Over the years, I’ve had many parents calling me to ask if I could treat their child with asthma. When I tell them Diet is crucial when it comes to asthma, and that they have to be prepared to follow a diet free of sugar and dairy. This is their response: “I can’t do that, it’s too hard. Isn’t there anything else you can do?”
Sure, Acupuncture is fantastic to reduce Asthma attacks and wheezing, but it won’t work without changing the eating habits of the patient! Food IS medicine! It’s that simple.
One mother surprised me and actually agreed to make the shift to a new diet, for the health of her 5 year old son. They both were tired of going to the hospital in the middle of the night, every few months. The mother was hurting for her child, and her son hated the hospital. So they embarked on this journey of no dairy, no sugar (except for a few fruits like apples and avocados). No cold drinks, no juice box and no pop/soda.
Family members kept telling her that her son deserved cakes, cookies and other treats. He was only a child and should be having fun eating the same as other kids.
I have tremendous admiration for this amazing mother. She fought daily for her child’s health. It wasn’t easy by any means. Her best ally was her son. As he started to feel better, and his hospital visits stopped, HE actually refused cookies and other common treats, when he was offered some.
Within less than a year, her son’s asthma resolved. No more puffer, no more steroids, no more hospital visits! He’s now a healthy 13 year old boy.
Did you know Asthma affects 1 in 6 children in North America?
50% of them have some allergies to animal dander, pollen and dust. And millions of children miss school daily because of asthma attacks.
In Chinese Medicine, childhood Asthma is often a combination of LU, SP & KD Qi deficiency. Boosting the defensive (Wei) Qi of the Lung, and the source (Yuan) Qi of the Kidney systems. As well as nourishing the Zhong (Middle) Qi of the Spleen & Stomach with a healthy diet, will result in a great outcome.
ON top of a deficiency, there are 3 types of asthma: Cold, Heat and or Damp. Here’s the symptoms and best diet associated with each type. No matter what, dairy and sugar should be avoided completely.
Let’s help these little boys & girls enjoy their childhood Asthma free with Chinese medicine nutrition. And of course, keep rocking it using TCM!
PS: Want more? Check out and access the PDF for the TCM Treatments for the 7 most common LUNG Disorders (including Asthma, Chronic and Acute Cough, Hay Fever, Sinusitis and more!)
Thank you so much! I have 2 questions:
1) Would that apply to ordinary cough and colds?
2) No dairy and sugar? What if the child is still drinking milk?
1) This diet applies to colds & cough, but according to a TCM diagnosis. If the cold has a lot of mucus, and phlegm, then it’s damp and all dairy & sugar should be avoided. If the cough is dry, then it needs moisture such as clear broth soup, but still no dairy or sugar.
2) The child with asthma should not drink milk, unless it’s breast milk.
Hope this help Andrelina 🙂
My 1.5 year old has asthma attack only when he s infected with rhinovirus. Which type of asthma would that be categorized into? Since he s still very young, how would I avoid his dairy intake completely? Milk is his primary source of protein and calcium. He drinks goats milk though. Thank you so much for the info! We are tired of hospital visits every 2-3 months and don’t want him to take steroid inhaler everyday
Tough to say without seeing your son and doing a full consultation. Your best bet is to bring your son to a licensed acupuncturist or a TCM doctor, who can determine what the best diet for him would be.
Good luck!
Thank you too much
My pleasure 🙂
Thank you very much