Diet, Fitness & Asthma

I had ‘bad’ asthma for as long as I can remember.

I was using 3 inhalers at one point, 2 steroid inhalers and 1 ventolin inhaler.

I can still weeze and have a few issues if I’m around cats, or cut grass. But the last time that I used any inhaler was 7 years ago – I was on the treadmill at the gym and the fire exit was opened to cool the place down. Unfortunately the grass was being cut outside, and that set me off.

Changing my diet, has made a huge improvement in regards to my symptoms and also my overall wellbeing.  Here are my tips:

1. Give up dairy.  This made a huge difference. I can’t emphasize enough; this literally changed my life.  No more weezing in the morning, no constant blocked nose. The difference occurred within a few days.
   Any view or opinion regarding nutrition is always controversial, and this includes cutting out whole food groups. But it certainly worked for me. Just make sure you’re getting enough calcium via foods like spinach.
2. Nettle tea.  A natural anti-histamine.  Asthma is a a result of the ‘primary immune response’. You’re body detects something it doesn’t like – such as pollen or dust, then creates mucous, antibodies and loads of inflammation in response.  Histamines are part of this inflammatory response, this also causes weezing and asthma.  Nettle tea can help reduce the symptoms.
3. Glutamine on an empty stomach. ‘leaky gut’ can cause auto-immune issues and an over active immune system. Glutamine taken first thing in the morning can help protect and repair the gut-lining.  Have a probiotic food or tablet straight after too.  Drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water about 10 mins before meals can also help with gut health.
4. Wim Hof Method. Wim Hof advocates deep breathing (a particular form of deep breathing, whereby you breathe in as much as possible, and breathe out only a little for 30 breaths), and cold water immersion.  I’m not sure that the cold water does much for asthma, but I’m definitely much more aware and much more able to control my breathing after carrying out the breathing techniques every morning for a number of months.