I have had a lot of positive results treating asthma in adults so its great to see the following trial affirming positive results for children too (see below on this news feed or click on the following link)
Perhaps because their energy is generally vital and strong, and less blocked than that of us adults, I have found that children and teenagers often respond very strongly and quickly to treatment.
One of my children was diagnosed with viral asthma at the tender age of 1 – no surprise to me as in his case, he developed a rattly chest 4 hours after his whooping cough vaccine (there’s another story…this happens to be the same vaccine that has been banned in Sweden and other EU countries!). I have to confess I didn’t use acupuncture to treat him because of the practicalities of treating such a small lively person but I must advocate the use of fish oil, which I started giving him, on the advice of a nutritionist, at the tender age of two and a half, from a spoon – yuk!
He was very good and took his oil and within 2 weeks of taking it his complexion was notably rosier and he seemed more energetic. I suddenly realised he was of course taking in more oxygen and was quite shocked at the thought of how oxygen deprived he must have been!
At the age of 3 we withdrew all gluten, which we were able to reintroduce gradually after 3 months. Since the age of three and a half he has not had a single asthmatic episode and any inhalers have long since been discarded.
A nutritionist explained to me that the fish oil saturates the delicate lung tissue with good oils and fatty acids which dampens down the inflammatory response, which is certainly what happened in my son’s case. It is this exchange of good fat for bad which also makes fish oil very beneficial in the treatment of other inflammatory conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and some bowel conditions.
Removing gluten from the diet – which for acupuncturists is considered to be damp forming and difficult to metabolise, especially for an immature system – just gives the body a rest and a chance to clear out any excess dampness which may be obstructing the Lungs and their function of taking in and dispersing the breath around the body.
I am not advocating the dismissal of western medication in the treatment of asthma – my son certainly benefitted from steroidal intervention on a number of occasions. However, I would suggest that with time and perseverence there are other approaches – be they dietary or treatment based – which could be taken alongside medical treatment to promote permanent alleviation of symptoms and eventually eradicate the need for medication.
