Hi everyone
I’ve been reading about how good apples are for asthma and the past few years I’ve been eating one a day but the last few months I haven’t eaten many and possibly coincidentally I’ve had a flare up recently. So I’m back on them and just wanted to share incase it might help. At the least it stops me eating a snack.
Having just eaten a bag of crisps and feeling breathless from changing the bed linen. I will endeavour to follow your example and see if it helps.
Those crisps are very tempting aren’t they!!
Hope it helps it’ll help in some way anyway.
That's interesting, got to be worth a go.
I have read that quercetin which is naturally found in apples is great for inflammation and allergies. I take quercetin and also turmeric and black pepper supplements which contain high levels of Curcumin, to go alongside my regular asthma medication. Apparently these can be helpful but I’ve yet to see benefits during a flare up. Eating more apples sounds like a great idea
Hi James
I studied herbal medicine very briefly and shallowly and I also worked in a health food store for quite a while so I know a little bit about supplements etc.
And wanted to say I became very uneasy with advice on supplements herbs etc as I do believe they have a place, but there’s so much to interactions dosages quality of products etc.
I think the whole picture is in foods as in yes there’s active ingredients in apples but also things we don’t understand that help the active ingredients as in amounts of trace ingredients in the whole apple that are not in the standardised extract.
So good to hear this perspective - I think a lot of people don't realise that supplements and herbal remedies can interact with medications, and also that the industry is not well regulated. I kept having some supplement advertised for asthma on Facebook and they couldn't provide me with any useful information including what science and studies in humans they had to back up their claims. I asked them for their studies on humans with respiratory issues and they provided me with a study of 3 guinea pigs with gut issues.
I get especially uneasy when I see anyone recommending essential oils for asthma as many of them can be a trigger, the more pure and natural the worse for me.
Interesting you say about essential oils as i was recommended to get a diffuser and put it on all day and at night with particular oils. Made it worse,lovely smell though! Even if i put lavender in the diffuser it makes the asthma worse. I was made to feel i was making it up about my reaction to it. I don't now use essential oils. I can't use steam inhalations either.
I really hope that wasn't a recommendation from a healthcare professional! Though I did have a GP dismissing me when I said I couldn't use steam and Olbas oil because both would trigger my asthma.
But yes essential oils are really one to be careful with. I can't use anything with even a hint of lavender or rose or violet in it, and I react the same to the scent directly from the plant. I've seen others who react badly to tea tree oil and other scents I am fine with so it's not even as if you can say any scents are safe - I never trust anyone who tries to say a certain scent is harmless because it's ok for them or is supposedly good for asthma as I am pretty sure all of them can be triggers.
And it isn't about whether asthma is severe - lavender is a major trigger for me with severe asthma but my friend who also has severe asthma has no problem with it.
I also cannot use steam inhalation even without the oils, sets me off too and I see too many people assuming it's good for everyone with congestion or lung issues. One size definitely doesn't fit all!
It was a girl who sells essential oils as i enquired about them after hearing about all the claims as will try anything. I bought a whole kit,which cost a fortune and i can't use any of it apart from the tea tree which i use as a disinfectant.
I cant use steam inhalation without the oils either,it feels like dampness. Dampness triggers me,along with cold air, cleaning products etc etc . Worked out the natural product i use for the shower screen was triggering me as well. I put my mask on this morning to clean the shower screen but had to stop as i couldn't breath with the mask on!! Oh the joys!
Sticking to the tried and tested!! We all know our bodies and what we do and do not react to. I have been dismissed by GP's before about other things i have reacted to. We have to advocate for ourselves in the end.
Yes it’s difficult to know how you will react to anything but just to be careful and research and consider how anything will react with your medications.
Maybe in the future alternative and allopathic medicine could work together.
I do think it helps to have a good diet. I'm going to give the apples a try,good for the gut as well i think. Yes i agree about alternative and allopathic medicine side by side. I am low in vitamin D like most people so i am on vitamin D3 at present from GP,will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to my chest. I'm trying to be careful what i read and research as there is so much out there,some of it good and some of it bad and confusing. In the end we all have different bodies and what works for one doesn't work for another.
I agree about the healthy diet, I hope the vitamin d helps you. Yes it’s a bit of a maze of info out there I am trying to concentrate on stress reduction, healthy eating and breathing exercises.
Yes thats basically what i am trying to do. Which breathing exercise do you do? Again so many out there.
A few years ago I saw a respiratory physiotherapist who helped me initially with my shallow breathing then asked if I wanted to learn butyko breathing method. It really helped me, but I don’t always prioritise it like I should.
Again part of me always worries when I explain it to other asthmatics as like all alternative treatments, it probably makes a difference who might teach it, some people might react differently etc.
One of the things was remembering to breathe through my nose as much as possible which I try to do as when I feel anxious I will breathe quicker then I will mouth breathe. Again some people might not react well to that.
I also do yoga with Adriene on YouTube and she has a beginners 20min video that I find helpful as you slow your breathing.
Asthma uk also has a lot of info on breathing which I have been meaning to look at.
Thank you. I have a book about butyko breathing but it seemed so complex! As you say it does make a difference who teaches these things. Will have a look for Adriene on YouTube. Realise these things can't perhaps take these conditions away but anything that helps and perhaps give us some relief. Thank you for all the information.
Asthma UK do a good online breathe easy course which I found most useful.
I think my problem is also that people don't realise this re interactions and triggers and there's no requirement for them to be told - with prescription medications you have a lot more information and a system with people who know about it because they're trained. I would like to see that provided for alternatives too.
Yes exactly a follow up tapered dosages etc herbal medicine could have a place but there’s no regulation and people automatically think they’re safe as they’re natural.
I have to say my response to the 'natural/original plant is always safer' is 'I take medications ultimately derived from deadly nightshade (Spiriva/Atrovent) and it's a lot safer in this form than if I tried to eat the plant or inhale the plant fumes' (which people did try, it was a key ingredient in asthma cigarettes).
I also see the claim with skincare a lot 'oh it's natural so it won't cause your skin problems'. The only skincare and. makeup I have ever had problems with have been ones with mostly natural ingredients.
yes apples are good for overall health but rightly mentioned for asthma… I think the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away is well said ….thanks for sharing
I wish this worked! I absolutely love apples but they have never made any difference to my asthma sadly. And I've had to cut back because they make my mouth burn sometimes from oral allergy/pollen food syndrome, when your immune system thinks proteins in the food look like birch pollen etc. (It usually goes away when you cook the food but I much prefer my apples fresh and raw).
Hi Lysistra
Sorry it’s not worked for you, as you know we all react differently to things.
I think that’s why I am cautious about alternative approaches, although I think there can be a place for them.
I wouldn’t want people not to consider options just be careful and consider interactions, research and maybe check with a pharmacist or doctor.
Yes this is very much the approach I prefer - be cautious, check with someone qualified and don't have too many expectations. I think people often think natural means safe when that isn't necessarily the case.
this is interesting to know!!!
As a great idea this sounds but for me I can't give this a try as they give me really bad acid indigestion and if any of you know its an horrendous feeling when you feel the acid in your throat.
I can say from personal experience that apples do help. One reason is that they are good for acidity and reflux which tend to trigger asthma. If i have eaten some processed or heavy food my asthma gets triggered. If i eat an apple about an hour before sleeping i feel all reflux just goes away resulting in better asthma control. The apples should be sweet not sour. I hope this helps.
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