DTP vaccine.

Of the 5,000 babies studied who had the jab at the scheduled age, 13.8 per cent developed asthma.

However only 5.9 per cent of babies who were four months or older at their first immunisation went on to develop the lung condition.

The second, third and fourth doses were given at four months, six months and 18 months.

The study also found a decreased likelihood of asthma if the other doses were delayed, but the strongest evidence was seen in relation to the delay of the first dose."

You can also reduce the risk of children developing asthma by providing them with meals low in salt/sodium.

Paracetamol has been linked to three-fold increased risk of asthma in children

Giving young children Calpol or other paracetamol medicines increases the risk of them developing asthma, research has shown. Children aged six and seven who had paracetamol at least once a month were at three times the risk of having asthma than those who were never given it. Babies who were given the drug under the age of one were more likely to have asthma at six or seven but the greatest risk was amongst those who were receiving high doses, defined as once a month for 12 months.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)