I've had asthma for most of my life and only now am I taking charge, ditching the meds and seriously improving my symptoms. I'd like to hear any suggestions from any and all of you on what else I can do to make lasting, significant improvements in my respiratory health.
I try meditation regularly, have cut out mucous-forming foods, try and vacuum regularly, take sage and licorice (not together!) tea occasionally and take good strenous exercise when I can, all with good results but I want to go further. I've heard of (as with all allergies) trying to recreate and deal with emotional events from childhood and I've read a little on NAED.
Does anyone have any good stories ?
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Turn the tap off before mopping up the mess
Ok, well both acupuncture and homeopathy can both be very effective in the treatment of asthma.
I developed an allergy based asthma in my 20's and was given first an Intal inhaler and then a Ventolin inhaler by my doc. Intal is a dry powder inhaler that made me cough so much, I could not take it. Although it is primarily for kids, he gave it to me as a preventer as it was meant to be good for allergic asthma. I then switched to Ventolin, which worked very well and then following a severe bout of bronchitis one winter, I ended up on a steroid inhaler too, to help clear it. I carried on like this, as I didn't know any different and would get bronchitis, would need more antibiotics and then more steroids and it carried on like this in a vicious circle. However, a friend at the time had started doing an acupuncture course and persuaded me to go along just for one treatment to see if I liked it. Her college was doing a promotion to try and get people to go to the student clinic for reduced prices. I went along and was totally amazed. After only one treatment and with the use of various points, my breathing became a lot better, so I went back and after 3 treatments I had ditched my steroid inhaler completely and by the end of the full course, I was not using my Ventolin at all. It was great and somehow taught me how to breathe very deeply from my belly rather than my chest and this has really helped ever since.
I actually discovered in the end that were also a lot of emotional components to my problems and just happened to pick up a book one day about homeopathy. By this time, I was so into the acupuncture that I had gone to study it myself in college and I was in the college library where I saw this book on homeopathy. As I was doing acupuncture, I was quite receptive so I sat down and started reading it. It was the book by Bill Gray MD, the Yale trained doc turned homeopath. Anyway, it was so easy to read that I found it fascinating. After reading it, I went and had some treatment myself and was amazed at the results. Suddenly, years of emotional suppression started to unravel themselves and I felt better both physically and mentally than I had done in years.
I completed my acupuncture training and went and set-up in practice and although my practice was great and thriving, I felt that something was missing, so went and trained in homeopathy too. I now integrate both acupuncture and homeopathy in my practice for the benefit of my patients, as I feel that there are some things that acupuncture will work better for and vice versa. Sometimes acupuncture is better for more physical problems, whereas homeopathy will go to a much deeper level and although good for physical ailments, is very good for mental and emotional problems too. I now still have a thriving practice, but feel that I found this missing link and am much more relaxed and seem to find more satisfaction in helping my patients.
Sorry this is so long winded, but I hope that it helps some of you and that you can derive some benefit from reading it?
Not long-winded and thanks for taking the time to write; certainly appreciated.
I used to use Intal too (a non-corticosteroid) when I as a kid and was moved on to Becotide, a corticosteroid (there's progress ). I know what you mean about the antibiotic cycle. I've had a couple of cases of prednisolone treatment. Well I think you know what they do and how it's borrowing from Peter to pay Paul when you want to breathe properly.
I threw away my steroids last March and have used a bronchodilator only occassionally since. My breathing could still be better, though. Acupuncture will be my next stop. Lastly, how does homeopathy help if it's an emotion-rooted problem ? Doesn't homeopathy work in a similar way to a vaccine ? Should I inject myself with small doses of my mother so I can learn how to deal with her better?
[This message has been edited by Farmer Sue Tickle (edited 01-15-2003).]
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Turn the tap off before mopping up the mess
You are not far wrong when you say that it works like a vaccine, I suppose it does, as it works on the principle of 'Like Cures Like' so you have to match a person symptoms to the remedy and if you get the right remedy, or the closest similar remedy, then in theory, it should work. However good a homeopath is they sometimes cannot expect to hit on the perfect remedy first time round, but you do get better with experinece and there can also be blocks to cure that get in the way.
When you have a flu jab, they inject you with an attenuated flu vaccine and this stimulates the immune system. Homeopathic remedies do boost the immune system, but not in quite the same way as a vaccine does. A vaccine stimulates the body on a physical level, however, as remedies go through a process called potentisation, they then stimulate the body on more of an energetic level and tap in to that side, in the same way that acupuncture does.
When I say that homeopathy can work on an emotional level, what I mean by this is that a practitioner will want to know about you as a person and your feelings, thoughts and fears and what makes you tick, as well as your sleep patterns, your food cravings, whether you are a hot or a cold person and then your physical problems too. This is then all made into what are know as rubrics and then a full repertorisation is undertaken using what are known as mental/emotional, general and physical symptoms. For a Totality remedy, more emphasis is put on the Mental/emotional symptoms, but you should find one remedy to cover most of the symptoms, but not all, as this is why it is called a Similar remedy, rather than an exact match.
I am afraid that a dose of your mother in potency would probably be too much of an exact match - known as Isopathy rather than homeopathy.
Anyway, hope this helps and post back if you want any more info re anything and good luck with the acupuncture?
I developed asthma when I was 35 (10 years ago) and was on 2 inhalers and 1 oral med. I also would get bronchitis about 3 times a year and always had a cough.I started taking something called transfer factor and transfer factor plus about 3 years ago. Within 2 months of starting these I no longer needed the asthma meds. I recently stopped taking these supplements and the asthma has not returned.
I ordered the transfer factor from a company called 4-life research. A friend of mine told me about it (she knows one of the doctors who helped research and develop it). It is all natural and is good for the immune system. They have a web site, you can probably do a search and find it. Other on-line health stores sell it sometimes too.
All comments welcome on curing asthma 
). I know what you mean about the antibiotic cycle. I've had a couple of cases of prednisolone treatment. Well I think you know what they do and how it's borrowing from Peter to pay Paul when you want to breathe properly.
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