Last updated on May 11th, 2020 at 12:24 pm
Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition and it is becoming increasingly common today with roughly 26 million Americans suffering from it, 6 million of which are little children as per American Lung Association. If you or someone in your family is prone to asthma attack, then you may like to know about the emergency home remedies for asthma attacks that can help you to ease out the attack naturally at home.
In asthma, the patient usually experience severe difficulty in breathing, which is primarily caused due to the narrowed airways, an inflamed or swollen respiratory system and weird or abnormal immune system reactions.
There are various drugs and inhalers for reducing asthma symptoms. But sadly most of them have got side effects. They may lead to mood swings, yeast growths, acne and weight gain. And over the course of time, they may hinder the normal functioning of the immune system which in turn, makes the asthmatic reactions much more frequent.
This is why most of the individuals nowadays are turning towards the natural remedies to treat asthma attacks. In fact, even if you do not want to leave the medications, it is extremely important to be aware of various emergency home remedies for asthma. Who knows when you or anyone around you, all of sudden get an attack, and you don’t have the medicine readily available at home to ease the problem quickly?
Common symptoms and signs of asthma
Asthma is a serious breathing condition and the faster you are able to identify an asthma attack, the faster you can start the treatment. Now, the asthma patients can understand the symptoms well as they have experienced it many times. But it is equally important for other family members to know about the symptoms. And knowing about the emergency natural remedies for asthma attack can help you to come to rescue any asthma patient having an attack in front of you.
Here’re the most common symptoms and sign of asthma attack.
- Coughing and sneezing
- Wheezing, including sounds emanating from the chest as the person tries to breathe
- Difficulty in talking
- Very rapid breathing
- Pressure and tightness in the chest area
- Pale, sweaty face
- Dizzy feeling
- Too much anxiety
- Watery red eyes
- Itchy dry throat
- Swollen glands and puffy lymph nodes in the neck
Once you have asthma, it is very difficult to completely treat it. Due to so much of air pollution and with so many irritants, chemicals and allergens all around, the asthma patients are finding it hard to lead an active life. Results, millions of lost work days every year.
However, the good thing is with proper care and protection, you can actually overcome the asthma attacks to a great extent.
Home remedies for asthma attacks to ease it out
As I proceed with my discussion you will see that the home remedies, I recommended you are the long-term remedies. In other words, you need to continue them throughout your life if you want to improve your condition overall.
Of course, I have given you remedies to tackle emergency asthma attacks as well.
But, what I am trying to make you understand is that if you want to cure yourself and reduce the condition effectively and avoid frequent attacks, then you got to be disciplined and regular with these asthma remedies.
After all, treating asthma is not an overnight miracle, so you must be patient and avoid taking too much of stress.
Eucalyptus essential oil remedy
One of the very effective home remedies for asthma attacks that have been used over many years is the eucalyptus essential oil. The breathing trouble accompanied by coughing and wheezing that one experiences during the attack can actually be managed by the fragrance of this oil. Studies are also a proof that inhaling its vapor can help you get relief from the asthma symptoms, so you can definitely give it a try.
To gain the maximum benefit in easing out asthma attack, all you need to do is to add few drops of eucalyptus essential oil into an oil diffuser and then sit near it and take deep breaths. In case you do not have an oil diffuser around, you can boil a cup of water and add few drops of eucalyptus oil in it. Then try breathing the vapor in slowly.
However, be cautious while using this remedy because although eucalyptus oil is effective in most asthma cases, many times it may also trigger the attacks. So, if by any chance you are allergic to its smell, then you better avoid this remedy.
Mustard seed oil massage
If you have got mustard oil in your home, then you can use it to get relief from the symptoms of asthma. Here we are talking about the fatty oil that contains isothiocyanates made by pressing its seeds. It is actually different from the mustard essential oil which is medicinal oil sold in small quantities and which you should avoid bringing in direct contact with your skin.
Research has shown that that mustard seed oil can actually give you relief from the asthma attack. It aids in opening the air passages and improves the functioning of your lungs.
Just take some mustard seed oil, warm it and massage gently on your chest. You will feel the relief in sometime.
