Calling it like it is
The researchers are calling it "immunotherapy," which, I suppose, sounds very scientific and high-tech. But the latest advance in treating asthma is actually another name for form of natural medicine that's been around for hundreds -- even thousands -- of years: homeopathy. Call it what you like -- either way, the results of the recent study were impressive. It involved 253 children who were given either a grass pollen pill or a placebo pill once a day starting two to six months prior to "hay fever" season (when asthma symptoms are typically at their worst), and continuing treatment until the season ended. At the end of the trial, the researchers noted that the children who had been given the grass pollen tablet had a 64 percent reduction in their asthma symptoms compared to those given the placebo. Just like other homeopathic remedies, the "active" tablets used in this study contained small amounts of a trigger substance (i.e. grass pollen) -- enough to stimulate the immune system into action, but not enough to cause symptoms. Then, once the immune system has been called into action, it does a better job of warding off those symptoms. Homeopathy (or immunotherapy) is certainly one approach worth considering when it comes to asthma. But Dr. Wright has found a different approach to be even more effective: uncovering and eliminating or desensitizing allergies (particularly dairy allergies). To read about this and other natural asthma remedies, Nutrition & Healing subscribers can search the newsletter archives by visiting www.wrightnewsletter.com and logging on with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue. Source:
"Immunotherapy alleviates hay fever and asthma in children, study finds," ScienceDaily (www.sciencedaily.com), 1/21/09
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