When you think of the causes of Asthma, you don't automatically link it to food allergies. But, at least in some cases, food allergies are exactly what you should be thinking about.
In the U.S., somewhere between seventeen and eighteen million people are currently suffering from asthma. The degree of symptoms range from mild to severe, with the most severe cases being life threatening. Even worse is the projected scope of the disease with some health organizations predicting that the number of cases in the country will virtually double in the next ten years.
Asthma is basically an allergic condition. It is caused by some trigger stimulating the release of histamine into the body. When histamine is released, a chain reaction of events is set into motion. The first thing that happens is the airways become irritated and also very sensitive. As the irritation continues as more histamines flood into the tissues, the internal body tissues begin to expand.
The histamine also causes mucous to be released, further constricting the air way passages. In a mild asthma attack, this may be as far as it goes. But in more severe attacks, as mucous covers the airways, you may begin to wheeze and cough. And you start to experience shortness of breath.
The more sensitive your airways become, the more prone they are to spasms and the more difficult it becomes to both expel air and breathe in air. Someone in the middle of such an attack can very much feel as though they are drowning.
So what is the main trigger that starts this dangerous chain of events? There are many things that have been identified as possible causes - cold air, strenuous exercising, and even laughing. But the two top suspects are airborne allergies or food allergies.
Airborne allergies are not a surprise as health professionals have known for years that dust mites, mold, animal dander, and the like can trigger an attack. But the fact that food allergies can do so as well, is not recognized as readily. Of the food allergies wheat, milk, and egg allergies are the most to blame. But these are, by no means, the only recognized food allergies.
People who are allergic to any of these foods will have the same experience of histamines being released into their bloodstream with the possible effect of triggering an asthma attack. If you believe that you may be the victim of some unknown food attacks, the best way to rule foods in or out as the cause is to have a food allergy test performed on your body.
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