Many asthma sufferers wonder if there is any sort of holistic treatment for asthma. Only those who suffer from asthma can truly understand how absolutely debilitating it can be. Those who live in fear of the next severe attack or who are constantly grabbing for their inhaler, long to be free of the burden of coughing, wheezing, and labored breathing that are the symptoms of asthma.
The medical profession has long been puzzled as to what actually causes asthma. The physiological cause is clear: The muscular bands that regulate the size of the bronchial tubes become constricted. However, why the nerves that control those bands get triggered is a matter of speculation. Sometimes, the onset is due to an allergic reaction. For others, it is believed that emotional stress, exercise, or an existing infection can bring about an asthma attack. But in other cases, no discernable cause for the asthma can be found.
The medical profession has most often focused on trying to manage severe attacks when they occur and preventative care to prevent the occurrence of such attacks. Inhalers have been effective in treating allergic asthma. However, such inhalers can become addictive, requiring the patient to turn again and again to the inhaler when a dose wears off. Oral steroids are often prescribed for long-term treatment and control. Long-term use of steroids is known to produce many side effects, and they, too, are extremely addictive.
Many practitioners of holistic medicine warn that patients should avoid ever taking oral steroids. They also note that many studies have suggested that those who take excessive amounts of drugs in order to control asthma reduce the chances that their asthma will disappear on its own.
In place of such drugs, these practitioners suggest a more holistic treatment for asthma. Some will offer patients herbal or homeopathic remedies, such as lobelia and capsicum. Others suggest diet modification that eliminates diary and all foods that could contain trans-fatty acids. Still others teach their patients how to modify their breathing. These breathing techniques, in general, are meant to rid the patient of the chronic hyperventilation that these holistic practitioners believe is at the root of the asthma. In addition, the patient can learn specific techniques to utilize should an attack come on.
With the wealth of holistic treatment available for asthma sufferers, dangerous and addictive drugs should be avoided, if at all possible. Optimally, those with asthma can meet with an expert in holistic practices who can train them in the appropriate treatment programs. Patients should not expose themselves to unnecessary dangers when safe, natural, healthy alternatives are obtainable.
Holistic treatment for asthma will improve your total health. The Buteyko Center http://www.breathingcenter.com offers a free breathing test online and a free Buteyko Health Evaluation report with our recommendations. The test will help you determine whether you hyperventilate or not, and if so to what degree, and how that may be affecting the quality of your sleep, as well as recommendations for improvement.
