Almost every asthma sufferer will be familiar with inhalers and oral remedies which have been prescribed by their doctor for treating the wheezing, coughing or shortness of breath that is associated with an asthma attack. Whilst most of these medicines are effective in treating the condition, there are some people who would prefer to use a more natural approach to relieving asthma for a number of particular reasons.
Unfortunately with any drug that is introduced to the body there is a potential for some unpleasant side effects to occur from short term reactions such as nausea to ones which may have a more long term effect or may cause potential permanent damage to the patient being treated such as from steroids which are used to decrease the inflammation in the patients lung tissue. In fact there is ongoing controversy in the medical world regarding the safe use of steroids to treat asthma, although they can be a life saver, there are still concerns that steroids may be causing irreversible damage to a person such as muscle weakness and bone loss. However, if people want to minimize their use of steroids then they should look at making some changes to their diet and lifestyle which will hopefully reduce the likelihood of them having more frequent asthma attacks.
Yet the best way of naturally defending against an asthma attack is to avoid things that are known to trigger them. Certainly people who are sensitive to tobacco and cigarette smoke should steer well clear of it and if it happens to be cat fur then avoid petting any adorable kittens that you see. Whenever possible stay indoors when the pollen count is high if this happens to trigger an attack and always look at ways of keeping your stress levels as low as possible. By using your common sense you are on the first rung of the ladder in helping to reduce the frequency of your asthma attacks.
By altering their diets to a more healthy regime asthma sufferers can also reduce the symptoms caused by it and so by avoiding those dietary products which will trigger an attack you could take nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals which will help in the long term to reduce the amount of asthma attacks you have. However, all asthmatics must exercise care when deciding to take and use nutritional supplements, they should ensure that the supplements are hypoallergenic (those which are highly unlikely to cause an allergic reaction when taken). Certainly there are certain minerals and vitamins which an asthma sufferer may need to take more than the average person because the condition itself seems to be caused by certain deficiencies within the sufferer’s body. Therefore it is suggested that a asthma sufferer should take a good multi vitamin which will help to compensate for any deficiencies that they have and thus making their body healthier and better equipped to deal with any reactions that may occur. Most asthmatics seem to have low magnesium levels which help to relax bronchial tubes and therefore including a supplement of this in an asthmatics diet is advisable. Plus the taking of Vitamin C will help improve the bronchial tubes functions.
However, today more and more asthma sufferers are turning to herbal remedies to help relieve the symptoms and although they may have not been endorsed by say the USA’s FDA (Food and Drug Administration) many people report that they have had success when using such products. One such product is Tylophora Indica which is used in Auyerverdic medicine in India and has been receiving quite a bit of positive comment from those who have used it because of its anti-inflammatory qualities. There are also individuals who have been using the herb Boswella which is reported to have reduced the number of asthma attacks that they are having. Whilst Butterbur which is proving to be as effective as some traditional antihistamine products in studies that have been carried out. But be warned that conclusive studies have not been carried out on most herbal remedies and asthma sufferers should be cautious when trying any of these.
Although it is possible to relieve the symptoms of asthma and reduce the chances of an attack by avoiding things that will trigger it as well as making changes to both diet and lifestyle along with using certain natural herbal remedies. But it is important that the sufferer should listen to what their doctor or healthcare provider has to say and talk to them about vitamin and herbal supplements and keep them informed of any changes that they make or any improvements that occur in their condition.