While prescription inhalation aerosols, inhaled corticosteroid therapy, and nebulizer treatments are all vital components in the maintenance treatment of asthma, there are other natural remedies that may complement the effectiveness of prescription asthma drugs. Here are three natural remedies that may help your child breathe easier while taking his or her prescription medications:
Coffee, especially strong black coffee, is an excellent natural remedy to help facilitate normal breathing in the asthmatic patient. Certain compounds in coffee work on the airway and bronchioles similar to how prescription bronchodilators work.
Coffee helps open up the airway, while helping to reduce wheezing and thick mucus production. While it is important to note that coffee can help reduce asthma symptoms, the caffeine may lead to nervousness and excitability in your child. Check with the pediatrician before augmenting your child's pharmaceutical protocol with coffee.
One of the most effective and simplest natural remedies in the treatment of asthma and other pulmonary disorders is breathing in shower steam. The moist steam helps loosen viscous mucus in the lungs while relaxing the airway. Steam also helps quiet coughing and may help calm your child during a frightening asthma attack.
Boiling water in a pot and having your child breathe in the steam works in the same way as the shower does as will using a vaporizer in your child's room. For additional relief, place a dab of mentholated ointment in the vaporizer chamber so that the menthol steam can further help improve wheezing and congestion.
Drinking plain water not only helps loosen thick mucus secretions so that your child can expectorate them effortlessly, but it can also help dilute stomach acid, which can exacerbate asthma. Children who have acid reflux disease often suffer from asthma because when stomach acid travels into the upper digestive tract, it can aggravate the airway and cause wheezing.
If your child has acid reflux disease, prop the head of the bed up so that when sleeping, your child's stomach acid stays in the stomach instead of migrating into the throat. Drinking plenty of water may also help diminish stomach upset that can sometimes occur when taking asthma medications.
If your child has asthma, consider the above natural treatment remedies to complement his or her medication regimen. Working with the pediatrician, taking the appropriate prescription medications, and using safe natural remedies will help minimize your child's symptoms so that he or she can enjoy relief from shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing.
For more information, contact local professionals like Aerospan RX.