Summary
Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition which causes spasms in the smooth muscles surrounding the breathing passages. As the spasms occur the airway begins to tighten, making breathing difficult. Typically, asthma is also accompanied by excessive mucus secretions within the lungs’ mucous membranes.
Asthma is especially common among children and teens between the ages of two and seventeen. In the United States, it is the number one illness within this age bracket, and is also the leading cause of hospitalization. Although most typical in children, asthma is also widespread among all ages. Asthma can be fatal, and accounts for the deaths of over 5,000 Americans every year due to suffocation. In recent years there has been a spectacular rise (more than 65 percent) in the amount of asthma cases in the U.S., mainly due to an accompanying increase in environmental pollution, poor eating habits, as well as food and environmental allergic reactions.
Caution: In cases of serious asthmas attacks, seek prompt emergency medical attention.
Types of Asthma
There are two primary categories of asthma—acute and chronic. Instances of acute asthma typically flare up suddenly, causing inhaling and exhaling difficulties that may or may not be severe. Regardless of severity, episodes of acute asthma tend not to last long (less than a day). Chronic asthma is a lingering problem with signs and symptoms that are similar to those of acute asthma, although they typically occur more regularly.
A third category of asthma is known as occupational bronchial asthma. It accounts for more than fifteen percent of asthma cases in the United States and only affects adults. It is named because it is triggered through exposure to toxins in the environment in the workplace.
The signs of Asthma
The primary symptom of asthma is an asthma attack characterized by difficulty inhaling and exhaling. Asthma attacks are typically accompanied by spasms of the smooth muscles of the bronchial airways, irritation of the mucous membranes, as well as increased mucus production. Symptoms can quickly accelerate, especially in cases of severe asthma.
Other symptoms include chest tightness, coughing (especially during exhalation), a pounding heart, increased heart rate, and sleep disorders attributed to breathing difficulties. Allergic rhinitis, or existen fever (irritation of the mucous membranes of the nasal passageways), is also a very common symptom of bronchial asthma, occurring in 93% of all kids and teenagers affected by asthma and in 99% of adults affected.
Causes of Asthma
Causes of asthma include, but are not limited to, poor diet, food allergies, environmental allergies, exposure to cold air, infection, overexertion, excessive exercise, exhaustion, as well as stress. Inhalants, which are generally prescribed by conventional physicians to treat bronchial asthma symptoms, may also trigger asthma attacks, just like other pharmaceutical drugs, which can trigger allergic responses. Improper breathing habits are also a factor in some cases. For example, asthma sufferers often take very short breaths that make them more susceptible to an attack. Short breathing, coupled with the fear of not being able to breathe can often worsen an attack.
Cold Air: Unexpected exposure to chilly air can often provoke attacks in people who are susceptible to asthma because cold air causes constriction of the body’s air passages.
Diet: A poor diet can not only cause food allergies, but bad eating habits lead to a jeopardized immune system which can make dealing with irritants that trigger bronchial asthma attacks much more difficult, as well as increases the risk of infection.
Meals and Environmental Allergies: Allergens in meals or the environment are common stimulants of bronchial asthma attacks. Typically, asthma that occurs both in childhood and adulthood is most likely caused by food and/or environmental allergies. Common foods that may trigger allergy attacks include eggs, whole milk and dairy products, sugar, and nuts. Wheat and wheat byproducts, such as gluten, soya and corn are also known contributors. In addition, food colorings, chemical preservatives, and other food chemicals can also trigger asthma episodes.
The most common environmental trigger of asthma attacks are animal dander, industrial detergents and cleansers, dust, feathers, mildew, pollen, petrochemicals, smoke (such as secondhand cigarette smoke), and textiles. Most fabrics are treated with formaldehyde, which could provoke a strong allergic response, as can fabrics made up of synthetic materials. In some instances, cotton as well as flax, both with heavily dispersed fibers, may also be a contributing factor.
Infection: Infectious germs, fungi, and viruses are all common triggers of allergy symptoms and asthma attacks, especially during the winter months.
