Asthma is a common lung condition in the industrialized world, one that impacts the lives of adults and children alike. Asthma threatens one's essential ability to breathe, to take in oxygen, our most basic and urgent survival need. We cannot live without air for more than a few minutes. Choke off our air supply, and we quickly become frightened and desperate, to the point of panic. It is easy to understand why asthma is one of the most taxing, debilitating health problems a human being can face, both physically and mentally.

The most significant characteristic of asthma is a narrowing of the trachea (the "windpipe") and bronchial passages in response to some stimulus. In asthma, the airways are over-responsive. Certain things that may not cause breathing problems for most of us can provoke the airways to constrict in asthmatics. These may be external stimuli like pollen, dust, and even cold air. Or, the stimulus may be something internal, like a nutritional deficiency or emotional stress. Whatever the trigger, all asthma attacks have the same scenario in common: the airways become extremely irritated and overreact by going into spasm.(1)

When the airways are constricted by an asthma attack, their delicate membrane linings become swollen and inflamed. Almost two-thirds of all people with asthma, about 65 percent, experience their first symptoms—wheezing, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat-- by age five. Although asthma is a chronic lung disease that persists for years and even for a lifetime, the bronchial constriction itself is reversible; the attack can be stopped and normal breathing restored.

Asthma is divided into two major types: "intrinsic" asthma and "extrinsic" asthma. Intrinsic asthma usually develops in adulthood and may begin with risk factors such as cold air, exercise, or emotional trauma. In extrinsic asthma, also called allergic or "atopic" asthma, the immune system reacts to an allergy-provoking substance such as pollen or dust by releasing histamine and other chemicals in the lungs. These potent chemicals cause smooth muscle in the air passages to secrete mucous, swell up, and narrow. The specific triggers of an asthma attack may be allergic or non-allergic.

Some causes of asthma attacks include:(2)

Allergic:

• Grass/Tree/Plant pollens
• Animal dander
• Cat hair, saliva, urine
• Dog hair, saliva
• Cockroaches
• Dust mites
• Mold
• Foods (peanuts, corn, citrus, milk, wheat, yeasts)
• Food additives (sulfites, MSG, dyes, other preservatives)
• Pharmaceutical drugs (ASA, beta-blockers, estrogen, NSAIDs, PCN)

Non-Allergic:

• Additives
• Air pollution (ozone, smog)
• Chemical odors (cleaners, nail polish, paint)
• Coal smoke
• Cold air
• Cold drink
• Cooking fuel (kerosene, natural gas, propane)
• Emotional stress
• Exercise
• Foods (wine)
• Gastroesophageal reflux (heart burn)
• Heating units (coal, gas, kerosene, wood)
• Infection (upper respiratory)
• Nutritional deficiencies (magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, vitamins B6 and C)
• Paint fumes
• Scents (air fresheners, colognes, perfumes)
• Tobacco smoke
• Weather changes
• Wood smoke