Natural Asthma Remedies: Effective Herbal & Supplement Relief

WARNING!

This is not just a Big Fat Nay for salt pipe inhalation therapy for asthma, but a complaint about the poster who is pumping their "Salt Rocks" site under the very very thin guise of "offering extensive compiled information" (which is no different than any other site selling salt rock pipes).

I actually went to the Salt Rocks site that the poster put in their post and bought two salt pipes for two asthmatics in the family. The people involved are both non-smoking males, one 43 years and the other 58 years, both have low-sodium diets that generally exclude asthma-trigger allergens; the younger is a vegetarian, the elder is not. I got the pipes at Christmas time, and three months later, no improvement or help whatsoever in either person, and in fact, the elder person is worse, now having to have a heftier dose of Advair. And, while all the "information" promises no increase in blood pressure, blood pressure was elevated in the elder, and in the younger blood pressure went through the roof after starting salt inhalation; both cases higher than when taking the Advair (which is known to elevate blood pressure).

So, consider this a double nay for salt pipes, both of which have been relegated to the trash bin.

If it sounds too good to be true, guess what children, it is...except for the person selling it, of course.

WARNING!

One of my relatives was recently diagnosed with steroid psychosis a year and a half after taking a steroid asthma inhaler for asthma (on and off). His family never knew, since he kept his delusions secret. However, it eventually came out in other ways. Please watch for this in your own family and friends who take steroids for asthma. I had never heard about side effects from asthma inhalers until now, but apparently its well known among psychiatrists.

Here is some information I found while researching the subject. I hope it helps someone:

"Asthma inhalers and nasal sprays that contain steroids are well known to cause psychiatric side effects such as depression, mood swings, aggression, irritability and insomnia. However, in rare cases, they can also cause a side effect called "steroid psychosis". People with steroid psychosis lose contact with reality and can appear to be crazy or insane. Symptoms of steroid psychosis can involve anything from incoherent babbling to psychotic delusions and hallucinations. The person may need to be hospitalized and treated with anti-psychotic drugs. The condition is usually reversible, although it may take weeks, months, or even longer to resolve. Steroid psychosis is rare with steroid asthma inhalers and nasal sprays (1 in 10,000 chance). However, it is much more common with oral (pills) steroid drugs, such as prednisone.

Examples of steroid asthma inhalers are Pulmicort, Flovent and Advair. Examples of steroid nasal sprays are Nasonex, Nasacort, Rhinocort and Flonase.

Steroid psychosis can begin with a feeling of being 'hyped up'. This can be followed by anxiety, tachycardia (rapid heart beat), pressured speech, increased blood pressure, loss of potassium, severe insomnia, depression, hallucinations, memory problems and delusions. The person can appear to have serious mental illness, such as bipolar mania or schizophrenia, which are mental illnesses characterized by the loss of contact with reality. People with steroid psychosis may experience suicidal or homicidal ideation (thoughts of killing themselves or others). They can have delusions of grandeur (a false belief they have great importance), such as believing they are Jesus Christ. They can also have paranoid delusions (a false belief they are being persecuted), such as believing they are the victim of a conspiracy. Also, the person may experience hallucinations or visual illusions. The hallucinations can be visual (seeing people or things that are not there), or auditory (hearing voices). Steroid psychosis can leave a person disabled and unable to work.

Note that the steroids in asthma inhalers are called "corticosteroids", and should not be confused with the steroids used by body builders called "anabolic steroids".

Source: http://www.sidefxdrugs.com/

ASTHMA: 1 yea for dairy elimination. My best friend's 4 year old has been having difficulty breathing and the doctor wanted to put him on steroids. A holistic nutritionist suggested he eliminate dairy from his diet and like a miracle the breathing problems are gone.

I have been using radish and lemon. I just cut up 4 red ball looking radish and peel one lemon and put them into a blender for a while, at least 6 minutes making sure it is smooth. I then cook it on the low setting. It is wonderful. I still have to take it 3 times a day or so. No coughing, no wheezing, etc. I will try adding honey to it. I keep the mixture in a tupperware container in the refrigerator. I feel good and I am back to drinking good 'ole Southern Sweet tea.