Inhalants and Pharmaceutical Drugs: Inhalants, although commonly recommended by conventional physicians to manage asthma symptoms, can actually exacerbate bronchial asthma symptoms as well as trigger asthma attacks. Asthma related to inhalants is most common among individuals between the ages of 10 and 30. Various pharmaceutical drugs may also cause or exacerbate bronchial asthma attacks, including aspirin.
Prednisone, another medication commonly prescribed by conventional physicians for asthma, can also cause serious side effects. In addition to potentially triggering asthma symptoms, prednisone may cause dizziness, glaucoma, headaches, menstrual problems, muscle mass weakness, peptic ulcers, and impair your body’s ability to heal wounds. Additionally, ongoing prednisone use may actually increase the onset of diabetes.
Improper Breathing Habits: Those who habitually inhale through their mouths instead of through their nostrils are very prone to contracting asthma. Researchers have discovered that as much as 90% of asthma sufferers predominately breathe through their mouths either currently or in the past. Mouth inhaling and exhaling significantly increases a person’s contact with dander, dust, mold, and pollen, in addition to infectious agents and environmental allergens and pollutants. Mouth breathing also contributes to shallow breathing, leaving one in a perpetual state of breathlessness. Deep breathing helps to stabilize as well as ground your body. Without healthy inhaling and exhaling, we are more vulnerable to a variety of consequences, including Bronchial asthma.
Overexertion and Excessive Exercise: Physical overexertion such as an excessive amount of exercise can also trigger bronchial asthma attacks in people that are vulnerable to asthma. Physical activity affects the lungs and causes people to breathe through their mouth more frequently than normal.
Stress: Mental, physical and emotional stress may be associated with bronchial asthma according to new research. Although stress may not necessarily trigger an asthma attack, it may nonetheless result in sensations of breathlessness, frequently to a severe degree, compounding the symptoms of asthma sufferers. In addition, stress has been shown to trigger white blood cells known as leukocytes to stick to bronchial cells. When this occurs, irritation of the bronchial airways could occur, triggering asthma.
Tension of a psychological nature has been particularly linked to cases of asthma during childhood. Moreover, asthma itself can cause stress, creating an aggressive circle between asthma signs, symptoms and tension.
Natural Remedies
Aromatherapy: Breathing in the vapors of the essential oils bergamot, camphor, eucalyptus, lavender, hyssop, or marjoram during an asthma attack can often rapidly help relieve symptoms. The essential oil of frankincense may also be used.
Ayurveda: To help relieve symptoms of a bronchial asthma attack, combine half a teaspoon of ginger and licorice underlying in a mug of water and bring to the boil. Drink as a tea until symptoms subside. Ayurvedic physicians also recommend mixing 1/8th of a teaspoon of black pepper, a teaspoon of sweetie, and a one fourth cup of fresh squeezed onion juice to consume during periods of aggressive asthma symptoms. To heal your respiratory system between asthmatic episodes, the herbal tonics ashwagandha, Coleus forskholin, shatavari, gotu kola, licorice, and triphala can all be helpful.
Buteyko Breathing Reconditioning Technique: Developed by Russian scientist Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko, Ph.D., the Buteyko method is highly effective for relieving asthma symptoms, and in some cases can eliminate asthma altogether. Dr. Butekyo believed that most asthma episodes occur simply because asthmatics often breathe improperly. Typically, the breathing habits of asthma sufferers resemble hyperventilation, which results in reduced carbon dioxide in the lungs and bronchial airways, leading to spasms within the smooth muscles. Contrary to conventional asthma inhaling and exhaling recommendations that focus on deeper breathing to increase overall lung capability, Dr. Butekyo developed a series of shallow breathing exercises that are easy to learn and are said to be superior to conventional asthma treatments, and also capable of eliminating asthma totally in many cases.
The Sorvino Bronchial Asthma Foundation offers breathing function tools for healing Bronchial asthma and is highly recommended. Founded in 1993 by Paul Sorvino as a non-profit- organization, the foundation’s main goal is to construct asthma facilities for adults and children across the United States. Their site helps to educate the general public about asthma, to assist asthma sufferers by teaching them the inhale work method, and serves as a launching pad for other organizations that assist asthma sufferers.
