How to cure asthma with folk remedies at home
Asthma is a truly unpleasant and dangerous phenomenon - therefore, if it occurs, then it is necessary to take all necessary measures aimed at treating this problem. There are various approaches that help to cope with it, but not all can eliminate it forever. Let's look at a number of simple home remedies that are effective enough to prevent asthma from developing. You can choose the one you like best. But let's go in order.
Definition of the disease, symptoms
Bronchial asthma is an inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract, in which narrowing of the lumens of the bronchi occurs. As a result, symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, heaviness in the chest and even attacks of suffocation occur, as well as weakness, malaise, headache, etc., characteristic of many other respiratory diseases. Symptoms most often manifest themselves at night and in the early morning. .
Asthma attacks can be caused by exogenous, endogenous or mixed factors. In other words, the appearance of symptoms of the disease can be affected by:
- external influences - allergens (dust, pollen, wool, etc.), polluted air, fungi, dust mites, smoking, taking certain medications, and so on. Hay fever or hay fever is recognized as a common disease;
- internal processes in the body (infection, reactions to stressful conditions (psychosomatic cough) or prolonged and severe physical activity);
- a combination of both factors.
A hereditary predisposition to it, disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, immune and endocrine systems, and constant contact with potential allergens can increase the likelihood of developing asthma.
Danger of allergens
Substances that provoke asthma attacks are not only unpleasant, but also dangerous.
This depends on a number of reasons:
Diversity. There are a huge number of allergens. And their number is constantly growing. Sudden appearance. Allergies can occur during the period of illness, when a weakened immune system is unable to fight the provocateur. It is impossible to reduce the body’s susceptibility. This is because reacting to stimuli is a natural process.
This is why it is possible to say with certainty whether asthma is completely curable. Unfortunately, complete recovery from the disease is impossible.
Therapy comes down to combating symptoms. This process will be facilitated by eliminating allergens such as smoke, dust, and fur from the asthmatic’s environment. Buy air purifiers and humidifiers. In addition, it is necessary to ventilate the room in which the patient is located daily.
Is it possible to cure bronchial asthma in adults and children forever at home?
If asthma is not too advanced, then it can be treated using traditional methods. Which method should you choose? Here it is necessary to focus on a number of different factors, including the age of the patient, as well as the individual tolerance of the components.
If you have an allergic reaction to at least one of the components used in the folk remedies listed below, you should immediately stop using this remedy and switch to another, more neutral one.
Folk remedy - inhalation
One of the simple and effective methods. Regardless of the composition of the substance for inhalation, the principle of its implementation always remains the same. First, you need to make a decoction from the product chosen for inhalation - or simply boil water first and add the necessary ingredient there. Then you need to bend over a saucepan or other vessel with boiling water and cover your head with a towel. Next, for 10-15 minutes you need to inhale the vapors rising above the liquid. You can do this a couple of times a day.
The most effective for asthma are inhalations based on chamomile, eucalyptus, calendula and St. John's wort. Essential oils are also great help - especially those listed a few points below. Inhaling the vapors of onions and garlic is also effective in combating microorganisms - in this case, you don’t even need to prepare full-scale inhalations, but simply, for example, cut fresh onions or garlic and let them breathe.
It is strongly recommended not to resort to inhalation if a person has a fever - if it is around 37 degrees or higher. Inhalations are also contraindicated for diabetes and a number of cardiovascular diseases.
How to get rid of it using decoctions
The following decoctions and teas can be used:
- Garden turnip decoction. It not only fights asthma, but also resists insomnia, which is, if not a constant, then a frequent accompaniment of asthma.
- Viburnum decoction with honey. Helps thin mucus and suppress coughing attacks.
- Yarrow decoction. Brew in a glass, but take a tablespoon three times a day.
- Decoction of aloe and oats. Crushed aloe leaves are added to a kilogram of boiling water poured with two liters of water, after which the whole thing is thoroughly boiled and filtered.
- Tincture of celandine. 20 grams of herb are added to 200 grams of vodka and infused for a week and a half. After this, take a teaspoon per day.
Of course, any medications based on alcohol should not be given to children. For adults, alcohol can additionally help cope with asthma, so it is added, for example, in small quantities to the above-mentioned decoction of aloe and oats.
