Watch Out For Delayed Asthma Attacks

For more than 300 million people on the planet, living with asthma is a daily reality. Many of these sufferers have discovered their condition is actually brought on by a food-related asthma trigger or triggers. This enables them to take steps to avoid offending foods and the asthma attacks that accompany them. For others, however,asthma symptoms may not appear for hours or even more than a day, which can make trigger discovery challenging at best.

All is not lost, however. If food is a suspected asthma trigger, there are things asthmatics can do to track the potential and learn to avoid or offset an asthma attack. It is important for asthmatics to realize, however, that delayed onset asthma attacks are very possible. A study out of the Netherlands revealed that some food-triggered asthma attacks may not appear until as long as 38 hours had passed since a particular food was eaten.

So, what can asthmatics who suspect food triggers do to hone in on the problem? There are several steps they can take to assist themselves in finding and eliminating asthma triggers from their diets. To find out if food is causing asthma attacks, sufferers will want to:

• Keep a food journal – Keep a running journal of all foods consumed and the days and times they are eaten. Also track any asthma symptoms that appear and the times they present.
• Eliminate suspected foods from the diet – If a particular pattern related to food consumption and asthma attacks seems to present itself, eliminate the suspected food from the diet. Continue to record foods consumed and any asthma symptoms that may appear.
• Test the theory – While this step isn’t necessary, some people may want to find out if the theory holds before they eliminate what may be a favorite food from their diet. To check out if a particular food is an asthma trigger, add it back into the diet after a few days of going without. If asthma symptoms appear within 36 hours, that food product just might be the culprit.

Researchers have also found that removing an asthma food from the diet doesn’t mean it has to be eliminated forever. In more than 90 percent of cases, it was found a year of abstinence typically paid off with reduced sensitivity to the offending food. When food is reintroduced care should be exercised though. There is no guarantee that it won’t trigger an asthma attack.

Strategies For Dealing With Asthma Attacks Naturally

While food might be the trigger that causes asthma attacks, it can also present a potential treatment. When asthmatics want to lessen their asthma symptoms and prevent asthma attacks naturally, there are things they can do to help themselves. Minor dietary changes can make a big difference. Some of the alterations to consider include:

• Adding anti-inflammatory foods to the diet – Foods that are rich in vitamin C and other important nutrients can lessen the likelihood of asthmatic attacks by reducing inflammation in the bronchial passages. Some foods to consider include broccoli, garlic, citrus fruits and cauliflower.
• Avoiding certain fats – Animal fats and vegetable oils are known to promote inflammation. It is important for asthmatics to curtail these things in their diet, even if anti-inflammatory foods are increased. (see asthma diet)

While there is no known cure for asthma, there are ways sufferers can combat this condition naturally. Learning to recognize asthma triggers is a big step in the right direction. So, too, is following asthma diet to promote better bronchial health.

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