Asthma question(s)

[Hivemindgammahydra7]

I did a site search but couldn't quite find what I'm looking for, so I'm posting this.

I've suffered from adult-onset asthma since March of 1996. Prior to that it was never an issue at all. Today, I have to use 2 x inhalers once per day, although the docs tell me to use them twice/day (I'd rather cut usage if I can). One of the two is a steroid-type and in actuality I try to use it not at all, if possible.

To make matters worse, I developed severe allergies in early 1998, for which I am almost perpetually on Claritan-D.

To cut this somewhat short, I don't like doing any of this, and am worried about the long-term effects on my overall health. I would like to know what I can do or use or take that will help my situation without being on any medicines, or at least cut my cancer risk down.

Any help or suggestions are gratefully appreciated...

H7

[SilverBull71]

Clariten D and other pharmaceutical drugs are only going to mask problems, and make your body more unhealthy in the long run. You need to completely get off drugs and make your body strong naturally. Your body knows how to heal itself if you let it. Asthma is a physical problem ,but it can be healed. I believe it is a result of stress and or liver and digestion problems. Over time, with a traditional western diet and life style ( especially when taking drugs) the liver becomes sluggish and congested. When this happens there is a chain reaction of many unhealthy things in the body... Buy some books on alternative health. Do lots of research . Ignore western doctors and everything they have told you in the past.

Start walking twice a day. Start slow and build up slowly. Walking is the healthiest exercise you can possibly do. Completely re-vamp your diet. Most Americans live on processed junk food that taxes your liver and digestion. Start eating "Super Foods" like whole grains ( Barley, buckwheat, Quinoa, brown rice) lentils, miso, etc. and lots of green vegetables. Less processed sugar and white bread. Try yoga, meditation, and / or breathing exercises. It takes work, but you can do it. Most Americans want their health problems to simply go away by taking pills ,and not changing their health and lifestyle. Don't be that way. Take control of your mind and body.

I saw a story on 60 minutes a few years ago about a doctor that treated diabetes simply with diet. One of his patients was a women that was 50-60 pounds overweight and had to take insulin shots daily. She lived on fast food and crap. He put her on a special macrobiotic diet and within 4 weeks she no longer had to take insulin. Do you think her western doctor could have done that with a pill? No way. I'm not sure how much you weigh, but losing some weight can also definitely help your asthma.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck.




.

[Large Sarge]

you might try getting a negative ion generator, I own a few for my house.

pretty good stuff IMO

No affiliation with this company, other than a satisfied customer

http://www.negativeiongenerators.com/roomionizers.html

lots of good info on the site, should help clean the air, and help you breathe easier. (plus lots of other good stuff also)

[Curtman]

Let me first just say that Claritn D does not mask the problem. It clears passages so you can breath again and relives pressure from the sinus's that otherwise will make you eyes pop out of your head. Pulsating unfocused vision due to air restriction or sinus congestion is a real thing for anybody who has never experienced it. If you have and you have tried the Claritin for $27.00 per box of ten count you will feel it is a bargain at that.
I wish there was a fast simple cure but short of Kahn's idea of the vaporizer in the house with colloidal silver in it I do not know of anything else.
You used to get the generic version from Costco for $9.00 a box but they quit doing it. Canada and Mexico are reasonable if you ever get across the border you can mail it to your house from there and save bucks.

[bjgnome]

I am an alternative health care practitioner, and I agree with the natural approach, but depending on the individual, that corticosteroid inhaler could save a life.

I gave a lecture with a colleague not long ago on the subject of respiration & respiratory disorders...I'll see if I can dig up my notes, and post some of the images.

My colleague is an ND. He mentioned another MD he knew who urged the parents of an asthmatic child to get the child off drugs and use a more holistic approach. Kid died.

By all means, do your best to wean yourself of that stuff, because long term it will wear down your system, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Allopathic medicine is just what I want in an acute health crisis.

Basically, asthma is an inflamatory response of the body to stress. Run a search for "anti-inflamatory diet" and you may come up with some clues.

