How to Heal Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by breathing difficulties, wheezing, coughing and other symptoms. Asthma patients experience a sensation of asphyxiation, which can be associated with the distress sensation one might feel when underwater, unable to surface to breathe. This is an unpleasant experience, which in acute conditions requires emergency medical intervention.
If you have asthma and do not want to keep using inhalers, steroids and various medications, you should continue reading. This article is for you to introduce you to Asthma’s natural treatment options available to treat asthma.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a respiratory inflammation characterized by an increased sensitivity to various stimuli and indicated by the narrowing of respiratory tracts, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. The simplest way to understand asthma is that the tubes through which the air comes into the lungs become smaller and narrower in their ability to inhale and exhale. In Western medicine, Asthma is described as a chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease that comes in episodes. The rate of illness among the population is approximately 5% and twice as much in children.

Factors that Induce Asthma

– Respiratory infections: any virus or bacteria that causes influenza among ordinary people may create a complication and cause an ‘attack’ in the asthma patient.
– Allergenic factors (allergy) – such as plant pollens, various foods (like milk and flour), animal hair and mites (a small insect that resides in the dust and is the most common allergy cause).
– Stress – tension or mental stress are factors that might induce or aggravate an asthma attack.
– Strenuous physical activity – creates pressure on the respiratory system and could induce an attack.
– Nutrition – nutrition is essential. For instance, food that causes an excess of mucus might induce or aggravate an attack.
– Weather – dryness, humidity, cold or heat can cause an attack. Sensitivity to weather is different for each patient and is well explained through Chinese medicine diagnosis.
For example, for a patient with an excess of dampness in the lungs, their condition would improve in dry weather. In contrast, dry weather could aggravate someone who has asthma that results from dryness in the lungs.
– Medications – medication side effects could induce an asthma attack.

Alternative Medicine for Asthma

Alternative medicine provides, in many cases, effective natural asthma treatment. Natural asthma treatment is also useful during an asthma attack to enable easier breathing and even between attacks. After the treatment, there is a feeling that the chest and the breathing open more, and the breathing becomes more relaxed and more profound.
But the great importance of natural treatment for asthma is in treating the source of the condition, the cause that creates asthma, and preventing the attacks or reducing their frequency. This is an integral part of the therapy, and sometimes it is accompanied by a change of life habits.

The practitioner must diagnose the cause of asthma: For example, it may be connected to nutrition, inactivity, a specific emotional reason, external conditions of the environment, mental stress, the internal condition of the body such as excess mucus or dampness – every person, according to his condition. Several methods provide better results for treating asthma. In many cases, it is recommended to combine two ways or more to maximize results.

We will review some of the main methods in alternative medicine to treat asthma.

Acupuncture to Treat Asthma

Acupuncture is highly effective in treating asthma. The results are often fast in alleviating the breathing, expanding the bronchi and relaxing the whole system.
It is recommended to have at least fifteen acupuncture sessions and follow up with maintenance treatment if necessary. Chinese medicine stresses the importance of correctly diagnosing the source of the problem and treating the root cause of asthma. Treating the root cause would bring about deep healing, and it starts with a Chinese Medicine diagnosis: checking the pulse, tongue and a series of questions.

Asthma syndromes in Chinese Medicine

According to the Chinese medicine approach, asthma is divided into several primary syndromes, and every syndrome is treated differently.
1. Pathogen (invader) from an external source: it is a virus or bacteria. In Chinese medicine, the pathogens are considered “weather” such as heat, cold, dryness, dampness etc., which can invade the body. There will be a breathing difficulty in this syndrome that begins with flu symptoms and develops into asthma.
2. Stagnation of the liver Qi: this kind of asthma attack is characterized by chest distress and irritability. The simple way of understanding this kind of asthma cause is to see a breathing difficulty attack aggravated or caused by mental and emotional stress.
3. Heat in the liver: this is a root cause for asthma that is an aggravation of the “Stagnation in the liver Qi” and shows more internal heat, such as a more acute inflammatory condition wheezing would be louder.
4. Deficiency of Yin in the lungs: in Chinese medicine, the term “Yin” represents the body fluids. In the case of Yin deficiency, we will see dryness in the lungs that causes dry coughing; many times, the coughing is aggravated at night.
5. Kidney weakness: according to Chinese Medicine, one of the kidneys’ functions is to hold the incoming breath, for example, breathing into the abdomen. In an asthma condition that results from kidney weakness, we will see difficulty inhaling and take a deep breath.
6. Spleen weakness: in an asthma condition that has to do with the spleen, we will see a difficulty in the digestive system to digest food and usually, there will be sensitivity to dairy products and white flour. In this case, we will see the dominance of mucus in the body, wheezing, fatigue, and various digestive system disturbances.

