Asthma Cause no. 5 - Fragrances
On the trail of the causes of asthma
Asthma can have many causes. In this miniseries, we will describe the most common causes in brief. This is part five of the series. It is important that you have read and followed the first four parts. Only by consistently following the rules, will you identify your personal causes.
Fragrances as the cause
Fragrances, as a cause of asthma, have not yet not been adequately studied. Since there are, as yet, no scientific studies providing firm evidence of a link between perfumes and asthma we are only able to provide some logical reasoning on this subject, to help asthmatics better understand the possible causes of their condition.
The connection with contact allergies (reaction type 4)
When a perfume molecule reaches the respiratory tract mucosa, it is possible that an immune response is triggered. We already know that perfumes on the skin can cause allergic reactions (contact allergies). These allergic reactions do not occur immediately but after 24-72 hours – reaction type 4. It could be that fragrance molecules can trigger the same type of reaction in the respiratory mucous membranes. If there is an allergic asthma reaction 24-72 hours after contact with a perfume, it is likely that the fragrance is capable of producing "an eczema in the airways”. To test this theory you would need to avoid the particular fragrance for 21 days to allow the respiratory mucosa cells time to regenerate then “test” yourself with the same fragrance to see if there is an allergic response within the same time frame as before.
Immediate allergic reaction to perfumes (reaction type 1)
However, if you are among those asthmatics who develop a reaction immediately upon inhalation of a fragrance, for example, when you walk past a perfumery or smell a shampoo, then this is an indication that your tight junctions are open and the fragrance is then not the cause but the trigger. In such cases the real cause probably lies in one of the previous four articles in this miniseries: Asthma Causes 1 - 4.
The search for the cause is the key
Only by discovering the true causes can the asthmatic alleviate or eliminate their asthma. If you have enjoyed this miniseries, you can learn more about the rules to eliminate asthma in the book “Allergies – The Real Causes”. By signing up in the body-network community you will have the opportunity to chat with other allergy sufferers, share your experiences and learn even more about the causes of allergies.