Eliminate:

all refined sugars, including cane juice
bad fats (fried foods)
dairy

I know omega 3 oils are on the list of good stuff for asthma... sources include flax oil, pumkin seeds (raw), hemp seed or fish.

I am also a fan of the macrobiotic approach.

The psychodynamic aspect of asthma is also vitally important. Asthma often triggered by stressful events. One of my clients had adult onset asthma... his first attack came the night his mother firt came to visit him and his wife, who were newlyweds.

My signature below is another clue. Learning to regulate the breath is the key to mastery of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates respiration, heart rate, digestion and more.

[SilverBull71]

Clariten D and other pharmaceutical drugs are only going to mask problems, and make your body more unhealthy in the long run. You need to completely get off drugs and make your body strong naturally. Your body knows how to heal itself if you let it. Asthma is a physical problem ,but it can be healed. I believe it is a result of stress and or liver and digestion problems. Over time, with a traditional western diet and life style ( especially when taking drugs) the liver becomes sluggish and congested. When this happens there is a chain reaction of many unhealthy things in the body... Buy some books on alternative health. Do lots of research . Ignore western doctors and everything they have told you in the past.

Start walking twice a day. Start slow and build up slowly. Walking is the healthiest exercise you can possibly do. Completely re-vamp your diet. Most Americans live on processed junk food that taxes your liver and digestion. Start eating "Super Foods" like whole grains ( Barley, buckwheat, Quinoa, brown rice) lentils, miso, etc. and lots of green vegetables. Less processed sugar and white bread. Try yoga, meditation, and / or breathing exercises. It takes work, but you can do it. Most Americans want their health problems to simply go away by taking pills ,and not changing their health and lifestyle. Don't be that way. Take control of your mind and body.

I saw a story on 60 minutes a few years ago about a doctor that treated diabetes simply with diet. One of his patients was a women that was 50-60 pounds overweight and had to take insulin shots daily. She lived on fast food and crap. He put her on a special macrobiotic diet and within 4 weeks she no longer had to take insulin. Do you think her western doctor could have done that with a pill? No way. I'm not sure how much you weigh, but losing some weight can also definitely help your asthma.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck.




.





Sometimes I get overly passionate about alternative medicine and health. Most pharmaceutical drugs mask problems. Clariten D, does not, but I still think in the long run it is unnatural and unhealthy to artificially effect the body with drugs. There are a lot of side effects that you might not see for a long time.

My mother was healthy 5 years ago but a doctor told her that her cholesterol was high and gave her a statin drug. ( Instead of having her excerise and improve diet ) It reduced her cholesterol #'s artifically but 3-4 years later she started falling apart. I am convinced it was because of this drugs effect on her liver and other side effects.

Asthma inhalers can be life savers, so I think you should not go cold turkey. The goal would be to get off of them slowly and naturally by improving stress, diet, and physical health naturally.



.

[Curtman]

Hey I would rather have anything natural but I have just never seen anything work better that Claritin D.
I use Eucalyptus oil to and it helps but when it gets ugly Claritin is it. If that does not work I usually get a inner ear infection and antibiotics are the next step.

[gpond]

I gave a lecture with a colleague not long ago on the subject of respiration & respiratory disorders...I'll see if I can dig up my notes, and post some of the images.

I would be interested in reading or seeing anything that you dig up. I am diagnosed COPD with an asthma component. I never had asthma until a couple of years ago, so I'm on a couple of inhalers a day, too. And I'm not crazy about it - but they do seem to work.

[Curtman]

Reading back through this I realize that it is an asthma issue and I just thought it was about Clariton D and allergies.
Never mind, my bad. :y:

[SilverBull71]

Hey I would rather have anything natural but I have just never seen anything work better that Claritin D.
I use Eucalyptus oil to and it helps but when it gets ugly Claritin is it. If that does not work I usually get a inner ear infection and antibiotics are the next step.



Hi Curtman,

I don't know the details of your particular situation, but with all due respect, have you tried anything else? Is there stress in your life that you can reduce? Have you tried regular excercise? Is there 20-30 pounds you can lose? Have you re-vamped your diet? Getting rid of a health problem is not easy, it takes work. You're not gonna find long term relief with a prescription.

