How to prevent an asthma attack naturally

How to prevent an asthma attack naturally

Asthma attacks are a nightmare. The panic, fear, and struggle to breathe normally can make it seem like an eternity to get relief.

Most medications and remedies are reactive “solutions.” Here are some preventive measures that can give you confidence and control over asthma.

1. Optimize digestion

Poor digestion can create toxins in the body that can lead to inflammation.

Add herbs and spices to your diet that promote more frequent bowel movements. Garlic, ginger, aloe, senna, cascara sagrada, barberry, clove and turmeric promote good digestion.

Eliminate foods that cause digestive problems. A good place to start is by eliminating refined sugar, refined white flour, and dairy products, as these all have negative effects on the digestive system.

Add digestion-friendly foods to your day with green smoothies. A green smoothie a day can give your body a much-needed boost of vitamins and minerals. Here is an example of my typical daily green smoothie. Water, coconut water, ginger root, celery, kiwi, parsley and romaine lettuce.

Chew your food thoroughly. This one may seem easy, but it was actually hard for me. I've been scarfing down my food since I was a kid. But the benefits are too good not to keep practicing. It allows more nutrients to be absorbed and allows your stomach to not work as hard because the pieces of food are much smaller.

Try intermittent fasting. Just don't eat sometimes. I have to admit this one sounded crazy to me, I love food and I was sure I would starve! But one Sunday I did it. I didn't eat for 24 hours and lived to tell the tale. In fact, I felt really good while fasting! The main benefit of this approach is that the digestive system has much-needed rest.

2. Stay hydrated.

Drink lots of water. This helps the mucus in the lungs not become sticky. It's easy to lose sight of this step during the busy day, and with so many other drink options available, water can be overlooked.

3. Retrain your breathing.

Breathing should be effortless through your nose. If you have mouth breathing or a heavy breather, it will be of great benefit to you to start practicing gentle nasal breathing. This was easier said than done for me as I had difficult mouth breathing. But with practice and the help of some breathing training machines, I was able to get it under control and I'm so much better for it!

4. Walk or participate in low-impact exercise

Asthma is a good excuse not to exercise; after all, you don't want to get upset and trigger an asthma attack. However, you will find that walking or other low-impact activities such as qigong can improve asthma control because they can be done while maintaining gentle nasal breathing.

Avoid the nightmare of an asthma attack by using these natural prevention tips in your everyday life.

Inspired by Jesse C Martinez