Effective natural therapy for asthma, bronchitis

Asthma is a distressing condition and is more likely to occur at certain time of the year or season. It is also a chronic and common disease worldwide. The incidence of asthma is on the increase, especially during wet season and the morbidity from the disease continues to pose challenges to healthcare practitioners worldwide.The submission of Dr. Gregory. E. Erhabor, a consultant chest physician at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile-Ife, describes asthma as the sixth cause of morbidity all over the world.

According to him, "about 200 million people all over the world are known to have asthma with more than 200,000 death per year, if not more than that”. Asthma, it should be noted, is more prevalent in industrialised countries than in developing countries. For instance in Africa alone, it is estimated that there are over thirty million cases. Globally, the economic cost associated with asthma according to Dr. Erhabor in one of his lectures on asthma is estimated to exceed that of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined. Asthma patients, however, have to be very careful in managing the disease. They should know that asthma is an allergic condition, an abnormal response of the body to some substances such as pollens, mould, animal fur, various chemicals, fumes, odours, as well as certain foods or drugs.

Certain germs in the nose and throat may also trigger asthmatic attacks. These attacks have been discovered to be more frequent when the patient is tired or exposed to undue stress or under severe emotional strain. Even changes in the weather may sometimes cause an attack. Many patients with asthma may also suffer what is called emphysema - which is an overdistension of the alveoli, or small air sag, in the lungs, and also of the small bronchioles or tubes that carry air to the lungs. The good news is that, if you have been taking some orthodox drugs and the asthma seems not to be responding well to such medications, alternative medical practitioners are encouraging you to try some herbal therapies which have been proven to be effective.

Normally asthma can be treated with quick relief medicine like salbutamol, etc, as these drugs are bronchodilators. But asthma can be of various degrees starting from the very mild to the serious and if the serious attack is left untreated or not well managed, it can cause choking and breathing problems. In fact, in rare cases, it can cause death. There are now many natural remedies available in nature which naturopaths like Drs. Nurudeen Animasaun, Kayode Oniyelu and Sola Ogunwande say if well applied to the disease can act as natural effective bronchodilators better than some orthodox drugs, and reduce the swelling of the air passages which usually result in wheezing as a result of the windpipes becoming plugged with thick, sticky mucous. When this happens, the patients would find it very difficult to breath. But most times, breathing in can be much easier than breathing out.

Also if your own condition is so severe that you always experience breathing discomfort, chest tightness, and mucous formation, then you can try a combination of two or more natural remedies highlighted below, you should also try to work with one natural treatment which you find very effective. For example, thorough scientific studies by alternative practitioners have shown that tomato juice with a teaspoonful of turmeric powder taken once daily go a long way in reducing tropical eosinophila, and free asthmatics from the pangs of breathlessness. Also taking half a glass of fresh tomato juice daily mixed with a teaspoon of turmeric powder for a week or two would create a substantial relief from asthmatic attacks.
Another good natural therapy for asthma is lettuce seeds. Lettuce seed you may ask? But the truth is that a teaspoon of lettuce seeds mixed with pure honey, stired well and left for a day or two is a natural bronchodilator.

Taking this preparation twice daily during the treatment of asthma and bronchitis is a very useful tonic. Regular usage will also reduce dependence on asthma medicines and improve the quality of life. To prepare this concoction, take a teaspoon of raw lettuce seeds, mix it in a pure (undiluted) honey. Take the concoction on an empty stomach twice a day. This has been proven to be a good relief over a long term. Raw lettuce seeds contain lignose, which is an effective intestinal antiseptic. Another effective therapy for asthma is malt vinegar and carrot. To prepare it, take carrots and make juice out of it. Take a teaspoonful of fresh mint juice, two teaspoonfuls of pure malt vinegar and thoroughly mix the two together. Then pour the combination in an equal quantity of pure honey, and stir them in carrot juice.

This concoction can then be taken three times a day as a medicated tonic during the treatment of bronchitis, asthma and dry or stubborn cough. It would help open up the chest and remove mucous that is forming or has formed in the upper respiratory tract, particularly the chest. It is also effective in soothing the bronchioles, liquifies the tenacious sputum and forms health tissues in lungs and membranes. This concoction is also effective in preventing other respiratory infections. A cupful of fresh bitter gourd juice mixed with a table spoonful of pure honey taken once daily for three to four months depending on severity of asthma, according to natural medicine practitioners would cure asthma and chronic bronchitis. It is also worth a try for patients suffering mild reccurent asthma. Although very bitter, the therapy however, is easy-to-prepare cure for asthma and bronchitis.

Furthermore, natural medicine practitioners say the leaves of egg plant are a good antispasmodic for the treatment of bronchitis and chronic asthma. To prepare this therapy, extract the juice from the egg plant leaves, mix it with one teaspoonful of honey. Intake of this therapy three timesdaily has been proven effective against problems of congestion in the lungs, bronchitis and dry and stubborn cough. Even those experiencing whooping cough stand to benefit from the therapy. This therapy has also been proven to be effective in the treatment of allergic cough and allergic bronchitis.