I wish you luck. Ear infections and sinus problems can be hell.

[bjgnome]

Inspire: [L. Inspirare < in + spirare - in + breath, courage, vigor, the soul, spirit life] 1. to breathe 2. to infuse life into by breathing 3. to have an animating effect upon 4. to cause, guide, communicate or motivate as by divine or supernatural influence.

[bjgnome]

Greek– pneuma = breath; spirit (Pneumatic, Pneumonia, numinous)

Sanskrit– prana; spirit; universal energy

Japanese - Ki = breath, energy

Native Peruvian - the word for god is the sound of blowing

In TCM Qi is derived from—air; food; inherited

[bjgnome]

Functions of the Respiratory System

Gas Exchange
Voice production
Regulation of pH
Olfaction
Innate immunity

[bjgnome]

Diaphragmatic Breathing (belly breathing)

The lower lobes of the lungs have the most blood supply: 2/3 of the oxygen absorption capacity is in the bottom 1/3 of the lungs
Assists with pumping lymph & return of venous blood to the heart
Massages internal organs

[bjgnome]

“Breathing fully and deeply with our diaphragms helps us feel the power to regain our freedom” 

Dr. Barbara Brennan

[bjgnome]

Autonomic Nervous System regulates Rate of Respiration


The medulla measures CO2 levels in the blood, then signals the body to increase or decrease the rate of respiration accordingly. )Rate of respiration can also be speeded up by stress/fearAutonomic nervous system is divided into two divisions, the Sympathetic Nervous System which is associated with the fight or flight response, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System which is associated with the relaxation response.

[lonestarsilver]

While I do not have asthma, I get a bit short of breath when we have high ozone days in the summer here in Dallas. I have been taking some Chinese herbs and that helps enormously in addition to acupuncture. I would suggest consulting a local TCM practitioner. Otherwise I can just echo others' advice, like sleep enough and eat good quality food on a regular schedule.

Good luck!

Jennifer
www.discountsilverclub.com

[gpond]

I have never seriously practiced yoga or meditation involving attention to breathing, though I have dawdled with it some. However, it is possible that my learned breath control (from swimming) has saved my life on two occasions.

As a child I was an avid swimmer, and at times perhaps spent more time in the water than on dry land - ok, forgive the slight exaggeration. One of my interests as a pool child was trying to hold my breath under water for as long as possible. In my steady practice, I eventually built up the ability to hold my breath for lengths of times that the adults found astounding. Now, I do not remember the actual times, and they probably would not have made the world record books, but I gave the lifeguards cause for concern on more than one occasion by staying under for impressive periods.

In order to achieve these feats of childhood I had to master my body's reaction to not breathing and even to develop techniques for prolonging my underwater stay. In the process I also had to master my fear of not breathing. This mastery came from knowledge gained in my experiments about how my body would react from temporary lack of oxygen, and how I would feel, and how much I could take.

As a young adult I was once horsing around with some friends and managed to get a small piece of cellophane from a cigarette pack lodged in the back of my throat covering my windpipe. The way that it was positioned in the back of my throat, it acted as a one way valve. I could breath out, but I could not breath in. I believe that my situation at that moment was quite precarious and I realized as much. This is how people choke to death. Because I did not panic at that moment I was able to eventually dislodge the cellophane and retrieve it. It took a moment which seemed like a lot longer, but through my non-panic I was able to manage my escape.

The second instance where breath control played a part was about 3 years ago. I had been a long time smoker with a constant hack. I had gotten some kind of infection which moved to my chest and I wasn't breathing very well. Our home was not well heated, and the bathrooms were especially frigid. That morning, the morning I was to quit smoking forever, I got up to use the bathroom. The temperature difference of the cold cold bathroom brought on a most severe asthma attack, the worst I've ever had. When I returned to the bedroom I informed my wife quite literally that I could not breath. I could breath in slightly, but I did not feel that I could exhale at all.

