Betsy's Article Library
Please note that these are excerpts from newsletter articles and that the information contained on these documents is not intended as medical advice, but is solely for education purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prescribe, and does not replace the services of a trained physician. It is assumed that the reader will consult a medical or health professional if you know or suspect that you have a serious health problem.
Asthma update Magnesium supplements strengthened lungs, decreased allergic skin reactions, and reduced the need for medication in children with moderate persistent asthma. Researchers recruited 19 males and 18 females, aged 7 to 19, from a pediatric outpatient clinic and gave 300 mg of magnesium per day or a placebo. All patients also took 250 mcg of fluticasone, a prescription asthma drug, twice per day, and salbutamol, a short-acting, inhaled asthma-spasm medication, when necessary. After two months, researchers testing the magnesium group needed almost twice the amount of a lung-constricting drug (methacholine) to induce a 20% decrease in air expelled from the lung compared to the beginning of the study. The placebo group was unable to improve its response in the methacholine test. Compared to placebo, the magnesium group had an average of 28% fewer days of severe asthma, and reduced the need for salbutamol by almost 40%. Reference: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition; June 21, 2006. The articles on Betsy's website are reprinted courtesy of Retail Insights, Inc. Copyright 2007. |
