Vitamins?

[amberbrown]

I've been struggling with asthma which comes and goes - when it goes I am fine - this might last for month. I have restrictive lung disease - where a person of my height should be able to breath in 400 I can only breath in 200 at best, sometimes only 75. I've been researching all of this a lot for ways that I can help myself naturally. I am not able to take montekulast because the side effects after a bit were horrendous - so look for alternatives. Now looking at taking more magnesium and potassium as they sort of work and act together. Has anyone tried things like this with success or noteworthy lack of success? I take grape seed extract, vitamin d, vitamin c (natural). Thank you.

[Ground]

I have found that taking vitamin d3 at 12,000 iu + K2 daily plus vitamin C has helped me lessen the need for the doctors little devils (prednisone) , it’s ok to take magnesium and potassium supplements as long as you do not have any other medical problems that prevent taking them,Please consult with your dr first and have your vitamin d level checked as it takes many months to bring d3 levels up.

[Poobah]

I follow a low Omega 6/high Omega 3 diet and that's helped me. Definitely beneficial for those asthmatics who are sensitive to NSAIDs and aspirin. Plant based oils have various amounts of omega 6 so I avoid them, but a small amount of virgin olive oil is fine for me. Processed foods can be high in omega 6 thanks to cheap ingredients (palm oil, soya). Soya is definitely a huge trigger for me - a few years back I swapped from cow's milk to soya milk, it made me so ill!

As for vitamins, I take 4000iu VitD3 spray (it's a fat soluble vitamin), 400mcg VitK mk7 (oil based spray), 400mg elemental magnesium citrate daily. If not using oil based spray then eating a little fat when taking VitD3 will help absorption. I improved my VitD3 intake after I read that the NHS had recommended that it played a part in our immune system - an early observation being that hospitalised covid patients had low VitD levels.

I would say that the diet is the main contributor in keeping my asthma more controlled, but the vitamins & minerals help me tackle viruses which can exacerbate my asthma. I look on these as supplental to my asthma meds (Fostair & Montelukast).

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

If you can't get on with montelukast there are other asthma medications you can try - what are you on currently?

I really hope that you're not looking to take things like vitamins as alternatives to asthma medications, but instead alongside them. Vitamins and supplements are not intended to replace your medications, and it isn't safe to use them that way. Asthma often does come and go symptom wise, but feeling ok doesn't mean you don't have airway inflammation. And for many people there is no need to accept a certain level of symptoms from asthma, as with the right medications taken regularly and correctly - which can involve trial and error to find the right ones - plenty of people rarely have any symptoms. If you've tried a lot of medications consistently for a reasonable period and they're not helping or you're getting a lot of side effects linked to them, then maybe a referral is needed.

I appreciate not everyone (including me) is able to achieve control - and this forum will have a higher proportion of people who have struggled, which isn't representative. I obviously don't know what you've already tried medication wise, but I know I would be a lot worse off without my medications, even if they don't get me completely controlled.

I believe the science is ongoing re how much Vitamin D does for immunity, but most people in the UK tend to have lower levels than they should and the recommended supplement amounts are quite low. Especially in winter, we just don't get enough from daylight, even for light-skinned people - and even more so for people who are darker-skinned. I am very pale but take Vitamin D because I was deficient once and it was not fun; I use an oral spray year round. My former consultant trialled 10,000 iU of vitamin D once weekly for 4 weeks - probably great for my levels in winter, did nothing to help my asthma. Not to say others won't find a benefit, but I think the science is still ongoing re asthma benefits too.

I'm not aware of any well-conducted research that supports vitamin C as an immunity boost or for asthma - I had to look for it for work re immunity and I could not find any. I'd be happy to be corrected on this if anyone can find good, recent research on this that isn't just anecdotal. I believe zinc can be helpful though, and that does seem to be based on good research.

Some people find addressing issues like hayfever and nasal congestion can help their asthma. If you do this, or in fact use any home remedies, especially anything like essential oils, please be aware that *natural does not automatically mean better* and that even apparently harmless things like Olbas oil and steam can be asthma triggers.

You might find it helpful to call the Asthma UK nurses about alternatives to montelukast (medication alternatives). 0300 222 5800 M-F 9-5 or WhatsApp - 07378 606728.