Case Study
Janine
Janine has had a lifelong history of chronic respiratory problems. She was born with pneumonia and has had a lifetime of chronic bronchitis, which developed into asthma six years ago after exposure to insulating fibres in her loft. In the last five or six years, Janine has had an asthma attack every day and she has been admitted to hospital on several occasions because of the severity of these attacks.
Janine was on a plethora of inhalers and medication and when she first came to see me, she was using a nebuliser two or three times a day, every day. Janine's condition was taking over her life and when I first saw her, she had given up her job because she was unable to work. She saw nutritional therapy as a last resort - but, as you will see one that was to change Janine's life forever.
Nutritional Support
My plan for nutritional support was to help reduce the inflammation in the body, boost Janine's immune system, and support her adrenal glands, as a result of her lifelong use of steroid medication (the adrenal glands that produce the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol).
Previously, Janine's diet was based largely around the typical staple foods of the Northern Irish diet - wheat and dairy. For convenience she was also eating quite a few ready meals, which although very handy, were not providing her with adequate nutritional value. Janine was not drinking a lot of water, as cold water would trigger and asthma attack. She was finding alcohol increasingly difficult to tolerate. If she took a drink, she found it was making her chest very tight and wheezy. Janine had make significant changes in her diet before her fist appointment - she had largely cut out dairy produce and was eating more fresh fruit and vegetables.
I suggested that Janine included lots of oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna and trout, for their beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. Nuts, like brazil nuts, almonds and hazelnuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds) became an integral part of her daily diet - these seed foods are a rich source of the omega 6 essential fatty acids. For the first month Janine was including oily fish in her diet five times a week. Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are the building blocks for the body to produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.
Looking at Janine's diet, I also found that she was relying on wheat for almost every meals, so she started to introduce a wide variety of grains such as oats and brown rice, and even more unusual grains like polenta and quinoa into her diet. Not only did this automatically reduce her reliance on wheat, but because the variety of foods Janine was eating were being increased, she was getting a wider source of nutrients from her diet.
I suggested that Janine could support the beneficial effects of her diet by taking nutritional supplements. This programme included essential fatty acids, liver support and an antioxidant preparation.
Impressive Results
Thanks to Janine's commitment to the programme, she noticed positive changes almost immediately. After just one month on this programme, Janine was sleeping better; she was having fewer asthmatic attacks and had not used a nebuliser in two weeks. Over the next seven months, we worked on supporting Janine's liver function, adrenal glands, and most importantly her respiratory and immune systems. Janine is now back at work, has not had to rely on her nebuliser for months. She really is living her life to the full.