Is There Natural Relief for Asthma? Try These 10 Herbs for Respiratory Support.
I remember my daughter’s first full-blown asthma attack like it was yesterday:
She wasn’t yet 3 years old. Playing at home with her sister, she was struggling to breathe: nostrils flared, her stomach heaving in and out; she looked wild eyed and panicked. I immediately called 911. The ambulance arrived almost immediately, administered oxygen and whisked us off to the hospital. It was a terrifying moment. In the ER, they gave her a breathing treatment and I sat there, helpless, as they monitored her with a mask on her face, her small body seated on this massive exam bed. She recovered quickly.
Soon, though, the respiratory mask was dotted with pale pink droplets, “What’s that?” I asked the nurse. “Oh that’s just some blood droplets; that happens sometimes. It’s normal.”
Normal. None of this felt normal. My daughter can’t breathe easily on her own. That’s not normal. She’s getting medicine that makes her bleed. That’s not normal either. Later that evening, they released her, and we went home. It was two weeks before her third birthday.
The next day was a trip to the doctor. The most he offered was more normalization: her airways swelled up. It happens from time to time.
But, how do I keep this from happening again? I was anxious to get this under control. Weeks turned into months of devouring all the information I could find. Her pediatrician resisted offering a diagnosis of asthma because my daughter hadn’t yet turned three. (Turns out, it was bonafide asthma.) By the time she was finally diagnosed with asthma, she had been in and out of ambulances and ERs more times than I cared to count.
“Could it be her diet?” I asked the doctor. His response, “Diet has nothing to do with it.”
Yet, every time she had dairy: milk, pizza, ice cream; every.single.time. like clockwork, she’d run into breathing trouble: a phlegm-y throat and persistent cough, turned into noticeable wheezing, that mushroomed into a full-blown breathing nightmare. The doctor prescribed an inhaler and a steroid. The side effects of both were about as horrifying: rapid breathing, hyperactivity, racing heart.
I complied because, back then, I didn’t know better.
These healing herbs have changed my daughter’s asthma
Her pediatrician also prescribed a nebulizer. Every fall, by November, she’d begin having a daily breathing treatment. Getting my 3-year-old (then 4-year-old, and on) to lie still while this loud machine forced medicine into her body was tough to do and to watch.
There had to be more I could do so she could wake up and breathe easy. And go to bed, breathing easy. And run and play, breathing easy.
The internet was still new, but there was lots of information. Enough information, in fact, to drown in: Change her diet. Try this massage. Use these essential oils. Make this tea. Burn these leaves. Do these exercises.
Finally, as I worked through my formal studies in herbalism, solutions started making sense. Yes: change her diet. Yes: use some herbs. Yes: be vigilant and adjust our lifestyle habits.
Finally, we found success. Sounds incredible? It isn’t. See for yourself what herbal respiratory support can do.
As a mom and a certified master herbalist, I’ve been sharing my tried-and-true solutions that have served my family and my clients well for the more than 15 years. I invite you to discover what you can do, naturally, for your own health and your family’s.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Rihla Wellness nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.