Natural Cures For Asthma
Asthma is a respiratory condition that is accompanied by wheezing, inflammation of the lungs and difficulty breathing. Asthma is a chronic disorder that often responds to an allergy, cold air, exercise or illness. Sufferers experience a feeling of breathlessness which is accompanied by wheezing, coughing and tightness of the chest.
Treatment for asthma often includes using inhalers and determining your primary triggers so that the asthmatic can effectively reduce the number of attacks or inflammation in their lungs by removing these triggers. If their trigger is DOS, or dust mites, they effectively remove as much dust from their home as possible. For many children who are severe asthmatics, families find that removing carpeting from their home can significantly reduce the number of attacks the children suffer.
While removing triggers is one natural cure for asthma, many parents and adults want to decrease the amount and number of medications they take on a daily basis by turning to other natural cures to decrease the inflammation and constriction of their lungs. Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease that may be triggered from the individual’s own immune system and the inability to handle toxins from the environment, also called allergens.
The number of people affected has been rising slowly over the last 20 years. The American Lung Association believe that environmental pollution may be one cause since exposure to a greater variety of chemicals has been increasing over the past 20 years. People who use more natural approaches hope that by helping their body to decrease the inflammatory response in the lungs they will also decrease their asthmatic symptoms.
One of the primary causes of inflammation is believed to be too much arachidonic acid in our diets. This acid is found in certain foods such as shellfish, meat and eggs. In one German study an examination of over 500 children found that asthma was more prevalent in those who had high levels of arachidonic acid. One strategy to combat this is to increase beneficial fats such as EPA and GLA. These can be found in omega-3 fatty acid supplements found in health food stores.
Believe it or not, we really are what we eat. In a study of 70,000 women, those who had a higher intake of tomatoes, carrots and green leafy vegetables had a lower incidence of asthma. Researchers have also found that an apple a day just may keep the doctor away. High consumption of apples can also help protect against asthma and those children who have a daily intake of fruits and vegetables will also have a decreased risk of asthma.
Other natural cures which are safe and have been confirmed through research are the negative responses that an individual will feel due to emotional stress. While stress will not cause asthma, stress can trigger an attack and can make an attack worse. Natural relaxation techniques such as deep abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and biofeedback can help an individual learn how to decrease their stress response and therefore decrease the symptoms of asthma.
Some individuals who have an asthmatic response do so because of a link to an allergy or some type of irritant. These allergic responses are often linked to free radicals in the environment which can be negated in the body through intake of antioxidants. This is a perfect example of how improving your dietary intake of antioxidant materials, such as tomatoes, will help the body to fight against free radicals and therefore decrease the inflammatory response in the lungs.
One other natural cure that has been found to work for individuals who suffer from asthma is weight loss. There have been a number of studies that link obesity to inflammation and the symptoms of asthma.
Natural cures for asthma don’t necessarily include ingesting herbs, drinking teas or engaging in massage techniques. You can decrease your symptoms with techniques that are as simple as changing your diet, improving your rest, decreasing your stress and learning breathing techniques.
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- Posted by Joseph
- Tagged Asthma
