If you suffer from asthma, prescription medications like corticosteroids can go a long way in keeping the symptoms under control. But if you're taking your medications and still feeling a little wheezy at times, then you may want to consider including one or more of these complementary treatments in your routine, too.
Herbal Remedies
Before adding any herbs to your diet, check with your doctor to ensure they won't interfere with the medications you're already taking. A number of different herbs can be beneficial for asthma sufferers. Turmeric is helpful because it helps reduce inflammation, especially when you take it consistently, day after day. Garlic can also help ease asthma symptoms by opening up the respiratory tract, and ginseng is really helpful when asthma is related to allergies. You can often find herbal blends for asthma that contain all of these herbs, and sometimes a few others.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care should not be relied on as a sole treatment for asthma, but it can be a really good complementary therapy to try. Having your spine adjusted can take pressure off of certain nerves related to your respiratory tract, which can help make your respiratory tract less reactive and constricted. Sometimes adjusting the spine also takes physical pressure off the lungs by realigning the ribs. You may feel like you're able to breathe more deeply after an adjustment for this reason. Plus, chiropractic adjustments help reduce stress, which can be an asthma trigger. Most patients can benefit from being adjusted once a month. If your spine is badly misaligned, then your chiropractor may want to see you more often.
Menthol Gels and Creams
Another remedy to consider is simply applying menthol gels or creams to your chest and neck. These menthol preparations are often used by people with colds and coughs to open up the airways and make breathing more comfortable. While they are not a cure for asthma, they can give you a little extra fighting power when your medications alone are not quite cutting it. Plus, it feels really good to inhale the menthol and let it wash through your respiratory tract.
If you have asthma, make sure you look into these complementary therapies. They are all relatively safe, and they tend to pair well with prescription medications to provide additional relief. Just check with your doctor before adding in any herbs; they're more powerful than some people realize. To learn more, contact an asthma treatment center.
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