Coping With Asthma Naturally With These Strategies

While medication is still the mainstream treatment for asthma, there are many ways to cope with asthma. This includes constructing the right type of environment at home, using natural remedies, eating a special diet and living a healthy lifestyle.

Home Allergens and Asthma

A person’s house is a breeding ground for many types of allergens, including dust mites, pests and mould. Dust can be found in virtually every corner of the house. It consists of flakes of dead skin, pet hair, dander, dust particles blown from outside and too many other sources to be named. Dust is also food for dust mites, a main trigger of asthma attack.

Preventing Home Allergens

To prevent home allergens, the only solution is to clean the house often. In the bedroom, buy bedding that resists dust mites. Wash the bed sheet and pillow case once a week. If your budget allows it, buy covers made of tightly woven fabric or semipermeable polyurethane. When vacuuming the house, make sure to choose vacuum cleaners that come pre-installed with a HEPA filter. Non-HEPA cleaners only release more dust into the air. Carpets are also another great source for dust mites, so buy carpet types with low pile.

One common household pest is cockroaches. Some people are allergic to the waste or bacteria left by the cockroaches. Call in the pest control if your home is infested with cockroaches. There are also some natural ways to eradicate cockroaches without resorting to pesticides.

Make sure to always clear away leftover food and store it in the refrigerator. Clean under the bathroom sinks too. Cockroaches love alcohol, so soak a cloth in stale beer and place it in the kitchen. When the cockroaches drink the beer, they get drunk and “faint” in the middle of the floor, where they can then be killed and removed easily.

An Asthma Diet

Another type of natural cure is the correct diet. Nature has already provided many foods that can fight asthma, from whole milk to apples and more. Here are some ways to change the diet to make it more suitable for people suffering from asthma:

Incorporate yoghurt into the diet. Yoghurt contains a type of nutrient called probiotics which stimulate the stomach to produce certain white blood and antibodies that can prevent the body from overreacting to allergens.

Increase fruit and vegetables intake. These foods contain antioxidants, which can prevent free radicals in the body that are produced during exercise. An increase in antioxidant levels in the body can also prevent the immune system from overreacting to allergens, which can help prevent lung inflammation.

Sources:

E.Berger, William, and Debra Gordon. Allergy & Asthma Allergy. Reader's Digest Health Publishing