According to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Association, as many as twenty million Americans suffer from asthma. While medications have proven effective in treating the resulting symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing, studies have shown that many asthmatics do not need to suffer at all - that this chronic lung condition is actually reversible. With an improved diet and purified air, the inflammation and constricting of the airways that occurs during an asthma attack can be completely avoided, preventing symptoms and avoiding possible long-term damage to the lungs.

While it is normal for a person's airways to constrict in response to an adverse substance in the air or a frigid temperature, an asthmatic's lungs will over-respond, shrinking to a point that can be life-threatening and often not returning to normal even when removed from the initial trigger. Doctors have found that this hyper-responsiveness is mainly caused by imbalances in a person's immune system. And because important segments of the immune system lie within the linings of the airways as well as in the digestive tract, an improved diet can strengthen the immune system, ultimately protecting the body from harmful substances.

In fact, nutrients such as vitamin C in fruits and omega-3 fatty acids in fish are actually known to improve the function of the heart and lungs. As a result, an onset of respiratory symptoms is less likely to occur, even upon the airways being subjected to a harmful trigger. Doctors further assert that a diet of mainly simple sugars, unhealthy fats, and nutrient-deficient foods weakens the lungs' anti-inflammatory response, favoring the production of chemicals that cause inflammation; therefore, by addressing nutrient deficiencies, one can greatly reduce the threat of over-inflammation.

In addition to preventing asthma through an improved diet, it is important to avoid triggers in the air that may bring on attacks. While outdoor air cannot be controlled, indoor air can be effectively purified with the help of air ionizers. And because indoor air is actually two to ten times more polluted than that outdoors, the benefits of negative ion purification are especially important. A negative ion generator is able to eliminate many triggers of asthma, including viruses, smoke, pet dander, molds, dust mites, fumes, and fragrances. Once these contaminants are eliminated, a person who once suffered from asthma can often breathe with no fear of attack.

As an ordinary part of the earth's atmosphere, negative ions work naturally indoors just as they do outdoors to freshen and purify the air. Most often created in nature by moving air or water, these ions are found in abundance around waterfalls, at beaches, and after thunderstorms where neutral particles can easily lose electrons upon sudden impact, such as by waves hitting the surf. Once an electron escapes, it then attaches itself to another nearby particle. If the resulting atom or molecule contains more electrons than protons, a negative charge is created and thus, a negative ion.

These negative ions, as generated by air ionizers, are extremely effective in cleansing the air of irritants known to trigger asthma. Once the ions are emitted by a negative ion generator, they disperse throughout a room, attracting contaminants such as dust, pollen, and mold spores, which possess a positive charge. As the negatively charged ions and positively charged particulates stick together, they begin to form clusters, ultimately becoming heavy enough to fall out of the air to surfaces where they can be vacuumed or dusted away rather than inhaled. To a person who suffers from asthma, the benefits of negative ions are essential.

Another benefit of negative ions, especially for asthmatics, is that air ionizers do not require the use of a fan, which often stirs up irritants, in order to purify the air. Instead, the ions float from the negative ion generator along natural air currents, allowing indoor air to become remarkably free of pollutants as the opposite charges attract. In fact, negative ions are able to purify air even better than a HEPA filter, which cannot prevent the tiniest particles from passing through. In contrast, negative ions are able to remove these minute particulates, even down to a tenth of a micron in size. In this way, contaminants such as allergens, bacteria, viruses, and smoke are effectively eliminated.

While air ionizers are not a cure-all in themselves, utilizing a negative ion generator to purify the air while consuming a healthful diet including fruit and fish can actually reverse the symptoms of asthma. As inflammation of the airways is reduced and constriction is prevented through consuming omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C, along with utilizing the benefits of negative ions, Americans will find this chronic lung condition becoming a problem of the past. Most importantly, those who once suffered from the illness will discover that they truly can breathe freely, without fear of an attack and without the assistance of medication.