LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

asthma

PRENATAL MATERNAL DIET AFFECTS ASTHMA RISK IN OFFSPRING (08-24-09)

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Prenatal maternal diet affects asthma risk in offspring

This is an important article to consider. This mouse study raises the possibility that the push for periconceptual folic acid supplementation may be contributing to asthma, not ONLY in the offspring, but in the subsequent generation via epigenetic modification. Pretty heavy stuff.

Now, before we jump on the bandwagon of avoiding prenatal vitamins, I have a few comments. First, nothing happens in a vacuum. If this relationship holds true, would paying heightened attention to other known in-utero and early childhood exposures provide an overall positive benefit despite methyl donors like folic acid during pregnancy? The answer is highly likely to be yes–many times deficiencies or excesses have greater impacts in the setting of other physiological challenges, producing an additive effect.

Next, might this mean that we need to pay more attention to SNP testing for methylation genes and identify those in need of supplementation during pregnancy? Again, the answer would be yes.

Read entire article here

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PARACETAMOL USE IN INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD – (05-25-09)

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Association between paracetamol use in infancy and childhood, and risk of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in children aged 6-7 years

In today’s society, we have become so conditioned to accept chemical use as safe and only beneficial. The commercials would have us believe that only caring and loving parents with the utmost of concern for their child’s health would use these compounds. And yet we have seen studies of paracetamol (Tylenol) use in pregnancy, adults and children contribute greatly to the asthma burden in society. So were is the outrage and the public outcry over the fact that these compounds are making our children sick?

Read entire article here

CORTICOSTEROID USE ON BONE MINERAL DENSITY IN CHILDREN (05-04-09)

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Effect of Long-term Corticosteroid Use on Bone Mineral Density in Children

This study look at the use of chronic and short burst use of inhaled steroids in children w/ mild to moderate asthma. Frighteningly, this pattern of use was associated with reduction in bone mineral accrual at a very important time of there bone forming years.

I guess the frustrating aspects of this study is that asthma treatment in children rarely takes a comprehensive course. You can bet that, in many of these children, both food allergies and poor gut health are contributing if not causative factors. Prolonged courses of antibiotics without any thought of the importance of normal, healthy flora, will lead to imbalances of immune function and Th2 dominance of cytokine expression (consistent w/ asthma and allergies).

Add into this nasty mix the new research that gut inflammation negatively impacts bone health and you’ve got a recipe for diminished bone health.

Read entire article here

ANTIBIOTIC USE IN CHILDREN INCREASES RISK OF ASTHMA

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Am I reading this right?  
251K kids reviewed? Wow….this same  journal article had several articles looking at the link between pertussis and measles vaccination and allergy / asthma individually.  One of these days,  it may occur to a researcher that it is the sheer burden of vaccination coupled  with killing off normal flora that creates the Th2 shift and development of allergies and asthma.

For those of you with children that have a pediatrician, if they do NOT recommend probiotics following antibiotic treatment, you need to find a new one.  This is a very, very clear indication that they have not picked up a medical journal in years.  Not someone I want taking care of my kids..

Read entire article here

ARE VACCCINES THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM THE FLU?

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ARE VACCCINES THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM THE FLU?  Of course we know the answer is an enthusastic NO.  I’ve always recommended probiotics and Vit D as a very strong way to protect against the flu.  This is another study that helps to confirm this approach.  Although not surprising that D had an effect, the effect on children with asthma was surprising…only 2 / 167 kids in the Vit D group as opposed to 12 / 167 in the control (83% reduction) had asthma attacks.

Such a simple and effective approach and yet it remains frustrating that many pediatricians will fire parents as patients if they will not vaccinate their children, and yet will still, after years of research, not recommend probiotics and Vit D.

THE ROLE OF PARACETAMOL IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF ASTHMA

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Tylenol and asthma. Not too many people are aware of the strong links between Tylenol use and developing asthma. EVEN in pregnancy! That means if you take Tylenol while pregnant, your child has a higher risk of being an asthmatic.

The thought is that, for the liver to break it down, we need a compound called glutathione. If glutathione gets depleted all heck can break loose, including liver problems, kidney problems and immune system problems (like asthma). Bottom line? If you have pain, try a chiropractor BEFORE meds–there is always a price to be paid for messing with normal physiology.

Read entire article here

 

INFANTS, PETS AND ALLERGIES–A GOOD COMBO

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Our ancestors were continually exposed to all kinds of infectious agents. Bacteria, viruses, dirt. You name it. There was no antibacterial hand lotion. No running water. No sani-wipes. Interestingly, as we have continued to live in a more and more sterile environment, under the mistaken idea that it is good for us, rates of atopic disorders like allergies and asthma have gone up. Why?

Our immune system needs to be trained. Just like our muscles it needs to be worked out. Especially as we are just starting out in this world as newborns and infants. The term is immunotolerance. The ability of our immune system to respond to what it is supposed to respond to and not respond to stuff it’s not (which also includes our own tissues).

Arguably the most critically time in our lives is up until about 2 years of age. After this point the immune system is a little more set in its ways. Thus, the exposure to healthy bacterial flora in the gut from vaginal birth, from nursing, from avoiding antibiotics to avoiding overuse of vaccination, contributes to the healthy development of our immune system.  Also, I strongly promote the use of locally grown (must be local!!) honey to expose the developing immune system to local pollens, protecting against allergies much the same way pets do in this study.  Of course, just to be safe, avoid the use of honey in  infants under a year to avoid the low, but potential risk of botulism.

With all of these factors in mind, it should come as no surprise that this current study finds that exposure to cats or dogs in our first year of life cuts risk of being allergic to either dogs or cats by a whopping 50%. Interestingly, the protection was even greater (67% lower risk, if the child was born via C-section. Makes you want to go “Hmmm….”

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2222.2011.03747.x/abstract

ARE ANTIBIOTICS NEEDED WITH ASTHMA?

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There is a perceived fear that someone with asthma, especially a child, will develop a secondary infection that will turn into pneumonia.  Because of this, the parental expectation and physician actions lead to a massive overprescribing of antibiotics for children with asthma.  The long term devastation to our childrens’ health as a result of this behavior is significant.

Sort of ironic that antibiotics and the destruction of normal flora in the gut are associated with the development of asthma in the first place.  Asthma is a Th2 dominated immune state.  I call it overdevelopment of the “guard dogs” of our immune system.  The presence of healthy normal flora in the gut strengthens the Th1 systems, which I refer to as the immune system’s “attack dogs.”  Destruction of the bacteria that are supposed to be there weakens Th1.  So, weakening of the attack dogs (antibiotics, poor quality diets, no breastfeeding, C-section) coupled with overdevelopment of the guard dogs (vaccinations) leads to conditions like asthma.

The bottom line is that the greatest concern with antibiotics is NOT the development of antibiotic resistant superbugs (although that is a little scary), but rather the complete disruption of immune function that occurs when our healthy bacteria are destroyed.  Any use of antibiotics when they are not absolutely essential is a bad thing.  The best we can do if we do overuse is make sure we replace the destroyed flora with probiotics.

Also, in regards to the asthmatic kids, try getting them off of hydrogenated oils, refined carbs and artificial colors / sweeteners.  You may be surprised at how well they do.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/6/1022.abstract