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12 Effective Ways To Treat Asthma At Home

In people with asthma, the airways become narrow and produce a lot of mucus. It triggers difficulty in breathing, wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Several factors can increase the risk of suffering from asthma. Some of the risk factors include having a blood relative with asthma, smoking, being overweight, and passive smoking. For some people, asthma doesn’t pose many problems. However, there are others who suffer from asthma attacks.

Are you tired of having to latch on to your inhaler and your asthma medications? Do not let them go just yet. Make a few changes to your lifestyle see your symptoms ease up a lot.

10 Home Remedies for Asthma are:

1) Make Changes To Your Diet

There is no specific diet for asthma patients but the exclusion and inclusion of a few elements in your diet can make a considerable change. Being overweight has been known to affect and trigger asthma symptoms. Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet. To reduce the inflammation around your airways, consider sources rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Omega 3 found in salmons, mackerels are also known to help with inflammation. If any particular food seems to make your symptoms much worse, make a note and avoid consuming it.

2) Using The Papworth Method

The Papworth method has been used since 1960 to help people with asthma. It is a type of breathing and relaxation technique. It makes use of the nose and diaphragm to develop breathing patterns that will suit the asthma patient. These breathing patterns can then be used while engaging in activities that can possibly flare up your asthma. Papworth method is a way of controlling over-breathing that is basically rapid and shallow breaths taken at the top of the chest.

3) Practicing Buteyko Breathing Technique

This is also a system of breathing exercises. Buteyko Breathing Technique focuses on breathing out through the nose and not the mouth. Breathing out through the mouth can dry up the mouth and the airways very fast resulting in more problems. Practising and using BBT also makes you less prone to suffering from respiratory infections. Buteyko Breathing Technique can also be instrumental in decreasing your asthma symptoms with the help of slow and gentle breathing through the nose.

4) Using Honey

Honey can be used during the winters as a remedy for cold. It can be used to soothe a sore throat and prevent coughing. Coughing can worsen symptoms of asthma. You should be careful during winters as not to catch a cold. Mix honey with hot tea and drink it or just have a spoon of it every morning with 2 or 3 tulsi leaves.

5) Have Garlic

Do you love the smell of garlic in food? Good for you because not only does garlic enhance the smell and flavour of food, it also has certain medical qualities. Garlic has great anti-inflammatory properties. In the case of asthma, the surrounding areas of the airways become swollen. Garlic can help to reduce inflammation thus, reducing the symptoms of asthma. Put garlic in your food or sauté it with some Nigella and enjoy it as it soothes your airways and helps to open them up.

Also Read: 10 Health Benefits of Garlic

6) Include Ginger in Your Diet

Just like garlic, ginger has anti-inflammatory qualities too. A study conducted in 2013 showed that ginger supplements were able to ease symptoms of asthma. Having some ginger daily can help you get some relief. Add ginger to your tea during winters. You can also add ginger while cooking your food and reap its benefits.

7) Yoga and Practising Mindfulness

The benefits of yoga are manifold. If you want to get relief from your asthma symptoms, make sure you do yoga every single day. Yoga incorporates breathing and stretching exercises. It will help to increase your flexibility and also boost your overall fitness. Some yoga poses that can help open your throat and chest are the bound angle pose, bow pose, bridge pose, camel pose, cat pose, cobra pose, cow pose, and cat pose among many others. Meditate every day and increase focus on your mind and body. The focus on breath and stress control from yoga and meditation will help you a lot in breathing easily.

Also Read: Health Benefits of Meditation

8) Turmeric

Are you prone to many allergens? Developing various kinds of allergies can worsen your symptoms of asthma. Turmeric has been known to have strong anti-allergy properties. Histamines are known to cause inflammation. Turmeric affects histamines that can stop inflammation. It can relieve symptoms of asthma and help you in preventing asthma attacks. Cook your food with turmeric every day.

Also Read: 10 Health Benefits of Turmeric 

9) Caffeine Intake

Caffeine has many similarities to theophylline. Theophylline is a bronchodilator drug that is used to open up the airways in the lungs of asthma patients. Because of its similarities to the drug, caffeine can be a good home remedy that can help you ease your asthma symptoms. Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, cocoa, and various cola drinks. Hot beverages also help open up congested airways. Drink hot tea or coffee to feel and breathe better.

10) Take Steam Baths

Steam baths are often used to alleviate nasal and chest congestion. Steam treatments are not an asthma treatment but can definitely improve your condition. Steam baths can provide moisture to your airways, relieve you of congestion, help you get rid of accumulated mucus and let you breathe more freely.

11) Try Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient medicine form passed down by the Chinese commonly used to for treating migraines, headaches and several kinds of chronic conditions. And since asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways, many patients have found this form to be of use for improved airflow and reducing symptoms like chest pain. It involves placing needles into specific pressure points in the body with the aim to promote the central nervous system. This releases chemicals into one’s spinal cord, brain and muscles. These biochemical processes promote overall wellbeing.

12. Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is a mind-body interventive method that increases focussed attention for the treatment of a medical condition. Asthma patients who opt for this therapy tend to feel muscle relaxation and loosening of the chest tightness. This helps them to cope with breathing difficulties.

What Happens During Asthma Attacks?

Asthma attacks may start as minor but if not managed effectively, can turn dangerous. During an asthma attack, the airways become swollen and constricted more than usual. Breathing properly becomes quite tough. Some signs of an asthma attack are:

What Can Trigger an Asthma Attack?

Do you live with somebody who suffers from asthma attacks often? Or do you fall prey to the attacks instead? It is important to know what can trigger an attack so that you can avoid them and lessen the chance of having an attack. Following are some common triggers:

Read More on Asthma Causes & Triggers

Emergency Asthma Treatment at Home in Case of an Attack

Try natural home remedies and learn to cope with the symptoms of asthma. However, in case of a severe attack, you may need to consult a professional healthcare provider. Try to maintain an asthma diary. Write down about your symptoms when you experience them, foods that seem to trigger the symptoms, where you were and what you were doing before your asthma flared up, how often you have to use your inhaler, if at all, and other such details. It will help you and your doctor to get a better insight and control your asthmatic symptoms more effectively.

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