There is, of course, the lungs’ involvement in any condition of asthma, but that is not always the main factor. It could be that one patient has an involvement of a few syndromes simultaneously that causes asthma. It is essential to understand that the internal organs’ functions are different from in Western medicine in Chinese medicine. According to Chinese Medicine, when there is a liver problem,  it does not mean that there will be a medical condition in the liver organ.

 

Asthma concerning weather conditions

Chinese Medicine can understand why a particular person who has asthma would find humid weather helpful (because he has internal dryness). Another person would find dry weather helpful (because he has internal dampness). Another example: Someone would be helped by heat (because the pathology originates from the cold), and the other would be aggravated by the heat (because cold has created the disease).

The importance of an accurate diagnosis for Asthma

Therefore, diagnosis in Chinese medicine is essential because a treatment that would benefit one person who suffers from internal cold and dampness in the lungs; would damage a person who suffers from dry heat in the lungs. This is an excellent example of why Chinese Medicine emphasizes individual treatment for different asthma patients.

After an accurate diagnosis of the syndrome from which the person suffers, we will choose treatment: asthma treatment in Chinese medicine consists of Acupuncture treatment and Medicinal Herbs. Chinese Medicinal administered herbs for asthma after diagnosis, and these herbs will not cause side effects like drugs. This is why it is recommended not to buy spices in a health store but to take herbs prescribed after a careful diagnosis.
It is possible to combine the therapy with Tui na – Chinese physiotherapy to release the respiratory muscles and expand the chest by specific chest muscles’ chest muscles. There are also Qigong exercises recommended to the patient to strengthen the lungs and expand the chest.

A case study of Asthma Treatment using Acupuncture

Scott, 43 years old, came to me after suffering from asthma for about three years.
Scott has breathing difficulty, which is aggravated by physical activity, weather changes and stress. The asthma is sometimes characterized by wheezing and asphyxiation and in the nighttime by snoring and Sleep Apnea. Scott was diagnosed according to Chinese Medicine with an imbalance in the spleen and lungs and with excess dampness in the body. Scott was invited for Balance Method Acupuncture twice a week. Simultaneously, he also started taking a formula of Chinese Medicinal herbs, which was prescribed to strengthen the spleen and lungs and eliminate the mucus.

Also, Scott was given instructions to avoid dairy products, white flour, white sugar, and other products that contribute to phlegm formation in the body. After several weeks of gradual improvement, the breathing difficulty and wheezing were gone. Scott no longer used an inhaler. He also said his wife was thankful for being able to sleep at night without snoring.

Read more about Balance Method Acupuncture.

Recall Healing for Asthma natural treatment.

Recall Healing works on the subconscious level, identifying the emotional cause behind asthma and breathing difficulty. Recall Healing for asthma is done through conversation. The process lasts about an hour and a half, and it usually takes between 3-5 sessions for results to be seen.
The emotional causes that damage the respiratory system can be many. These factors and root causes leading to asthma can usually be traced to events in the person’s life, in his or her early childhood and the person’s genetic lineage. For example, one of the biological conflicts that are connected to the lungs is grief and death. The lungs are the organ that symbolizes the beginning of life and death. Every conflict related to a fear of death or memory of death might be linked to the lungs. It is possible to see a memory of “almost drowning” in the subconscious or some asphyxia in many cases.

Children’s Asthma in Recall Healing

Another essential conflict for asthma is “I want to breathe elsewhere.” We see it a lot in cases of asthmatic children. According to the Recall Healing method, the period nine months before conception, the pregnancy period and the time from birth until the age of one make up the “Project Purpose.” This is a critical period in which many significant patterns are formed in our subconscious, especially patterns that have to do with how our parents experienced life during that time. In many asthma cases among children, we can find the Project Purpose period factor and identify the cause of the illness.