Diet: If you suffer from asthma, you must get tested for food allergies and sensitivities and avoid eating any foods you are allergic or sensitive to. In addition, avoid all sugar and sugar products, wheat as well as wheat byproducts, soft drinks, commercially processed foods, and all meals containing synthetic ingredients such as additives, colorings, flavorings, or preservatives. Reduce your intake of all dairy and caffeine products. In addition, avoid eating foods that are high on the glycemic index, as such foods can trigger insulin resistance and cause hypoglycemia, a common element in many cases of asthma.
Stress an organic, whole foods eating plan which includes fresh organic vegetables and fruit, nuts and seeds, organic free-range meat and poultry, and wild salmon. Garlic clove, onions, ginger and peppers are excellent staples to include in your meals, because of the powerful health benefits they provide for the respiratory system. Also make sure to drink plenty of pure, fresh water each day. Extra virgin olive oil, raw avocado butter or oil, and flax seed oil all can be used readily to replace other fats and oils in your diet. Choose to cook with only extra virgin olive oil or coconut butter/oil due to their ability to withstand higher heats.
If your asthma attacks tend to be provoked by stress, combine ½ a tsp. of baking soda with a pinch of salt to organic juice or pure, filtered water, and drink immediately.
According to top naturopathic physician and researcher Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D., President Emeritus of Bastyr University, a vegan diet can significantly improve symptoms of the majority of respiratory conditions, including asthma. Such a diet involves eliminating all animal meats, as well as fish, eggs, milk, and all other dairy products. Grains also should be avoided, or eaten in minimal quantities. Dr. Pizzorno advises restricting your fluid intake to pure, filtered water (avoid fluoridated tap water), and emphasizes the importance of fresh, natural fruits and vegetables, particularly romaine lettuce, carrots, beets, onions, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, radishes, artichokes, beans (except soy and peas), blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, black currants, plums, as well as pears. Celery and citrus fruits aren’t recommended. Dr. Pizzorno reports that more than 90% of people who follow a vegan diet experience improvements in their health within a year.
The raw food diet is another diet that can have many benefits for those suffering from bronchial asthma. The guidelines outlined above are similar to that of the raw diet with a few differences. The diet is dependent on raw fruit, vegetables, as well as soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds. Supplement with the daily consumption of fresh green fruit juices made from a variety of green vegetables such as celery, romaine lettuce, green spinach, carrots, parsley, with an every revolving seasonal choice of other veggies. Daily salad meals, dehydrated flax crackers, seed and nut pates, blended sauces, smoothies and marinated vegetable salads, often mixed with drenched sea kelp are the base for the raw food diet. Since little to no cooked food is consumed, the raw diet offers the advantage of immediate elimination of numerous common allergens. No prepared wheat or even wheat by-products are consumed, and generally dairy products are not consumed, though some might choose to consume moderate quantities of uncooked goat or even sheep’s milk products, often in the fermented form, such as homemade raw kefir or yogurt.
Dr. Gabriel Cousens, from the Tree of Life Wellness Center, endorses the raw food plan as the greatest healing diet plan, and offers 100% uncooked meals at the Tree of Life healing retreat in Patagonia, Arizona. The most important thing to note when choosing an uncooked diet plan is the issue of eating raw foods. You might miss cooked foods, though you won’t miss asthma attacks, and the raw food diet can be an incredible tool to rid oneself of serious health problems and move on to greater overall wellbeing.
Herbal treatments: Useful herbs for helping to prevent as well as reverse asthma symptoms are cayenne pepper, ephedra (although the FDA tried to prohibit ephedra, it’s now once again available due to a federal court ruling that overthrew the FDA ban), garlic clove, gingko biloba, green tea, gum weed, jujube plum, licorice underlying, lobelia, marshmallow root, mullein, onion, passionflower, skunk cabbage, slippery elm, and thyme.
Homeopathy: Helpful homeopathic remedies for bronchial 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.
