Asthma
Find more about asthma symptoms, allergy and immunology, allergy and asthma treatment, from the natural health viewpoint and alongside classical medical treatment.
Asthma ( asma / asma attack )
Is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory system and its airways. It is very common and is characterized by reversible airflow obstruction and bronco-spasm. Common symptoms are coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Asthma is an allergic disease and symptoms are worsen in the presence of allergens and irritants or psychological stress. Symptoms are usually worse at night and in the early morning or in response to exercise or cold air.
Asthma like symptoms can also be found in young children with hypersensitive airways, especially when contacting a respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus. These types of viral respiratory infections may increase the risk of developing asthma in children.
Based on the above description, asthma is known to be of three types:
– allergic asthma where the triggers are allergen factors
– psychological asthma where the triggers can be stress or emotions
– infectious asthma where the triggers are viruses and bacteria
Medications used in the treatment of asthma are divided into two classes: quick-relief medications used to treat acute asthma attack symptoms; and long-term control medications used to prevent further exacerbation. For short-term relief or quick-relief are used bronchodilators and for long-term management are usually used corticosteroids.
Long-term use of corticosteroids, especially when ingested, carries risk of adverse reactions, such as cataracts and stature regression or slow growth in children.
Allergy and immunology – are two terms close related in multiple clinical studies for individual desensitization to specific allergens. Many sublingual immunotherapy studies for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma have shown some positive results in trial groups.1 A moderate grade level of evidence in these studies support the minimal dose desensitization in allergy and asthma. Enzyme-potentiated desensitization (EPD) also found to be effective in children with asthma. In EPD intradermal injections of a mixture containing small amount of inhalant allergens were administrated. 2
Long term exposure to salt aerosol was also found to be effective in desensitization of the respiratory mucosa to inhaled allergens.3 The salt particles are under 5 microns and are able to penetrate in small airways and due to natural salt properties, clean the mucus and reduce the inflammation in the whole respiratory system. Here are more salt therapy clinical studies.
Many times medications cannot be avoided and additional natural asthma therapies are wanted in the effort of reducing the intake amount of drugs. The following natural complementary approaches can help:
– find your asthma triggers and avoid them if possible
– use home salt therapy, long-term exposure, at least 7-8 hours daily
– use air cleaning filters
– maintain normal level of humidity in the indoor air (neither too humid or too dry is not good!)
– slow relaxed breathing technique using your abdomen muscles
– supplement with vitamin C and Omega 3-6-9, best from natural sources (avocados, citrus fruits, kiwi, etc)
– avocados are found to be a high source of glutathione that protect cells again free radicals damage and help in eradicating the poluttants in the respiratory system; it is also high in vitamin E especially for people whose asthma is linked to nut allergy
– drink lemon water daily (squeeze half a lemon in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it in the morning; it helps with alkalinity in your body)
– include Turmeric in your diet – Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, which helps in reducing inflammation; it lowers two inflammatory enzymes called COX-2 and LOX found to be high in asthma. Curcumin is also a potent antioxidant, helping in your general health.
1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23532243