Asthma

This is not an easy subject to sort, but I am finding it coming up more and more and everywhere I look, there is stuff about asthma so I thought I should at least approach it.

I was mortified to read that there are 10,000 new cases in Britain per YEAR and 1500 people a year die from it!!! That is totally unacceptable and sufferers should try everything in their power to get control of their health and not just rely on steroids during attacks. So here are a few suggestions that sufferers might like to have a try at – remember what works and helps the majority won’t help everyone, so see what helps you.

It does help if you have a good idea of what exactly triggers the asthma in the first place. It could be food, dust, animals, chemicals and lots of other possibilities so you have to look at your life as a whole from the emotional to the physical factors.

Diet should be addressed as it can often make the problem worse. Remove additives and colours where possible as these can be triggers. If you view the fact that any food that you really crave for is likely to be making your health worse, then you can try and cut them out and see if the situation improves. Make sure you are eating a very healthy diet, with lots of whole grains and complex carbohydrates.

Some exercise can trigger attacks but yoga actually helps, as does golf and martial arts as we all need exercise of some kind to improve health and stamina. It may be an old wives tale but another point is that we are far too clean these days and keeping everything sterile and scrupulously clean for the first year of a baby’s life is not allowing the natural defences of the body to kick in – as my Nan would have said “A bit of dirt never did anyone any harm!” It is now proven that the earlier a child is introduced to dirt and pets, the less likely they will develop allergies – worth thinking about. The healthiest kids with the least allergies apparently are farmer’s children and pet owning families – makes you wonder but I hope that some of this is helpful.

Vitamins:

The more I read about Vitamin C, the more I think we have a deficiency problem as a whole. To see if it helps in the asthma case you are looking at, the following is worth a try:

Children 1000mg – Adults 2000mg daily but increase during an attack (but be aware that you may suffer from diarrhoea whilst having this increased amount).

Some may also find relief by taking 50mg Vitamin B15 – available in Brewers Yeast, sesame seeds, whole grains. Consider possibly taking a Vitamin B Complex as lots of the B vitamins help.

During an attack, some research has suggested that Calcium/Magnesium taken every half hour during an attack at 1500mg calcium and 750mg Magnesium should help. Take one daily too as these minerals can cause asthma attacks if the body is deficient.

Cod liver and Borage oil (it’s them EPA/GLA’s again!!) should be taken by all asthmatics, and Quercetin can help as it inhibits the release of histamine – the body’s natural response to an allergen – and thus causes an asthma attack. Apples are a natural source of Quercetin so get eating apples daily and follow that old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!!”

Herbs:

The following tinctures may be of help:

Hyssop, liquorice, gingko biloba, Echinacea and thyme are all helpful, but it is another case of trial and error I’m afraid, so experiment with them but customers all find taking Thyme daily very helpful as it helps keep the system on top of the problem.

Hyssop is of great help during an attack, both oil and tincture, whilst thyme, Echinacea and liquorice can also help when taken regularly. Herbal teas should be drunk daily to act as a preventative.

Essential Oils:

The sufferer will have to check out each aroma (they won’t use it if they don’t like it and it also has to be checked to ensure it doesn’t cause a reaction!) but the following oils should be massaged in carrier oil over all the chest and back, going up and out at the shoulders. Also add to the bath and to a burner, or inhale directly from a tissue.

Lavender both French and Spike, Chamomile, Cajeput, Peppermint, Eucalyptus or Bergamot are useful, whilst all children should give Myrtle a go. If your breathing is very shallow, Frankincense makes your breathing deep and calm, so maybe try that one if the other’s don’t help.