Alternative Medicine for Asthma?

Question

I'm looking to see what the Alternative Therapies there are for Asthma. Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Art Flood

Here are some answers on asthma.

Causes of Asthma
Causes of asthma include, though are not limited to poor diet, food and environmental allergies, exposure to cold air, infection, overexertion and/or excessive exercise, exhaustion, and stress. Inhalants, which are commonly prescribed by conventional physicians to treat asthma symptoms, can also trigger asthma attacks, as can other pharmaceutical drugs, which can trigger allergic responses. Improper breathing habits are also a factor; often Asthmatics do shallow breathing, which leaves them more susceptible to an attack. Shallow breathing, coupled with the fear of not being able to breathe can often aggravate an attack.

1. Cleanses: Colon and liver cleanse will clear out the toxins in the blood and this assists the body in healing. Learn about detoxifying the blood and you can change your health very quickly.

2. Diet:
If you suffer from asthma, you need to be screened for food allergies and sensitivities, and then avoid eating those foods you are allergic or sensitive to. In addition, avoid all sugar and sugar products, wheat and wheat byproducts, soft drinks, commercially processed foods, and all foods containing artificial ingredients, such as additives, colorings, flavorings, and preservatives. Minimize your intake of milk and dairy products, coffee and other caffeinated products. In addition, avoid eating foods that are high on the glycemic index, as such foods can trigger insulin resistance and cause hypoglycemia, which is a common factor in many cases of asthma.

3. Be sure to drink a gallon of pure water a day.

4. Emphasize an organic, whole foods, include plenty of fresh, raw organic fruits and vegetables, preferably soaked nuts and seeds, organic, free-range meats and poultry, and wild-caught fish. Garlic and onions, ginger and peppers are excellent staples to include in your meals, due to their powerful health benefits for the lungs and overall respiratory system. Also be sure to drink plenty of pure, fresh water each day, a minimum of eight ounces should be drunk every two hours. Extra virgin olive oil, virgin raw coconut butter/oil and high lignin flax seed oil are the oils of choice, and can used freely to replace all other fats and oils in the diet. Choose to cook with only virgin coconut butter/oil due to its ability to withstand high heats.

If your asthma attacks tend to be provoked by stress, combine half a teaspoon each of baking soda and sea salt in organic juice or pure, filtered water, and drink immediately.

5. Herbs: Useful herbs for helping to prevent and reverse asthma symptoms include cayenne pepper, ephedra (although the Food and Drug Administration tried to ban ephedra, it is now once again available due to a federal court ruling that overthrew the FDA ban), garlic, gingko biloba, green tea, gumweed, horse chestnut, Indian tobacco, jujube plum, licorice root, lobelia, marshmallow root, mullein, onion, passionflower, skunk cabbage, slippery elm, and thyme.

6. Homeopathy: Useful homeopathic remedies for asthma include Ammonium carbonicum, Aralia racemosa, Arsenicum album, Arsenicum iodatum, Cuprum metallicum, Ipecac, Kali nit, Lachesis, Lobelia, Natrum sulpuricum, Pulsatilla, Sambucus, Spongia tosta, and Sulphur.


Best of health to you

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Doctors, of course, are the first route to go, but what I've noticed is some docs are so closed minded they'll only prescribe medication and ignore the benefits of adding alternative medicine. They'll insist nothing but medication works. My doc was like this so I went and bought Dr. Richard Firshein's book, "Reversing Asthma." Along with medicine he adds specific vitamins and foods that stimulate the lungs, immune system, etc., yoga, tai chi, qi gong and various positions that help empty the lungs. He's very balanced in his approach. My doctor was amazed how I went from using my inhaler 5 or more times a day to only a few times a year. So in my case it worked. It never hurts to give it a try. I still use yoga and qi gong to keep my asthma under control.

Answer 4

My brother is an asthmatic and after ten years his asthma has shown no sign of improving. He has been to several doctors but they didn't help much.

If you want a proven, all-natural way to cure your asthma, without having to pay for useless medications with harmful side-effects, then this is the most important page you'll ever read.

Answer 5

My acupuncturist recommends eliminating wheat/gluten from your diet...for some people, asthma is a symptom of a gluten sensitivity. One of my co-workers went from 2-3 attacks a day to 2-3 attacks a YEAR after eliminating gluten. She now only keeps an inhaler with her in case of emergency, but rarely has to use it. It couldn't hurt to try -- it's difficult, because SO MUCH of our food has flour in it, so it means nixing a lot of processed food (which isn't a bad thing at all, it's just not easy), but wheat is NOT an essential nutrient, so eliminating it won't hurt you.

