Condition Spotlight

Asthma is a chronic and sometimes acute condition in which the smooth muscles that surround the smaller air passages into the lungs (bronchi and bronchioles) go into spasms, narrowing the bronchial passageways and making it difficult for air to flow in and out of the lungs. Asthma is also characterized by excessive mucous membrane secretions that can block the bronchioles.

The advantages of using natural methods instead of conventional treatments for asthma are obvious. The most common medications used by conventional medicine in the treatment of asthma include prednisone, a cortisone derivative, which can cause severe adverse reactions, including fluid and electrolyte disturbances, muscle weakness, peptic ulcers, impaired wound healing, headaches and dizziness, menstrual irregularities, and glaucoma; prednisone may also help manifest latent diabetes. Approaches such as diet and nutrition, herbal medicine, neurobiofeedback, and hydrotherapy have shown positive results in the treatment of asthma, without the negative side effects associated with drug-based therapies.

Diet and Nutrition: Strengthening the immune system is of primary concern in the treatment of asthma. This can be accomplished by eliminating allergens in foods, correcting digestive problems, establishing the proper balance of essential fatty acids, such as those found in cold-water fish, and supplying other nutrients important to the immune system. Good dietary management also needs to be maintained in order to resist the condition.

Asthma generally manifests itself in the form of an asthma attack. Between these attacks, an asthmatic will usually seem perfectly healthy. An attack is characterized by a narrowing of the bronchial passages, along with an excessive excretion of mucus, resulting in impaired breathing, with the severity of the symptoms often accelerating rapidly