Twenty million Americans, more or less, are affected by asthma every year and sadly, this number is steadily growing. Western conventional modes of treatment for this problem include bronchodilators and steroid inhalers. These drugs may provide prompt effective relief for the symptoms of asthma, but when they’re used for long periods of time, their side effects can be rather quite severe. For those with chronic asthma who are seeking safer but equally effective ways to treat their problem, they can opt for certain alternative treatments that are powerful in themselves.
Listed below are some of the best herbal formulas, nutritional supplements, and healing procedures one can use to help relieve asthma symptoms:
Supplements
MSM – An organic sulfur-containing nutrient, MSM or Methyl Sulfonyl Methane is a compound that occurs naturally in the human body and in the environment. The body requires sulfur to help support the cell’s structure; antioxidants, antibodies, enzymes, hormones also rely on it. Sulfur needs to be replenished continually to maintain good health and nutrition since it is used and exhausted by the body every day. MSM is helpful for allergies because its anti-inflammatory properties help strengthen the immune system.
Cod liver oil – Cod liver oil is rich in essential fatty acids that is used to boost the immune system, improve blood flow, and treat inflammation.
Grape Seed extract – This powerful antioxidant can halt the longstanding pattern of allergy-induced asthma helping to lessen inflammation.
Quercetin – Rich in superior flavonoids that help regulate mast cells and control allergies Quercetin is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplement that is useful for asthma triggered by allergies.
Diet
One of the most important ways to prevent asthma is to stay away from foods that trigger inflammation in the body. Carbohydrates and sugars are at the apex of this list. Inflammation can occur from any food that converts into sugar very quickly. A lot of asthma sufferers show a dramatic decrease of their symptoms by simply following this step.
According to Chinese medicine theory, the large intestine and the lungs share a close intimate relationship with each other. When the large intestine is filled with toxins, it can lead to several problems including allergies and asthma. If you have a history of constipation, your colon needs to be detoxified which indirectly benefit the lungs. To help detoxify the colon, rhubarb, roots, ripe banana, pear, prune, flax seed and other vegetables, herbs, and fruits rich in fiber should be included in your diet.
Acupuncture
Throughout China and other parts of East Asia acupuncture has been practiced for over 4,000 years. This incredibly powerful treatment has enjoyed a long history of successfully resolving a number of medical conditions. Asthma can be readily treated with acupuncture as it helps balance the affected organ systems of the body that are contributing to the symptoms and inflammation. Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe that asthma can come from a number of factors including constitutional weakness, candida infection, allergies, diet, and stress. They think that certain internal organs are somehow related to these factors that cause the lungs to constrict. Before proceeding with acupuncture, practitioners utilize traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic tools of tongue and pulse examinations to get a clear picture of the body’s inner workings. Then, from these tools, a diagnosis is reached which helps determine the acupoints to treat with needles to help rebalance any functional or energetic disharmonies. Gua sha, cupping, and other adjunctive therapies can help augment acupuncture treatment for asthma in Bellingham.
Chinese herbs
Jade Windscreen – Yu pin feng san, a Chinese herbal formula can strengthen lung function and boost immunity provided it is complemented with din chuang tan and gecko and ginseng.
Ding chuan tang – For the treatment of asthma, this is probably the most widely used Chinese herbal formula as it can be used for all types of asthma. However, asthma that is aggravated by cold is where this remedy works best.
Gecko and Ginseng – A combination of these herbs is called ren shen ge chie san, in Chinese. This formula is used to bolster spleen and lung Qi and remove phlegm and heat in the lungs.
Deep breathing
Doing deep breathing exercises, whenever possible, is highly recommended anytime your asthma is in remission. Yoga Ujayi breathing helps build lung strength and capacity. This type of breathing is an exaggerated and long breath that should be in tune with each yoga posture or asana. A lot of the asanas for opening the chest are helpful for the healing of the lungs. Alternate nasal breathing, the one-minute breathing and other pranayama exercises can be beneficial, particularly if they are performed every day. Alternate nasal breathing is about plugging one of your nostrils then deeply inhaling through the other followed by plugging the other nostril while unplugging the other one, exhaling with the open nostril, inhaling deeply, then switching sides again. This can be repeated many times. With the one minute breathing, the person inhales as slowly as possible as long as he/she can, hold his/her breathe for as long as possible, then exhaling as long as he/she can. This is done for a minute thus, its name.
Meditating for about fifteen to thirty minutes a day is highly suggested if your stress level’s too high.
All the above-mentioned therapies work well for chronic asthma. But if you want the best approach in restoring the health of your lungs, combining these therapies is the best way to achieve it.
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