Do you or someone you know suffer from asthma? If so, you know how difficult it can be to control and frustrating to live with. Many people turn to prescription medications to help manage their asthma, but these drugs often come with a long list of side effects. There may be a better way. Natural remedies for asthma can help improve your quality of life without all the adverse side effects.
Here are some natural remedies for controlling asthma:
- Drink plenty of water.
- Regularly exercise.
- Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.
- Use a humidifier.
- Keep your indoor air clean.
- Practice breathing techniques daily.
- Avoid trigger symptoms like pet dander, dust, pollen, and smoke.
- Get a chiropractic adjustment.
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How To Know If I Have Asthma?
Anyone can develop asthma at any time in their life, but it most often starts in childhood. In the United States, asthma affects about 5 million children and 20 million adults. Asthma symptoms can range from mild, moderate, or severe. They may get worse when you have a cold or the flu, exercise, laugh hard, or are around things that you’re allergic to (like pets, pollen, mold, smoke, or strong smells).
You might have asthma if you have any of these signs: coughing (especially at night), wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), shortness of breath, or chest pain.
Drink Plenty of Fluids and Stay Hydrated!
If you are feeling congested or having difficulty breathing, start drinking water immediately. One of the most important things that people with asthma can do is stay hydrated.
Drinking plenty of water helps relieve asthma symptoms because it thins mucus and prevents dehydration, which can trigger asthma attacks. Staying hydrated helps to keep the airways moist, making it easier to breathe.
Eat The Right Foots: Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, and Foods That are High in Omega-3s
Many people living with asthma have reported improved breathing after eating a specific “asthma diet” with fresh fruit or veggies regularly. Foods like fatty fish are high in Omega-3s, and certain fruits and vegetables have lots of Vitamin C. The nutrients that clean foods provide help put our bodies in optimum health. Make sure to eat at least one serving daily of foods that are high in Vitamin C. Green leafy veggie examples include kale, spinach, or collard greens. Yellow/orange-colored foods such as squash or sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin C. Include red-colored foods like tomatoes or strawberries and blue/purple foods like eggplant or grapes.
Healthy foods that contain high levels of antioxidants help asthma, and allergy patients breathe easier by helping to get rid of free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause asthma symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in certain fish and nuts. They have been shown to help asthma patients breathe more efficiently and provide many other health benefits.
Get Regular Exercise – But Don’t Overdo It.
Exercise regularly to reduce asthma symptoms and reap other health benefits. A sign of asthma is airway inflammation, which makes breathing difficult. Exercise helps to decrease airway inflammation and swelling, making it easier for asthma sufferers to breathe. Regular exercise strengthens the muscles that control the airways, making them less likely to collapse.
For most people, 15-30 minutes of light walking or a leisurely bike ride around your neighborhood is enough to help reduce asthma and allergy symptoms without triggering exercise-induced asthma. But be careful; if you have severe asthma, too much strenuous exercise may exacerbate asthma symptoms. It’s always wise to consult with a doctor before starting a new exercise routine.
If you are not a fan of outdoor exercising, make sure you stretch out your muscles for 5-10 minutes when they feel stiff and tense after sitting down at work or in the classroom all day; this will help increase blood flow which can help you breathe easier throughout the rest of your day.
Keep Your Air Clean to Prevent Asthma Attacks
Keep your house free of dust by using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter or an air purifier. People with asthma or allergies are usually sensitive to dust mites and other allergens. Therefore, those who suffer from allergies or mild to severe asthma must keep their houses clean.
A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will trap most common asthma and allergy trigger particles, such as pollen or pet dander. That means they won’t continue circulating throughout your house with every step you take. If you don’t have access to an air purifier, that’s okay. Make sure to open up windows for at least 30 minutes each day to let fresh air replace the stale air trapped inside your home.
Air pollution makes many asthma symptoms worse. Ensuring your indoor air is as fresh as possible will alleviate asthma symptoms and relieve everyday allergies.