In desperation I tried turmeric for a very large and painful abcess I had on my inner thigh. I've had problems with a boil there before and took 1 teaspoon of turmeric in water or milk 3 times a day. Day one the pain started to subside greatly... By day two it was shrinking and by day three it was about 75% smaller!! I'm amazed and relived BUT what I found to be extraordinary is that I noticed I have used my rescue inhaler for asthma only once in the time I started taking the turmeric. I am on an oral medication for asthma but still must use my rescue inhaler several times a day. The relief in my asthma is truly a mircle treatment for me. I plan to use turmeric daily for asthma and will play around with the dosage to see what will keep it at bay for me. thank you Earth Clinic!!

I recently had very severe asthma in conjunction with pneumonia. On medical advice I was nebulizing Ventolin and Atrovent every two hours. And I was on two puffs of preventer medication four times a day. Heavy stuff!

Somebody recommended the Buteyko Method. I read up on it, started breathing through my nose, taped my mouth shut at night and did the Buteyko breathing exercises twice a day. Within a few days I no longer needed to nebulize at all. And gradually I was able to reduce the preventer medication down to one puff twice a day.

A month on, continuing with the Buteyko method, my peak flow readings are better than they have ever been.

I strongly recommend the Buteyko Method.

My youngest daughter has had asthma since she was 6 years old. Her doctor told me that if we were ever out camping or such away from medical help, giving her a strong cup of coffee would help her until we could reach a hospital.

i agree. high alkaline diet reduces asthma attacks. my son's attacks has not recurred in almost 5 years now since he changed his diet to 80% alkaline reacting food and 20% acid reacting food.

I came across a recent post on earthclinic. I've had a chronic cough for years. finally went to pulmonologist, who diagnosed adult onset asthma, and wanted to put me on Advair. Googled advair and it scared me. Google herbal remedies and came up with "Mullein". Bought a bottle. 30-35 drops in a little water a couple times a day. THE VERY FIRST NIGHT, i took it around 7 pm for the first time, and unbelieveably I was cough-free that night for the first time in i dont know how long. Been on it 3 weeks and its still working (as long as I take it :) ). One site said it may not work for everyone (like everything, I suppose) but it worked for me. Common herb, googleit and try it. Good luck.

Eric

Tried ACV for my asthma that was not really being controlled by Singulair. Had horrible side effects with all steriod medications and tried 2 TBS ACV, honey and 1 tsp of cayene pepper 2 X a day. After 2-3 weeks I felt my asthma was pretty much in control (plus we have 4 dogs and 2 cats) - but still had occasional "attacks" that left me gasping for air. I read on this site that black coffee can help. Never had a cup in my life and lo and behold it really did work. Didn't make a coffee drinker out of me, but it certainly beats the alternative. Was wondering - does anyone know if a caffeine soft drink would produce the same results?

I have grown up with severe asthma and while in the hospital for a collapsed lung, I decided to read up on the long term effects of using Advair. After my reading, I decided to wean myself from this prescription and focus on exercise and diet changes, which within a month I didn't use my Advair nor Albuterol. Until I had a reaction to my girlfriends dog last Christmas. I just couldn't breath so I rushed back to my Dr and the albuterol....and after a month, I backed away completely. Until tonight when I went to my now fiance's parents house....with the same dog. I am going add Apple Cider Vinegar to my diet, but since I didn't have any at home, I pulled out the honey. Added several teaspoons to a 1/4 cup of water and heated it up in the microwave for a nice Honey Steamer. It put me at ease for about 30 minutes. I was comfortable enough to try another suggestion from this site...so I just cut up a large Florida lemon and ate it, adding a little bit of the juice to my honey water...hmmm I am now breathing again, I think I will finally go to bed (6am)I think I might eat another lemon for breakfast.

So i decided to try what Joyce suggested. I now take 250mg of Magnesium along with my multivitamin, 12000 mg fish oil, and 30mg zinc. I had a cold about 3 weeks ago and started taking the vitamins after looking up more information on this website. It seemed to help rid me of the infection as I was coughing up a lot of mucous. The last time I was sick in August it went to my chest and turned into pneumonia, so I was really worried when I got sick that it would happen again. I think the vitamins really helped me. My nose would be really runny and instead of taking benadryl, which seemed to help me a few times, I took the vitamins and 2000mg vitamin C. I would feel better shortly after taking them. I'm still using my nebulizer once or twice a day but overall I feel a lot better. I'm thinking of trying Co Q10 as I've heard that helps with COPD, which I don't have, but I'm willing to try pretty much anything. I've also started taking milk thistle for my mild breakouts! I think that is working too. Anyway, thanks for your help and let me know if there is any other promising remedies.
Liz

I just wanted to make all those asthma sufferers, including Liz from Wisconcin, a little more aware of their environment and possible triggers that they may not be aware of. I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and developed asthma 18 years ago, when I moved into my sister's new townhouse. I thought her cats were making me sick, including the asthma, but they weren't. It was the townhouse.

