Question:
I was wondering if you could give me and advice or suggestions regarding my sons asthma. He has had it since he was about 1 1/2 to 2 years old, he was taking albuterol via nebulizer for some time but during the last year he was switched to inhaler mode and a recent doctor added Pulmicort to go with the albuterol. When we added the Pulmicort the doctor said we should be using the combination of the two everyday from September to March to keep his asthma in check, along with a teaspoon of Zyrtec every night. He only has problems with his asthma when he is sick AT NO OTHER TIME does it affect him (i used caps because this aspect is important and I usually have to repeat myself to the docs). :) I would appreciate any info you could give me regarding this situation, I would really love to have him stop taking the inhalers. Thank you so much.
Answer:
I have helped lots of kids overcome asthma--including my first born--who has been asthma free since he was 4 and he is now almost 8 (b-day in 3 weeks). I agree with you in your desire not to create dependence on steroids at an early age. It will not help him heal, just become dependent. I was on steroids from birth until I went to college due to asthma. When I started studying alternative medicine in 2002, I found out that there are dozens of causes of asthma according to Chinese Medicine, and almost twice that amount of remedies for it. I have been asthma free since 2004. After all those years as a child on steroids and inhalers/nebulizers--I still had issues when I was sick and while being physically active.
What you want to have your son start taking to help strengthen his lungs and immune system is pickle juice. "What?" you may say. It works like HCl therapy or apple cider vinegar therapy (just not as harsh). This works nearly 100% of the time to help heal childhood "asthma" and most allergies. I often suggest this to the kids I work with on their first visit, before starting any herbal treatment. Give it at least 3 months and you will see dramatic improvements.
Here is what you do. Buy the kosher dill pickles in the refrigerator section of the grocery store--not the regular kind, look for “kosher” on the label. Get an eye dropper as he will need 30-60 drops or approximately 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of pickle juice after each meal. I know lunch can be hard because they are at school. But if you can get him to take it after breakfast and then after dinner it will work.
Let me explain how it works. The digestive system is inherently weak when children are born. Breastfeeding, how old they were when starting solids, antibiotic usage, constitutional issues, and environmental factors all play a role in whether or not the child's digestive system is functioning properly. The digestive system is a direct link to the immune system. Allergies, asthma, and eczema are all related to how well the immune system is functioning. It can either over function or under function. When the child isn't properly digesting his food, left over particles may seep through the lining of the intestinal track and into the blood stream (also known as "leaky gut syndrome"). This triggers the immune response, and the immune system can go into over time trying to get rid of the waste product. The Lungs are the governor of the immune system. A constant heightened state weakens the immune system, therefore weakening the lungs. This leads to issues that doctors label as "asthma", "eczema", IBS, etc. Now this is the majority of cases I see. There are the rare few that have true "asthma" or an inherit weakness in the bronchial passages causing attacks and constrictions when under environmental and or physical stress.
How the vinegar therapy works is it adds the necessary acids to the intestinal system to digest to completely digest foods. Vinegar is also very astringent and sour. Those flavors help to strengthen the Lungs and the Kidney's performance when it comes to breathing (in Chinese medicine the Kidneys also play a role in the respiratory function) For more information on tastes and their function--see my website article on "nutrition". I have seen real miracles when it comes to "asthmatic" kids using pickle juice for as short as a few months and no longer needing a nebulizer or inhaler - and within 6 or more months, being completely asthma free. It took about 6 months for my first born to be able to run and play without wheezing. It was amazing. It still amazes me. And it is so cheap and simple.
I usually recommend that children go dairy free. Meaning no milk, cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt. These products are VERY difficult to digest, and can worsen asthma or breathing issues as well as weaken the immune system. If you are concerned about calcium, there is calcium in broccoli, sunflower seeds, canned salmon, and other leafy green veggies.
A small child or toddler through about age 12 or 13 can use pickle juice for this kind of nutritional therapy (dosage adjusted for age). An adult can use apple cider vinegar (1/2 to 1 tsp with honey or in water, one or two times a day). Apple cider vinegar is harsher and has stronger properties than pickle juice. Apple cider vinegar also helps scrape fatty deposits from the body, as well as boosting the metabolism. That is why it is highly recommended as a weight loss aid. I would not recommend apple cider vinegar for adolescents for this reason. But pickle juice would be appropriate to improve digestion and help heal allergies or certain types of “asthma”.
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