An episodic constriction of the bronchial
tubes, resulting in wheezing, especially on expiration, and
difficulty in breathing, asthma is a common disorder of
both children and adults, often mysterious and frustrating to
treat. Worldwide, the incidence of asthma is increasing rapidly,
almost certainly a result of worsening air pollution from cars
and industry.
The immediate cause of an asthmatic attack is tightening of the muscular bands that regulate the size of the bronchial tubes. These muscles are controlled by nerves, but why the nerves make them constrict inappropriately is not clear. Asthma can be primarily allergic, or primarily emotional, or induced by exercise or respiratory infection, or it can occur with no obvious causes, in which case doctors call it "intrinsic." Asthma can appear, and disappear, without warning. It can kill. The strong drugs that allopathic doctors use to treat it are often very toxic, addictive, and sadly ineffective, but a severe attack may require emergency treatment and hospitalization.
Childhood asthma with a strong allergic component that appears at very young ages often disappears spontaneously in adolescence or early adulthood. Much more serious is intrinsic asthma that first appears in middle age; it tends to be resistant to treatment.
Treatment of asthma has two aspects: (a) management of acute attacks, and (b) long-term control or prevention. Several botanical remedies can be used to manage acute asthmatic attacks. One is Chinese ephedra, Ephedra sinica, an ancient medicinal plant and the natural source of ephedrine, a stimulant and broncho-dilating drug. You can buy dried ephedra stems (they look like the ends of a broom) from Chinese herb suppliers and some herb shops. These can be brewed into a pleasant-tasting tea that has fewer side effects than pharmaceutical ephedrine:
- Put a handful of crumbled stems in a glass or enamel pot with a quart of cold water. Bring to the boil, lower heat, cover, and boil gently for twenty minutes. Strain. Drink one or two cups every two to four hours as needed. Too much will cause jitteriness and insomnia.
You can also find tinctures and capsules of Chinese ephedra in health-food stores; use them according to dosage recommendations on the labels.
Another herbal treatment for an asthma attack is lobelia, or Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata). Mix three parts tincture of lobelia with one part tincture of capsicum (red pepper, cayenne pepper). Take twenty drops of the mixture in water at the start of an asthmatic attack. Repeat every thirty minutes for a total of three or four doses.
Here are some general measures for long-term control and prevention of asthma attacks:
- Eliminate milk and all milk products from the diet. Milk protein increases mucous secretion in the respiratory passages and may also contribute to the allergic component of asthma. Not only does this mean avoiding milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream, it also means reading labels to be sure that other food products do not contain any milk. Bread, for instance, often includes nonfat dry milk as an ingredient.
- Always drink plenty of water to keep the respiratory tract secretions fluid.
- Practice breathing exercises. Not only is this a good relaxation technique, it will help you combat the vicious cycle of panic and respiratory distress that builds up in an asthmatic attack.
- Have some manipulative work done on the chest to break up restrictive patterns in nerves and muscles that develop in chronic asthma. The best systems known for this are osteopathic manipulation, especially from a practitioner of craniosacral technique, and Rolfing, a form of deep-tissue massage.
- Experiment with radical dietary change, such as elimination of sugar, total vegetarianism, macrobiotics, or long-term fasting. Asthma will sometimes disappear in response to such a change.
- Minimize contact with respiratory irritants, such as smoke, dust, molds, and volatile chemicals. Remove sources of offending materials from your home, install a good air filtration system, or consider moving if the air is generally bad where you live.
- Experiment with living in other locations: in high mountains, the desert, or near the seacoast. Asthma may improve greatly with a change of climate.
- Experiment with traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine (the traditional healing system of India). These systems are sometimes able to offer significant help through more specific dietary adjustments and herbal treatments.
Use standard (allopathic) medicines selectively and with caution. If you have significant asthma, you will probably have to use medical drugs some of the time. For allergic asthma, one of the safest and best drugs is inhaled cromolyn sodium (Intal). Most broncho-dilating drugs are stimulants that increase sympathetic tone and anxiety. Theophylline, derived from tea, has a long history of use, but may not be as safe as doctors used to think. It can cause dramatic personality changes. Other drugs of this class can be inhaled to relieve and prevent attacks. These inhalers work, but they are often addictive, since the bronchial tubes are likely to become constricted again when one dose wears off (the same pattern occurs when these drugs are sprayed into the nose to relieve nasal congestion).
Other inhalers contain steroids. If the steroids are not absorbed into the system, they can be safe and effective. Different products vary greatly in efficacy and absorbability. At this writing, the best (AeroBid Inhaler System) contains a synthetic steroid called flunisolide, which has low systemic activity. Steroid inhalers should always be used immediately following inhalation of a bronchodilator.
Oral steroids are very dangerous for asthmatics, because it is too easy to become addicted to them, and toxicity from long-term steroid use is devastating. Try to avoid ever going on oral steroids. If you do have to take them, get off as soon as possible.
In general, the less medication you can take, the better. Allopathic drugs, being suppressive in nature, tend to perpetuate asthma and reduce the chance that it will disappear on its own.
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