DHA omega 3s help calm allergic response in asthma cases

During the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries, tribunals determined if a woman was a witch by dunking her in water (called Ordeal by Water). If she floated, she was a witch (in Monty Python’s “Holy Grail,” she was either wood or a duck) and if she sank, she was innocent of the charges. Such bizarre trials were clearly an over-reaction to unexplained (at the time) events and fears, and destroyed the fabric of many communities.

Over-reactions in the immune system can be equally destructive to your well-being. Any time you have an allergic asthma attack (they affect about 50 percent of adults with asthma and 60 to 90 percent of children with the condition), the body overproduces IgE antibodies, which trigger inflammation. That can lead to life-threatening swelling in the airways and trouble breathing. Now researchers at the University of Rochester have determined that high-quality DHA omega3 fatty acids can help calm the immune response, down-regulating IgE antibody production and quelling the risky symptoms of allergic asthma.

That doesn’t mean you can skip your long-term asthma control meds (oral corticosteroids and anticholinergic meds often are used). They are always your first line of defense. But it’s smart, if you have allergies or allergic asthma, to take DHA omega-3 supplements. We recommend 900 mg daily of DHA algal oil in pill form. It’s derived from algae; that’s where fish get it from! You can get the supergood-for-you DHA from salmon, sea trout, anchovies and tuna (canned only, please)!

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.