Humans need water to drink, food to eat, and clean air to breathe. It is these simple tenets that we live by. Take one away and things can go south fast and it can become obvious that there is a problem.
My Life With Asthma
For me it was simple, I can remember thinking as a child my lungs aren’t filling up with enough air. In my 20s I was able to go to a top pulmonologist in the United States, looking for answers after intense respiratory infections. Other than breathing treatments and a prescribed inhaler, my questions remained unresolved. What was wrong with my lungs, and how could I heal them?
Asthma for me looked something like this:
Struggling to breathe.
Wheezing.
Heaving for air.
People watching over me.
Taking my inhaler.
No relief.
Taking my inhaler again.
No relief.
Coughing.
Waiting.
Being rushed to the ER.
Taking a nebulizer.
Getting Relief. Finally.
This or some version of this repeated itself daily, weekly, monthly over and over and over again my whole life. When I remember my younger days, my memories of not being able to breathe are first and foremost.
A few times I have had to be hospitalized because my breathing was so labored and inhalers were not able to reverse the symptoms. And to live with the thoughts that at any time you could face this struggle to breathe from running too fast, laughing or crying too hard, eating too quickly, or from multiple random allergic reactions, felt like living in a prison. I have known the prison of chronic illness my whole life.
After I graduated college, I moved to the United States and in the first year of living there with my husband, I was in the ER 8 times with asthmatic attacks and mystery allergic reactions. It was then that I saw an allergist and one of the top pulmonologists in the country, despite having access to the best treatments and doctors (5 inhalers and 4 other drugs) I wasn’t healing.
My Turning Point
I can remember praying in my apartment during Ramadan in 2005, trying to heal from chemical sensitivities and multiple allergic reactions that were causing my face to swell.
“God,” I prayed, “if you show me the truth in how to heal my body, I will commit my life to the purpose for which you sent me here on earth.” I went to bed feeling peaceful and decided to take my health into my own hands.
Soon after this experience my friend gave me a book that talked about reducing inflammation. I read it in one night and marked it up. I removed sugar, dairy, eggs, grains and meat overnight. I subsisted on sweet potatoes, other vegetables, daily berries, and some other fruits. But I mostly ate vegetables. I started to feel so much better with my breathing.
The connection between health and diet solidified for me as I was finally feeling better in my body. This meant less respiratory infections, eczema, allergies, and autoimmune symptoms- you name it!
The connection between a mucus free diet and healthy, breathing lungs is very important, and I was able to experience this first hand.
After this, I went on to study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University, and learned about different healing diets. I decided to go fully plant-based and then tried a raw food diet. I particularly loved the way my body felt on a raw diet and could tell that I was finally giving it more of what it needed. Soon after this, though, I developed severe eczema on my upper body.
My search to heal eczema brought me to health author, Anthony William, aka the Medical Medium®. He was able to fill in the gaps for me- he didn’t just point me in the right direction, he provided me with the answers I needed to fully heal my body, the symptoms I wasn’t able to heal with the resources I had at hand. He validated what I had been dealing with since I was a child and I was able to work on the last health issues I was left with. I learned that as a kid I had inflamed bronchial asthma, and as an adult I had both inflamed bronchial and neurological asthma.
Unpredictable Health Setbacks
Healing isn’t linear, it goes up and down. Especially on planet Earth where you are thrown curve balls you couldn’t even dream of. Anthony often says, “Become your own healing expert,” and I couldn’t agree more. It is important to know how to heal yourself, but it is also just as important to know when to ask for help.
In September 2016, after I had started working with Anthony, I had a chemical exposure that spiraled me back into my old asthma and breathing symptoms. I can’t say I was surprised as I knew my system was weak at the time. I tried to handle it naturally at home for almost a month before Anthony insisted I go to the ER and get my oxygen checked. When I arrived there my oxygen level was 67, which is dangerously low. I was given three breathing treatments to stabilize my lungs and breathing.
Afterwards, I felt so much better and I realized that there is no point in struggling through difficult symptoms. I vowed to never push myself through anything like that ever again. Soon after this experience I started vitamin C IV therapy treatments to support my lungs and breathing, this was a seriously therapeutic treatment that helped turn me around so much.
Understanding the Different Types of Asthma
There is more than one type of asthma- you can have environmentally triggered inflamed bronchial asthma, neurological asthma, phrenic and vagus nerve asthma, toxic heavy metal triggered asthma, or emotionally triggered types of asthma. Your condition can be a mix of these varieties, too. For example, you could have a predominately neurological type of asthma that is triggered by environmental irritants or be emotionally triggered with pathogens taking advantage of toxic heavy metal exposure in a weakened immune system.
Inflamed Bronchial Asthma
Inhaling irritants into the lungs can trigger asthma as it collects in the mucus lining of the bronchial tubes. As it collects and you breathe in and out it shifts in the lungs and effectively scratches the soft tissue of the bronchial tubes- it eventually becomes like a sandpaper lining. It is this effect, and the collection of environmental irritants in the lungs, that creates inflamed bronchial asthma as it is a product of the environment that you are living in and exposed to.
