Is There Natural Relief For Asthma?

Asthma is considered a chronic respiratory condition that has no cure but has symptoms that can be managed. The symptoms of Asthma can include difficulty breathing, frequent coughing, wheezing, a feeling of suffocation, tightness in the chest, and violent coughing attacks which can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.

These symptoms occur when the airways of the lungs, called bronchi or bronchial tubes, become inflamed from an irritant of some sort. The muscles around the airways react to this inflammation by tightening up which further restricts airflow. In the meantime, the respiratory mucosa is producing an increased amount of mucus in order to try to flush out the initial irritant which causes the already narrowed airways to get plugged up with mucus making it even harder to breathe. Asthma attacks can occur day or night, even while doing simple activities such as sleeping, laughing or exercising.

The irritants that trigger asthma are numerous and varied. They include air pollutants like cigarette smoke and traffic emissions, strong odors or fumes, respiratory infection, pollen, emotional stress, drugs like aspirin or penicillin, poor nutrition, inadequate detoxification, high humidity, foods, pet hair or even plain old dust. It has also been found that children who were given even one course of antibiotics in their first year of life are at an increased risk for developing asthma. In addition, those born by C-Section Birth have a 79% increased chance of developing asthma.

Indoor air quality is sometimes of even more concern then outdoor air quality. Studies have shown that indoor air quality can often be even worse than outdoor air quality due to the cleaners and disinfectants that we use as well as the fumes let off by your furniture, paint and carpeting. Unless you air out your house daily, have a lot of house plants or own an air purification system then all these toxic odors and gasses are being trapped inside the home. Not only can this increase asthma symptoms but it can also lead to headaches, nausea, fatigue, hormone imbalances and damage to your liver, kidneys and central nervous system.

A yeast overgrowth of Candida albicans has also been linked with asthma. Candida albicans is usually a natural yeast that everyone has in their system but it can easily become an overgrowth when antibiotics have been used. Candida causes inflammation and widespread tissue damage.

Milk and other dairy products can worsen asthma symptoms because these products tend to increase the body’s production of mucus in the lungs. An undiagnosed milk allergy can worsen the situation and with Milk standing at one of the top three food allergens in the American Diet, it would be wise to have this checked. At the very least you should try to drink Organic RAW milk which can usually be tolerated even by those diagnosed as allergic to dairy.

Acetaminophen, like that found in Tylenol and some other pain relievers, has been linked to an increase in asthma and wheezing so avoiding products which contain it can be helpful.

Most people manage their asthma symptoms using glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids are anti-inflammatory steroids generally taken via inhalation. There are many problems with this type of treatment though. Studies have shown that there is a 70% increased risk of heart disease when taking these steroids and that the higher the dose, the greater the risk. They have also found that long term use of these steroids cause impaired growth in children. Gluccocorticoids can also reduce T-Cell production and therefore impair your immune response.

There are some natural ways to combat asthma though. The first thing you should do is find out what is triggering the attacks and try to eliminate it either from your diet or from your environment. You can either do skin patch testing for environmental factors or try eliminating things from your diet then adding them back in to see if symptoms return.

Hypoglycemia has been linked with asthma so eating numerous, small but nutritious meals throughout the day could help. A deficiency in manganese is another causative factor in asthma so making sure to include green leafy vegetables, grapefruits, apricots, kelp, egg yolk, parsley, peppermint, strawberry leaves, and nasturtium in your meals could also help.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower contain sulphoraphane which helps to protect against respiratory inflammation so trying to include those in your diet may be helpful.

Optimizing your intake ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats can also help as the Standard American Diet (SAD) normally contains a very unbalanced 50:1 ratio of Omega 6:3 when it should be closer to 1:1. Omega 6 fats are known to cause inflammation while Omega 3s are anti-inflammatory. You can get more Omega 3 in your diet by taking NKO Krill Oil, Green-Lipped Mussel Oil, Flax Seed Oil or Primrose Oil along with eating things like walnuts.

Vitamin D deficiency is also suspected of contributing to asthma since areas of widespread asthma also show widespread Vitamin D Deficiency. You can read about the importance of Vitamin D here:

https://wisdomthatheals.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/vitamin-d-a-true-hero-in-the-nutrition-world/

Daily deep breathing exercises can also help to open up the airways. You should avoid smoking, but that is true for many more reasons than just asthma which you can read about here:

https://wisdomthatheals.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/and-the-cilia-shall-be-paralyzed/

There are a few herbs which are considered bronchodilators which help to relax the bronchial muscle. These herbs include Lobelia, Valerian and Cayenne. Tinctures of these herbs can be used to bring relief from an attack.

Probiotics can also help those who suffer from asthma as they help to promote healthy intestinal barriers, immune reactions and help the body to deal with food allergies. A healthy immune response can decrease inflammation throughout the body, including the respiratory tract.

Essential oils of Eucalyptus, Lemon, Pine and Thyme have also been shown to help with asthmatics.