How to heal with essential oils
Essential oils are one of the most effective methods of fighting asthma. The right oil can greatly alleviate a person’s condition and make the symptoms of the disease subside. Asthma can be treated with them in two ways. The first is inhalation, when a few drops of essential oils are added to boiling water. For example, cottonseed oil or olive oil are excellent. The second option is to rub these oils into the skin using the principle of reflexology. However, this method is less effective. Find out about the treatment of acute obstructive bronchitis in children in the article.
Other effective oils are fir, bay laurel, eucalyptus, as well as camphor, castor and menthol - but others can also have a good effect on recovery.
Treatment with ointments
To combat asthma, warming rubbing can also be used, and these rubbings are carried out using various ointments. For example, goat fat and propolis tincture, combined in a water bath, work well. Badger fat is perfect, and if you have nothing else, then melted butter will do.
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First aid for an attack
An attack is an acute state of suffocation, wheezing, audible at a distance, and spasmodic coughing.
Algorithm of action when providing first aid:
- Count the number of breathing movements. Give the child a drug that dilates the bronchi through an inhalation canister, spacer, or nebulizer. Place him in a position where he can lean on something (chair, bed) and use auxiliary muscles for breathing. Monitor changes in condition for 20 minutes. The breathing rate should decrease, the intercostal muscles should not sink, and the cough should become less frequent.
- If after 20 minutes there is no effect, repeat the administration of the drug at the same dosage or change to a combination drug. Assess the condition.
- If there is no improvement, administer an inhaled corticosteroid.
- If the attack cannot be stopped within one hour, you should immediately take the child to the hospital.
Recommendations for use
A considerable part of the folk remedies used to treat asthma are themselves allergens, which can only aggravate the patient’s condition. Accordingly, before using such potentially dangerous drugs, you should make sure that in this case there is no individual intolerance to them.
If it is known what external factors led to the onset of the disease, for successful treatment it is first necessary to eliminate or minimize contact with them. In especially severe cases, it is better to try to move to a more favorable region with clean sea or mountain air.
Whatever the cause of the attack and no matter how severe it may be, it will be useful to provide a plentiful supply of fresh air to the patient while in the room and free him from tight clothing. If there are no contraindications (heart disease, high blood pressure), then using warm (almost hot, but not scalding) baths for the feet and hands is beneficial.
Proper, nutritious and balanced nutrition, coupled with a daily routine, will help make asthma attacks less frequent and less severe.
Is there a chance for the child to be cured?
It is impossible to cure asthma in a child forever. Treatment of the disease has the following goals:
- Reduce asthma severity and exacerbation rates
- Teach the patient self-help skills during an attack and prevent its occurrence
- Improve quality of life
Some doctors insist that asthma is treatable and the disease will go away on its own after puberty, but the symptoms may recur in adulthood.
Doctors give preventive recommendations if a child has asthma-like symptoms, indicating that the bronchi are affected:
If you have an allergy, your doctor will prescribe preventative antihistamines.
Prevention for asthma is aimed at reducing the frequency of exacerbations and eliminating factors that can provoke an attack. Parents are recommended:
- Remove household allergens: carry out wet cleaning daily, change the child’s bedding twice a week, remove woolen carpets from the room, replacing them with linoleum or laminate. When choosing clothes, it is better to give preference to those made from artificial materials. Your child’s soft toys need to be washed or put away more often.
- Change your place of residence to an area with a more favorable environmental situation
- Pay attention to the child’s immunity - vaccinate against the flu, introduce vitamins and multivitamins, engage in physical exercise and hardening. This reduces the negative impact on the bronchi and reduces the frequency of attacks
- If a food allergy is identified, transfer the baby to a hypoallergenic diet, excluding foods containing the allergen from the menu. Nutrition should be balanced.
conclusions
As we can see, curing asthma at home is more than possible. There are many excellent effective remedies that can both get rid of the symptoms of the disease and overcome its root cause. But remember that you should not limit therapy only to folk home remedies if the disease is severe. In this case, you cannot do without a mandatory consultation with a doctor who will prescribe treatment methods in addition to traditional ones. But folk remedies, even when carrying out full-scale therapy, can be used additionally as a supportive measure.
Baking soda
Regular baking soda, which everyone is used to seeing in the kitchen, can become an indispensable panacea when fighting bronchial asthma. It relieves symptoms, alleviates the condition and cleanses the body. It has proven itself especially well in the treatment of asthma caused by an allergic reaction.
