What Is Asthma?

Asthma (AZ-ma) is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.
Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts in childhood. In the United States, more than 22 million people are known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children.

Magnesium: Opens the Airways

"If I had to recommend one nutrient for people with asthma, it would be magnesium," says Dr.Firshein. The mineral act as a natural bronchodilator, meaning that it relaxes and opens the bronchial tract, the airway to the lungs that becomes contricted during asthma attacks. He recommands taking a daily 500-milligram supplement of either magnesium aspartate or magnesium citrate. You can take this supplement every day for 6 months, he suggests.