The cooler days of fall are coming.  For some people, that’s a welcome relief.  But for asthma sufferers, not so much.  Cold air and even a small change in temperature can tighten lungs and make you short of breath.

The wheezing…coughing…asthma is just plain uncomfortable.  Not to mention deadly.

Twenty-five million people have asthma or reactive airway disease.  Asthma drugs help dilate bronchial tubes when they narrow and swell.  But the drugs are dangerous and have some scary side effects.  Some asthma meds have reported to reduce your adrenal functioning, decrease your bone density, and even create fungal infections in your mouth (1).

Stopping inflammation in the lungs and relaxing the smooth muscle tissue of the bronchial tubes is key to reducing mucus and breathing better.

This fragrant spice eases inflammation and opens up your airways…

GINGER

...has an extremely high level of total antioxidants.  Very few foods come close to the levels in ginger.  In fact, this root is so powerful, it protects against the toxic effects of both chemotherapy and radiation.

That’s serious stuff, but so are ginger’s antioxidant compounds, of which there are hundreds.  Two of the most studied are gingerols and a phytonutrient called 6-shagaol.

Gingerols and 6-shagaol

Gingerols reduce inflammation and oxidative stress by blocking certain enzymes.  This lowers mucus production in the lungs (2).

6-shagaol is said to be one of the components in ginger that give it the pungent flavor.  This compound dissolves the proteins that cause bronchial tubes to constrict (3).

Enjoy Ginger!

Indian, Asian, and Arabic cultures have benefited from the healing properties of ginger for centuries.  You can add it to almost anything as flavor.  Cut it up and add it to chicken, salads, stir-fries, soups, or tea.  You can also eat it dried.

Because ginger is so high in antioxidants, asthma is just one of the inflammation-based diseases it fights.  You can’t go wrong with adding it to your diet on a regular basis just to decrease overall inflammation.

If you have asthma, ginger will help you open your airways, breathe easier, and loosen up that tight feeling in your chest.

 

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1.  http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_serevent_diskus.pdf

2.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

3.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23065130

Article courtesy of The Institute for Natural Healing, posted September 29, 2013, and found here.