LifeCare Chiropractic

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Asthma

The Western lifestyle is a major contributing factor to many chronic, degenerative diseases – (04-24-00)

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The Western lifestyle is a major contributing factor to many chronic, degenerative diseases

Africa Proposed as ‘Laboratory’ for Study of Prevalence of Childhood Asthma

The experience in Africa seems to support the hypothesis that the trend toward urbanization is an important factor in the increasing prevalence of childhood asthma in the developed world, according to a commentary in the February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Early studies showed, he notes that asthma prevalence was “very low” among children who followed a traditional rural way of life, and that asthma was not uncommon in “urbanized African children.”

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;105:224-231.

Holy Sinus Infection Batman! You’ve GOT to Read This!!

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Sinus problem, allergies and asthma are the bane of many peoples’ existence. Too often, this results in the knee-jerk antibiotic prescription and steroids.

These conditions can be incredibly challenging to deal with from a functional medicine standpoint because, all too often, the problem stems back to immune development in the first 2 years of life. Short of commandeering Mr. Peabody’s way-back machine, you just can’t alter that. And the longer the immune system is stuck in a pattern, the harder it is to re-direct that pattern to one that doesn’t involved allergies and asthma.

I have been a fan of drops for allergies (aka sublingual immunotherapy) for many years because I believe that this is one of the few ways to slowly train the immune system back to the path of balance. But that does not mean it’s the only way, as this particular research study demonstrates.

But first, some background.

Our sinus and airways secrete compounds that help us fight off infections called antimicrobial peptides. It has been determined from previous research that the release of these antimicrobial compounds is controlled by bitter taste receptors embedded in the sinus cavities and upper airway. Activation of these same receptors also speed up the cilia lining your respiratory tract to help sweep away debris and infection. If you’re already amazed, like I was, just by hearing this, then grab something solid before you read further.

When bacteria are present in the airway, they will use up the sugar in the lining of the upper respiratory tract and, in turn, secrete byproducts that register as bitter tasting to our bitter taste receptors in our airway. Bitter, in general, is bad and is a near-universal sign that something is harmful and we should stay away because it may be rotten and not good to eat. (This theory, however, did not work on my recent pit bull addition to the household; she ate the sectional and coffee table despite bitter apple spray…).

When these bitter taste receptors in our airways detect the bitter compounds released by the bacteria, they kick into gear and release the antimicrobial peptides. Kind of cool.

On the flip side, when the sweet taste receptors are activated, the bitter receptors are turned off, stopping antimicrobial peptide production. While this system allows for antibacterial action to be present when needed and shut off when it’s not, I’m sure you can see where this article is going to go.

It has further been shown that, in those people with chronic rhinosinusitis as well as people with hyperglycemia (pretty much everyone living his or her life on the diabetic spectrum), there are higher sugar levels in the mucosa lining the sinuses. In other words, they are constantly shutting off their body’s ability to mount an effective defense against invaders.

While this probably does not come as a complete shock, it does mean that you should fire your allergist or pulmonologist if he or she has never recommended healthy dietary changes along the lines of a low-glycemic index diet.

Regardless of whether or not we had the details of the information in this study, it would seem logical that dietary changes can have a strong role in allergies and sinus infections beyond their role as a potential allergen. Natural practitioners have, seemingly forever, been advocating that sugar suppressing the immune system and increasing the risk of infection.

After the release of this study, we just now have a mechanism by which sugary diets can increase sinus and upper respiratory tract infections can occur, but it does not mean that this has not always been great advice. So, the next time you whine about how bad your allergies are while downing your Allegra or Zyrtec with a Coke, it may be time to re-evaluate your health priorities.

Antibiotics in early childhood increases risk of asthma/allergic disease – (11-23-00)

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Antibiotics in early childhood increases risk of asthma/allergic disease

This is yet another research study pointing to this association. It really is not a difficult concept to follow. Antibiotics destroy the normal, developing flora in the infant. These flora are instrumental in protecting the infant from the environment, and also play a key role in regulation of the entire immune system. We have had such incredibly large blinders on when we view the only bad effects of overuse of antibiotics as antibiotic resistance.

Synergy Abstract

Read entire article here

Sublingual Immunotherapy Helpful in Mite-Sensitive Asthmatic Kids – (11-12-00)

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Sublingual Immunotherapy Helpful in Mite-Sensitive Asthmatic Kids

Such a simple therapy with almost no side effects, and yet most allergists scoff at doctors using this therapy. This procedure using the concept of oral tolerance, where small dosages of an allergic substance are given, and this teaches the gut to calm down its reaction to the allergen.