Hydrotherapy: For acute asthma attacks, applying hot compresses to the chest can help to relieve symptoms. To improve the effectiveness, simultaneously soak your feet in hot water while covered in wool or cotton blankets. Russian steam baths (saunas with the head remaining outside of the vapor cabinet) can also be helpful so you do not catch a cold. Another hydrotherapy solution is to add 16 ounces of hydrogen peroxide in a hot shower and saturate
Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy can be effective in relieving asthma related tension caused by conflicting emotions. During hypnotherapy sessions, trained doctors can use hypnosis to help their patients better understand the emotional issues that trigger their asthma attacks, and also guide the person to reframe experiences from the past that set the actual emotional issues in motion. As this is accomplished, the emotions become resolved, which can lead to a complete cessation of asthma episodes, in many cases.
Improving Indoor Air Quality: Improving the quality of your indoor air, at home and at the office, is an essential step for healing and prevent respiratory system conditions, such as asthma. Purified air is clean, free of pollutants and odors, has a relative moisture of between thirty-five to 60 percent, and is high in oxygen and negative ions. Today’s technology makes it simple to ensure that your indoor air meets the above mentioned criteria. An adverse ion generator can not only increase the air and negative ion content of indoor air, but could also clear harmful pet dander, germs, dust, mildew, pollen, and viruses from your breathing air. Furthermore, negative ions help to soothe and repair damaged mucosa of the nasal, lung, and bronchial pathways. For best results, choose a self-regulating negative ion generator that emits at least one trillion negative ions per second.
It’s also wise to use a warm air humidifier to keep your indoor atmosphere moist, especially during winter months when the air tends to be drier. Adding vegetation to your home and work conditions can also help to keep air damp. Certain plants, such as chrysanthemums, philodendron, and spider plants, can also help to keep your air free of circulating dust and microorganisms because they act as organic air filters. Additionally, be sure that your house and work environments are properly ventilated, and avoid using synthetic materials in your home and workplace, including plastics. Whenever possible, select organic sheets and towels, and hypo allergenic blankets and comforters. Numerous choices can be found on the internet, and increasingly more products of this kind are available in today’s industry.
Infraspinatus Respiratory Response (I.R.R.) Therapy: Created by Dr. Harry H. Philibert of Metairie, Louisiana, I.R.R Therapy calms the neuromuscular reaction that is directly linked to the sympathetic central nervous system and is active in the breathing difficulties caused by respiratory disease. The I.R.R. is also involved in pneumonia as well as asthma. According to Dr. Philibert, who has effectively treated thousands of patients struggling with asthma and other respiratory disorders, manipulation from the I.R.R. can reverse, and many times totally eliminate bronchial asthma attacks.
I.R.R. Therapy entails the use of lidocaine injections to the infraspinatus muscle mass, which, when constricted, may exacerbate bronchitis symptoms. In the event of severe bronchitis, Dr. Philibert says sufferers can often achieve total cessation of symptoms in a single session, while persistent asthma cases may need three to five treatments before a reduction in symptoms is seen. Dr. Philibert has trained more than 3,000 physicians in the I.R.R. technique.
Juice Therapy: To help prevent asthma attacks, consider fasting on sterilized water and fresh lemon juice for one to three days, after which continue drinking lemon juice as well as pure, strained water each morning, half an hour before eating breakfast. Other juicing remedies consist of carrot and celery; carrot and radish; and carrot and green spinach. Radish, lemon, garlic, comfrey, and horseradish mixed with celery and beets can also be effective, as can pure grapefruit juice in moderation. Consume no more than 8oz. of fruit juice per day.
Nutritional Supplements: Useful nutritional supplements for dealing with asthma include vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5, supplement B6, supplement B12, ascorbic acid, calcium, and magnesium. Additional useful supplements include beta- carotene, honey, quercetin, manganese, and selenium. Betaine HCl, lycopene, and D-acetyl cysteine (NAC) may also be helpful.
Alternative Professional Care
The following treatments have all proven to be effective for dealing with asthma: Acupressure, Acupuncture, Psychophysiological Feedback Training, Neurotherapy, Bodywork (Alexander Method, Feldenkrais, Hellerwork, Massage, Rolfing, and Shiatsu), Chelation Therapy, Chiropractic, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Medicine (Light Beam Generator), Environmental Medicine, Led Imagery, Light Therapy, Magnet Treatment, Oxygen Therapy (Ozone), Qiqong, Tai Chi, Yoga, and traditional Chinese Medicine. (See Resources for additional information regarding these Alternative Therapies.)