The classic example of the conflict “I want to breathe elsewhere” (connected to asthma) is that both parents come from different cities or countries. In many cases, after they decided where to live, they built their home and became pregnant; one of them is happy with their living conditions, but the other wants to relocate. There is a difficulty between them with this conflict in the background. Because it is an unresolved difficulty, the parents’ conflict moves to the child’s subconscious, and the child develops asthma. In using Recall Healing to assist children with asthma, the process is done with the parents, and the participation of the child is not needed. After the conflict is found, the parents are instructed how to release the child from the conflict, usually through talking to the child in his or her sleep. With the information being absorbed by the child, they subconsciously realize that the conflict is not theirs, and the brain releases the holding in the body and lungs. In many cases, healing occurs quickly, and asthma disappears.

Resolving the emotional conflict of Asthma

Every person can experience some of the conflicts mentioned here or others that have to do with asthma without having the disease. The disease is caused when the conflicts are too tricky or prolonged, and the person does not find a solution. When a person does not find a solution to the conflict, the brain suppresses the conflict to the subconscious and the body and creates disease. In therapy, we raise whatever is unconscious to the person’s consciousness. Through the conversation that is accurately directed at the correct places, conflicts that existed in the past are resolved, releasing the body from the need to hold on to it.

In many cases, we can already see easier breathing after a few sessions. Especially in chronic conditions in which there is already more serious damage to the body’s balance, it is recommended to combine the Recall Healing process with acupuncture and nutritional changes. Even though the Recall Healing process for asthma is beneficial, it is not for everyone. Recall Healing is for people who agree to touch-sensitive places and talk about their past.

A case study addressing Asthma using Recall Healing

Greg, 36 years old, has had asthma since the age of 18. He says that when he was young, the illness was more severe, as where the past few years, he has breathing difficulties or a light asthma attack once a month, mostly during strenuous activity. The last acute asthma attack was a month ago after catching the flu and needing medical attention. He always carries an inhaler in his pocket. One of his reasons for coming to therapy is that he has gained weight over the past year, and he would like to exercise and get into shape, but he is afraid to exercise because of asthma. He decided to try Recall Healing and acupuncture treatment.

Greg filled out the Recall Healing questionnaire and asked his mother to help him find out more about the Project Purpose period. As mentioned, the Project Purpose period is the period of time from nine months before conception, the pregnancy period and until the age of one. It is a significant period in which many patterns are formed in our subconscious, especially patterns that have to do with how our parents experienced conflicts in their lives during that time. During that period, his father worked as a salesman and travelled a lot as part of his job. His mother suffered because of this and felt alone, and even now, as she told Greg about that, a hint of the complaint was heard in her voice. His father experienced the conflict in such a way that when he was on the road, he wanted to get back to his pregnant wife, but when he was home, he thought about work and the next trip, always wanting to get away and “breathe elsewhere.” Eventually, his father did not attend Greg’s birth because of a work trip, which created bitterness in his father’s mother and guilt.

When we looked at the age at which asthma first appeared, at the age of 18, that is the age at which Greg left home to another city where he started his studies and also worked to support himself. When a person goes home and his or her parents for the first time and becomes independent, that is the age in which the brain recreates childhood events and relives conflicts that happened during childbirth, a sort of “second childbirth.” Because of asthma, Greg oscillated between going to school in the new city, and receiving medical treatments and relaxing at his parents’ home. He experienced the conflict of “I want to breathe elsewhere,” which his father experienced during his Project Purpose.

Greg was surprised at the “coincidence” and understood the conflict, and confirmed that in his life, it is difficult for him to decide where to live, and he always deliberates several options. Greg has gone through three Recall Healing sessions, simultaneously having five acupuncture sessions for the respiratory system and digestive system. In the following weeks, he started exercising gradually with no abnormal respiratory phenomena.

Read more about Recall Healing.

