More and More Asthma and Allergies

support@wellness.com — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:45:26 Z

Wellness.com - More and More Asthma and Allergies by RaffiTachdjian

In this, my first blog, I would like to bring to your notice our air quality.

Have you noticed how more and more people around us are suffering from asthma, allergies, fatigue, and pain? These can all be inter-related and we need to get proactive about our health and wellness, and the health of our environment.

IT IS TRUE that there are more people in the US with asthma and allergies each year, but there are some things we can all do to help stop or at least slow this trend.

This is the time to stop adding to the exhaust particles in our air. As the particles get smaller and therefore below the regulation size (yes, environmental regulations only limit particles of a certain size and larger!), our skyline is clearer than it has been in years. That's because these particles are smaller and create a finer curtain to see through!

Guess what that does to your lungs and upper respiratory tract; these particles can now travel further into your lungs, and wreak havoc. So now it takes longer (>1 day) for you to realize that you are having trouble breathing, etc.

Although poor air quality has been primarily linked to lung disease, it can also impact the rest of the body in detrimental ways. One of my colleagues Dr. Marc Riedl at UCLA is studying the effects of our antioxidant system by looking at broccoli sprouts. His team studies the genetic impact of glutathione synthase. One half of the population has a defective antioxidant system, and for those of us in that subgroup, we need all the help we can get. This includes avoiding heavy pollutant days, increasing intake of antioxidants (foods rich with omega-3 fatty acids), exercising, maintaining an optimal weight, keeping a positive outlook and attitude, and surrounding ourselves with good people. People like whom we want to be, act and react. But in the meantime, let's clean up the air going into our lungs!

Raffi Tachdjian MD, MPH
Allergist & Immunologist
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
UCLA School of Medicine
Allergy & Clinical Immunology Med Grp
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-828-8534
UCLAdoc@gmail.com

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More and More Asthma and Allergies