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| ages 4 to 20. Each child was given a cold shower every day in which 20 buckets of 59 degree Fahrenheit water were poured over the child for one minute. Twenty other patients received a warmer shower, in which the water was 86 degrees F. There was no change in this group, but all those who took cold showers required less asthma medication and some were able to discontinue medication altogether. None of the cold water treatments triggered an asthma attack. As Dr. Williams remarked, "I doubt there's a kid anywhere who wouldn't rather take a one-minute cold shower every morning than put up with the side effects and social stigma of asthma medication and inhalers." |
| Because exposure to cold water can trigger intrinsic asthma attacks, this approach is the opposite of what most American physicians would recommend. But a cold water shower, approached cautiously and in the absence of any history of asthma triggered by exposure to cold air or water, is a simple experiment. |
| Supplements. |
| For many asthma sufferers, relief comes from nutrition. In addition to vitamins and mineral supplements that repair tissues and boost immunity, many physicians recommend bioflavonids, quercetin, bromelin and coenzyme Q10, all of which may help reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. Vitamins A, B complex, C and E are considered most important, along with magnesium, selenium, and beta carotene. |
| In fact, vitamin C may be more significant than previously realized. In 1995 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a report showing that a diet low in vitamin C is a risk factor for asthma, particularly in environments containing tobacco smoke and similar oxidants. According to this article, 7 of 11 studies on vitamin C have shown significant improvement in respiratory measurement within two hours after the patients took 1 to 2 grams of vitamin C. These studies are the first to show such a positive correlation |
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