Is childhood asthma a lifelong condition?

When my child was 2 1/2 asthma hit really hard. There were wheezing episodes every month. My child was such a bad eater and I did not have the parental control to make my child like food. I was scared of everything. I was trying to avoid friends with cold, shopping mall with dust, going to school and used hand sanitizer like a freak. And I thought I was doing the right thing.

The frequency of the episodes made the doctors prescribe maintenance steroids. The doctor also mentioned that Asthma can be a life long condition and has to be kept at check by maintenance inhaler. Giving a drug everyday 365 days made me panic. The side effects of the drugs were really bad. Trembling, going out of control, nervousness are a few to mention.

Just the fear of giving maintenance steroid made me educate myself about Asthma. Thanks to the few sources that took me in the proper direction. All these changes kicked in my parental instinct and made me take charge of my kid and Asthma. Once I started the nature way of cure, the condition was totally gone. At 5 now my child catches cold every now and then. However only during worst cold days the wheezing seem to come but does not last. This makes me wonder what if I had not done the diet and the life style changes and stuck to what doctor said. What if I dint have the time to analyze all these and keep giving maintenance drugs and permanently branded my child asthmatic.

Just as how taking frequent antibiotics reduces the power of the immune system the frequent Inhalers reduces the lungs capacity to self heal. All it needs is the proper nutrition and life style changes to the body for the lungs to regenerate and self heal.

I am writing this article because some mother out there can be doing this mistake and a proper education is required to make us understand that Asthma is not life long condition and can be put to check by natures way. 

If your child starts showing symptoms of Asthma immediately make diet and life style changes to prevent it and from making your child a life long victim

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.
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Processed food and Asthma

What is Processed food?
The nature provide vegetables, fruits, grains and other food sources. It has abundance of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals in it. Some of the food can be eaten raw and the whole nutrients can be absorbed by the body and some others need to be cooked. The cooking is to make the food more digestible by human body. However when the cooking process is long and harsh the food loses its properties and becomes the opposite. Like say a Potato has wonderful nutrients in it but when heated to temperature >120 degree Celsius and made into Potato fries a chemical called Acrylamide is formed which is carcinogenic.

Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, contaminated water source(by chemicals and radio active substances), contaminated soil(by chemicals and pollution), contaminated air(pollution), preservatives, genetically modified (GMO) are already altering the food produced by nature. Each of these have their effect on human health and are related to diseases like Autism, Asthma, tumor and cancers

On the top these food are even more modified when made into processed food. For example, to make a breakfast cereal the grains are grounded, added unnecessary vitamins and preservatives, molded into shapes and heated to temperatures that can change the property of food and put on shelf for the period of 2 years. Same is the case for a food cooked at home for long time using harsh temperature just to make it more palatable.

All these processing and chemicals has huge impact on children with Asthma. It increases the risk of getting asthma attack several folds.

An asthmatic body requires abundances of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Hence provide raw food like fruits and vegetables atleast 5 servings a day. While for the other food form that requires cooking try to keep the cooking process to the right minimum. Do not encourage any processed and convenience food. This will keep any disease at check.

Training the taste buds

Dealing with picky eater is very difficult and frustrating. Overtime it pushes us to giving whatever food child prefers. When days pass without healthy food triangle in the menu it slowly reflects in the health. Some kids are naturally good eaters while some others are not. If eating healthy food and drinking water does not come naturally it should be done through consistent training.

Few guidelines

• Have only healthy items in your shopping list. Not having options is the best way.
• Let your child get used to looking at healthy items in the cart and fridge consistently. It is all about registering in the brain.
• Serve food only when hungry.
• Don't let your child snack often.
• If your child rejects a food it does not mean it's the end. Try offering again and again. Try altering the recipe and offer when hungry.
• Serve vegetables without much alterations. Broccoli taste very good with butter, salt and pepper. Carrot taste good when raw.  Trial and error simple recipes.
• Include herbs like coriander, curry leaves, rosemary etc. and spices like garlic, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper etc. These increase the appetite, help in digestion and increases body immunity. The more you give the more the taste buds will get used to.
• Offers fruits/vegetables/ nuts/ cheese as snack. This will reduce your stress during mealtime since they are already taken the nutrients.
• Increase the appetite of your child. Certain fruits like lemon, orange, Apple increases the hunger. Soup also helps.
• Water does the trick too. A glass of water first thing in the morning increases the metabolism. Offer water 30 mins before food to increase appetite.
• Increase physical activity to increase hunger.
• If your child refuses to eat pack it in a to go box and go for walk. Try offering outside. The outside fresh air and scenary does change their mind.
• Training your child to eat soup will help on the sick days. Training your child certain food that would be available in the restaurants to reduce your stress on eating outside days.
• Talk about food. Some kids like to hear stories about how an orange helped a small boy to fight cold or how beans help you grow tall etc.
• Be a role model. When your child sees you and your spouse eat certain food they get natural inclination.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

How do I avoid wheezing when my child catches bad cold?

What do I do when my child catches the worst cold so that it does not escalate to wheezing?

Step 1) Vacuum/Clean the bedroom and living room and keep very less things in these areas. Wash the sheets and blankets. I do not use any powerful cleaners.
Why? Dust is the main culprit for asthmatic. We spend most time in the bedroom and living room when sick.

Step 2) Go to the grocery shop to get fresh vegetables and fruits. The fresher the more nutrients.
Why? Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential nutrients to reduce the inflamation of lungs and overall. It is important to keep giving small quantities of food to help body fight against infection, reduce inflamation, avoid vomiting and dehydration.

Step 3) Keep humidifier clean and ready. Warm mist during cold weather and cool mist during hot days.
Why? Humidifier helps in relaxing the tubes in the lungs and sleep better. It plays a vital role in cutting down night time wheezing.

Step 4) I keep ready good entertainment CDs/Programs.

Step 5) Prepare food based on the severity of the cold. Warm soup is always the first on the list. Refer the article "Diet during tough days" for more info.

Step 6) Give my child Warm bath (when no fever)
Helps in relaxing the body and loosens mucous in the chest.

Step 7) Take my child outside for sun and fresh air(not during fever)

Step 8) Keep giving warm water all through out the day. I ask my child to finish the full cup of water.

Even when I am the most prepared there are times when things get out of control when the sickness involves fever and vomiting. In that case I stick to the hydration in any form as the key and let the worst days pass. I have tried few over the counter homeopathic "cold and mucous" syrups which says that it loosens the mucous. I does help to some extent.

I hope this article helps. Good luck with your little ones.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Are you prepared for the winter?

Pomegranate is so in season and it will not stay for long. Don't miss this opportunity. There is reason why nature provides certain fruits at certain time. It for being prepared for winter. The same with oranges and Apple's. Give these fruits everyday and keep your child immune high to fight any battle. And these amazing fruits keep wheezing at check.

Give wide range of seasonal vegetables and greens either boiled, seasoned or in soup. Use spices like coriander, pepper, ginger, garlic which all helps in increasing the immune system.

Mornings are dull and sun goes down by 4 pm. Hence hit the outside in the afternoon to get the sun. Every bit counts.

Get lot of indoor physical activities to keep your child active and breathing.

Good luck Moms! Let's be prepared for this brave winter battle.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.