Asthma

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Asthma

It’s the most vital thing that you do each day, yet you don’t even think about it. Unless you’re one of the 12 million Americans with asthma—then you don’t take breathing for granted.

Asthma’s wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest are caused by an inflammation of the bronchioles, the tubes that carry air within the lungs. During an asthma attack, this swelling worsens, and the bronchial tubes narrow. asthma can also make mucus glands work overtime, producing a thick, sticky fluid that congests the airways.

Asthma attacks are often triggered by allergies. Strong emotions such as fear and anxiety can also kick off an attack. See a doctor if you think you have asthma. But the natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may provide relief, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... You need to use medication more frequently or in larger doses. You have severe difficulty breathing or are experiencing an asthma attack that you cannot control.

Acupressure

A couple of minutes of firm pressure on the upper chest can help relieve asthma and breathing problems, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. He suggests pressing the Lu 1 points to breathe easier. To find these points, also named Letting Go, make fists in front of your chest with your thumbs pointing up, says Dr. Gach. Place your thumbs on the outer portion of your chest, pressing on the muscles that run horizontally below your collarbone. You’ll find a sensitive, knotted spot on each side of your chest. Underneath each spot is Lu 1. (If you have difficulty locating these points, see the illustration on page 564.) Dr. Gach says to let your head hang forward, then breathe slowly and deeply as you press the points with your thumbs for two minutes.

Dr. Gach says that pressing the Lu 1 points is helpful for prevention as well as relief of asthma attacks. But he adds this caution: Never discontinue any prescribed asthma medication without the approval of your doctor.

You can also press the B 13 points, called the Lung Associated points, according to Dr. Gach. Each point is situated one finger-width below the upper tip of the shoulder blade, between the spine and the shoulder blade. (See the illustration on page 565.) Try using tennis balls to press these hard-to-reach points, suggests Dr. Gach. Lie on your back with your knees bent, placing a pillow under your head for comfort, if you wish. Raise your shoulders slightly while you reach behind your back with your hands to position the tennis balls. Now cross your arms over your body and breathe deeply, letting your weight sink into the floor. Let the tennis balls press into your shoulder muscles for a few minutes or for as long as it feels comfortable, says Dr. Gach.

Aromatherapy

To treat her own asthma, San Francisco herbalist Jeanne Rose mixes four parts eucalyptus, two parts lavender, two parts myrrh and three parts Roman chamomile essential oils. “I store the mixture in its own bottle and use it in a diffuser or siphon some off, mix it with olive oil (available in most health food stores) and use it as a chest rub at bedtime,” says Rose, chairperson of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and author of Aromatherapy: Applications and Inhalations. Ten drops of the essential oil blend mixed with 90 drops (about 1/8 ounce) of olive oil makes an excellent rub, she says.

Because people with asthma are prone to allergies, they should exercise caution when using unfamiliar oils in a diffuser, explains Rose. She suggests backing away from the diffuser after turning it on, than gradually moving closer to make sure the fragrance isn’t irritating.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

To relieve discomfort, try drinking a tea made by stirring 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of trikatu into one cup of hot water, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Trikatu is a blend of ginger and peppers available from Ayurvedic practitioners and in some health food stores. You can also purchase it by mail order; refer to the resource list on page 634.) Steep for ten minutes and then add 1 teaspoon of honey; drink twice daily, he suggests.

Mustard also helps, according to Dr. Lad. For bronchial asthma, take one teaspoon of brown mustard oil (available in Indian pharmacies and by mail order; refer to the resource list on page 634), mix it with one teaspoon of raw sugar and eat this mixture two or three times a day, preferably before each meal, he says. Rubbing brown mustard oil on the chest as needed is also beneficial, he adds.

Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy

When you feel an asthma attack coming on, Eve Campanelli, Ph.D., a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, California, recommends the emergency stress relief formula: Place four drops of the formula under the tongue, or add four drops to one-fourth of a glass of water and sip slowly. Used in conjunction with your usual medical treatment, the formula has a calming effect that may ease breathing, according to Dr. Campanelli.

Sold under brand names such as Calming Essence, Rescue Remedy and Five-Flower Formula, the emergency stress relief formula is available in most health food stores and through mail order (see the resource list on page 635). For more information on preparing and administering the formula, see page 40.

