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Halloween Tips – The Effect of Sugar and Dairy on Asthma

October 3, 2019 Lisa Feierstein Asthma, Breathe EZ Leave a comment   , , , ,

Now that summer has come and gone, the grocery store is filled with Halloween candy displays. Those with asthma know to avoid pollen and pet dander to help prevent asthma attacks. However, do you know that eating excess sugar and dairy can also have an negative effect on asthma?

Here’s how sugar and dairy effect your lungs and some tips for an asthma-friendly Halloween.

Candy Corn

 

How Sugar and Dairy Consumption Effects Asthma

Sugar is often inflammatory, even to those without asthma. Higher consumption of sugar can cause airway inflammation, making asthma worse.

Other common Halloween candy ingredients are dairy products. Eating dairy causes the body to produce excess mucus, which can make breathing more difficult.

Avoiding candy in large quantities is important for everyone, but is particularly crucial for those with asthma. With Halloween around the corner, avoiding candy becomes more difficult, especially for children.

Tips for an Asthma-friendly Halloween

Emphasize candy-free activities: Instead of trick or treating, try a haunted house or movie night.

Limit candy consumption: If you and your child do go trick or treating, stick to snacking on a few pieces of candy that evening and save the rest of the haul for later.

Have a Halloween party: Holding your own Halloween party is a great way to guarantee healthy asthma-friendly snacks like popcorn, fruit, and veggies are available for you or your child. A night of spooky crafts, fun games, and a family friendly movie can make for a Halloween your child will remember for years to come.

Avoid other allergies/triggers: If you or your child will be attending a party at another home, avoid indoor allergies like pets as much as possible. For trick or treating, check the air quality and pollen levels before heading out

With these tips, Halloween can be fun for the whole family

Everyone has their favorite Halloween candy treat. However, for a healthy holiday for all, keep the candy to a minimum. Shifting the focus away from candy to more healthy spooky fun will guarantee a fun holiday for all.

Additional Resources

Asthma and Nutrition: How Food Effects your Lungs – American Lung Association
Sugar Intake Linked to Kids’ Asthma? – WebMD
Six Best and Worst Foods for Asthmatics


Asthma and Obesity: The Chicken or the Egg?

October 20, 2016 Lisa Feierstein Asthma, Breathe EZ, Children's Health Leave a comment   ,

eggsOver the last two decades, asthma and obesity have reached epidemic proportions. Obesity is a common comorbidity to asthma and it is commonly thought that obesity precedes the asthma symptoms. Now, the question has been raised about whether it is the other way around. Does obesity follow on the heels of asthma or is it asthma that raises the likelihood of becoming overweight?

Understanding this relationship could help doctors better give their professional recommendations in obese versus non-obese asthmatic patients.For instance, not automatically stepping up controller medication in overweight patients who report needing to use rescue medication often. Additionally, it may be that obese patients may be able to step down their level of controller medication. Their symptoms may respond better with non-asthma related interventions.

Recent Research Highlights the Asthma Obesity Connection

In a recent study, aged 10-17 years children – both a higher and lower body mass index (BMI) – with a physician’s diagnosis of persistent asthma were monitored to assess asthma control, symptoms, and quality of life. The patients underwent methacholine challenge testing – a test to evaluate lung function and reactivity. Additionally, the patients experienced measurement of exhaled nitric oxide values – a test done to help evaluate whether their asthma (and inflammation) is under control.

Intriguingly, overweight children were less responsive to the methacholine challenge test. They required nearly four times the dose of methacholine before the lungs were responsive. Overweight children also had lower nitric oxide values, meaning inflammation in the lungs were still a problem.

However, there were no differences in regard to reported wheeze, chest tightness, or nocturnal symptoms between overweight and lean children. These findings are a distinction from previous research, which has mostly focused wheeze as a symptom most commonly associated with just obese children.

This study’s findings support exploring non-asthma related interventions before raising levels of controller medications in overweight asthma patients. These results also support the plan that overweight asthmatic patients may need different treatment plans to control their asthma appropriately.

Whether it is the reduced lung capacity and activity level due to asthma that causes obesity, or excess weight that induces the development of asthma, it is clear that these two issues have a linked relationship. However, further research into differences in obese patients with asthma will be needed to best assess optimal therapy and prevention.


How to Plan for Camping with Asthma and Allergies

May 26, 2016 Lisa Feierstein Allergies, Asthma, Breathe EZ 1 , , ,
Camping: Photo by Ben Duchac, Unsplash.

Photo by Ben Duchac, Unsplash.

Camping isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s one of those time-honored American traditions that everyone should try at least once. It’s an opportunity to enjoy fresh air, hike in beautiful surroundings, and take a refreshing break from pervasive technology. Experienced campers understand the importance of packing proper gear, plenty of food and water, and making plans in case of an emergency. For individuals with asthma and allergies, it’s especially important to be well prepared before embarking on a camping trip.

