ASTHMA TREATMENT

For severe asthma attacks — the kind of tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath that can be really frightening — most people do as their doctor recommends. Often, means quick action with a prescribed inhaler. If this is what you do, and it works, t give it up. If you use a preventer inhaler, you should continue to use it as bed, as this will cut down your risk of attack. There is no cure for asthma, but are rots ofways to reduce or even eliminate the symptoms. Certain simple lifestyle changes can help most asthma sufferers to breathe more easily.

Ease breathing during an attack

 

• When an asthma attack occurs, try to stay calm. Panic can -e your symptoms worse. This visualization trick may help. Close your eyes. As you inhale, see your lungs expand and fill with white light and feel your breathing become easier. Repeat exercise twice more, then open your eyes.

• In an emergency, drink a strong cup of coffee, two 330m1 ms of cola or a Red Bull or Lipovitan (both of which are in caffeine). Caffeine is chemically related to theophylline, a medication for asthma. It helps to open the airways. 

Combat constriction with supplements 

• Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have been using the herb ginkgo to treat asthma for centuries. One accent study suggests that this herb interferes with a protein in blood that contributes to airway spasms. If you want to try it, buy supplements labelled ginkgo biloba extract, or GBE, and take up to 250mg a day. 

• Magnesium may make you feel better. Much research !pests that magnesium relaxes the airways. The recommended dose is 300mg a day for men and 270mg for women. 

Counter inflammation 

• Omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel, work much like a class of asthma drugs called lleukotriene inhibitors. These drugs stop the actions of body compounds that cause inflammation in the airways. Take six 1000mg fish oil capsules a day in divided doses. Talk to your doctor first if you are taking anticoagulant drugs. 

• Evening primrose oil is rich in an essential fatty acid called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is converted by the body into anti-inflammatory substances. Take 1000mg three times a day. Take with meals to enhance absorption. 

• Bioflavonoids, compounds that give fruits and vegetables their bright colours, have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties. Quercetin, one of the best-known bioflavonoids, inhibits the release of histamine. Take 500mg of quercetin three times a day, 20 minutes before meals. 

• Turmeric, the yellow cooking spice used to flavour Indian curry dishes, is a powerful anti-inflammatory.The compounds it contains inhibit the release of COX-2 prostaglandins, hormone-like substances involved in inflammation. Mix 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder — found on the spice rack in supermarkets — in a cup of warm milk and drink this up to three times a day. Turmeric capsules and tinctures are also available in health-food stores. 

Keep a record 

• In a diary, make a note of everything you eat for a month. Also record your asthma symptoms. Although food allergies are rarely associated with asthma, occasionally there is a connection. Check your diary against your symptoms to see if anything you're eating increases the frequency or severity of your attacks.

•  If you take asthma medication, get a peak-flow meter, available from pharmacists or on prescription from your doctor.This device measures the speed at which air leaves your lungs — an indication of how well you're breathing. By reading your 'peak flow' at certain times, you can tell how well a medication or remedy is working.You can also use it during an asthma attack to determine its severity and decide whether you need medical attention. 

The power of prevention

• Don't smoke, and stay away from people who do. Tobacco smoke irritates the airways.

• Don’t huddle around a fireplace or wood-burning stove. 

• In cold weather, wrap a scarf around your nose and mouth -help warm up chilly air before you inhale it. 

• Be alert for unusual asthma triggers, such as highly-scented foods or the strongly perfumed sample strips bound into magazines, and do what you can to avoid them. It's also a good to open the window when cooking with strong smelling such as garlic or onions. 

• Try eating smaller, more frequent meals, and don't eat before go to bed. The upward migration of stomach acids .: cause heartburn can also trigger asthma attacks. 

• About 5 per cent of people with asthma are allergic to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin :buprofen. For these people, taking the drugs can trigger attack. If you are one of them, use an aspirin-free pain reliever like paracetamol instead. 

• Consider the Buteyko method, a complementary therapy controlling the symptoms of asthma and other breathing ted disorders. It is based on the belief that breathing related disorders result from chronic over-breathing (hyperventilation). involves very specific breathing exercises as well as dietary lifestyle changes. (See www.buteyko.com for more  information.)