Although asthma can develop at any age, it usually begins in childhood, in the first five years of their life.  Some children continue to have asthma into their adult years, in others it resolves.

When a sufferer comes in contact with trigger matters, the airways narrow and the sufferer develops difficulty in breathing, accompanied by wheezing.  Not all asthma attacks produce wheezing.  Mild asthma in very young children, may result only in a cough.  In older children, they may tend to cough only when exercising or exposed to cold air.

In a severe attack, breathing becomes visibly difficult, wheezing becomes louder as the sufferer breathes faster and with greater effort, gasping for breath.

Children with severe attacks may have a slower growth rate but usually catches up to that of other children in their adult years.

Causes of Asthma

Airway obstruction is often caused by abnormal sensitivity to chemical substances that inflame airways, making them swollen and stimulating the muscle cells in the walls of the airways to contract when they should not.

There are many potential triggers that cause these contractions, but most sufferers respond to only a few.  Triggers include inhaled allergens such as pollens, particles from dust mites or feathers, and animal dander.

Cigarette smoke, fumes or perfumes, cold air, viral infections, emotional distress, can also provoke asthma attacks.

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Diet/Lifestyle Suggestions

When you know what triggers your asthma attack, you can prevent flare-ups by avoiding them.  An asthma attack induced by food commonly happens within minutes or an hour or so after eating the offending food.  However, some reactions may take a day or more to appear, making it difficult for you to pin-point the culprit.

I believe that by firstly avoiding foods that may aggravate, then to maintain your health at an optimum level, you can keep asthma away¾maybe even for good.  How to keep your health at an optimum level you ask?  You can start by reading materials that teach you about optimum health;  by exploring this site that teaches you about healing foods, and consistently applying them.  A healthful dietary and lifestyle change will take you a long way.

Some of the foods to avoid:

• All animal products such as eggs, cow's milk, dairy products, meat (include beef, pork, mutton, chicken and fish)

• Soft drinks because of the harmful ingredients in them

• Sodium and monosodium glutamate. A diet high in sodium can increase the spastic constriction of your bronchial tubes that histamine causes.

• Vegetable oils such as corn oil, safflower and sunflower seed oils which are high in omega-6 fatty acids.  These promote inflammation and counteract the benefits of the anti-inflammatory foods that you consume

• Alcohol in its pure form can actually help asthmatic constriction to a certain degree.  BUT, the alcohol we drink is rarely pure, rather is usually an additive in beverages, such as beer, wine or distilled spirits.  The remnants of the hops, the malt, the grapes, the barley, sulfites in wines or the corn from which the liquor was made may bother and trigger an attack.

Foods that help:

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C.  Juicing easily helps you achieve the daily required amount of  300mg

• Fish oil high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna

• In an emergency, drinking coffee (but not instant or processed coffee) that contains caffeine or tea that contains theobromine, was found to be an effective bronchodilators.  These substances help relax and open up the bronchial tubes.

• Hot, pungent foods that provide immediate relief¾chilli peppers, spicy mustard, garlic and onions.  These foods have anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory properties.

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