Is it asthma… or ‘gluten cough’?
Could your chronic cough be MISDIAGNOSED as asthma… when it’s really THIS?
You suddenly LOSE your breath… and are GASPING for air.
Your chest TIGHTENS… and the coughing becomes UNCONTROLLABLE.
No, it’s not Covid.
Instead, it could be something you’d NEVER think to check for!
Now, any chronic cough could set off some alarms… and you’d be right to see a doc…
And maybe even get a chest X-ray.
But most mainstream primary care physicians… or even lung specialists… will be looking for a respiratory problem.
And the most OBVIOUS answer… especially if your lungs are clear… is something like asthma.
Although it’s more commonly found in YOUNGER folks… asthma could take hold if you’re older…
Because of factors like pollution… or even allergies.
But there’s something ELSE that could be the culprit behind that cough…
Even though it may SEEM like it’s got NOTHING to do with your breathing.
I’m talking about gluten.
That’s right, a gluten sensitivity… a gluten allergy… or even full-blown celiac disease could make you feel like you’re HACKING up a lung!
It’s called “gluten cough”…
And it could be the reason why the coughing comes and goes… or, in some cases, NEVER goes away…
Not even when you use a rescue inhaler.
Fortunately, there are blood tests for celiac disease…
But I’ve found the BEST way to identify a gluten sensitivity or allergy is to try ELIMINATING it from your diet.
If you feel better… and STOP coughing… you can pretty confidently point the finger to gluten.
If you work it BACK into your diet… and you START coughing again… I’d say that’s a pretty clear sign.
Problem is, the effects aren’t IMMEDIATE. It might take a few days for the symptoms to SUBSIDE… and then RETURN…
And most folks aren’t patient enough to wait long enough…
Or to track what they’re eating carefully enough to know whether the elimination had any effect.
If you’re curious if it COULD be gluten… but you’re not ready to give it up yet… start a food journal. You don’t have to track EVERYTHING you eat… just what you ate right before the cough kicked in.
Now, “gluten” has become a buzzword in the “health-conscious” media… but there are a lot of MISCONCEPTIONS as to what exactly it is… and where it’s found.
In nature, gluten is a protein that’s present in certain types of grains – namely, wheat, barley, and rye.
Fortunately, a lot of OTHER grains don’t contain gluten – like oats, quinoa, rice, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat. Those are very good options for a whole grain swap… not only because they DON’T contain gluten, but because they offer some other unique benefits on their own.
Here’s where this gets tricky…
Because if you’re like MOST Americans, you’re not LIMITING yourself to eating only WHOLE foods…
Which means gluten could be HIDING in your processed foods… and you’d NEVER find it on the label’s ingredient list!
Certain food additives could TRIGGER your cough because of their gluten content, including...
- artificial colors
- artificial flavors
- some “natural” flavors (like malt)
- dextrin (which could come from wheat)
- processed meats containing cereal fillers (like bologna and other “cold cuts”)
- modified food starches
- and more.
Now, that’s not an EXHAUSTIVE list… but it’s probably good enough to get you started going “gluten-free” as a test to see how you feel.
If you and your doc determine that gluten could truly be to blame for your coughing fits… there are many guides online for avoiding ALL foods that might’ve ever even TOUCHED gluten (as cross-contamination is common in food processing plants and even grain mills).
However, it’s important to note that gluten isn’t INHERENTLY bad. In fact, SLASHING your gluten intake when you don’t need to has been linked to cardiovascular disease!
For better health,
Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.
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