Slow deep breaths
I know taking slow and deep breaths is actually a very challenging thing to do when you are having an asthma attack. But if you are able to do it, you will definitely get the benefits. First and foremost, it will help in the prevention of hyperventilation which is not at all good for making you breathe well and may instead result in getting less oxygen.
Secondly, taking deep breaths also helps in keeping you calm thereby evoking a relaxing response. Staying calm will actually help prevent your chest from getting tightened which otherwise makes breathing harder.
Sit upright
One of the other things that you got to keep in mind while having an asthma attack is to sit upright. This is because sitting straight upright with proper posture helps opening of your air passageway to a great extent, which in turn helps you to breathe more efficiently.
See when someone feels sick, he/she will most of the time feel like lying down but in this case please avoid it. Lying down will make breathing even more hard.
Drink coffee
Caffeine can help reduce the symptoms of asthma. It actually works similar to the medicine theophylline which helps opening the airways. As per studies, caffeine can improve the breathing function in asthma patients for up to four hours.
So, in case of emergency asthma attacks where you are without an inhaler, simply sip some black tea and coffee to get some quick relief. However, make sure you drink the tea or coffee warm to get maximum benefits.
Distress yourself
Stress will not do any favor if you are a victim to Asthma and will instead hinder the normal functioning of immune system and raise the occurrence of inflammation and worsen your situation. So, you got to effectively manage your stress.
You can try various stress relievers like deep abdominal breathing, massage, progressive muscle relaxation, art therapies, guided imagery etc. to get some relief. These will also help to reduce the frequency of future asthma attacks and lessen your dependability on the asthma drugs.
Exercises are also known to reduce stress and so you must also exercise on a regular basis. Exercise basically helps converting the negative energy within you in to something positive. It kind of acts as a vent out and you feel more relaxed. In fact, there are some breathing exercises as well that help reduce asthma. The British Guideline on the Management of Asthma recommends Pranayama yoga and Buteyko. .
Eat healthy nutritious foods
Having a healthy diet full of antioxidants and nutrients may help you combat the various environmental toxins, control inflammatory responses and reduce the occurrence of asthma attacks.
So, here are some foods that you must include in your diet.
- Bright colored carotenoids foods– The various fruits and vegetables get their red and orange colors from carotenoid and eating such food items can actually help you better your asthma problems. They are actually the basis of Vitamin A which is involved in maintaining healthy mucous membranes that line your air passageways.
With low amounts of Vitamin A, the problem of asthma increases and hence it is necessary for you to increase your intake of carotenoid rich foods like carrots, sweet potato, berries, leafy greens etc. Moreover, studies are also a proof about the importance of such food items in improving asthma and so it will wise of you to not give them a miss.
- Foods having folate (Vitamin B9)– Folates are very effective in reducing allergic reactions and any kind of swellings. Hence, it may regulate the inflammatory processes and reduce wheezing that you experience during an asthma attack. Therefore, try to incorporate the folate rich foods like green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans etc. in your diet for maximum benefits.
- Vitamin C and E rich foods– Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant and helps in detoxification of your body. That is why many suggest that if you consume more amount of Vitamin C, it will help you deal with inflammation and wheezing. You will get it from the various cruciferous vegetables, citrus fruits, leafy greens, berries etc.
Also, eat the Vitamin E rich foods like nuts, seeds, healthy plant oils etc. as it is also another powerful antioxidant.
- Magnesium rich foods– Low levels of magnesium can increase your risk of asthma and so make sure you eat it in adequate amounts. Magnesium induces bronchial smooth muscle relaxation and allows proper movement of air in and out of the lungs easily. Cocoa, greens, seeds, beans, nuts etc. are rich in magnesium, so consume them.
- Garlic, onions and mustard seeds– All of these are excellent natural antimicrobials. They will help fight the infections and improve your immune system functioning. They also contain quercetin which is an antioxidant that inhibits inflammation. So, they might help you in your battle with asthma.
- Raw milk– If your child is not allergenic to asthma then you can actually make him or her drink more raw milk as it can protect children from developing asthma. The healthy probiotics in it strengthen the immune system. Also, probiotic foods in general, help improve digestion and stop the occurrence of allergic reactions which otherwise occur when protein and other allergens pass the digestive lining.