What you do for work, or the environments you are mostly around, are a large contributing factor to this type of asthma. Construction environments where there are a lot of irritants such as dust, drywall, sawdust, paint, VOCs, fiberglass, and sheetrock can trigger a reaction in people that were previously healthy. Without proper protection being used, if you are inhaling these particles into the lungs and not cleansing your mucus lining these environmental factors can accumulate to the point of an asthmatic attack.
It is not just construction environments, for some people walking through a crowded mall or department store can be enough. Breathing in chemical fragrances and fungicides used on everyday products can be enough to inflame the lungs.
Neurological Asthma
Epstein Barr Virus can inflame the phrenic and vagus nerves with neurotoxins causing neurological asthma. Neurotoxins are released in the later stages of a virus’ cycle in the body, these poisons are released from the liver and float around the body. Eventually they come into contact with nerves, the phrenic and vagus in this case, and can disrupt its function in the body. This causes inflammation and irritation.
Phrenic and Vagus Nerve Asthma
The vagus nerve starts in your brain and runs down your neck and chest, and controls your abdomen and the functions of your lungs. The phrenic nerve is similar in that it runs down your neck and into your chest on both sides. A virus can directly inflame these nerves, causing acute respiratory and asthmatic episodes.
Toxic Heavy Metal Exposure
A top food for pathogens is toxic heavy metals, so when they are present in the body pathogens can feed on them and release neurotoxins that land on and disrupt and irritate the phrenic and vagus nerves. It is important to include a toxic heavy metal detox component in your healing protocol as almost everyone is exposed to toxic heavy metals.
Emotional-Neurological Asthma
An immune system shuddered by an intense emotional experience can wake up pathogens which then take advantage of a weakened immune system and wreak havoc. A heightened emotional state can release adrenaline and other stress factors in our body.
When asthma is triggered by pathogens it can be misdiagnosed at the doctor’s office, often mistaken for anxiety or panic attacks. The leading symptoms are tightening of the chest, difficulty breathing, and resulting shock from this experience. People who experience asthmatic attacks can get labeled with anxiety or panic attacks and put on medication for these symptoms as difficulty breathing and tightness of the chest commonly accompany them. It’s important to note that inhalers that dispense steroids are often prescribed for asthma, but over time you can grow an immunity to them.
Because of the vagus nerves’ size and reach, when inflammation occurs in the brain stem that affects the vagus nerve grapevine, the vagus nerves can exhibit a wider range of symptoms on the whole than other cranial nerves. These vagus nerve symptoms that result from an inflamed brain stem could include tightness of the chest, tightness of throat, mild dizziness, an imbalanced feeling, a sense of not digesting well, anxiety, pressure in the chest, difficulty swallowing (even if mild), a hard time taking a deep breath, pain in the throat, nausea, and sometimes erratic heartbeat. When vagus nerve inflammation is stemming from higher up like this—from the brain stem itself—it could be a little bit of everything. One possible experience is neurological asthma, a form of asthma where the airways are not impeded by visible inflammation. Instead, neurological asthma is the sensation of air restriction created by inflamed vagus nerves and/or other cranial nerves.
-Brain Saver pg. 102
Why a Mucus-Free Diet Matters for Asthma
Through diet you have the opportunity to cleanse the lungs- the wrong diet doesn’t allow the mucus that builds up in the lungs to clear. Mucus forming diets create a problem and are not your friend. Think dairy, gluten, grains, and eggs. More than supplements, when it comes to asthma the best way to spearhead healing is through the correct diet.
Foods That Support Lung Healing
- Fresh fruits (apricots and mulberries especially help with asthma)
- Onion
- Radish
- Focus on seeds more than nuts (both in limited quantities)
- Squash and potatoes
- Leafy greens and salads
- Raw vegetables
- Bronchial Broth- celery, onion, radish, water
It is best to avoid corn, soy, dairy, eggs, gluten, canola, pork, grains (except for millet occasionally), and animal products (ideally eaten only 3-4 times a week).
If you want to go further with your healing protocols, try the 28 Day Cleanse from Cleanse to Heal or the 90 Day Cleanse from Thyroid Healing. Make sure to also bring in the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie. It is a good idea to go plant-based, as this will help you go further while you are healing.
Helpful Supplements for Asthma Relief
- Zinc sulphate
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B12
- NAC
- Ginger
- Lemon balm
- Nettle
- MSM
For the full Medical Medium® podcast on asthma, go here: True Cause of Asthma.
My Asthma Is Gone – Here’s What I want You to Know
To date, I no longer struggle with asthma. Using Anthony’s advice I was able to clear out my lungs and lower the viral load that was contributing to my condition. Even though it took a while, I was able to heal myself from the grips of inflamed bronchial and neurological asthma. Asthma was something I was plagued with since young childhood, and I had it well into adulthood.
I am here as a testimony to the healing power of the Medical Medium® information- I was able to go from having asthma and autoimmune conditions for decades of my life to reversing these conditions. I hope this blog of my experience with asthma inspires you to continue on your own healing journey. It is important to know how to heal yourself so that you can get back up when life knocks you down. Please know that I am always here as a source of guidance.
To your health and happiness,
Muneeza
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