Global TV, Friday, February 01, 2008

"It feels like someone is squeezing on your lungs," says King, describing what if feels to have an asthma attack.

Pet dander or a bad cold can trigger an attack,  when her airways restrict and it's hard to catch her breath.

Over half a million Canadian children suffer from asthma, one of the leading causes of pediatric hospital visits. 

Inhaled steroids are the cornerstone of treatment, but they have been shown to slow a child's growth when taken in large doses.

That's why there's growing interest among parents, naturopaths and now medical doctors, to see if high-potency vitamins may be able to help.

"It shows enough promise to try, but if we knew it would work, we wouldn't be doing the research," says Dr. Ian Mitchell, a respirologist at the Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH).

In a new study being led by the ACH and the Institute of Natural Medicine, 100 asthmatic children will be given a combination of vitamins including C, E, selenium, B6 and B12. They will also receive a fish oil tablet.

Researchers want to see if the vitamins can help the children gradually reduce their dosage of steroids.

"At this stage, we do know each of these components have a positive impact, but we don't know what the combination will do," says Sabine Moritz, with the Canadian Institute of Natural and Integrative Medicine.

It's hoped the combination of vitamins, minerals and fish oil will reduce inflammation in the patient's lungs, reducing their dependence on inhaled steroids, which have a similar effect.

Natasha's mother, Isa King, is concerned about the long-term health effects of steroids, and she's hopeful the vitamins will work.

"Natasha has been to a naturopath before, taking supplements helped with her eczema, so I thought if it helped with her asthma, that'd be fantastic!" she adds.

Dr. Mitchell says it's unlikely vitamins will completely replace steroids in the treatment of asthma, but they may be a useful addition to conventional treatment.

........