Count on caffeine in a pinch. You’re out in the wilderness and suddenly realize that you left your inhaler at home. What do you do if you feel an attack coming on? Head for the coffee pot. “A couple of cups of strong coffee will have a beneficial effect on asthma,” says allergist Allan Becker, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba, who tested the effects of caffeine on asthma.
Asthmatics given pills that contained the amount of caffeine found in two cups of coffee “could breathe better and their asthma improved,” Dr. Becker found. Caffeine and the popular asthma drug Theophylline are almost identical- your body doesn’t know the difference. He cautions, however, that caffeine is not a substitute for your medication. “We don’t recommend it as a treatment, but in an emergency, when you don’t have your medication around, two strong cups of coffee or hot cocoa ora couple of chocolate bars would be an effective substitute medication that would buy time until you could get to your medicine or
inhaler.”
Enlist 86 in the battle.
Knowledge of the effectiveness of vitamin B6 on asthma came about by accident. When researchers were studying the effects of the vitamin on those with sickle-cell anemia, they discovered that some members of the non-sickle-cell group also had a history of asthma. “When they took 50 milligrams of B, daily, it reduced the severity of their asthma attacks,” says internist Clayton L. Natta, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, who conducted the research. “Further study of asthmatics supported the effectiveness of B6,” adds Dr. Natta. Megadoses of vitamin B6 can be toxic and are not recommended, but Dr. Natta says for an adult, “50 milligrams is a safe dose that is given medically all the time.” (For complete safety, use B6 only wi th the approval
listen to your lungs. Of course, the best way to fight an asthma attack is to not have one in the first place. “Recognize your own pattern,” says Dr. Ziering. “Be aware of what your early signs of asthma are. When you see the warning signals and you act right away; you will be able to ward it off. “You don’t suddenly have severe asthma,” he notes. “That’s rare. There is typically a pattern, and you can intervene in that process and stop it in its tracks.” The earlier you act, the less severe the asthma will be.