1. Breathe Easy with a Breathing Machine
People with asthma require some type of treatment plan to manage symptoms. A common treatment, particularly with children, is the use of a nebulizer. Also called breathing machines, nebulizers convert liquid asthma medicines like albuterol or ipratropium bromide into a mist. Nebulizers provide an effective way to deliver medicine while you're at home. Although portable nebulizers exist, someone with frequent or unpredictable asthma can find it troublesome to carry a nebulizer around and always be looking for an electrical outlet or cigarette lighter to plug into. Another disadvantage of nebulizers is the care and maintenance of the machine. Exploring conventional and alternative therapies for asthma treatment makes a lot of sense. For example, some asthma sufferers are able to treat asthma symptoms through long-term control medications.
2. Benefit from an Inhaler
Research shows that when children with acute asthma used the medication Salburamol in a metered dose inhaler with spacer, treatment was just as effective as with a nebulizer. Children younger than 2 may need to use the inhaler with a facemask to gain maximum effectiveness from medication. Other people with asthma benefit from corticosteroid inhalers, like Flovent, that reduce inflammation in the airways. Although corticosteroids come in pill form, the inhalant version works directly on the airways to give more immediate relief to asthma sufferers. Inhalers also have a use with long-acting bronchodilators.
3. Treat Allergies to Avoid Triggers
Many people with asthma find that certain things in the air trigger attacks. An immunotherapy treatment plan controls the triggers that activate allergic asthma. Allergy testing determines the type of allergy shots needed to start weekly injections for a few months before changing to monthly injections for up to five years. Xolair is another allergic asthma treatment that reduces allergy-causing antibodies in people suffering from moderate to severe asthma.
4. Improve Asthma Symptoms with Breathing Exercises
Researchers have found that two breathing techniques, the Buteykin technique and the Papworth method, may reduce asthma symptoms that would require a nebulizer. Used in Russia to treat asthma, the Buteyko breathing technique teaches people to change breathing habits so that they're taking in less air. The Papworth method is a series of breathing and relaxation techniques.
5. Look at Alternative Home Remedies
Research continues on other alternative therapies or home remedies that may successfully treat asthma symptoms or at least limit the amount of medication needed. Regular exercise strengthens lungs. One type of exercise, yoga, may help asthma symptoms through the integration of breathing techniques, called pranayama, into stretching positions or poses. Other alternative therapies studied as possible treatment for asthma symptoms include acupuncture, homeopathy and biofeedback.
