Alternative Treatments for Asthma
In order to prevent asthma attacks and improve your level of health, it is important that you use a wide array of approaches to keep yourself healthy.
Alternative treatments for asthma are can be an essential part of a health program. Using them will result in improved energy levels, easier breathing, and better resistance to infection.
Over time, you may need to rely on your asthma rescue medicines less frequently, and you may be able to sleep better.
Asthma Is Becoming Harder to Live with and Treat
While asthma was always a difficult condition to live with, for many people the challenges are increasing.
There are more pollutants in the environment than ever before. Personal care products are often no more than chemical soups, additives and preservatives are in almost all prepackaged foods and restaurant meals, and even simple foods like bread are loaded with chemicals. We are regularly exposed to pesticides, fertilizers, and packaging materials made up of complex blends of many chemicals.
All of these chemicals may cause a sensitivity or allergic reaction that weakens your immune system or cause symptoms of asthma.
Additionally, some experts say that our growing reliance on genetically modified plants is resulting in an increased proportion of allergens.
Many people do not get enough exercise or rest. By getting insufficient activity and sleep, your entire body suffers. If you are overweight, your symptoms are likely to be worse, and as you grow older you have an increased likelihood of having other co-existing conditions that may stress your body.
While you have more medications available to treat your symptoms, they can cause symptoms which may disagree with you. If you need frequent antibiotics, you may get sick from taking them, plus they may not work well against today’s superbugs.
Each of these complex issues must be addressed in order for you to live well, despite having a diagnosis of asthma.
Listen to Your Body
While all of the factors above are daunting, you can take steps to improve your health. One of the most important actions you can take is to identify what makes you feel worse and what makes you thrive.
Accomplishing this task involves paying attention. From a medical standpoint, it may involve allergy testing or other diagnostic studies. A complementary approach is to simply take five minutes at the end of each day to think.
Sit quietly and think about how you felt during the day. Were there times you were stressed? Did you have to use your inhaler? Did you feel better inside or outside? Simply paying attention to the signals your body gives you provides you with important information about which issues you need to address first.
If you want be very clear about substances and situations that cause your asthma to flare up, keep a health journal. Record how you feel each day, List the foods you eat, activities, and anything else that stands out.
Over a short period of time, you will begin to notice a pattern. Once you know what causes your asthma to flare up, then you can take steps to eliminate or minimize those triggers.
Reduce Stress to Improve Breathing
By lowering your stress level, you will breathe better and your immune system will function well. Here is an easy exercise to do that provides rapid rewards.
- Every evening lie on your back, if you are able. If you cannot lie down, simply sit in a comfortable chair. Sitting in a recliner with your feet elevated is ideal. Sit in a place where you will not be disturbed. Turn off the television.
- Gently close your eyes. For a couple of minutes, just sit and breathe normally. As thoughts come, just let them drift away. Do not try to force them away.
- If you are restless, do some progressive muscle relaxation exercises. You can start at your head or feet. Mentally work your way up or down your body, tensing and relaxing each muscle. For example, if you start at your feet, gently tighten, hold, and release the muscles in your toes, then proceed through your feet, your ankles and so forth until you reach the top of your head. This can be very relaxing. It only takes a couple of minutes.
- After you begin to feel relaxed, place your hands gently upon your lower abdomen. For a minute or so, just let your hands rest there. Note the rise and fall of your hands with each breath.
- After a minute or so, begin to gently deepen your breath. Slowly inhale, as if you are taking in your breath all the way from the bottom of your abdomen. Gently exhale. Keep doing this for three to five minutes.
- When you are ready, open your eyes and sit quietly for a few minutes. Take note of how you feel.
The purpose of this deep breathing exercise is to boost your ability to breathe well. During the day, the normal stressors of life may make you unconsciously tighten your muscles, including the muscles of your chest. As your chest muscles loosen up, you will be able to take deeper breaths.
Deep breathing is grounding. It will help you to relax increasingly well as you practice this exercise. All of these actions are strengthening your immune system and uniting your mind, body, and spirit.
Detoxify Your Life
When you hear the term “detoxify your life," your first thought may be, “What’s that, some kind of herbal cleanse?" While herbs are great detoxifiers, detoxifying your life encompasses more than herbal remedies.
Think back to the reasons why asthma is getting harder to treat – toxins in beauty products, air, food, and medications, just to name a few. Avoiding toxins and reducing your exposure to anything toxic in your life will improve your health.
While toxins are technically thought of as substances, people, jobs, and situations may be toxic to your health too.
As you take note each day note of how you are feeling you will become adept at identifying the toxins making you ill, regardless of the form they take.
Detoxification is a personal process. For example, if drinking milk irritates your asthma symptoms, your means of detoxifying is likely to be avoiding milk products. If you have dust mites in your mattress that are making you wheeze, you may decide to save money so that you can purchase a new hypoallergenic mattress. You may find that you get stressed every time that you go to visit a relative. In this case, you may opt for fewer visits, consult a therapist, or change the relationship.
Detoxification is a crucial part of a holistic plan for living life well. Avoiding the toxins that promote negative reactions is a primary strategy for anyone who has asthma.
Detoxification is an ongoing process. For example, if you think dust mites are what cause you the most distress, take steps to get rid of them first. Then, gradually, get rid of the other toxins in your life as well.
You may need to use an air purifier. Eating a vegan diet helps many people who have asthma. Take small steps. Instead of buying a shampoo loaded with chemicals, try an organic product made of ingredients with names you can pronounce. If you know you are overweight or need to stop smoking, consider the options that will help you to succeed.
Get Real!
You may feel that stopping smoking, reducing your intake of toxins, or buying an air purifier is not possible for you. You may think, “That’s too hard, I’ll just take my medication."
The list of circumstances and substances that provoke your asthma symptoms may seem overwhelming, and it’s hard to do more when you feel poorly. I challenge you to take one step, each day, for one week. See if you become empowered. Your asthma symptoms may even start to decrease.
As you take each tiny step forward, you will gain momentum and your illness will have less power over you. You will begin to be well in mind, body, and spirit.