July 1, 2008

Herbal Remedies For Asthma – Treatment On Its Way

The first thing that you should do if you feel you may have asthma is to get yourself checked at a recognized hospital which has specialization in asthma. If asthma is confirmed by your consultant doctor, you will be prescribed medicines for its control. Alongside the medicines you are taking you can also try some herbal remedies for asthma that are known to have a positive and good effect on patients of asthma.

Ayurvedic Herbal Medicines

There is a shrub called butterbur, found in almost all the countries of the world, which is known to have petasin and isopetasin. These active agents help in reducing muscle spasms in asthma patients as well as help in reducing inflammation in the air pipe. Although it is one of the good herbal remedies for asthma it can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting and indigestion along with diarrhea and constipation in some patients. Moreover, it should not be given to pregnant women and patients with kidney or liver problems.
                  
Boswellia or salai guggal is an Indian ayurvedic medicine, and is another of the good herbal remedies for asthma. This ayurvedic medicine restricts the production of leukotrienes in the body of the patient. When leukotrienes develop inside the lungs they narrow the airway which in turn blocks the breathing passage to choke the patient of asthma. However, this medicine too is known to have its set of side effects like nausea, diarrhea and indigestion. It is yet unclear if it can safely be given with other medicines of treatment.
 
The root cause of asthma is the creation of phlegm which cannot be expelled by the body. If the patient starts eating foods that aid in keeping phlegm at bay then it can serve as one of the herbal remedies of asthma. A patient of asthma should mainly take fruits for breakfast like apples, mangoes, guavas, oranges and papayas, according to the season. You can take vegetables like carrots and tomatoes along with fruits. It is good for patients of asthma to take boiled vegetables for lunch and dinner.
 
Besides these herbal remedies for asthma, one should try to regulate their lifestyle by going for morning and evening walks and take a regular bath at least two times in a day to improve digestion. Meditation is also known to have a good effect on asthma patients. It is important to keep up a healthy appetite as it is difficult to maintain it with a very poor diet like fruits and vegetables. Never overeat your food and take cups of warm water every now and then, especially, when an attack is feared or has taken place. Applying a chest pack and keeping feet dipped in warm water can give relief in an attack of asthma.
 
Herbal inhalers are considered to be one of the best herbal remedies for asthma patients. It may be a bit difficult for the user to do it for the first time. Basically, it is a device to deliver mist medication through the mouth. It needs proper timing to press the button of the inhaler after you have adjusted the mouthpiece into your mouth. As the mist medicine is ejected you have to breathe in really hard to take in the medication. Repeat it for some time till you feel relieved. This helps to comfort inflammation of the lungs due to the blocking of phlegm. Herbal inhalers use specific ingredients that help the lungs and have negligible side effects. So, for young children, elderly people and the ones who prefer a natural approach to treatment, asthma herbal inhaler is the best option.

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