Many elements of our home and work environments are overloaded with synthetic chemicals, which are the main trigger for my asthma. For example, carpeting is processed with a number of toxic synthetic chemicals, including formaldehyde. Much of the manufactured furniture is made of composite woods, which also contain formaldehyde and toxic glues. Our interior environments are loaded with many synthetic chemicals, so I suggest you learn more about them. Many manufactured components take months or years to outgas and can silently make a person ill. Furniture, carpet, cleaning solutions, health and beauty aids are loaded. Fragrances, including perfumes and air fresheners are nothing but synthetic chemicals that you and your family are breathing in, and those toxins are building up in your bodies.

With my condition, I try to be very careful about what comes into my home, as it is my safe place. Recently, I purchased a dehumidifier for our basement, which produced some kind of gas that floated up through the floor boards (I couldn't smell anything). It never occured to me that this would be a dangerous piece of equipment, but it was. Just beware of the unknown....four years ago, I took doxycycline which caused a severe asthma episode that lasted for 4 or 5 weeks. You never know!

In addition to the asthma I am currently experiencing,I have also had an annoying cough at night. That's what brought me to Earthclinic tonight, as I needed to deal with this. I figured the most effective concoction would include AVC..I wasn't dissapointed! I can tolerate ACV, but don't like honey, so I heated 2 Tablespoons of ACV, 1 Tablespoon each of honey and lemon in 1 cup of water. With the first sip, it calmed my cough and I think it has eased my asthma some too. This mixture was almost tasty, and I will definitely keep it up! Thanks everyone!

I don't want to be the giver of false hope on any one remedy. I now realize that every child or person is different and therefore may respond accordingly depending on each set of circumstances they are given. To explain this further, my asthmatic as described in my earlier post is now back on steroids and albuterol b/c a cold that we all had exasperated her asthma and she was no longer responding to the HP inhalation therapy that I earlier treated her with. On the other hand, my baby was again coming down with something and had high fever for over a day. I put her back on HP inhalation and she cleared up right away! It's strange that these outcomes can't be more consistent but I suppose there's just so much more to learn. Still Seeking, kr

To Liz from Wisconsin:

Hello Liz I agree that allergies and asthma go hand in hnd. Are you taking a magnesium supplement now? If not, be aware that getting your magnesium up to normal level is said to decrease the incidence of asthma attacks. Along with getting your magnesium level up, you might also consider taking MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) to help with the allergies. Yes this is the same stuff that does so much toward helping joint pain and arthritis.

After seeing something about NAET on EC and knowing nothing about it, I went on line to learn about it. It seems that someone with allergy problem (the N is initial of persons name who came up with this. The other initials are for "allergy elimination therapy". It allegedly cures allergies, even to the inhalant allergies. Since it is based partly on acupuncture, it just might work. When thing slow down around here I plan to visit one of its practitioners , since I have food, medication, pollen and inhalant allergies. The inhalant allergies are the ones that worry me the most since I passed out from perfumes. When you search this therapy on line, you can also locate practitioners in your locale. I was surprised to learn that I have several within 20 miles off home.

In the meantime, as I always told my lungers and asthma patients, AVOID ANYTHING YOU CAN SEE OR SMELL IN THE AIR.

I developed asthma when I was pregnant with my daughter about two years ago. I think I had it for much longer as dust has always bothered me and caused me to have lung infections. I was taking meds, not religiously, but on occausion for the first year. I finally decided to see an allergist in March 08, and had reactions to the 6 most common indoor and outdoor allergens in varying degrees. I know the scale is from 0-4 and I'm a 4 for dust and cat dander. I'm also allergic to different tree pollens. I was trying to find the sheet that listed them all but I'm not sure where it is.

I believe my asthma is caused by my allergies and have been oil pulling two times a day for 5min, taking 2TBS raw organic ACV twice a day with 1/8tea of baking soda, 1 TBS raw honey, and have also recently added 1tea cinnamon and 1-2 tea lemon juice. I know these things help with my overall health but they haven't largely helped my asthma.

I also drink tea on a regular basis and have tried peppermint, licorice root, green tea, black teas. They seem to help while I'm drinking it but the effects are short lived.