Quit Smoking and Avoid Secondhand Smoke
Cigarette smoke is one of the leading causes of asthma attacks. Both first- and second-hand smoke can trigger asthma symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma sufferers exposed to cigarette smoke regularly often have more severe symptoms and are more likely to be hospitalized.
Quitting smoking is the best way to reduce your risk of an asthma attack, but avoiding second-hand smoke is also important. If you have asthma, stay away from smokers and places where smoking is allowed. You can help to keep your asthma under control and lower your risk of experiencing a serious attack by taking these precautions.
Use a Humidifier to Keep the Air Moist
Take Probiotic Natural Supplements to Improve Digestive Health
Some people with mild asthma and allergies also have food allergies or intolerances. Eating foods that are good for the digestive system can help people breathe easier and improve the overall quality of one’s health. Fermented probiotics have been proven to improve asthma symptoms because they contain anti-inflammatory properties. Probiotics reduce inflammation and prevent the immune system from causing allergic reactions to common pollutants. With children, it’s important to consult your doctor before taking any natural supplement.
Consider Acupuncture
Unlike most Western medicine, acupuncture is a holistic form of Chinese medical treatment that involves inserting tiny needles into specific points on the body. While foreign to us, this is one of many Eastern natural remedies for asthma. For centuries this practice has been used to treat chronic pain and diseases such as asthma, but there’s only limited scientific evidence showing its long-term effectiveness to relieve asthma symptoms.
More research is needed, but some individuals report experiencing relief from chest tightness or breathlessness after receiving treatments, including those who experience stress-related asthma symptoms.
Use Natural Asthma Remedies to Prevent an Attack
Home remedies like herbal teas, apple cider vinegar, eucalyptus oil, and peppermint essential oils may help with allergy and asthma control. You can include eucalyptus oil in your daily skincare routine. Eucalyptus oil is a natural decongestant. It is known to decrease airway inflammation and clear out congestion from asthma symptoms and allergies. Symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness can minimize as a result of eucalyptus.
Apple cider vinegar can help people with asthma breathe better by reducing asthma symptoms caused by acid reflux which can be a common trigger. Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into some warm water and drink it down before your morning or evening meal to get similar benefits to taking an antacid, but without the adverse side effects that are sometimes associated with traditional medication.
Other natural remedies for asthma and allergies include herbal teas that contain thyme, oregano, ginger root, peppermint oil, and grapefruit seed extract. These herbs have anti-inflammatory agents that decrease airway inflammation that cause breathing difficulties. Peppermint essential oils are also great for asthma and allergies. Inhaling peppermint (very carefully, be sure to take proper precautions) is known to relax symptoms such as coughing and wheezing.
Again, ensure you consult your child’s doctor before implementing any essential oils, as some can be harmful to your child.
Try Breathing Exercises To Reduce Symptoms
Breathing techniques that open up the body’s airways and strengthen muscles in the chest area are great for asthma and allergy patients. One of the best breathing exercises is the Buteyko breathing technique, which you can do at home without a doctor’s special equipment or instructions. It only takes about 20 minutes to complete each day. You can use many other techniques to develop breathing patterns, including gentle breathing, belly breathing, and pursed-lip breathing, all of which are natural remedies for asthma and allergies.
If you are not familiar with the Buteyko breathing technique, let us explain. First, sit down in a chair. Next, place your tongue along the roof of your mouth to create tension between the back of your throat. Finally, take deep breaths in while keeping your mouth closed. Breathing exercises like this can provide many improvements. The benefits can range from helping asthma and allergy sufferers open up airways, strengthening the muscles inside the chest, and improving lung function. Practicing slow breathing enables you to breathe easier throughout the day without severe asthma symptoms like coughing or wheezing acting up.
Get a Chiropractic Adjustment to Help Your Body Function Properly and Increase Airflow
A chiropractic adjustment can help manage asthma symptoms by reducing the inflammation in the airways. When the airways are inflamed, they become narrower, making it harder to breathe. A chiropractor can help to reduce this inflammation by adjusting the spine and opening up the chest. This allows more air to flow through the lungs and makes breathing easier.