If you have asthma and/or allergies, here are some tips on how to prepare for a camping trip that’s both fun and safe:

  • Update Your Asthma Management Plan: Your asthma management/action plan should be updated annually with your doctor, or more frequently if you have severe asthma. This plan will outline how to handle emergencies like an asthma attack or allergic reaction. As you pack for your camping trip, double check that you have all your medication with you.
  • Make an Emergency Plan with Travel Partners: Talk to those joining you on your camping trip about what to do in the event of an emergency—whether it is an injury, allergic reaction, or asthma attack. Share emergency contact information, familiarize yourselves with the location of the nearest hospital, and pack a first aid kit. If you have an epinephrine auto-injector to treat anaphylaxis, make sure your travel companions are familiar with how to administer the medicine in the event you should need their assistance. Epiniephrine should be kept at room temperature, so if you carry one, try to take frequent breaks in shaded areas or indoors if possible.
  • Make a Meal Plan: If you have food allergies, carry a list of foods that you’re allergic to and share that with your travel partners. Talk to your companions about how to plan for meals that don’t conflict with your list. Pack plenty of healthy, non-allergenic snacks to keep your energy up during long hikes.
  • Steer Clear of the Campfire: If you have asthma, smoke from campfires can be irritating to your airways and can even trigger an asthma attack. Sit a safe distance away from the campfire; you may have to swap seats if the wind changes and smoke blows in your direction.

A little planning will go a long way in making your camping trip not only safe but also fun and memorable.

Sources:

Camping Safe with Allergies & Asthma, by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Epinephrine Auto-Injectors, by Food Allergy Research & Education


5 Healthy New Years Resolutions for Asthma Sufferers

December 31, 2015 Lisa Feierstein Allergies, Asthma, Breathe EZ Leave a comment   , , , ,

New Years ResolutionsIf you’re getting ready to write your New Year’s resolutions, you’re in good company—45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. The coming New Year is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past year and identify areas for improvement. Most resolutions, 47% to be exact, are related to self-improvement or education—we’d all like to be a little healthier physically, relationally, and mentally. If you have asthma and are hoping for a healthier New Year, here are 5 resolutions to help guide you on your journey to better manage your asthma:

  1. Update Your Asthma Action Plan – An asthma action (or management) plan is an important first step in guiding the treatment of your asthma. Your doctor can work with you to identify what to do in situations like an asthma attack or allergy flare-up. An action plan should be updated annually with a doctor, and more frequently for individuals with severe asthma.
  2. Keep Healthy Eating and Sleeping Habits – Getting plenty of rest and eating a balanced diet will help keep your immune system healthy. Being overweight can make asthma symptoms worse, but eating plenty of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins C and E can help control inflammation in the lungs.
  3. Quit Smoking – Smoking is one of the most common asthma triggers and can result in major health conditions like emphysema and lung cancer. Having the right support can make quitting easier, so the American Lung Association provides The Freedom From Smoking® group clinic, an eight-session, step-by-step plan to quit smoking.
  4. Exercise Regularly – There’s a long-standing myth that exercise can make asthma symptoms worse, but regular, moderate exercise can actually improve asthma symptoms. Thirty minutes of exercise a day—like walking, biking and yoga—can significantly reduce asthma symptoms. Check with your doctor to identify which medications you may need to take before and after exercising.
  5. Avoid Asthma Triggers – Common asthma triggers are tobacco smoke, mold, pet dander, pollen, and colds/upper respiratory infections. Talk to your doctor about identifying your asthma triggers and how to actively avoid them. For example, you may need special bedding if dust mites are an asthma trigger for you.

Sources:

13 New Year’s Resolutions for People with Allergies and Asthma, by Carol Proctor, Allergy & Asthma Health

Join Freedom From Smoking, American Lung Association

Can foods I eat affect my asthma symptoms? By James T.C.Li, Mayo Clinic


Healthier Eating Could Reduce Asthma Symptoms

November 13, 2014 Lisa Feierstein Asthma, Breathe EZ Leave a comment  

Eating healthy isn’t just good for your waistline, a new study shows that children with asthma can experience reduced symptoms by avoiding certain fatty foods and incorporating omega-3 fish oils to their diet. Asthma is the top reason children miss school, and obese children don’t respond as well to their asthma medicine. Dr. Jason Lang, a Pulmonary Pediatrician at Nemours Children’s Hospital, is conducting the study and hopes to extend it through May 2016. Children in the study keep a food journal and also take an omega-3 supplement, and showed notable change in their asthma management and experienced a reduction in asthma attacks.

Interested in keeping your own food journal? MyFitnessPal is free online tool and mobile app that let’s you track your meals, calorie intake, and exercise. You can also incorporate more omega-3s in your diet by eating seafood like salmon, sardines, trout, fresh tuna and halibut. Some foods are fortified or enriched with omega-3 fatty acids like eggs, milk, yogurt, bread, pasta, and walnuts.


Eat Better, Breathe Better

October 2, 2014 Lisa Feierstein Allergies, Asthma, Breathe EZ Leave a comment  

You’ve probably heard it before—fiber-rich foods are an important part of a balanced diet. There’s a reason the saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”—we all want to “stay regular.” Scientists recently discovered another reason to have a fiber-rich diet and surprisingly enough it’s related lung health.

Researchers studied mice on three different diets—low-fiber, regular chow, or food with fiber supplements—and found that the mice with a high-fiber diet had a stronger resistance to asthma-like attacks. When mice on the low-fiber diet were exposed to dust mites, a known allergen, they experienced increased airway inflammation. The high-fiber diet mice showed a lesser asthmatic response to the dust mites.

Fiber supports gut bacteria that in turn produces anti-inflammatory molecules. When these molecules enter the bloodstream, they help regulate the immune system, which is important because an over-reactive immune system negatively affects allergies and asthma. Need more fiber in your life? Try foods like nuts, apples, bulgur wheat, kiwis, and chia seeds.


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