Natural and home remedies for asthma

Asthma-Overview

This is a common chronicinflammatory disease of the airways characterized by the recurring symptoms. When aperson has asthma, their airways narrow and swell (airways are the tubes thatcarry air in and out of the lungs). They start to produce extra mucous, andthis causes the breathing to become difficult.

Since the 1970s, the prevalence ofasthma has increased significantly. Today, 300 million people are believed to beaffected with this condition.

Causes

It is yet to be established what the actual cause of asthma is. Environmentaland genetic factors are thought to have a great part in it. However, there areknown factors that might trigger the disease. These are: cold air, airborneallergies, GERD (gastro-intestinal reflux disease), smoke, certain medications(like beta-blockers or Aspirin), stress, respiratory infections, etc. Thesetriggers are different from person to person.

Symptoms

Asthma symptoms may vary in severity. One may only have occasional flare-ups,and another may have symptoms all the time. The most common symptoms of thiscondition are: shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, etc.

On rare occasions, people may diefrom the severity of an asthma attack.

Treatment

Asthmacan't be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled. The treatment includes two kinds ofmedicine: quick-reliefmedicines to stop asthma symptoms (such as ipratropium, oral corticosteroids,etc.) and long-term control medicines to prevent symptoms (such astheophylline, inhaled corticosteroids, etc.).

The doctor will recommend thetherapy according to various factors, such as a person’s age, their triggers,and the symptoms.

Natural Remedies

There are natural ways of keepingthe symptoms of asthma under control. The benefits of this type of treatment isthat it is completely devoid of side-effects. However, one should keepprescription asthma medications at hand for treating asthma attacks.

The most effective ways oftreating asthma by natural means are:

Eating more fruits and vegetables. In this way, the body will get thenecessary antioxidants and anti-inflammatory chemicals useful in fightingasthma.Avoiding fast and processedfood. These are the foods that cause allergies most often, and may be thetrigger for asthma for some people.Cutting down on dairy products.Dairy products increase the production of mucous, which often causes asthmaattacks.

Also, there are various naturalherbs and supplements that might help one fight asthma more effectively:

Vitamin C. Not only is it good for one’s overall health, but it also hasstrong anti-inflammatory properties that one needs for the managing of asthmasymptoms.Fish oil. Some studies have shownthat it can reduce the frequency of asthma attacks.Magnesium. Its primary functionis to relax the blood vessels. It can also prevent the narrowing of theairways.