Natural Remedies for the Treatment of Asthma

Mehul Banker April 23, 2009

Asthma is one of the most troublesome diseases affecting the respiratory system. It is characterized by frequent attacks of breathlessness, and the asthmatic patient remains completely normal in between. Asthma is an ancient Greek word meaning “panting or short drawn breath”.

Patients suffering from asthma experience trouble during their normal breathing process due to the constriction and clogging of air passages of small bronchi with mucus. This problem gets worse during the night.

Asthma is a disease that usually commences with the onset of symptoms such as spell of coughing which may be associated with itching of the skin on the back or chest. This stage is followed by a severe attack with an increase in the heart beat and respiratory rates, with feelings of restlessness and fatigue. There may be profuse sweating, coughing tightness in the chest and vomiting.

Asthma is caused by variety of factors. This may include food, weather, drugs, perfumes and other irritants that vary with individuals. Allergic substances such as wheat dust, paper dust, common dust, pollens, animal hair, fungi, insects such as cockroaches and foods such as eggs, wheat, chocolates, milk, beans, potatoes, beef and pork may also cause asthma.

Natural Remedies for Asthma: There is no proper cure in modern medical science for this crippling disease. Drugs and inhalers only alleviate the symptoms to some extent but do not offer a permanent cure.

The treatment of asthma should first commence with the cleansing of the colon and prevent intoxication. An enema should be administered to the patient for this purpose. The fermentation caused by undigested food can be relieved by mud packs applied to the abdomen.

Congestion of chest can be relieved by the application of wet packs. The patient should be made to perspire through hot foot bath, steam bath, sun bath and hot hip bath. This will relieve congested lungs and stimulate the skin.

The patient should fast on lemon juice taken along with honey for a few days and thereafter adopt a diet of fresh fruits to eliminate toxins and nourish the system. Solid foods can then be taken gradually later. Common dietic errors should however be avoided by the patient.

The ideal diet of an asthmatic patient should consist of limited quantity of fats, proteins and carbohydrates which are acid forming foods and a liberal quantity of alkaline foods consisting of green vegetables, fresh fruits and germinated gram.

An asthma patient should drink at least 10-12 glasses of water per day. He should eat slowly and chew his food properly and avoid taking water or liquids along with meals. Excessive intake of tea, coffee, spices, chilies and pickles should be avoided.

Honey is considered to be very useful in the treatment of asthma. It contains a mixture of ethereal oils and higher alcohols. It is said that if a glass of honey is held under the nose of an asthmatic patient, and he inhales the air that comes in contact with honey he starts breathing easily for an hour or so. This is because the vapors coming out of honey are soothing and beneficial to an asthma patient. Honey is equally useful when taken with milk or water.

Another effective remedy for asthma is the use of garlic. Early stage of asthma can be cured by giving garlic cloves boiled in 25-30gms of milk to the patient.

Steaming ginger tea taken along with small pieces of garlic cloves, both in the morning and evening helps to keep the problem of asthma under control.

A teaspoon of turmeric powder mixed with a glass of milk, and administered to the patient three to four times a day serves to be an effective remedy for treating bronchial asthma.

During an asthmatic attack, a little camphor mixed with mustard oil and massaged over the back of chest helps in loosening up phlegm and eases the process of breathing.

The patient should also inhale steam from the boiling water mixed with caraway (ajwain) seeds. This helps in dilating the bronchial passage.

Besides all these, nature in itself is also the best healing agent. Fresh air, occasional enema, breathing exercises, light exercises and a correct attitude go along way in treating this disease.

Yogic kriyas such as vamandhouti, jalneti, asanas such as padmasana, sarvangasana, yogamudra, vakrasana, ekpaduttanasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana, ardhmatsyendrasana, shavasana, paschimottasana and pranayamas such as anuloma-viloma, bhramari, kapalbhati and ujjai are also very beneficial.

The patient should also stay away from dusty places, sensitive foods and mental stress and tensions. Above all the patient should adopt a positive approach and attitude towards life for the treatment and cure of this disease.

Thus it can be concluded that asthma can be cured effectively by adopting proper methods and practices of nature cure.

Tags: Fatigue , Water , Exercise , Asthma