Naturopathy as an Asthma natural treatment

Naturopathy and nutrition as asthma treatments are very important. Many patients report that food has both a negative and a positive effect on asthma in many cases. Generally, dairy products and white flour are not recommended. Naturopathic treatment for asthma is effective because of the direct connection between nutrition and the creation of phlegm or mucus in the digestive system, which moves to the lung.
The naturopathic treatment is also useful for the strengthening of the immune system through vitamins and medicinal herbs. For those who dislike maintaining a strict diet, it is recommended to combine nutrition with medicinal herbs or acupuncture or any methods mentioned. When the digestive system is rebalanced, it is possible to “sin” now and again and eat things that are slightly hard on the system, and usually, this will not lead to an asthma attack.

Tui na and Massage for Asthma

Sometimes among people who have asthma, we will find great sensitivity in the accessory muscles used in the respiratory of the neck and shoulders. The use of those muscles intensifies during an asthma attack to increase the lungs’ ability to expand, and often we will find that those muscles are used daily, which creates neck and shoulder pains and, of course, low breathing.
Usually, breathing does not require the participation of any muscles except the diaphragm. Through techniques such as Tui na, which is part of Chinese medicine and through Shiatsu or medical massage, releasing those muscles and the rib cage improves each asthma treatment’s success.

 

Breathing Techniques for Asthma

Breathing techniques such as Qi-Gong, Yoga or any other method can help as part of the activity that an asthma patient can do independently at home. It is essential to increase the range of movement of the lungs and the ribcage. A necessary breathing exercise is inhaling to the maximum, holding your breath, exhaling to the full, and then having your breath again. Do it at least ten times in a row, a few times a day. If you feel dizzy, it means that your brain is getting more air than it is used to, and it’s a good sign. Just relax for a few moments and start again. This will give an “inner massage” to your respiratory system. Consult your therapist or a Yoga or Qi-Gong teacher if you’re not sure how to do breathing exercises.

It is important to note that alternative medicine treatment for asthma treats the source that created asthma and reduces the symptoms. It is not a therapy that only produces relief like steroids or bronchodilators; the idea is to find the body’s imbalance and treat it. When using such a system, often other conditions are resolved, although they seemingly have nothing to do with asthma.

Often headaches, mucus, snoring, fatigue, stress, sleeping problems and other imbalances or difficulties disappear – there is no need to suffer! Sometimes we meet people who have gotten used to living with asthma and with limitations and drug dependency, which damages the body in the long run. There is hope, and natural treatment is advisable. The longer the condition lasts, the more it sets in the body, so better early than later and better now than never!

Asthma Treatment in Modern Medicine

In a nutshell, Western medicine’s available asthma treatment includes bronchodilators and steroid inhalers in medication or inhalers. It is important to note that conventional treatment alleviates symptoms during an asthma attack. If the treatment is taken on a daily or permanent basis, it prevents repeated attacks but does not control the development of the chronic disease – and therefore does not cure it.

Tips for Relieving Asthma

Every person is individualistic according to the holistic approach, and every person has a different treatment that suits him. Nevertheless, here are several general recommendations:

– Regular physical activity – Walking, swimming, yoga – do not over-exert yourself because it may induce an asthma attack. Start gradually – sensitive people should protect themselves in cold weather.
– Nutrition – Nutrition is essential and is tailored for every patient. Generally, you should avoid mucus-producing foods like dairy products, white flour and white sugar – which are called “the three whites.”
– Smoking – Avoid smoking – passive smoking too.
– Breathing – Learn how to breathe correctly – breathing through the diaphragm into the stomach.
– Allergy – It is recommended to avoid allergens for those with allergy; to shake out carpets, to stay away from animals, to avoid areas high in pollen in spring and summer, and to stay away from problematic areas, or wear a surgical mask, until the allergy could be cured by acupuncture as well.
– Stress – It is recommended to practice stress-reducing techniques: Meditation, reiki, Qi-Gong, yoga, etc.
– Be careful not to catch a cold – Keep the neck and throat covered, to try not to be exposed to the cold and wind.
– Reinforcing the immune system – Learn how to strengthen the immune system through Chinese medicine treatment, vitamins, physical activity etc.

After reading this article, we hope you know more about the natural treatment for asthma and breathing difficulties, and we wish you a quick recovery, deep, full breaths and a beautiful, healthy life.