ASTHMA - NATURAL REMEDIES

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D

Preventive Medicine

Asthma is an interesting disease characterized by respiratory difficulty; not in taking a breath, but in breathing air out. In an acute asthmatic attack, one may have difficulty breathing air in because of the thick secretions in the bronchiole, the tubes leading to the air sacs of the lungs. Asthma then must be treated from the standpoint of both the acute attack and the interval between attacks. Every effort must be made to live daily in strict accordance with the laws of health. Avoiding inciting environmental factors, skipping out of certain exercises, and practicing special breathing techniques can all be used to prevent the acute attack.

Diet and an ideal lifestyle can be helpful in relieving chronic bronchitis that often accompanies asthma. Infection, allergies, smoking, air pollution, strong odors, cold air, strong emotions, and over-exertion are all causes of asthma. Often there is a strong hereditary component. Fear and anxiety perpetuate or aggravate the condition, especially once an acute attack begins.

Ninety percent of asthmatics are mouth breathers, increasing the likelihood that dust and pollutants from the air and germs in the mouth and pharynx will be taken into the lungs, and that cold air and particles that could cause allergies can reach the lungs.

Infant formula with cow’s milk has also been implicated as a major cause of infantile asthma. General anesthesia in infancy, especially during the first two years of life, has been reported as a factor in the production of asthma, hay fever, and other allergic respiratory diseases.

TREATMENT ROUTINE

Sleep on the abdomen to encourage drainage of the lungs and to encourage keeping the mouth closed while sleeping. Many asthmatic cases get tremendous help from sleeping outdoors, or on an open porch. Sleeping indoors with the doors and windows open can be of some help, but the results aren’t as good as sleeping outdoors.

Good posture is essential, as proper positioning of the lungs can encourage drainage and healthy bronchi. The ideal position is having both feet flat on the floor or propped on a low stool, shoulders flat against the back of the chair. Practice breathing deeply from the diaphragm. When speaking, contract the diaphragm actively as the strain falls on the diaphragm and not on the speech organs. 

A daily brush massage using a very stiff bristle brush can be helpful as stimulation both to the adrenals and to the general circulation. Begin at the fingertips and brush to the shoulders with long strokes. Cover every inch of the skin, always brushing toward the heart. Massage for 3 minutes. After the massage, have a cool or lukewarm shower, ending with a 30 seconds cold spray to the midback, just below the shoulder blades. This is designed to stimulate the adrenals and may be used for this purpose during the acute attack. 

Not 1 in 1000 asthmatics understands how to clothe the extremities, as he should. Two or more layers of clothes should be worn on the arms and legs any time the temperature is below 65 degrees. If the temperature is below 50 degrees, then three or more layers of clothes can be worn. Feet should be kept warm and dry, even in warm weather. Ears and neck should be kept warm during cold weather. At night, special care should be given to prevent chilling the shoulders and upper arms, which can cause chilled blood to be returned to the lungs. 

Avoid dust, cats, dogs, feathered pillows and upholstery, fumes, and the odor of all chemicals except natural odors of trees and outdoors. Avoid dusty rugs and draperies and even rotting leaves. Molds and fungi should especially be avoided as they are potent allergens. Rooms and closets should be scrubbed down, dried thoroughly, and aired out. Generally speaking, if it has an odor, it should be avoided. This includes cosmetics, perfumes, cleaning compounds, etc. Use plastic covers on pillows and mattresses. Air the bedrooms day and night, no matter what season it may be. Avoid drafts as they chill the skin but keep the bedrooms well ventilated. 

     

Avoid overeating. The ciliated lining cells of the bronchial passages and the large white blood cells that form a part of the fence mechanism of the respiratory tree are inactivated by overeating, especially a rich meal. Eat only breakfast and dinner. For the asthmatic, a pure vegetarian diet is best, as animal products are more likely to stimulate allergies. Overeating can be defined as: a) eating too much food; b) eating too many times per day; c) eating too many varieties at a meal; d) eating concentrated foods which have a high calorie yield for a small amount of food. 

