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Dr. Stengler: A lot of people have nutritional deficiencies, so we test people and get them on extra amounts of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, and other natural anti-inflammatories. One especially for exercise-induced or exertional asthma, which has been very well studied, is lycopene, which you find in foods like tomatoes and watermelon. It's a very potent antioxidant, and it has been shown in studies to reduce your risk of exercise-induced asthma. The beauty of it is it's non-toxic — there are no side effects.
Host: A couple of those studies you talked about — lycopene, taking 130 milligrams daily, shown to be helpful for those affected by exercise-induced asthma.
Dr. Stengler: Absolutely. Remember the dose: 130 milligrams. When you look at most lycopene products, they have 5 milligrams, 10 milligrams, up to 30 milligrams, so you have to take a fair dose of it, but it's okay because lycopene is non-toxic. So if you have asthma, take that higher dose to get a good effect. For children, we usually use half the dose, 65 milligrams; again, it's not a concern because it's non-toxic, and 65 milligrams will work quite well.
Host: Now for the magnesium — studies showed it reduces asthma, 250 to 400 milligrams daily, another well-studied nutritional supplement.
Dr. Stengler: Magnesium is a must. A recent study showed that if your magnesium levels are lower, you are more apt to have asthma problems, and magnesium is a relaxant mineral, so it relaxes the bronchial tubes which people with asthma are prone to tightening. In a clinical setting, we'll even use intravenous magnesium to get high doses in to relax the bronchial tubes and release that constriction in their lungs.
Host: Let's read the study about pycnogenol — an interesting supplement many people haven't heard of.
Dr. Stengler: It's also known as pine bark extract, so if people are looking, it's pycnogenol or pine bark extract.
Host: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 60 subjects aged 6 to 18, conducted over three months. Research found that those who took the supplement had significantly improved lung function and asthma symptoms compared to placebo, published in the Journal of Asthma, a mainstream journal.
Dr. Stengler: I had a patient recently — a friend of one of our kids on the same hockey team — who'd had asthma for a number of years, and besides making some dietary changes, we put him on this pine bark extract. The mother reported back, even after a month, that he did not need his inhalers anymore. Obviously we're monitoring him medically, but some of these simple, non-toxic nutrients combined with a good diet can be quite phenomenal.
A lot of people who suffer asthma have nutritional deficiencies. For patients with nutrient deficient asthma, we may get them on extra amounts of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, and other natural anti-inflammatories. For exercise-induced asthma especially, we can treat it with lycopene, which is easy enough to get because it's non-toxic and found in common foods like tomatoes and watermelon. With dietary changes -- simple, non-toxic supplements combined with diet -- we can see phenomenal results. In at least one case, we've seen a child with asthma stop needing his inhalers after one month of starting treatment. Watch this three-minute video for more on asthma and nutrients. These nutrient supplements come in various doses, so of course each patient requires a specific treatment. We test for nutrient levels at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine, and can get patients on a natural treatment of supplements and diet created just for them. Setting up an appointment is a simple as calling us!
