Alternative Treatments for Asthmatics

It is not safe to completely substitute alternative forms of treatment for conventional forms of treatment necessary for asthmatics. The alternative treatment options for asthmatics listed in this article are options intended to be used in tandem with a physician’s recommended treatment plan. It is best to discuss all alternative plans with your physician.
An incredibly simple and obvious way to help decrease the amount of asthma attacks and to improve one’s breathing in general is an extremely clean house. Who knew that an extremely clean home could be an alternative treatment plan? Many asthmatics are allergic to dust mites.

Dust mites are mean little things that live off of dead skin cells and that go unseen. There are special dust mite cleaning products that a physician or specialist should be able to recommend. If you are asthmatic and if you are one doing the cleaning it is important to wear a mask while doing the cleaning.

If you are asthmatic and just too darn busy to deep clean your home on a regular basis, there are dehumidifiers designed to kill dust mites. Be sure to have your physician recommend a dehumidifier. After all, dehumidifiers are costly and not all of them that make claims to be helpful actually are.

When dusting, it is best to use a damp cloth. Even better is using eucalyptus oil on a damp cloth. Eucalyptus oil helps keep dust mites away.

Vacuuming with a powerful allergen reducing vacuum can help. Not all vacuums that make the claim to reduce allergens do. Vacuuming with an inferior vacuum frequently is more detrimental than helpful as it will pull allergens up out of the carpet and send them flying into the air.

It may be better to simply eliminate carpeting in the home. Dust mites have a difficult time hiding out on regularly cleaned wood, laminate or tile. It is best for an asthmatic to not be around while the remodeling is being done.

Another alternative treatment for asthma is yoga. Hatha Yoga is the most effective in improving one’s breathing and some may feel that Hatha Yoga is the most challenging form of yoga. Hatha Yoga is helpful because of the breathing techniques used, the calm concentration required while executing a pose which can be extremely strenuous. This combination creates a deep sense of relaxation once complete and helps one to focus on controlling one’s muscles and breath. Since yoga is not a cardio exercise it will not bring on an asthma attack. Yoga is an empowering form of exercise.

The Buteyko Method is an alternative treatment plan for asthmatics developed by Professor Konstantin Buteyko. It is absolutely imperative to talk to your physician and to receive permission from your physician before beginning the Buteyko Method. When the Buteyko Method first came out, the medical community was extremely skeptical.

Despite this initial skepticism, this alternative to mainstream medicines has proven itself to be quite helpful. The two main parts of this alternative treatment are the unblocking of the nose so that an asthmatic can stop breathing through his or her mouth and the training of an asthmatic of how not to hyperventilate. Although the Buteyko Method has proven to be effective, some of the practitioners have made harmful alternative treatment recommendations. If a questionable recommendation is made, be sure to double check it with your physician.