Again, a panic at that particular moment would have exacerbated a potentially dangerous moment. I was able to sooth myself instead of panicking. I got back in the bed and found a position where breathing was slightly improved and eventually my breathing capacity, such as it was, returned somewhat.

A relative of ours, upon hearing my wife's frantic voice on the phone (later described as hysterical), called the emergency services who showed up in an ambulance and gave me a breathing treatment (my first). This, of course, did help.

My wife later confided to me that she thought I was going to die, and she believes that someone who might have panicked and not been able to sooth themselves, would have died. I don't know if she is right, but maybe.

Lest I go too far afield let me end my little story here.

The point of all this is in support of the idea that understanding one's breathing and being intimate with it's relation to one's body/health can be a powerful tool when it is needed.

[SilverBull71]

I have read many good things about deep breathing excercises. I haven't done it yet because it is time comsuming, and I am pretty healthy. But someday soon I plan on making it a regular practice. It increases oxygen supply to major organs, raises the immune system, calms the nervous system, detoxifies, lowers stress and blood pressure, improves digestion, and probably countless other things.

[silverJeep]

Where do you live?

An answer I haven't seen yet is MOVE. Somewhere like Arizona, or Alaska. Do you know what's triggering your asthma? Plants, pollen, etc?

Have you moved somewhere new when this started? House? Appt? Got a new car? New used car? Started a new job?

Have you bought new furniture? New bed? ANYTHING new that happend when you started having symtoms? Could be a simple matter of getting rid of something you're allergic to. I've known SEVERAL people that that has been the case. Think hard.

Keep in mind, if you moved to a new state and were allergic to something it might take over a year to begin to have symptoms.

[Large Sarge]

Experiments by Dr. Albert P. Krueger and Dr. Richard F. Smith at the University of California have shown how ionization affects those sensitive to airborne allergens. Our bronchial tubes and trachea, or windpipe, are lined with tiny filaments called cilia. The cilia normally maintain a whip like motion of about 900 beats a minute. Together with mucus, they keep our air passages free of dust and pollen. Krueger and Smith exposed tracheal tissue to negative ions, found that the ciliary beat was speeded up 1200 a minute and that mucus flow was increased. Doses of positive ions produced the opposite effect: ciliary beat slowed to 600 a minute or less; the flow of mucus dropped.

In experiments that may prove important in cancer research. Drs. Krueger and Smith also discovered that cigarette smoke slows down the cilia and impairs their ability to clear foreign, and possibly carcinogenic (cancer-inducing), substances from the lungs. Positive ions, administered along with cigarette smoke, lowered the ciliary beat as before, but from three to ten time faster than in normal air.Negative ions however, counteracted the effects of the smoke. Observed Dr. Krueger, "The agent in cigarette smoke that slows down the ciliary beat is not known. Whatever it may be, its action is effectively neutralized by negative ions, which raise the ciliary beat as well in a heavy atmosphere of cigarette smoke as they do in fresh air."
How do ions trip off our moods? Most authorities agree that ions act on our capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen. Negative ions in the blood stream accelerate the delivery of oxygen to our cells and tissues, frequently giving us the same euphoric jolt that we get from a few whiffs of straight oxygen. Positive ions slow down the delivery of oxygen, producing symptoms markedly like those in anoxia, or oxygen starvation. Researchers also believe that negative ions may stimulate the reticuloendothelial system; a group of defense cells in our bodies which marshal our resistance to disease.

[AnnieSnuggles]

My sister in law just developed asthma recently and she got a puppy a few months ago. She is denial that it could be the puppy. Allergies are definitely a possible cause, like dust, dust mites, pet dander, etc...

We bought the IQAir air purifier because our little boy has a lot of allergies and eczema. We didn't want to take any chances to have it develop into asthma. We see a naturopath and don't use cortisone on him, also the prescriptions the regular doctors give just supress the immune system.

I would try seeing a naturopath that practices homeopathy and see if they have alternatives or recommendations.

