- September 28, 2021
Are there Home Remedies for Asthma and Do They Work?
Are you living with asthma? Having to deal with the demands of your conditions is challenging, and learning to manage your day-to-day experience and symptoms can be a hassle. Typically, your physician prescribes the medication you need to curb an asthma attack.
The use of inhalers and steroid medications can help suppress an attack as it starts or during the event. However, many of us dealing with the effects of asthma in our lives seek holistic treatments available outside of what we get from the doctor.
There are several natural treatments available to suppress asthma attacks and keep you feeling great during the day. This post unpacks our favorite natural asthma remedies; we hope you find them useful.
What Causes Asthma Attacks in Kids and Adults?
People with asthma can have a hard time dealing with the symptoms of an attack. Shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing all go hand-in-hand with asthmatic responses, and we do everything we can to avoid them occurring in our lives.
People who are dealing with the effects of asthma find that their condition occurs when they receive exposure to environmental irritants that act as triggers for an asthma attack. Exposure to irritants can cause an immediate or delayed asthmatic response in the affected individual.
The duration of exposure to the allergen or irritant also determines the severity and intensity of the allergy attack. Here are a few of the allergens recognized by the CDC as responsible for causing asthma attacks in children and adults.
- Smoke from fires and burning debris.
- Tobacco smoke.
- Dust mite exposure.
- Pollen exposure.
- Outdoor air pollution.
- Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).
- Pet dander.
- Mold spores.
- Acid reflux.
- Strenuous exercise.
- High levels of Relative humidity in rooms.
- Hyperventilation.
As you can see, many of the irritants causing asthma attacks occur due to issues with low air quality inside and outside the home. It might surprise you to learn that air quality indoors can be up to five times worse than the air quality outdoors.
If you have asthma or suffer from allergies, it's a good idea to get a seasonal inspection of the air quality in your home.
MI&T can assist you with a test of the air in the rooms, issuing you with a full report on our findings. We can tell you the levels of the contaminants in the air, and we can also help you identify mold spores and sources of mold in your home.
Are Natural Remedies for Asthma Effective?
Now that you know the cause of allergens leading to the onset of asthma attacks let's look at strategies and remedies to prevent them from occurring in the first place. There are plenty of websites offering home remedies for asthmatics.
However, we choose the tried and tested remedies that provide relief for adults and kids with asthma. Here are our top home remedies for preventing and stopping asthma attacks.
Raw Honey
Raw honey has to be our favorite home remedy for preventing asthma attacks. When purchasing your honey, it's crucial that you buy the "raw" version of the product. Raw honey undergoes no heating or filtering during the harvesting and packaging process.
As a result, you get all the beneficial biological ingredients in the honey, including the royal jelly and the probiotic compounds. Pure raw honey has a potent anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Make sure it's raw, as pasteurized honey removes all the beneficial compounds found in the honey.
Drink some raw honey mixed with hot water, the juice of a lemon, some ginger powder, and cinnamon is a great way to reduce inflammation in the throat. Drink a cup of this tonic every morning, and you'll notice you breathe easier during the day.
Ginger
Ginger is a sharp, and somewhat fiery spice, giving you a dose of polyphenol nutrients that reduce inflammation. The polyphenol antioxidants found in ginger help reduce the effect of the bronchial tubes constricting during an asthma attack.
Some research shows that ginger may work alongside some asthma medications, increasing their efficacy. According to studies from the Columbia University Asthma Center, 2-grams of ginger taken daily may help to reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks in affected individuals.
Essential Oils and Extracts
Some several plants and herbs have benefits for asthmatics. Plants and herbs contain polyphenols, the parts of the plant known as "antioxidants." Polyphenols are what give plants their natural colors and smells.
They also have a potent detoxifying and anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Different polyphenols activate and enhance different biological systems, and we can take advantage of this through the use of essential oils and extracts from the host plants.
Essential oils and extracts are highly concentrated formats of the natural compounds found within the plant. For asthmatics, adding these oils and extracts to hot water, and diffusing them with steam, is a fantastic method for minimizing the effects of asthma and limiting attacks in sensitive individuals.
Lavender, peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus oils are all great options for diffusing. Add them to your humidifier, pour water into a hot bowl, drape a towel over your head, and position yourself above the hot steam. Breathe in the medicated air and feel your chest loosen up.
Caffeine
More than 65% of Americans start their day with a cup of coffee. Most of us are looking for that caffeine jolt first thing in the morning. However, some research suggests that the stimulant may be beneficial in helping curb asthma attacks.
The study shows that consuming caffeine opens the airways, allowing you to breathe easier. The use of caffeine also improves lung function and can help open constricted airways two to four hours after use.
Other Home Remedies for Asthma
There are so many home remedies available for helping people cope with asthma. Some of the other therapies offered by people in the asthma community include onions, garlic, mustard seed oil, and figs.
According to research from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), there is insufficient scientific evidence around the use of acupuncture methods to treat asthma. However, many people with the condition claim that it has tremendous benefit in helping them limit the asthmatic response and the intensity of attacks.
Coping with Asthma in Kids and Adults
While the dietary additions mentioned above are effective at helping to mitigate the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks, there are plenty of other strategies adults can deploy to help them manage their condition.
Keep an asthma diary and record your daily experiences with your condition. Write down how you felt during the day. Note if you experienced any asthmatic-related problems and the possible reasons for any attacks. Keeping this journal can help you gain insight into the triggers for your condition.
Clearing out all the known allergens in your home can also help to improve your condition and daily response to allergens present in your home environment. Particulate matter like dust, dust mites, VOCs, and pollen can set off your asthma.
The best way to check the air quality in your home is to order a professional service to inspect the rooms. MI&T is an unbiased air inspection service. We give you a full report on the air quality in your home, and we also specialize in finding any mold spores in the air or infestations in your home.
Make sure you clean your home regularly to get rid of any allergens in the air. You can also think about investing in an air conditioning or HVAC system for the house. Adding an air purification system to the home scrubs the air clean of a vast majority of air pollutants and particulate matter responsible for causing asthma attacks.
Using a saline spray during the day also helps to clear out any allergens lurking in your sinus cavity. It's an affordable and effective way to reduce your exposure to allergens causing attacks.
Parents of kids with asthma should ensure that their child eats properly and gets sufficient rest at night. When we're young, our immune system is still under development. Therefore, ensuring they get the right amount of nutrition and rest gives them a healthy immune system, and they might recover from the condition as they enter adulthood.
If your child doesn't get enough sleep or has a poor diet, they will probably experience higher intensity and frequency of asthma attacks.
The Verdict – Are there Home Remedies for Asthma and Do They Work?
Yes! There are plenty of home asthma remedies that have plenty of benefits for asthmatic patients. Our favorite remedy is the lemon drink we mentioned earlier in the honey section. Drinking a cup of this tonic has been a mainstay for us for the last decade, and it gets proven results.
To make the drink, use the following ingredients.
- The juice of one lemon.
- One tablespoon of raw honey.
- ¼-teaspoon ginger.
- ¼-teaspoon cinnamon.
- Hot water.
Add the ingredients to a mug, along with the water, and stir till the honey dissolves. Drink the mixture while it's hot for the best results. Repeat daily.
