How Asthma Sufferers Can Live Drug-Free and Breathe Freely?
Who else wants to know that asthma is an allergy to the lungs and is on the rise among Americans, especially African American children?
An estimated 20 to 40 million people suffer from the disease and its attacks can be debilitating and frightening, especially if the drugs used to treat it produce unwanted side effects such as anxiety and chest pain.
Fortunately, there are non-pharmacological treatments available to reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks in blacks. Alternative medicines include acupuncture, breathing exercises, diet, environmental changes, and nutritional supplements. Let's take a brief look at each.
1) Pins and needles
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that relieves pain and other conditions by placing tiny needles that stimulate certain responsive parts of the body's nervous system.
It is effective in maintaining lung function, which is vital for asthma patients. In contrast to the painful appearance of skin pricked by pins and needles, most acupuncture patients find the experience completely painless and experience immediate relief from symptoms.
However effective acupuncture is a science as well as an art and should only be administered by licensed professionals.
2) Take a deep breath
Most of us are guilty of shallow breathing – a particularly serious problem for asthmatics who cannot forcefully breathe.
Convulsions are common in this disease due to air trapping in the lungs. Breathing exercises that draw air in and out of the diaphragm are a great way to strengthen the lungs and control attacks.
Emphasizing the importance of good breathing as the basis for good health, yoga experts recommend the following techniques. First, relax. Put yourself in a meditative pose and focus on quiet imagination.
Second, breathe deeply while visualizing the expansion and contraction of your abdomen (diaphragm) rather than your chest. Finally, count your breath. Inhale three times and exhale six times. Exhale through slightly parted lips.
3) Watch what you eat - watch your food
Sugar, salt, and processed foods are bad, bad, bad! They can trigger inflammation and allergic reactions that trigger asthma episodes, so evaluate your diet and eliminate these no-nos. Then use the same strategy used when introducing babies to first foods.
Eat only one food at a time — milk, for example — to see if it triggers an allergic or asthmatic reaction. If tolerated with good results, add other foods to your diet one at a time to determine if they are safe or not.
4) Fill it up
Vitamin therapy can be an effective prevention of asthma attacks. When taken regularly, the benefits of vitamins A, C E, and B-complex vitamins are good sources of antioxidant protection that can benefit asthmatics.
Your asthma condition may require medication. But also consider these alternative treatments.
A natural approach can help alleviate or eliminate your symptoms while allowing you to take control in a gentle, effective way.
You should develop a drug-free asthma-free lifestyle in the future. This includes a qualified medical practitioner who will address your overall health. Proper rest, proper breathing, proper exercise, proper nutrition, and proper detox-free environment. And remember to exhale completely!
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