Ask the doctor

I've suffered from asthma all my life, and I would like to be less reliant on steroids. Is there anything I can de myself to help control my asthma? --R.S. Destin, Florida

To control asthma, start by limiting a certain kind of oil in your diet called arachidonic acid, which is round in red meat, old cooking oils (smell them, and if they don't smell fresh, then throw them out), pork and, to a lesser degree, chicken. Most arachidonic acid comes from animal and daily products.

Also, decrease your consumption of milk, chocolate, peanuts, wheat, cirrus and food colorings, and increase your intake of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, which contain flavonoids and carotenes. increase your consumption of flax oil, canola oil, walnuts and coldwater fish such as herring, sardines and salmon. These inhibit lipoxygenase and encourage the production of anti-inflammatory factors in the body. Eat more onions and grapes as well because they contain quercetin, which stabilizes mast cells in the lungs.

Avoid environmental offending agents such as rugs, cats, dogs (although some dogs such as poodles and yorkies are ok) and feather pillows. Use air filters and special vacuums that don't recirculate allergens.

Try getting weekly [B.sub.12] shots at doses of 1,000 micrograms (mcg) per week for 4 weeks at a lime. A study published in the Scripps Clinic Scientific Report round [B.sub.12], therapy to be more effective than pharmacologic agents in blocking asthmatic reactions. Also take 50 milligrams (mg) of [B.sub.6], twice daily to control wheezing. Take 3 grams per day of an oil supplement called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to help control inflammation mediators in the body. Quercetin can be taken in supplement form (500 mg before totals). Beta-carotenes (75,000 international units (IU) per day), selenium (250 mcg per day) and vitamin E (800 IU per day) will all help to control the various inflammatory mediators in the body.

Vitamin C (1,000-2,000 mg per day) and magnesium (400 mg per day) can lower histamine levels.

Herbs such as ginkgo and lobelia work well for asthma. Use the dosage recommended on the bottle, as it is hard to give exact doses for herbs due to the varying potencies produced by each manufacturer.

Finally, most asthmatics have low hydrochloric acid levels (HCL) in their stomachs. An easy way to increase acidity is to take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal. If, however, you are taking prescription drugs to control HCL, ifs best not to take apple cider vinegar. Also, avoid taking trytophan, which is converted to serotonin--a bronchoconstrictor--in the body.

DE Ervolino is happy to answer your health questions. Email him at editorial@betternutrition.com.

Frank Ervolino, ND, lives in Palm City, Florida. He's on the staff of Jupiter Medical Center Hospital as an acupuncturist. Fie received his Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine and a Masters of Science Degree in acupuncture from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. In 2003, he was appointed by the governor to the Florida State Board of Acupuncture.

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