Asthma
Find more about asthma symptoms, allergy and immunology, allergy and asthma treatment, from a natural health viewpoint, alongside classical medical treatment.
Asthma ( asma / asma attack )
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease characterized by reversible airflow obstruction and bronchospasm. Common symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. It is an allergic disease, and symptoms worsen in the presence of allergens, irritants, or psychological stress. Symptoms are usually worse at night, 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 they contract respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus. These 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, bronchodilators are used and for long-term management corticosteroids are usually used. Long-term use of corticosteroids, especially when ingested, carries risk of adverse reactions, such as cataracts and stature regression (slow growth esp. children).
Clinical evidence
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 amount level of evidence in these studies support the minimal dose desensitization for allergies and asthma. Enzyme-potentiated desensitization (EPD) also found to be effective in children with asthma. EPD uses intradermal injections of a mixture containing small amount of inhalant allergens. 2
Long term exposure to salt aerosol is 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.
Complementary approaches
Medications certainly help a lot in reducing asthma symptoms, but its important to not overdo it. Additional natural asthma therapies can help reduce the amount of times you feel the need to use medication! 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 have a high source of glutathione that protects cells against free radical damage and helps to eradicate poluttants in the respiratory system; it‘s also a good source of vitamin E for people whose asthma stems from 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