Answer 6

Transfer Factor Advanced has worked for me since I started taking them two years ago. I bought them through the internet: globalfirst.co.uk

Perhaps it may helped you too.

Answer 7

• Hot fomentations to the back of the neck, thorax, and front of the chest are helpful, along with a hot footbath. Keep the head cool by sponging with cool water or use a fan.

• Pouring cold water on the back of the neck is useful. As the person bends over, the water is poured on the back of the neck from a container holding about a gallon of water. From about 24 inches above the neck, pour it for about 30-90 seconds. Do this 3 times a day during the critical phase.

• A vaporizer, which blows cold, moist air is helpful during an attack. Menthol or eucalyptus oil may be added to the water.

• After blending a clove of garlic in a cup of water, drink it. This may be vomited back out, loosening the phlegm. If vomited, give another cup. The garlic really helps.

• Some take a cup of hot water, catnip tea, or mullein tea each hour.

• At the first sign of an asthmatic attack, sit up straight in a chair for the first 10 minutes. Inhale through your nose and exhale through pursed lips. This helps press open the bronchial tubes.

• Then lie on your stomach, with your head and chest over the edge of the bed. Cough gently for 2-3 minutes, to bring up the sputum. (But, during an attack, some cannot tolerate this position; instead, they lie face down on the bed with 2-3 pillows under their hips and a towel under their face.)

• A neutral bath (94o-98o F.) is quieting to the nerves and helps relax them.

• Lobelia is an herb that, when sipped slowly, relaxes the nerves and tends to stop the spasm. (If one drinks more quickly, it has a different effect, and induces vomiting.)

• Mullein oil is a worthwhile remedy for bronchial congestion. The oil stops coughs because it unclogs bronchial tubes. When taken with water or fruit juice, the effect is even more rapid.

• Other useful herb teas include juniper berries, echinacea, and, of course, that old standby, slippery elm bark.

TREATMENT DURING THE REST OF THE TIME—

• Eat a nourishing diet. Include garlic and onions. Eat lightly.

• Avoid processed and junk food, and do not use nicotine, alcohol, or caffeine. Do not use chocolate, fish, eggs, and other common allergenic foods. Avoid foods containing additives.

• Avoid bananas and melons, especially if you are also sensitive to ragweed.

• Do not use milk products. You may be allergic to wheat products. Do not eat ice cream or other cold liquids. Cold can shock the bronchial tubes into a spasm.

• Research has revealed that a fat-free diet can help reduce asthma attacks.

• Be sure and drink enough water. This vital fluid is greatly needed to keep your lungs and bronchi free of thickened phlegm.

• Strictly adhere to the above diet.

• Learn to play a wind instrument, harmonica, or sing. Practice deep breathing when you are out-of-doors. Have regular physical exercise. Hiking, swimming, etc. are good. You need to build up your lung capacity and utilization. This will strengthen your entire respiratory tract. A person at rest uses only 10% of his lung capacity; hard work increases it to about 50%.

• Exhale forcefully through a small drinking straw into a large bottle of water. This forces the bronchial tubes to expand somewhat and become larger.

• Some asthmatics have problems when they breathe too deeply. One way to minimize exercise-induced asthma is to wear a mask that retains heat and moisture and limits the effects of cold, dry air.

• Spend a few minutes each day practicing standing tall, expanding your chest, and breathing deeply. Devise simple exercises (on the floor, against walls, etc.) which help you do this.

• Move out to the country where the air is purer.

• Practice breathing through your nose rather than your mouth.

• Go on a juice fast, 3 days each month, of distilled water and lemon juice, to help clean out the body of toxins and mucous.

• Reduce stress. Avoid worry and fear.

• Get a good vacuum cleaner and get rid of the dust and dust mites in your bed, cushions, rugs, and floor. Avoid goose feathers (pillows and down coats). Dead cockroaches are also known to produce a dust which can bring on an attack. House plants may contain mold spores. Keep the bathroom clean of mold, also under the sinks.

• Eliminate things from the house which harbor dust: carpets, venetian blinds, draperies, etc. Washable cotton curtains are all right. Avoid the use of electric fans; they stir up dust.

• Practice "sleep breathing." This is done by breathing slower and deeper than normal, with a three second pause at the top of the inspiration and at the end of the expiration.

Good luck & Merry X'mas

Answer 8

...black coffee........