Natural Asthma Treatments

Written by Katelyn Schwanke (last updated September 5, 2008)

If you have been diagnosed with asthma you may wonder what treatment options there are available to you. Asthma is incurable and to be properly maintained you must in-part rely on traditional medications like inhalers, however, there are some natural treatments that can help discourage asthma attacks.

Whether you have been diagnosed with exercise induced asthma, occupationally induced asthma (fumes or gases in the workplace that cause wheezing and coughing), stress induced asthma or allergen induced asthma you can create a personal treatment plan that can work hand in hand with prescriptions from your physician.

If you have been diagnosed with exercise induced asthma you can avoid exercising in cold weather, warm up before and after your workout and practice breathing exercises to help control mild symptoms. Participating in yoga may help you learn to improve your breathing techniques so that when you exercise more vigorously you can help steady your breathing and limit your chances of experiencing an attack.

If you suffer from occupationally induced asthma, speak to your employer and learn more about how to more properly handle the substances that induce attacks.

Stress induced asthma attacks can be partially prevented by learning breathing techniques, speaking to a counselor about how to handle stress in a healthy manner and by generally reducing the level of stress in your life. Take note of those things that cause stress induced attacks and try to replace those stressors with positive and constructive activities.

The last type of asthma, allergen induced asthma, can be treated by reducing the dust in your home, avoiding animals, cleaning properly and avoiding direct or close contact with pollens. Research shows that consuming bee pollen can also naturally help keep asthma attacks to a minimum. The bee pollen helps to administer small amounts of the allergy inducing substance to help the body slowly build of antibodies against it. This treatment however, is still being researched and may not be effective in all individuals.

Studies suggest that dietary changes can help treat all types of asthma. Necessary dietary changes include not eating high fat dairy products (choose skim or low fat milks and cheeses) and not eating too much sugar. Other potential dietary changes that may aid in reducing attacks include a reduction in your consumption of shellfish (fish, crab, shrimp etc.).

Respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, are a dangerous thing to self-treat. Seek your physician's advice and be sure to avoid fad treatments that promise cures, provide testimonials, give no credentials and provide miracle answers.

Author Bio

Katelyn Schwanke

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