- High fiber and prebiotics– The plant fibers eliminate toxins and help feed healthy probiotic bacteria. So, eat more of nuts, whole grains, seeds, beans and raw vegetables to gain the benefits.
- Omega 3 foods– Omega 3s help reduce the incidence of asthma by reducing the inflammation in the airway and immune system reactivity. So, make the oily fatty fishes like salmon, tuna etc. along with nuts and seeds a part of your diet.
Avoid harmful foods
Now, when there are foods especially beneficial in reducing asthma, there are also a set of foods that must be avoided to reduce the situation from getting worse. The lack of healthy nutrients often makes your body weak and makes it unable to neutralize toxins. Also, it leads to more chances of the occurrence of inflammation, deficiencies and por nutrition overall. So, please eat only the useful healthy ones and discard the useless harmful ones. Here is a list of foods that you must avoid.
- Avoid the consumption of the foods items that are fried in refined/processed vegetable oils.
- Avoid bottle feeding your children with pasteurized and powdered infant formulas.
- The processed foods have high sugar and must be avoided.
- Food coloring and food preservatives may also trigger asthma. So, avoid MSG, sulfites, sulfur dioxide etc.
- Avoid the animal products that are treated with antibiotics and hormones as well as pasteurized drinks and foods.
Avoid irritants inside your home
While avoiding the irritants is not possible outside home, if you try you can actually prevent them inside your home. You may not believe it, but in reality, the indoor environment is about 2 to 5 times more toxic than the outside environment. So, here are some tips with which can help you to avoid the irritants from your home.
- Switch to natural cleansing products and avoid all the chemical based commercial cleaning products available in the market. Trust me, the natural products are safe, effective as well as very affordable, so please do not spend money buying the harmful, chemical ones.
- Try to avoid the secondhand smokes coming out from cigarettes and wood-burning stoves.
- Avoid the usage of beauty and health products containing petroleum-based ingredients or aerosols. Go for the natural ones made of the essential oils instead. If your home is very damp, then use a dehumidifier. Also, fix all of the water leaks in your home to avoid the occurrence of molds.
- A water filter must be used to get rid of the chlorine found in the tap water.
- Keep your home clean all the time. Take a little more effort to keep your home clean if you got pets at home.
- The sheets and the pillow cases must be non-allergenic.
- If you see cockroaches around your home, make sure you drive them away. If they are lot in number then call for professional help.
Over to you
Asthma is quite a serious health concern and the individuals who suffer from asthma know the pain and the discomfort that goes during an attack. Taking in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide is like the basics of living and when there is problem in that, life actually turns into a living hell. Of course, there are medicines to tackle the asthma attacks, but they do have side effects and so many experts recommend going the natural way when it comes to easing out asthma.
Thankfully there are many home remedies for asthma attacks that can be of great help in case of an emergency. I have already shared about 9 of such remedies, that includes few emergency home remedies which you can instantly use to get relief like for example drinking coffee, sitting straight, inhaling the aroma of the eucalyptus essential oil etc.
But, beside these emergency asthma remedies, I have also shared some long-term remedies like for example, eating the right kind of foods and avoiding the harmful ones, doing proper exercises and managing stress, avoiding contact with the indoor irritants etc. These are actually the proper remedies which will benefit you in due course of time and will prevent you from having asthma attacks in future. So, it is necessary for you to consider them seriously.
The natural home remedies for asthma attacks are really very effective but in case of certain serious situations, calling a doctor will be a better thing to do, so call your doctor in case you notice any of the following symptoms:
- Severe wheezing or breathlessness especially in early morning or late night.
- Shortness of breath making the individual unable to speak more than just short phrases.
- When you need to strain the muscles of your chest in order to breathe.
Natural remedies are very good but in very serious situations, one should take doctor’s advice without any delay.
If you know about any other natural home remedy for asthma, then share by commenting below.
And finally, if you liked the post, please do share it and let the word spread.
Until then, stay safe, stay stress-free and fight the problem of asthma boldly.
