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I have never met an asthmatic who was not allergic to animals, especially cats. If your child wants a pet, I strongly recommend getting a hypoallergenic dog. (I suggest that you call your local pet store and find out which breeds are best and worst.)

Solution

If a cat is the pet of choice, avoid letting it lick you or your child, since cat saliva causes the greatest allergic reaction.

Pollutants

Insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, fumigants, and other harmful chemicals can leak into the public water supply. I suggest to all my clients that they and their children drink either bottled spring water or filtered water as opposed to tap water. I personally feel that purchasing a water filter is one of the most important things you can do for your family. If you or your child is asthmatic, I highly advise a shower filter as well. Remember that whatever touches the skin is immediately diffused into the bloodstream and can trigger an asthma attack.

Solution

Merely rinsing fruits and vegetables is not an effective way to get rid of the pesticide residue, so consider scrubbing them with natural products such as grapefruit extract or borax. Some health food stores sell fruit and vegetable washing solution. Since pesticides permeate the skins of fruits and vegetables, buy organic when possible.

Environmental Causes

There are many substances found in the air of your home that can cause asthmatic reactions. These include pollens, molds, "out-gassing" in new furniture or carpets, carpet shampoos, floor polishes, furniture glues, paint fumes, cleaning solvents, aerosol sprays, tobacco, and wood smoke.

Solution

One of the best ways to control the air quality in your home is to buy a good-quality air filter. And when working with noxious solvents such as paint, be sure to wear an air-filter mask.

Toiletries

Asthma attacks can also be caused by chemicals found in certain types of creams, sunscreens and soaps. There are 8,000 known chemicals found in common toiletries, many of which have not been tested by the FDA. Perfumes and cosmetics derived from petroleum and coal tar can be as bad as cigarette smoke for asthmatics.

Solution

Using natural soaps and skin care products - as well as natural house-cleaning products - can make a huge and immediate difference in respiratory health and allergy symptoms.

Enzyme Support for Asthma

One of the best ways you can cut down on inflammation and support metabolism, nutrient absorption and the integrity of the immune system is to make sure you and your child take a wide-spectrum, vegetarian digestive enzyme before meals. Protease enzymes are especially effective at combating inflammation. In fact, these enzymes are one of the mainstays of my recommendations for asthmatics in general.

Asthma can be a frightening and debilitating condition, but in my more than 20 years of treating allergies, I have found that the lifestyle changes suggested in this article can go a long way to reducing and alleviating symptoms. Ask your doctor about natural ways to treat allergies and asthma, and take the first steps toward achieving a long-term solution.

Ellen Cutler, DC, is the author of Live Free From Asthmaand Allergies and the founder of BioSET (www.bioset.net). She practices in Mill Valley, Calif., and lectures internationally on the benefits of enzyme therapy.