Allergy 2000;55:842-849 Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) reduces asthma symptoms in children sensitive to house dust-mite allergen, Italian researchers report in the September issue of Allergy. However, the mechanism of the protective effect remains elusive. Dr. Giovanni B. Pajno, of the Universita di Messina, and colleagues conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of SLIT in 24 children ages 8 to 15 years. The children, all of whom had mild to moderate asthma and were sensitive to house dust mite, were randomized to 2 years of SLIT with standardized house dust mite extract or placebo. A total of 21 children completed the study, and those in the active treatment group showed a significant decrease in asthma symptoms and medication use. In addition, asthma scores improved in the treatment group, but not in the placebo group.

Long-Term Effects of Budesonide or Nedocromil in Children with Asthma – (11-09-00)

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Long-Term Effects of Budesonide or Nedocromil in Children with Asthma

Many of the drugs in use today for asthma are no more effective than placebo in the long term, and yet have many more side effects. So, why do we continue to use pharmaceuticals that are not effective in the long run when so many natural approaches are available that are effective??

Original Articles — NEJM 2000; 343: 1054-1063

Read entire article here

Viral Persistence High in Asthmatic Children – (10-19-00)

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Viral Persistence High in Asthmatic Children

This study shows a high percentage of asthmatic children have evidence of viral presence in their respiratory tracts compared to normal children. Might this be further rationale for maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle that keeps immune function at optimal levels?

J Infect 2000;41:69-72 Evidence of viral presence appears rare in the upper airways of healthy controls, but may be found in almost 80% of children with stable asthma. Use of polymerase chain reaction testing showed that 78.4% of asthmatics were positive for adenovirus DNA, 32.4% for rhinovirus RNA and 2.7% for coronavirus RNA. In contrast, only one control sample was positive for adenovirus DNA. The remainder were negative. “The persistent presence of viruses in the upper respiratory tract of asthmatic children,” the researchers conclude, “shows a possible connection between viral infections and asthma.”

Early Respiratory Infections Increase Childhood Asthma Risk – (10-19-00)

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Early Respiratory Infections Increase Childhood Asthma Risk

This article is contradictory to previous studies that suggest that early infections are needed for a child’s immune system to properly develop. I firmly believe that childhood infections, if left to their natural course, will help that child’s immune system develop. I believe that antibiotics interfere with this natural course. Ponder this…studies have shown that early antibiotic use has been linked to asthma. It is possible that the children in this study actually received antibiotics for their infections. Maybe it was antibiotic use, and NOT the infection itself, that increased the risk of asthma.

Pediatrics 2000;106:e38 Respiratory infections early in life appear to increase the risk of having asthma at 4 years of age. The researchers examined data from 2531 children who had been followed from birth to the age of 4 years. The team found that children who had experienced respiratory infections in their first year were at higher risk of bronchial obstruction at the age of 2 and of asthma at the age of 4 years. After adjusting for confounders, lower respiratory tract infection during the first year of life yielded an odds ratio of 3.4 for asthma. Otitis media during this period was associated with an asthma odds ratio of 1.8 and croup carried an asthma odds ratio of 2.1. Having a common cold during the first 6 months of life doubled the risk of asthma at the age of 4.

Environmental Pollutants Harming Canadian Children’s Health – (10-16-00)

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Environmental Pollutants Harming Canadian Children’s Health

Technology, while producing advances in how we live, can have harmful affects on our health. Taking simple steps such as air filters in the bedroom and drinking only filtered water can help reduce our exposure to the side effects of technology.

(article) Canadian children’s chronic, low-level exposure to pollutants in food, water and air may be responsible for a sharp rise in childhood cancers, asthma and behavioral problems, according to a recent report released here. The report states that the fourfold increase in childhood asthma during the past 2 decades and the rise in allergies and respiratory problems may be attributed to poor indoor and outdoor air quality. Indoor air is of particular concern since Canadian children spend more than 90% of their time inside, where concentrations of pollutants such as insulation and cleaning agents can be up to 100 times higher than outdoors, Dr. Chance noted. The 25% increase in the rate of childhood cancers in the past 25 years is at least in part due to exposure to environmental contaminants, according to the report. In particular, there has been a dramatic rise in certain types of cancer, including acute lymphocytic leukemia, tumors of the central nervous system and bone tumors. The report also says that the large increase in hyperactivity disorder and other learning disabilities among children may be in part due to pollutants such as lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury and dioxins, which can reduce intelligence and slow central nervous system development in fetuses. While standards exist for many environmental contaminants, they are based on testing done in adults and do not necessarily reflect children’s vulnerability to pollution, according to the report. In particular, infants and toddlers can be more vulnerable to environmental contaminants, since relative to their weight, they eat more food, drink more water and breathe more air and are more likely to play outside.