- Home remedies for asthma include breathing exercises, yoga, diet changes, and natural herbs.
- Breathing exercises like lip and abdominal breathing help remove stale air from your lungs and take in more oxygen.
- To relieve symptoms of asthma, you may also want to include more foods in your diet that fight inflammation, such as leafy greens, oily fish, and nuts.
- This post has been medically checked by Jason R. McKnight, MD, MS, General Practitioner and Clinical Assistant Professor Texas A&M College of Medicine.
- Check out Insider’s Insider Reference Library for more advice.
about 1 in 13 Americans Have asthma, a disease that causes your airways to narrow and it becomes difficult to breathe. There are various medications that are prescribed to treat asthma, but many people also find home remedies such as yoga or acupuncture useful as part of their treatment.
There are no home remedies for an asthma attack – you should always stick to your care plan and seek medical help if needed. But these home remedies can help relieve common symptoms such as coughing and difficulty sleeping.
Here are some research-based methods you can use to relieve your asthma symptoms.
Breathing exercises for asthma
People with asthma often have different breathing patterns than healthy people – asthmatics can Breathe faster or have uneven breath lengths. This can lead to it Foul Build up in your lungs and less space for your diaphragm, the muscle that sits under your lungs, to expand and bring in new oxygen.
One way to change this is through breathing exercises. The goal of breathing exercises is to help you get rid of stale air, take in more fresh oxygen, and train your diaphragm to move normally as you breathe.
Practicing breathing techniques can also help you have more control over your breathing, which can be difficult for people with asthma, he says Maureen George, PhD, RN, Professor at Columbia School of Nursing who specializes in respiratory diseases.
Two of the most common exercises You can use lip breathing and diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing.
Constricted lip breathing
Constricted lip breathing can help Slow down your breathing and keep your airways open for longer periods of time. This allows more oxygen to flow into your lungs with each breath. You can do this by following the steps below:
- With your mouth closed, breathe in through your nose as you count to two.
- Cleanse your lips like blowing out a match.
- Blow through your pursed lips as you count to four without pushing the air out.
- Keep breathing until your breathing feels easier.
Diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing
This type of breathing can help you engage your diaphragm Empty your lungs completelyinstead of using your chest muscles for shallower breathing. You can do this by Do the following:
- Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest.
- Inhale through your nose and feel your stomach rise.
- Exhale through your mouth for twice as long as you inhale and feel your stomach drop.
- Repeat these steps, trying to keep your chest still and let your abdomen do the work to rise and fall with each breath.
For both exercises, it is best to practice 5-10 minutes every day. Try to exercise while your breathing is normal so that you can better use the exercises when you feel short of breath.
Yoga against asthma
Although more research is needed, there is some evidence that yoga can help relieve symptoms of asthma. ON Review of 15 studies Published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2016, asthmatics who only practiced yoga for two weeks saw modest improvements in their symptoms and overall quality of life.
This means that while yoga cannot be used as a stand-alone treatment for asthma, it can be helpful to add it to your treatment regimen. Yoga can be beneficial for several reasons:
- Many yoga classes include breathing exercises like abdominal breathing, which can help empty your lungs better.
- Yoga can help Reduce stress, the A common trigger for asthma.
- Yoga can help improve your posture, which can make breathing easier. This is because you can bend forward Chest muscles tightenThis makes breathing difficult.
If you are not used to physical activity, it can be helpful to keep your inhaler close during yoga in case you feel short of breath.
Diet against asthma
While there is no evidence that any particular diet or group of foods prevents or treats asthma, eating a healthy diet can have positive effects on your overall health.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease, which means your immune system Overreactions to harmless substances like pollen in your airways. While an inflammatory response can protect you if a dangerous particle enters your body, it can also cause symptoms such as swelling in your airways, which can restrict your breathing.
Because of this, eating foods that may help symptoms of asthma Fight inflammation. “I would recommend whole foods that are high in antioxidants, live cultures, and omega-3s,” says George. This type of diet should include:
- Leafy vegetables like spinach and kale
- Berries like cherries and raspberries
- Whole grains like oats and brown rice
- Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna
- Nuts and beans
- Yogurt, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods
Other foods can make asthma symptoms worse, especially if you have allergic asthma. Herbs like echinacea and chamomile can trigger symptoms because they are members of the common ragweed family There is a fever Trigger, says George.
Eating foods that cause gas can also trigger symptoms as the gas pressure builds up and presses on your diaphragm, which is possible Impair your breathing and make your chest tense. Because of this, you may want to avoid gas generating foods to like:
- Onions and garlic
- Beans
- Vegetables like broccoli and cabbage
- Carbonated drinks
Asthma symptoms can also be triggered by Compounds called sulfites which are found in dried fruits, red wine, and some pickled foods.
Herbal remedies for asthma
Herbs alone can’t treat asthma, but adding natural supplements to your treatment can help relieve your symptoms. However, before trying any natural supplement, you should always consult your doctor or asthma specialist.
Two herbal remedies that can help relieve symptoms of asthma are:
turmeric
ON small study published in 2014 The Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research found that people who took 500 mg turmeric capsules twice a day in addition to their usual asthma treatment had less airway obstruction and better airflow from their lungs than people who received only their regular treatment. This may be because turmeric has it anti-inflammatory effects.
honey
Honey has long been used as a cough remedy, and you may find that you eat a spoonful of honey as effective as taking prescription cough suppressants. This may be due to honey coats your neck and can have a calming effect.
ON Study published in 2007 The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences found that children with asthma who inhaled honey as a mist through a nebulizer saw improvement in wheezing and shortness of breath and had more productive coughs. However, doctors caution against trying this at home.
The final result
Asthma is a common condition that can cause serious health problems if not treated properly. If you have asthma, it is important to have regular checkups with a specialist in order to create a customized treatment plan that will work for you. Adding home remedies to your routine like breathing exercises or yoga can help improve your symptoms. However, always ask your doctor before adding a new treatment.