[Lore]

I suffered from allergic symptoms for years. My nose ran like a tap. Tremendously counterproductive and energy-draining. I spent a fortune on antihistamines that left me with sinus infections and nasal cauteries. I think antihistamines are bad news. I think Flonase was the only thing that made a difference. http://www.flonase.com/

Less sugar and white bread.
I agree completely. Milk added to my symptoms, too. I don't know if it was the milk or something in it, but my sinuses would plug up in minutes. And there's something in the stuff that they use to flavour corn / potato chips.

I use colloidal silver. I think it has really helped.

I never bought an ionizer or air filter. I keep my house clean and my bedroom window closed. I don't live in a big city anymore. That's probably a factor in my general improvement. And I bought a new bed after a colleague showed me movies of the dust mites and things that live in old-style mattresses and boxsprings.

[madhu]

Have you heard of an allopathic medicine called singulair, its an allopathic medicine that prevents you from getting asthma in the first place. my mother used to get asthma and since she lives in india where there is a lot of air pollution, we tried it on her and she uses singlair tablet every day and definitely her attacks have come downin frequency and severity.

[RealJack]

Life as a child in the 50's and 60's was torture for me because when I wasn't having an asthma attack, my nose would stop up. I got rushed to the ER three times for Adrenalin shots. I spent three years receiving shots in each arm twice a week.
Hours on end I spent with a towel over my head bent over a vaporizer packed with Vaporub. It never helped my breathing, but it helped my Mom feel like she was at least doing something.
When I was about twelve the Doc gave me my first inhaler.
It was a miracle from heaven.
I've lived with an inhaler near me ever since.
There's no telling how many brain cells I lost during those formative years
from oxygen deprivation, but my guess is the asthma itself did a lot more
damage than the inhaler has done.
For me, the strongest influences on my health have been four things
1. Diet. Vegan. Bad allergy to wheat sprouts, dammit.
2. Exercise. The best for keeping an even keel.
3. Love. Amazing how great I feel when I fall into love. Amazing how rotten I feel when I fall out of love.
4. Inhaler. The greatest techno wonder ever.
Conclusion: If an inhaler does the job, don't worry about it. It won't kill ya.

Of course, this is coming from an admittedly brain damaged poster.

[silver_samurai]

Maybe they'll create inhalers with silver nano-particle vapors..:rock:

[The Shadow]

I did a site search but couldn't quite find what I'm looking for, so I'm posting this.

I've suffered from adult-onset asthma since March of 1996. Prior to that it was never an issue at all. Today, I have to use 2 x inhalers once per day, although the docs tell me to use them twice/day (I'd rather cut usage if I can). One of the two is a steroid-type and in actuality I try to use it not at all, if possible.

To make matters worse, I developed severe allergies in early 1998, for which I am almost perpetually on Claritan-D.

To cut this somewhat short, I don't like doing any of this, and am worried about the long-term effects on my overall health. I would like to know what I
can do or use or take that will help my situation without being on any medicines, or at least cut my cancer risk down.

Any help or suggestions are gratefully appreciated...

H7

I was looking for something else when I saw this about your asthma.

I have started taking a course from a Dr. who teaches a variety of healing

methods. she has one lady presently over 60, who has had asthma since

childhood. She was taking all the usual medical stuff in quite large amounts

and was taught the Buteyko method by this Dr. I wasn't really interested but

they mentioned that she was down to 20 per cent of her previous medication.

Now I'm interested. Anyway 3 months later she is off ALL her medication. The

good part is once you learn the method it is free. In Russia they kept track

of 100,000 patients 92 % got significant results. So I would find someone

who knows the Buteyko method and learn how it is done. It does have to do

with holding your breath, but holding your breath out. Hope this helps.

[The Shadow]

How's the asthma doing?

[flash91]

I developed breathing problems about 5 years ago.

I've been doing cardio 4-5 times a week. I still have breathing problems (dizzy when I cough) but its much much better than it was.

The logic was that if the lungs were getting junked up, I would increase the flow through.

[Kahlil Gibran]

28774
LOS ANGELES

Move out of Los Angeles. You are not supposed to taste or see the air you breath.

:stickyman