You would think that a couple of thousand years would be enough time to find a way to beat an ailment as common as bedsores. Evidence of these painful lessons has been found in ancient Egyptian mummies, but today we’re still struggling to prevent bedsores from forming on people who are confined to bed.

Clearly, the quality of mattresses has improved since the rule of King Tut. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, have less to do with beds and lots to do with nutrition, say the experts. And that, sadly, is something that can still be pretty poor even in this day and age, especially among the elderly.

Researchers who say vitamin C is helpful for asthma point out that other nutrient with similar antioxidant properties could be beneficial. These nutri­ents include vitamin E, selenium, and beta-carotene, a yellow pigment found in carrots, cantaloupe, and other fruits and vegetables. Laboratory work indi­cates that all three help reduce inflammation-producing biochemicals.

“So far, however, all we have are primarily case-control studies,” said doctor. Those studies that looked at actual supplementation with micronu­trients or vitamins did not show significant improvement of lung function, with the exception of one study, according to professional nutritionist. In that study, people with asthma who took 100 micrograms of sele­nium daily for 14 weeks had improved lung function and were less sensitive to airway-constricting inhalants than when they were taking placebos (inac­tive pills).

Pinch your nose shut and breathes through a straw, this is how asthma patient breath. Then try climbing a flight of stairs or

Asthma

chasing after something fast—say, a frisky toddler. You’ll soon be gasping for air the way someone with asthma does during an attack. It’s a frightening experience.

The usual setup for an attack combines an allergic (or supersensitive) immune system, an inherited trait, with exposure to environmental allergic triggers such as animal dander, mold spores, and pollen or to environmental irritant triggers such as air pollution, cold air, and cigarette smoke. Other activators can include respiratory infections, colds, laughter, crying, anger, exercise, and stress.

Allergies are versatile. They can show up just about anywhere in your body and create an incredible variety of symptoms. They can affect your nose, eyes, throat, lungs, stomach, skin, and nervous system. They can make you itch, wheeze, and sneeze, make your nose run and your eyes weep, give you a headache or a bellyache, and even bring on fatigue and depression.