Prince Charles Asthma Caused by Western Lifestyle

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 28 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Prince Charles says that the UK's 'allergy explosion' is due to our 'Western way of life'.

He says more alternative therapies should be freely available on the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

Prince Charles says 12 million people suffer from allergies in the UK (at any one time). With a population of 58 million, that is quite a high percentage.

Prince Charles has always been a strong believer in therapies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine - and other therapies.

He says it is a pity that most of our complimentary medicines in the UK are only available to those who have the money to pay for it.

He believes our western way of life - comfort and super hygiene - is the root cause of the high number of allergies in the UK.

Prince Charles wrote in the Guardian (UK newspaper) 'We spend up to 80% of our time indoors, and the sealing of our houses to conserve heat and energy, the increase in soft furnishings increase the chance of those genetically at risk becoming sensitised to domestic allergens.'

He was concerned when he had read the previous week an article in the Guardian that said 50% of all Europeans will have an allergy by the year 2015. That is why, he says, he has written this piece (in the same paper).

He went on to say 'Clearly, something dramatic is happening. The rising trends in allergy seen in developing countries, as they adopt our western habits, point strongly to factors in the way we live.'

He believes that most complementary medicines should be freely available on the NHS. What he likes about complementary medicine is that it focuses on preventative care. He says that it teaches people to take responsibility for their own treatment.

He is surprised complementary medicine is mostly out of the NHS if 75% of the people would like it (according to a recent poll).

He does not believe adding complementary medicine to the NHS bill would cost a lot of money.

A spokeswoman for the UK Department of Health responded by saying that a great deal of complementary therapy is already available on the NHS. She said it is up to the individual doctors whether to use it or not.