The solution is prepared simply - dissolve 0.5-3 teaspoons of soda in a mug of hot water. You can drink the solution 3-5 times a day.
REFERENCE! The water temperature should be above 50 degrees, then the alkaline properties increase significantly.
Soda with milk. This unusual combination helps cope with the dry cough that accompanies asthma attacks. A glass of not too fatty milk is heated to 40 degrees, after which 0.5 teaspoon of soda is poured into it and immediately drunk by the patient.
The procedure must be repeated 3 times a day. The last dose should be before bedtime. The course of treatment is determined by how you feel, but ends no earlier than the symptoms are relieved.
Inhalation is another way to treat without drugs. Baking soda helps remove mucus and relieves cough. Pour a couple of spoons into a container with hot water. The patient needs to tilt his head and, throwing a towel on top, inhale the steam. To enhance the effect, you can add tapping on the back in the lung area from bottom to top. After inhalation of hot steam, you should not go out into the cold and drink cold water.
IMPORTANT! Soda should not be used if the cough is wet, as this may make you feel worse. Soda solution has a laxative effect, so it is contraindicated during intestinal upset.
Badger fat
This product contains vitamins A, B and E, tocopherol, carotenoids, carotene, folic acid and beneficial microelements.
Benefits for bronchial asthma:
- strengthening protein metabolism;
- regulation of the hematopoietic system;
- stimulation of the bronchial glands;
- bactericidal and warming properties;
- boosting immunity;
- repayment of purulent processes;
- healing of foci of infection;
- saturation with vitamins;
- improving the condition of the body as a whole.
For bronchial asthma, badger fat can be used both during exacerbation of symptoms and during periods of calm, for prevention.
External use. Warm badger fat is rubbed over the chest, with the exception of the area around the heart. After which the patient needs to wrap himself warmly and spend several hours at rest. Treatment should be carried out daily in courses of 5-7 days, then take breaks, and, if necessary, repeat the course again.
Internal use. Badger fat for internal use can be either in a liquid state or in the form of sealed gelatin capsules. In the first case, you need to keep it in the refrigerator. The shelf life of natural badger fat should not exceed 18 months.
Take one teaspoon in the morning. The course of treatment is 15-30 days. Since this product has a specific taste, during consumption you can add fat to the rosehip decoction, or drink it with currant jam or honey.
IMPORTANT! Badger fat cannot be used for pathologies of the liver and biliary tract, and it is also contraindicated in infants and pregnant women.
What herbs are used in adults?
Patients complain of coughing and asthma attacks. The main culprits of the disease are allergies and infections. Also, the reasons may be heredity or a person’s hormonal imbalance.
anti-inflammatory herbs should be chosen as the main direction of treatment of bronchial asthma with folk remedies . These include: licorice, sage, sweet clover, chamomile, lungwort, raspberry, yarrow.
Exacerbation of symptoms occurs due to a decline in the immune system , which means that traditional medicine should also be used as an immunomodulator . Herbs that can boost immunity are divided into:
- Strong ones are euphorbia, tea kopeck, Rhodiola rosea, Leuzea, Astragalus membranaceus and others. It is undesirable to use them during the height of the disease, as this may aggravate the course of the disease.
- Weaker ones include celandine, echinacea, speedwell, strawberry, wild rosemary, horsetail and others.
Antibacterial herbs : thyme, wild rosemary, alpine cladonia, eucalyptus, sage and others. From root vegetables: garlic, rare and onion.
Some forms of bronchial asthma require special attention:
- Atopic . Choking attacks are caused by allergens entering the respiratory tract. Immunomodulators will help improve your condition.
- Infectious . Such asthma develops due to the presence of bacteria in the body during pneumonia, influenza or prolonged bronchitis. It should be treated with antibacterial herbs and immunomodulators.
- Dishormonal . Occurs due to problems in the endocrine system. Herbs that have a positive effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland: duckweed, common grasshopper, horehound and cocklebur. If a woman has an ovarian disorder, then the following will help: meadow lumbago, boron uterus, cuff officinalis and twisted kirkazon.
- Neuropsychic . When asthma attacks are caused by stress, nervous feelings or, conversely, overly positive emotions, you need to take calming herbs: wild rosemary, hawthorn, valerian, sweet clover, mint, heather, oregano, wormwood, motherwort, thyme and hops.