Learn to recognize foods which cause a flare-up of asthma. Melons and bananas, for example, may need to be omitted, as the incidence of sensitivity to these fruits is high among asthma patients. Oranges, tomatoes, or wheat can cause problems. For all asthma patients it is best to avoid all foods of animal origin, cheese especially. Sugar, oil, and other fats reduce the ability of white blood cells in the lungs to protect from infection.

Drink plenty of water to keep bronchial secretions loose and easily expelled by the lungs. The amount of water needed can be judged by the color of the urine. Keep it pale! At the beginning of any attack, begin “sleep-breathing,” which is a slow, deep breath with a three second pause at the height of both inspiration and expiration. Chamomile tea is reported to also have some anti-allergic and anti-bacterial action.

Blend four cloves of garlic in a cup of lukewarm water until thoroughly blended. Pour the material into a cup and drink it rapidly. Most patients will have nausea and vomiting after drinking the solution, which assists greatly in loosening bronchial secretions, and makes coughing successful. This is an old fashioned remedy once used in emergency rooms for asthma, using syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting. However, never use syrup of ipecac in asthma as it is a narcotic and reduces muscle stimulation in the chest. The breathing may improve with the garlic treatment alone. Vomiting loosens bronchial plugs and encourages watery secretions and coughing, bringing marked relief. Make a second cup of the garlic water, blending only one clove of garlic in a cup of cold water or tomato juice. Allow the patient to sip this cupful, or it can be quickly administered promptly after the vomiting has entirely stopped, during the “refractory phase,” when vomiting usually will not occur. The active principal in garlic is excreted in the lungs, loosening secretions and improving the breathing.

Boil one to five Aloe vera leaves in a pan of water and inhale the vapors with a towel over your head and the pot. You can also do the same inhalation treatment using a few boiled potatoes. Another variation of this treatment is two cups of water boiled with one tablespoon of thyme or a few drops of eucalyptus honey. Pour the boiling mixture into a basin and inhale.

At bedtime take one tablespoon of sunflower or corn oil before retiring. It helps breathing during sleep.

Cranberry juice contains an ingredient that dilates bronchial tubes. Gently simmer one cup of cranberries in one quart of water for five minutes and mash the cranberries. Place in a tightly closed glass container and refrigerate. During an attack, add three teaspoons of the juice to a cup of hot water. Sip it while hot.—Jude's Herbal Home Remedies by Jude C. Williams, M.H. 1996, Llewellyn Publications, P.O. Box 64383-869, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383               

Sleeping with a hot water bottle or electric heating pad under the feet and knees is a great help in relieving congestion of the lungs which asthmatics generally suffer.

The use of hot and cold water applications will often bring an attack to a close in a few minutes. 

a. Very hot fomentations to the back of the neck and chest, the patient lying on them while other fomentations are applied to the front of the chest. At the same time a hot foot bath is set in place. Keep the face and head cool. Some patients may need only the back packs which they lie upon. Cover the patient warmly in winter and lightly in summer, using a light fan directed to the face for comfort. The patient should lie quietly for 30 minutes. Finish the treatment with a cool sponge bath or an alcohol rub and coarse towel friction rubdown.

b. Some attacks will be stopped by one gallon of very cold water poured over the back of the neck from the 24-inch level for two minutes, the patient bending over so the runoff water can be caught in a bucket or tub underneath the neck and chin.

c. A neutral bath for two to four hours can be given at a temperature between 94 and 97 degrees.

d. Anything that increases perspiration of the skin will encourage increased activity of the mucous membranes. Since secretions become thickened and rubbery in asthma, the increased activity loosens secretions and promotes expectoration and clearing of the bronchial tree. Asthma may be relieved by the Russian bath, but will return with redoubled force if there is any inadvertent exposure to a draft following the bath.

