Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
What is Asthma? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND When the summer and warm weather arrives, they can bring more than just an opportunity to enjoy being outside! These warmer temperatures can also bring about triggers that in some people worsen their asthma symptoms. How can summer …
Your lungs are at risk of damage on a daily basis due to pollution, aging and more. The good news is that the nutrient resveratrol can help them stay healthy.
Native to Southern Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia, Nigella sativa, or Black seed, has been used as a medicinal plant throughout the world, including the Middle East and South Europe. The seeds of N. sativa and their oil have been widely used in the treatment of various ailments and have been extensively studied for its biological activities and therapeutic potential in supporting respiratory health, according to a review published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine.
Black seed is rich is B-vitamins and iron, displaying anti-aging benefits. In China, Black seed is widely used for its phytochemicals, rich antioxidants and antibacterial properties. A study by researchers conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College set out to determine how potent black seed oil was against several strains of bacteria and viruses and several antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin, Gatifloxacin and Tetracyclin. According to researchers, “Out of 144 strains tested, most of which were resistant to a number of antibiotics, 97 were inhibited by the oil.”
Publishes in the Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, researchers noticed a growing problem with yeasts and molds; individuals are growing antifungal-resistant. The scientists tested “thymol, TQ, and THQ against 30 human pathogens and discovered the each compound showed 100% inhibition for the 30 pathogens evaluated.”
Numerous clinical studies have shown Black seed to support respiratory health; specifically in the relaxation of the bronchi in those with asthma, allowing for easier breathing. Scientists at the Department of Physiology, Ghaem Medical Center studied this link.
Twenty-nine asthmatic adults were randomly divided into the non-supplemented control group (14 patients) and the supplemented group (15 patients) in this 3 month study. Asthma symptom score, asthma severity, frequency of symptoms per week, and wheezing were recorded in the beginning of the study (the first visit), 45 days after treatment started with Black Seed (second visit), and at the end of the study (third visit). Pulmonary function tests were also measured, and the drug regimen of the patients was evaluated at three different visits.
All asthma symptoms, frequency of asthma symptoms per week, chest wheezing, and pulmonary function test values in the study group receiving Black Seed significantly improved in the second and third visits compared with the first visit. In addition, further improvement of chest wheezing and severity of disease on the third visit were observed compared with the second visit in this group; asthma improved continuously. In the third visit all symptoms in the study group were significantly different (much milder) from those of the control group.
Each time your body reacts to an allergen it releases histamine. If your body is consistently producing histamine, it needs more histamine-breakdown enzymes to neutralize it. This is the reason why allergies can all of a sudden appear, even at 25, 45 or 75 years of age; your histamine load has been building. Growing clinical evidence is showing that individuals who develop food and environmental sensitivities to otherwise healthy foods have high histamine counts and may not break down histamine as fast as they produce it, causing a massive allergy burden.
Researchers at Humboldt University School of Medicine and the Institute for Transfusion Medicine at Charité University Hospital, both in Berlin state that Nigella sativa is an important medicinal herb. In many Arabian, Asian and African countries, black seed oil is used as a natural remedy for a wide range of ailments, including various allergies.
Four studies on the clinical efficacy of Nigella sativa in allergic diseases are presented. In these studies, a total of 152 patients with allergic diseases (allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, atopic eczema) were treated with Nigella sativa oil, given in capsules at a dose of 40 to 80 mg/kg/day. The patients scored the subjective severity of target symptoms using a predefined scale. The following laboratory parameters were investigated: IgE, eosinophil count, endogenous cortisol in plasma and urine, ACTH, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol and lymphocyte sub-populations. The study review is published in the December 2003 issue of the journal Phytotherapy Research.
Black seed has been used for centuries to improve digestive ailments. The seeds aid have been shown to aid in digestion, decreasing bloating, gas and stomach cramps. It has also been shown to have antispasmodic effects on the smooth muscle of the intestines. Published in the Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, researchers found that Black seed lessened appetite, improved glucose levels and glucose absorption, which lead to weight loss, as well.
A new study says the risk of persistent wheeze or asthma was about 7% lower in children of mothers who received fish oil supplements during the third trimester. Here is what you need to know about the study and fish oils -The oils from fatty …
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), 8.3 million American children have respiratory allergies, 9.5 American children have skin allergies and nearly 6 million children in the U.S. have food allergies. Though the organization reports that early identification of childhood allergies …
Do you suffer from frequent asthma attacks? According to a recent study, low levels of vitamin D may factor into this common condition.
Israeli researchers studied the level of the “sunshine vitamin” in blood samples from 308,000 people. The results showed that a deficiency in this vitamin had no association with asthma at the stage when it’s first diagnosed. However, for those who already suffer from asthma, low levels may significantly impact the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. According to the study results, 21,237 people in the group who had diagnosed asthma also showed vitamin D deficiency in their blood samples.
After studying additional factors that contribute to asthma attacks, including gender, ethnicity, age, smoking, etc., researchers found that low vitamin D levels remained a definite trigger for asthma attacks in diagnosed patients. “I think that if a patient has had good treatment for asthma and is still not controlled, maybe he should be checked for his vitamin D levels before adding on more medications,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Ronit Confino-Cohen, senior lecturer at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, Israel. “Maybe supplementation would do the job.” This study appeared in the journal Allergy.
New Study: “Vitamin D improves strength in healthy people” – Click to read more!
According to another review in September of 2016, researchers led by Professor Adrian Martineau from Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research at Queen Mary University of London write that previous research has linked low blood levels of Vitamin D to a heightened risk of asthma attacks. The researchers, part of Cochrane, analyzed data from nine studies lasting from six to twelve months that included children and adults. Those who took Vitamin D supplements cut the incidence of asthma attacks severe enough to require hospitalization in half, from 6% of all attacks down to 3% in Vitamin D users.
Vitamin D, commonly referred to as the “sunshine vitamin”, is naturally produced in the body through sun exposure but also can be consumed through some foods like fish and eggs and through supplementation. A vitamin D deficiency can occur for a number of reasons, which include limited consumption of the vitamin and limited exposure to sunlight. For those with a vitamin D deficiency, an increased risk of heart problems, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment and even asthma can arise if left to its own devices without a change in diet or proper supplementation.