Homeopathy

Although treating asthma usually requires professional care, a few homeopathic remedies may temporarily relieve your symptoms while you wait to see your medical doctor or homeopath, according to Maesimund Panos, M.D., a homeopathic physician in Tipp City, Ohio, and co-author with Jane Heimlich of Homeopathic Medicine at Home. If your asthma attack occurs soon after midnight and you feel anxious and restless, or if you feel uncomfortable and suffocating when you lie down, Dr. Panos says to try a dose of Arsenicum 6X every 15 minutes. But do not exceed four doses, she cautions.

If you feel worse in the evening or after eating or talking, or if the attack occurs after a long, spasmodic coughing spell accompanied by gagging and vomiting, Dr. Panos suggests trying up to four doses of Carbo vegetabilis 6X, taken every 15 minutes. She adds that a similar dosage of Ipecacuanha will help if you have a sudden wheezing and coughing attack that makes you feel as if there were a weight on your chest suffocating you.

Arsenicum, Carbo vegetabilis and Ipecacuanha can be purchased in many health food stores. To purchase homeopathic remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Imagery

When asthma strikes, close your eyes, breathe out three times and imagine yourself standing next to a pine tree, writes New York City psychiatrist Gerald Epstein, M.D., in his book Healing Visualizations. Breathe in the aromatic fragrance of the pine. As you breathe out, feel the exhalation spread throughout your body down to the soles of your feet. Envision each breath leaving your body as gray smoke that will be buried deep in the earth. After three to five minutes of this exercise, open your eyes and breathe easily.

Juice Therapy

Because they contain compounds that relax the bronchial muscles and prevent spasms, onions have long been used in the treatment of asthma, writes Michael Murray, N.D., a naturopathic physician, in The Complete Book of Juicing. Dr. Murray suggests blending two ounces of onion juice with two ounces of carrot juice and two ounces of parsley juice, then drinking this blend twice each day. Use this remedy in conjunction with proper medical treatment, he adds.

For more information about juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Relaxing the lungs and solar plexus are vital to dealing with asthma, say Kevin and Barbara Kunz, reflexology researchers in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and authors of Hand and Foot Reflexology. To do this with reflexology, they suggest using the golf ball technique (page 588) that corresponds to those reflex points on both hands. They also recommend working these reflexes on your hands: brain, uterus/prostate, ovary/testicle, pancreas and adrenal, pituitary and thyroid gland.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand reflex chart on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Relaxation and Meditation

Autogenics can help relieve bronchial asthma, according to Martha Davis, Ph.D., Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman and Matthew McKay, Ph.D., in The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook. Practice two-minute sessions of the autogenic technique described on page 120 ten times daily, suggests Martin Shaffer, Ph.D., executive director of the Stress Management Institute in San Francisco and author of Life after Stress.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Use the food sensitivity diet (see “Food Sensitivity: How to Discover the ‘Healthy’ Foods That Can Cause Disease” on page 52) to eliminate any foods that might have a role in causing the problem, suggests David Edelberg, M.D., an internist and the medical director of the American Holistic Center/Chicago. He also says people with asthma may want to use the following nutritional regimen to help control the condition: 50 milligrams of vitamin B₆ three times a day; 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day (he says to reduce the dose if diarrhea develops); 400 milligrams of magnesium aspartate twice a day; 500 milligrams of N-acetylcysteine twice a day; and 333 milligrams of quercetin twice a day. N-acetylcysteine and quercetin are available in most health food stores.

Yoga

Yoga breathing exercises are a powerful tool against asthma, according to Alice Christensen, founder and executive director of the American Yoga Association. She says that they strengthen and relax the muscles that you use to breathe, which reduces nerve activity in your airways, helping them constrict less during an asthma attack.

The complete breath (see page 152) is one of the best breathing exercises for asthma, says Christensen. She suggests doing the exercise for at least five minutes daily, which will help you breathe more deeply and slowly all day long. She adds that several poses, performed daily, will also help with asthma, including the standing sun (page 607), knee squeeze (page 612), seated sun (page 616) and cobra (page 622).