Cold water baths can ease asthma symptoms. One with asthma should bathe in cold water for one minute, or take a 30 second cold shower each day. Professor Vijay Kakkar who had had asthma for 15 years began taking daily cold baths. After a few weeks he no longer needed to carry an inhaler.—Thrombosis Research Institute in London. The Daily Mail, London, Spring 1993

Several massage strokes are helpful.

a. Cupping: Locate the adrenals by estimating the distance midway between the lower angle of the shoulder blade and the waist. Just above the midsection of that line is the approximate level of the adrenals. A sharp smack with the cupped hand over the adrenal area, followed by brisk rubbing for about ten seconds, and repeated on the opposite side two or three times, encourages the release of adrenalin, which dilates bronchi.

b. Tapping briskly with the finger tips over the adrenal area for one minute on each side also causes the adrenals to react.

c. Slapping the skin briskly over the adrenals with ice-cold towels, the patient sitting bending over, also stimulates the adrenals.

d. A woman from rural Alabama told me of a remedy which she had devised for her husband in which she slapped her husband with her hands on his bare back across and below the shoulder blades. He got great relief after a few minutes of this.

e. A fifteen-minute upper body massage helps to reduce chest tightness, wheezing, physical pain, and fatigue in asthma sufferers.—Prevention, July 1995, p. 23

Use a vaporizer in the room, cool air type, with some kind of medication such as menthol or oil of eucalyptus in the water.

A neutral bath at around 95-97 degrees, maintained for one to five hours encourages easy breathing in some patients.

The acute asthmatic attack can often be relieved by the Heimlich maneuver, the same maneuver that has saved lives of people choking on food. This maneuver forcefully compresses the lower chest and pushes up the diaphragm. It helps asthmatics to expel mucus and excess air from the lungs, thereby making breathing easier. If performed several times a week, there is a good possibility it may help to prevent attacks. The Heimlich Maneuver is done by pressing one’s fist into the abdomen over the stomach while standing behind the patient and reaching the arms around the patient, and taking the other hand and suddenly and forcefully squeezing the chest, pushing the fist with the opposite hand with all one’s might in a sudden way, trying to get the patient to bend over at the same time you forcefully push your fist into the epigastrium. Almost always the diaphragm will be pushed upward rather rapidly, and the patient will do something similar to a cough. Since asthma is quite serious and widespread, even though there is some controversy among authorities as to the effectiveness of this maneuver, it is worth trying when things are not going well during an asthma attack.—Modern Medicine 65 (2):28, 1997

It is now estimated that about ten percent of acute asthmatic attacks are caused by the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Asthma treated with steroids will result in a serious increase in the loss of bone mineral. The recent increased mortality rate in asthmatics is believed to be due to the newly developed asthma drugs. At Pennsylvania State University researchers have found aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs among the main culprits. Beta-blockers, used widely to treat heart disease and hypertension, are risky for asthma patients. About half of all asthma patients using beta-blockers will have adverse reactions.—Comprehensive Therapy 22(6):339;1996   All drugs, but especially these listed, should be avoided if possible.

Avoid tartrazine (a yellow food dye), acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin like compounds), sulfur dioxide, sodium benzoate, and sodium metabisulfite (found in commercial fruit juices, vinegar, syrups, and toppings, dehydrated vegetables, processed cheese, processed meats, and alcoholic beverages). Try to find other ways to treat illness than pharmaceuticals. If possible avoid all drugs, cortisone, and caffeinated beverages, even if decaffeinated. Long-term use of cortisone-like compounds increases many risks. Avoid antihistamines, as they dry secretions and increase difficulty in breathing.

A number of medications often used by asthmatics may produce a rebound similar to that produced by nose drops. Aerosol nebulizers induce a dependency, and may produce thick, dry, mucus plugs. Sodium metabisulfite is present in several medications used for asthma. Sensitivity to metabisulfite has caused many asthmatics to get worse.


These and several other remedies are explained in depth in Agatha Thrash MD book, Home Remedies which is one of the best books on natural written by this lady who has tested both worlds of conventional medicine and natural remedies. Dr Agatha Thrash was a conventional medical doctor before he opted for the world of natural remedies which she says are simple but very powerful and longer lasting benefits.

For more information contact:

Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center

30 Uchee Pines Road #75

Seale, Alabama 36875

Tel. 334-855-4764

www.ucheepines.org