– For Educational Purposes Only
– Not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition
-These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA
– These statements are my opinions and conclusion from the knowledge I have thus far

Updated 01/05/10 to include information on Milk, Acetaminophen and probiotics

References:

1) Thibodeau & Patton, Structure and Function of the Body, 13th Edition, 2008, pg. 370
2) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/04/12/inhaled-steroids.aspx
Accessed: 03/31/09, Author: Dr. Joseph Mercola
3) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/10/15/steroids-growth.aspx
Accessed:03/31/09, Author: Dr Joseph Mercola
4) http://www.naturalnews.com/025772.html
Accessed: 03/31/09, Author: Marianne Leigh
5) http://www.naturalnews.com/025771.html
Accessed: 03/31/09, Author: Sherry Baker
6) http://www.naturalnews.com/025518.html
Accessed: 03/31/09, Author: Mike Adams
7) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html
Accessed: 03/31/09, Author: NHLBI
8) Radio Interview With Dr. McCombs Hour 2
http://ktradionetwork.com/Media/mp3/kevintrudeaushow_030409_hour2.mp3
Recorded: 03/04/09, Interviewer: Kevin Truedeau
9) http://www.naturalnews.com/026046.html
Accessed: 04/14/09, Author: David Gutierrez
10) http://www.naturalnews.com/010443_asthma_food_dairy_products.html
Accessed: 01/05/10, Author: Dani Veracity
11) http://www.naturalnews.com/027563_Tylenol_asthma.html
Accessed: 01/05/10, Author: S. L. Baker
12) http://www.naturalnews.com/027273_asthma_probiotics.html
Accessed: 01/05/10, Author: Mike Adams

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And The Cilia Shall Be Paralyzed…

The lungs are our lifeline to the world. Every cell in our body is dependent on oxygen for life and, except in rare cases, most people can’t go more than just a couple minutes without oxygen. So lets talk about the lungs and what is happening to them when a person smokes.

The respiratory mucosa is a membrane, covered with mucus, that lines the air distribution tubes in the respiratory system. This respiratory mucosa serves to purify the air we breathe from toxins, pollens, dust and bacteria that try to enter our body through our nose or mouth.

The respiratory mucosa produces over 120 mL of mucus daily which is pushed upwards, along with all the debris that it captures, out of the lungs and into the throat so that it can be swallowed and eliminated. This mechanism is called the muco-ciliary escalator. There are millions of these hair-like structures called cilia covering the epithelial cells in our respiratory tract and they move in only one direction, Up. I like to think of this like wheat blowing in the wind…. millions of stalks just pulsing in one direction. When someone smokes, however, these cilia become paralyzed and are unable to move the mucus and nasal debris upwards.

The mucus, along with all the dust, pollen, bacteria and the 4000 chemicals that you inhale from the cigarette sit and fester in your lungs instead of being cleaned out. The longer these irritants remain in your lungs, the better the chance they will be transferred to your blood and circulated throughout your body. The small particles that you breathe in from the cigarette itself even start to mold together to form a tar that coats your lungs. The damage to these cilia makes the smoker more prone to respiratory infections and less able to heal as quickly and efficiently as a non-smoker.

While the cilia are paralyzed rendering the muco-ciliary escalator “out of service”, mucus is still being produced and in addition to the daily average of 120 mL, the excess irritants in your lungs actually stimulate increased mucus production. As all this mucus builds up, with all these irritants in it, it begins to aggravate the respiratory tract and the person must cough in order to get the mucus to come up. Thus we have the “Smoker’s Cough”…. the one that sounds like the entire lung is going to be hacked up.

Don’t assume that its too late for you though because Cilia are able to regenerate when the environment is safe so if you quit smoking then you may have a chance to rebuild your cilia and regain semi-normal respiratory purification.

There are a few herbs that can be helpful either to reduce the amount of mucus produced or to help expel the mucus and irritants. Plantain can be used to reduce phlegm, dissolve mucus and inhibit bacterial growth and inflammation in the respiratory tract but should not be relied upon as a bandaid to the smokers cough. Most Expectorant herbs including Hyssop, Horehound and Thyme can also be helpful to expel the mucus.

– For Educational Purposes Only
– Not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition
-These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA
– These statements are my opinions and conclusion from the knowledge I have thus far

References:

1) Thibodeau & Patton, Structure and Function of the Body, 13th Edition, 2008, pgs. 364-365
2) http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/smokeinfo.html
Accessed: 03/25/09, Author: Center for Young Women’s Health Staff
3) http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-smoking-affect-the-cilia.htm
Accessed: 03/25/09, Author: Karyn Maier
4) http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-smokers-cough.htm
Accessed: 03/25/09, Author: Tricia Ellis-Christensen
5) http://evenstaronline.com/articles/respiratoryease.html
Accessed: 03/25/09, Author: Mary Ann Copson

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