I have also tried green tea with ACV and Cayenne pep during a cold, which did seem to help but didn't completely eradicate it.

Basically I'm looking for other alternative treatments to try. I have been having asthma attacks more frequently and I'm not sure if its my indoor air quality or what. I live in WI and its getting cold so all the windows are closed. I want to buy more plants to help filter the air which I think would help some.

I was also thinking of trying to do a clinical study by Dr.David Hahn. He believes that asthma is caused by a bacteria in your lungs I posted the links to his website under a post for azithromycin. I think that may be promising for some asthma sufferers.

Also,my asthma acts up when I excercise (which I try to do every day) and the highest I can blow on a peak flow meter is 300, lowest I get when having an attack is 90-150. Avg person gets between 400-700. My husband can max my device out.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have twin boys and a daugther all under the age of five and my asthma takes my life away. Plus, I want to be able to help my kids if they develope asthma/allergies.
Thanks for your time,
Liz

I have heard of this also and here is the website of heard of it on.
http://www.asthmastory.com/
Also there is a clinical trial that you can participate in if you live in the selected areas. Some doctors (as you'll see on the website) won't give you the medicine or won't test you because they don't have the test for the bacteria available.
Anyway, here is the information:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00266851
And a link on Dr.Hahn http://www.dean.org/index.php/info/asthma

Regarding asthma; I became afflicted about 6 months after my husband died, 21 years ago. After a couple of years, many medications, trips to the Emergency Room & terrifying bouts of being unable to breathe; I realized my doctors were not saving my life. I was dying a slow agonizing death by short breaths. I was unable to take even 5 or 6 steps without having to pause & struggle for a breath. I was in hell. I took my life back into my own hands.

I remembered a book my Great Grandmother had given me when I was 12 years old: Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss. It's still in print, updated & is my 'bible'. I poured through this book looking for something to counteract this asthma. I came across an anecdote using indian tobacco or lobelia. After reading this I called health food stores in my area until I found one that had some in stock. The man there was kind enough to have it waiting for me when I arrived. He explained how to use this tincture & prepared my first dose for me. I thanked him profusely, made my purchase and exhausted, headed home. I noticed a remarkable difference even as I drove the 5 miles home.

I also went on a mission to cleanse my body, mind & soul; high colonics, complete change of diet, meditation... getting back to my 'roots', as it were.

My son Spike was 11 when he contracted asthma. I put him on lobelia, taught him to take responsibility for his own health by eating thoughtfully, healthily and with INTENTION. What I mean by this is to eat with the intention of nourishing his body with good food, not just to feed a craving. Something society forgot along the way with advertisements bombarding us from all sides.

As to dosages; read the label. I was taking 15-20 drops of one brand but yesterday I handed a bottle to someone & her bottle said 5 or 6 drops.

Use caution not to overdo, or to take too much of any mucous clearing treatments toward the end of the day or you may end up like I was in the beginning; I was working so hard to get over the asthma that I went overboard for a while & ended up hacking & coughing crap up all night long- because of this I was unable to get rest & in effect I could have made myself more sick. After 2 days I spoke to a nutritionist who gently reminded me I was rushing the process.

Common sense definitely helps here as well; Steer clear of milk & milk products as these create mucous in our bodies. As do sugars & refined flours. When I'm 'off' it's usually when my natural diet is off balance.

Peace, Shelagh

Update:
It has been almost a year now and I have continued to use the apple juice to help my asthma. I stopped using the garlic pill and started to implement garlic in my diet instead. However recently in taking ACV for my allergies and adding it to the apple juice to cover up the taste I found that it has boosted the effect of the apple juice to where I no longer have to constantly have my inhalor at had for just in case. I can breathe better and clearer as if I'd never had asthma at all. I still get occasional wheezing but nowhere near what it used to be.

I had terrible asthma and respiratory problems all winter. In the late Spring my doctor told me to start using more B-vitamins. Then I read that B-6 can help asthma (at a later date) and realized that since I have been using a good B Vitamin complex my asthma has been much more manageable, even though it is more humid now, so I have started taking a little extra B-6 and am noticing a difference. I got out my old Prevention and home remedy books and saw B-6 mentioned for asthma there, also. Asthmatics, take note - there are more natural ways of handling asthma than with steroids and chemicals - already I am not needing my emergency inhaler - not for a month now - and am using my nebulizer a LOT less! Yay!