If you have sudden difficulty breathing, a tight feeling in your chest and bouts of wheezing, you may have asthma. There is no cure for asthma, but it can be kept under control and by taking steps to avoid asthma flareups. The easiest way to stop asthma at home is to avoid an attack before it starts. If you need fast treatment for your asthma attacks, consult a doctor for prescription medication.
Step 1
Practice asthma relaxation techniques when you feel an attack coming on, suggests the Riley Hospital for Children. Put your hands on your stomach, breathe in as your stomach expands and your hands rise. Breathe out slowly through your mouth as your stomach and hands return to the starting position. Repeat slowly, making sure the chest does not rise and fall.
Step 2
Make a cup of breathe-easy tea, recommends Kathi Keville in her book, "Herbs for Health and Healing." In a saucepan, mix 1 tsp. each of chamomile flowers, mullein leaves, passionflower leaves and echinacea root, and 1/2 tsp. each of lemon verbena leaves and elecampane root. Pour 1 qt. boiling water over the herbs, then allow to steep for 15 minutes. Drink several times a day as needed.
Step 3
Use an albuterol inhaler. An albuterol inhaler is a prescription asthma medication prescribed by a doctor that helps dilate the bronchial tubes quickly. Spray the albuterol inhaler into your lungs as prescribed by your doctor during emergency asthma attacks.
Step 4
Breathe with a nebulizer for 20 minutes or as recommended by your doctor. A nebulizer is a machine that distributes medication through the air. Insert the medication into the nebulizer, put on the nebulizer mask and breathe in and out carefully. A nebulizer will help reduce asthma symptoms because the medication travels directly into the lungs to help treat symptoms immediately.
Step 5
Drink two cups of coffee if you are without your inhaler. The caffeine can help temporarily reduce asthma symptoms in an emergency, although it is not recommended as a replacement for an inhaler or other asthma medication.
Tips and Warnings
- Asthma may be triggered as a result of high humidity.
- Call the emergency room immediately if you are completely unable to breathe due to asthma.
Things You'll Need
- Saucepan
- 1 tsp. chamomile flowers
- 1 tsp. mullein leaves
- 1 tsp. passionflower leaves
- 1 tsp. echinacea root
- 1/2 tsp. lemon verbena leaves
- 1/2 tsp. elecampane root
- Albuterol inhaler
- Nebulizer
- Coffee
References
- Mayo Clinic: Asthma: Treatments and Drugs
- Riley Hospital for Children: Relaxation Methods
- "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies": Asthma
- "Herbs for Health and Healing"; Kathi Keville; 1996
- Children's Hospital Boston: Asthma Hand Held Nebulizer Treatments
