Dear Healthy Friend,

I often tease a friend of mine and ask her if she's inhaling her food... The one minute she's sitting with a plate of food in front of her, the next it's gone. Almost as if she swallowed it whole. It's just a joke though.

But apparently inhaling food may not be so far from the truth after all. Research has revealed there seems to be a real connection between what we eat and how we breathe.

Dr Martin explains...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

Could obesity be linked to asthma?
Dr Martin
Editor, House Calls

A new study confirms the evidence what's been building for years: The fattest people have the highest asthma risk, with up to triple the likelihood of coming down with this potentially deadly chronic condition.

Think about that next time you pull up to a drive-through window... And then roll up your own window and keep right on driving.

Researchers looked at data on 4,500 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that while 6% of all normal-weight people had asthma, a whopping 12% of obese people suffered from the condition.

What's more, the odds of asthma increased right along with those waistlines - with the fattest people having more than three times the asthma risk of people at healthy weights, according to the study published in Allergy.

Obesity may not be behind every case of asthma, but it certainly won't help - especially if you're so big that you have trouble catching your breath in the first place. By some estimates, obese people account for up to 75% of all asthma-related trips to the emergency room.

That's why so many overweight asthmatics get life-changing relief by simply going on a diet. That should be reason enough to eat better... But in case it's not, remember: Obesity will put you at risk for conditions much worse than asthma, including diabetes and heart disease.

And even if you're certain your weight isn't playing a role in your asthma, don't be too quick to dismiss your diet. The mainstream won't acknowledge it - yet - but food allergies are major asthma triggers.

The biggest problem is diagnosingthese allergies because the bulk of our allergy testing is superficial, contradictory and practically useless.

Instead, turn to a natural doctor who specialises in allergies and allergy testing, including food allergies. It might take a little work, but together, you can learn what's triggering your condition - and whether it's something you're eating or something in your environment.

And then, you can learn to avoid those triggers.

Live better, eat better and breathe easier - and maybe you can ditch your inhalers for good.

But now you could get natural relief from asthma, bronchitus, sinus problems and allergies today! Keep reading...

Is zinc for more than just colds?

Q: Why is zinc included in multivitamins? I take it when I have a cold, but is there a reason for long-term supplementation?

Dr. Wright: As you mentioned, it is an excellent cold preventative and remedy, but zinc's benefits go well beyond that single use. Zinc is an essential mineral to human health. In fact, humans literally can't even start to grow from an initial single cell without adequate zinc. Zinc also helps improve prostate, skin, hearing and vision problems.