| Asthma |
In an asthmatic attack the muscles around the airways contract, preventing air leaving the lungs properly and thereby leaving insufficient space for fresh air to be breathed in. As a result the chest feels tight and painful and insufficient oxyen reaches the lungs so that the asthmatic feels breathless. An attack is often, although not always, set off by a reaction to an allergen as many asthmatics are also 'atopic' or prone to allergy. Usually the attack-precipitating allergen is inhaled - pollen, grass, house dust mite, pet dander, chemicals etc. Allergens in foods can also be implicated although their involvement is frequently 'masked' by the more obvious inhaled allergens. However, if there is a sensitivity to a certain food, the inhalation of airborne particle from cooking or preparing that food could be enough to trigger an attack. For interesting case studies got to www.allergiesexplained.com or read Asthma, the Complete Guide by Professor Jonathan Brostoff and Linda Gamlin - pubished by Bloomsbury ISBN 0 7475 4043 8 To see what new pages have recently been uploaded to the site click here; to see what is in the current issue of Foods Matter click here. |
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