DIY Asthma Remedies

All my life I've struggled to breathe. When I was little it just seemed like a part of life, but as I got older the symptoms got a little less annoying and I learned to identify my triggers and avoid them. But even still it remains very inhibiting. I share my new place of residence with a cat, one of my worst triggers. I've always wondered how the asthma gene is still around and hasn't been selected out of the gene pool yet. I figured that in a previous time, without an inhaler and nebulizer, I would have died very young. Some people argue that modern environmental factors have increased the number of people with asthma and their symptoms to some extent. This may be true, but my assumption that people in older times did not have asthma treatments was not. Despite their lack of albuteral, the ingredient in my inhaler and nebulizer, people in older times were still capable of treating respiratory problems to some extent using natural remedies they had access to.

A few years ago I was visiting a friend for the night and had an asthma attack and didn't have an inhaler. He had two dogs and two cats. I was starting to get dizzy from the lack of oxygen and the amount of exertion it took to try to breathe. I told him he might have to take me to a pharmacy to have my prescription transferred an filled. This was in rural Vermont so we were at least 45 minutes away from a 24 hour pharmacy. Our other option would be a hospital. But those are so, so expensive. I tried to brainstorm, what should I do? I remembered that coffee helped with asthma, and had helped me in the past, although only so much. Was it the caffeine or aromatic oils that did it? I decided to find out. I got online and soon began searching for other homemade asthma remedies. There are basically tons. Many things found commonly in kitchens can have bronchodialating and anti-inflammatory effects that can ease breathing.

My cocktail that night consisted of:

• Coffee
• Honey
• Lemon juice
• Lime juice
• Garlic
• Onion
• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Mint
• Grapes
• Pomegranate 
• Pineapple

I blended all these together, boiled them and strained them and then drank it. I could not believe that within 10 minutes I could breathe perfectly again. It was like magic. I slept soundly that night and didn't have asthma at all the next day, even being around the dogs and cats more. Now I had an idea how people like me may have survived back in the day. Since that event I've taken to incorporating some of these foods into my life more regularly, along with more Salmon and Tuna, both of which contain fatty acids that naturally help with inflammation that causes asthma.

I also have taken to drinking herbal teas made specifically for helping with breathing, by Yogi and Traditional Medicinals.I also find Ricola herbal cough drops are impressively effective at helping me breathe better. For a short while I was drinking tea made from Reishi mushrooms I grew, and those seemed to have a very positive effect on my asthma. I have started taking vitamin B, C, and D as well as incorporating hemp back into my diet for more Omega fatty acids. There are lots of other herbs, supplements and foods to consider, and every individual should figure out what works best for them. Obviously I am no doctor or expert, and this is not medical advice. I always keep my inhaler nearby still, just in case.