Mechanisms of asthma: swelling of the mucous membrane, bronchial spasm and sputum production. This means that the following will help cope with typical symptoms:
- Antispasmodics . First of all, these are belladonna (belladonna), datura, black henbane and ephedra horsetail. It is these plants that are included in many natural medicines created to relieve suffocation. The antispasmodic effect increases when inhaling smoke obtained from burning dried plants. Less pronounced effects have: caraway seeds, dill, anise, fennel, wild rosemary, chamomile, cudweed, thyme, mint, St. John's wort and other herbs.
- Expectorant herbs . They liquefy mucus and remove it from the bronchi. These include: istod, hyssop, blue cyanosis, thermopsis, coltsfoot and others.
- Relieving swelling . Diuretic herbs are suitable for this: bearberry, lingonberry, horsetail.
IMPORTANT! Some plants contain salicylates, which are contraindicated in people allergic to aspirin. If a patient has such a problem, the herbs should be used under the supervision of a doctor.
Treatment of asthma is not limited to one year, so taking herbs is divided into two stages: first - during the period of exacerbation of the disease, the main task is to relieve shortness of breath and alleviate symptoms ; the second - when remission comes, the emphasis is on stimulating the immune system and enriching the body with vitamins .
Inhalers as part of therapy
Doctors, explaining whether asthma can be treated or not, claim that it is impossible to do without the use of inhalers.
After all, they have advantages that make them simply irreplaceable:
Neutralization of suffocation in asthmatics of all ages occurs in 5 seconds. The uniformity of the spray eliminates the possibility of an allergic reaction inside the oropharynx. This is dictated by the rapid penetration of the drug into the respiratory tract and lungs. This ensures uniform spraying. Suitable for use by children.
Inhalers are considered one of the most effective means of relieving asthma symptoms. But you should pay attention to the composition of the drugs. Some components can cause bronchial spasms with prolonged use.
Recommendations
General recommendations that will make the use of traditional methods more effective:
- During the treatment of asthma, you should adhere to a diet: protein and vegetable foods should predominate, but the use of salt and dairy products should be limited .
- Combine treatment with breathing exercises: take a deep breath through your nose - the stomach protrudes, exhale - the stomach retracts. This is followed by a short, shallow inhale through the nose and exhale with a stream of air through the mouth. As you exhale, pronounce the letter “s” first, then the sounds “sz”, “ssh”, “zshe” and the vowels “a”, “o”, “u” and “s”. The number of repetitions gradually increases to 10 times. Such breathing exercises will reduce spasm in the bronchi.
- An integral part of treatment is hardening the body. You should start by taking air baths and rubbing yourself with cool water. If you feel satisfactory, you can proceed to taking a contrast shower and dousing yourself with ice water. Hardening procedures should only be done during asthma remission.
- For medicinal infusions and decoctions, only fresh or technologically dried herbs, berries and root vegetables are used. It is not allowed to use ingredients of questionable quality.
- A patient with bronchial asthma should not allow the body to become dehydrated , especially if treatment with diuretics is in progress.
Non-drug treatment
There have been no official clinical studies on non-drug methods; these methods have no evidence base. But doctors note that children who managed to achieve a high effect in treatment, long-term remission and lasting results were given additional therapy. It includes:
- physiotherapeutic procedures. Ultraviolet irradiation activates metabolism and improves tissue respiration. Acupuncture helps produce hormones that help relieve an attack in the future;
- physical therapy, including running, swimming, active games. Such exercises increase resistance to stress, promote the development of the respiratory system, restore blood circulation and improve oxygen saturation of tissues;
- Breathing exercises give good results. It trains the muscles, the child learns to control breathing, the bronchi are drained (cleansed) of viscous mucus;
- the use of natural factors - mud clinics, mineral waters, climate change, salt caves, alpine therapy at resorts. This helps restore the function of external respiration, small bronchi clogged with mucus are cleared;
- massage, vibration massage helps to improve the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs, obstruction is reduced, and the bronchi are cleansed.
Herbal medicine and aromatherapy, which some parents love so much, are not recommended for children with asthma. The reason is that they can cause an allergic reaction and provoke a new attack.
Any of the non-drug methods can be used only after consulting a doctor. He will assess the risks and give recommendations that will promote a good outcome.