Most of the time, symptoms of this chronic long-term condition can be easily managed with conventional medicines such as inhalers. However, at the same time, more and more people are seeking out alternative remedies to use alongside their prescribed medication. But, before making a decision to supplement your prescribed asthma treatment with holistic alternatives, you should get familiar with your options and, ideally, consult with a medical professional.
Since many of the unconventional treatments often advertised online are nothing short of a hoax designed to take your money on completely unnecessary courses or remedies, here we decided to present information on the successful alternative asthma treatments that actually work and produce the desired results.
What’s on this page?
Asthma breathing techniques
Throughout the decades, asthma breathing techniques turned up time and time again in the media and popular culture. It even does sound rather logical – that respiratory issues can be remedied by proper breathing techniques. But, out of many tips and tricks out there, which ones are those that are actually effective at helping asthmatics?
The Papworth method
In the recent years, there is an ever-growing body of evidence that supports the idea that using physiotherapeutic breathing techniques that focuses on the use of the diaphragm and the nose can really benefit asthmatics and ease the symptoms to some extent. This breathing exercise is considered to be not only efficient, but also very practical as it can easily incorporated into everyday routine and it also suits a large array of outdoor activities, including exercise.
Despite the initial encouraging results, further research into this topic is still needed before we the final judgement is made. While medical community generally agrees that Papworth method of breathing exercises certainly isn’t harmful, there is still no consensus on the question of whether it is actually beneficial and to what extent.
The Buteyko breathing technique (BBT)
Another rather famous method is known as Buteyko breathing technique or BBT for short. It was developed by Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko during the 1950s with the aim of helping asthmatics by better regulating their breathing. It focuses on gentle breathing in through the nose with the goal of ensuring the optimal moisture of the airways and preventing any sudden change in temperature – a well-known asthma attack trigger. In the later development, this technique also included several types of exercise as well as sleep and relaxation techniques.
While people practicing Buteyko breathing method reported noticeable improvements in their condition, it is very important to note that one should never substitute the conventional and prescribed asthma treatments with alternative and supplementary methods. Most notably, this breathing method cannot prevent asthma attacks in response to triggers, so it’s vital to have an inhaler at hand, no matter how satisfied you are with your alternative asthma treatment of choice.
At the same time, in spite of overall positive attitude of patients towards BBT, as of now, there is still no clinical evidence to support it as an asthma treatment. But, many doctors still choose to recommend it as a supplementary technique that can reduce asthma symptoms and potentially even somewhat decrease the need for taking medicine.
Holistic asthma therapies
It seems that in the modern world, holistic therapies are surprisingly fashionable. From yoga exercises, to acupuncture, hypnotherapy and homeopathy, these techniques and exercises have been used to treat almost everything, from stress to serious medical conditions such as asthma. Practitioners of these techniques continue to claim that by engaging in these alternative treatments, once can relax muscles, including those lining the airways in the lungs, subsequently improving the asthma symptoms.
Hypnotherapy in asthma treatment
Hypnotherapy is a practice during which a person is introduced into an altered state of consciousness, ideally, a highly suggestive state where the power of suggestion and positive thinking is used to change behaviour.
So-called experts in the field claim that it’s possible to aid muscle relaxation through hypnosis, but there is zero evidence to back this claim. As opposed to breathing techniques which have experimentally proven to be able to diminish the symptoms, if nothing else, hypnotherapy, as of now, failed to produce any measurable results.
Yoga
Yoga is a well-known ancient form of exercise that aims to strengthen the body through stretching and breathing techniques. As of now, there is no conclusive clinical evidence to support the claim that yoga is beneficial for asthmatics. But, at the same time, one preliminary clinical trial did manage to prove a limited link between practicing yoga and the likelihood of experiencing an asthma attack.
The bottom line is, yoga is a form of exercise, and while numerous “mystical” properties often attributed to it are questionable to say the least, it still has the same benefits that more conventional exercise methods have. With well-known beneficial properties of exercise when it comes to asthma management, one cannot advice against practising yoga, but it is very important to be careful if you are diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma.
Acupuncture
Based on the ancient Chinese form of medicine, acupuncture denotes the use of tiny needles that are inserted into specific and precisely defined points on the skin in order to provide pain relief or other health benefits. However, the studies that tried to show the direct link between acupuncture and asthma relief so far failed to produce any results, so any speculations on this topic remain outside of the official medical community.
If you’re really certain that acupuncture might be what you need, just keep in mind that it can only be combined with your conventional therapy, it cannot replace it entirely. What’s more, be sure to only seek this treatment at a certified specialist in order to ensure that there is no injury and that the needles used are clean.
Homeopathy and asthma
Homeopathy is an unconventional and rather specific form of practicing medicine. It is based on using small amounts of the substance that causes certain health problems in order to try and kick-start the body’s natural healing processes.
Some people opt to turn to homeopathy for their asthma problems, hoping that moderate exposure to triggers will help them build resistance to them. However, there is no medical evidence to support these claims and due to dangers of causing an asthma attack this is not something we can recommend.
Herbal medication
A very significant percentage of asthmatics in the UK seem to turn to herbal remedies as supplements which will, as they hope, help alleviate their symptoms and reduce the risks of an asthma attack. While some herbal remedies are regulated and clinically tested, others are still not being seriously considered by the medical community. In any case, as long as you don’t try to replace your conventional and prescribed asthma treatment with herbs, there should be no negative consequences.
Over-the-counter medication
Within the UK, there are no asthma treatments that are available without a prescription, and it’s similar for much of European Union. Prescription medication is in most cases offered, such as Montelukast. However, some European countries and the US do offer over-the-counter asthma medication. So, the most precise answer to this question can be given by your doctor or a pharmacist who is familiar with the details about the drug markets in your country. Also, make sure to consult your doctor about the type of asthma you are suffering from before getting your medication.
