The Doctor-Patient Contract And Asthma

Our emerging knowledge of diet and asthma opens new avenues for asthma management. Perhaps the most profound impact of dietary research is that it forces us to think about who is ultimately responsible for our health: is it the doctor, the patient, or both? Physicians and patients are starting to realize that healthcare is a two-way street. Up until recently, most healthcare professionals placed too much emphasis on treating asthma after the disease had already caused problems. Mercifully, this attitude is rapidly changing. We are beginning to realize that most diseases are preventable and their expression represents a failure of the healthcare system.

 

As a society, we are beginning to realize that prevention is the essence of health and the responsibility of both doctors and patients. The cornerstone of prevention is adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This does not mean that healthy living will prevent every illness. Remember, disease results from a complex interplay between genes and environment and some people just have bad genes. This is why you occasionally read about someone who regularly runs marathons and suddenly dies from a heart attack. However, this is an exceedingly rare occurrence and only makes the news because it is so uncommon and unexpected. One truth remains: For the overwhelming majority of people, healthy living translates into a healthy, long, and active life.

 

How can healthy living aid the asthmatic? In addition to helping you avoid illness, healthy living can make your asthma either disappear or become much more manageable. In fact, adopting a healthy lifestyle can help most any medical problem. Diabetes and hypertension can disappear or improve dramatically through simple weight loss and diet. The same is true of asthma. Many people who embrace healthy living will either rid themselves of asthma or, at the very least, make their asthma infinitely more tolerable. Ridding yourself of asthma rests on three pillars: exercise, lifestyle modification, and a healthy, asthma-friendly diet. With that said, let's jump right into diet and see what you have to eat to beat asthma.