my dad is trying all ways to try and help me gain some control over my misbehaving lungs.
he has been doing some research, and in doing so, has come acroos something called a SALT PIPE
which is something like a pipe you inhale containing pure salt crystals?? apparently these are supposed to be helpful for asthmatics? they are sold in holland and barrett and online for around £15.
just wondered if anyone had heard of them or tried them, before getting one and trying one, or is it just a waste of time?
Hiya, This has come up before. If you put 'salt pipe' (also salt mines) in keywords search it will bring up the posts. Think the jury is still out on its effectiveness.
thanks angievere will do
x
Hi,tried the salt pipe,initially started to feel better,then got an infection so was worried that maybe the pipe unit that was a complete unit wasnt able to be cleaned thouroughly enough,maybe there is different models,also went to salt caves,found this really good ,and then had worst attack needing admission etc,so that put me off,again might have nothing to do with it,it felt good at the time,a warm feeling ,went for 15 sessions before things went downhill.
A friend bought me a salt pipe, which I use when I'm feeling a bit iffey, although I should probably use it all the time. I don't know if it really works or not, but it gives you the feeling that you're doing something pro-active.
The trick is to make sure that the salt stays dry, so don't exhale through it!
At one point I saw a television programme that indicated that in some Eastern European countries the standard treatment for asthma is lots of exercise and regular overnight stays in salt caves.
Makes you think!
I bought a salt pipe few years back, but to be honest, i think it's a waste of time, I found it did nothing for me apart from give me a sore throat. Biggest improvement I found was from nasal rinse (neil med, or netti pot) and keeping fit and active. Also something many forget is to breathe through your nose, this filters the dust and stuff and warms the air before it hits your lungs, in winter also a warm mist humidifier helps keep my lungs moist, winter air tends to be drier and less moisture so asthma is worse.
update
been talked out of having the salt pipe so gonna see if can find other things to try. last thing i need is to make things worse :S if they can get any worse grrr.....
i go for lil 30 mins walks daily if lungs behave, but then end up needing quite a lot of sally inh or backtoback nebs after, even if take my time, but at least thats my exercise sorted
also, keep windows open at night and do the breathing through the nose, yes that does help, unless walking...
also at night, i place a bowl of water on top of radiator in my rooom to help moisten the air. the other thing dad been looking into is an air purifier? cos of dust allergy... *sigh* any thought on such? anyone tried THIS as well now ?!
I bought an air purifier when I couldn't stop coughing and found that it really does change the quality of the air. I don't know if you feel the same, but when the asthma is playing up the air feels thick, almost chewy, as I breathe. Half an hour after turning on the air purifier I realised that the air felt lighter somehow, and that my lungs felt more relaxed and comfortable.
The first few times I used it I coughed quite a lot, probably my lungs using the opportunity to finally use some clean air to get rid of a lot of the junk lurking around in them!
Now that the asthma is under better control I usually only use the air purifier for about an hour after I get home from work, where it is very dusty, or if I'm feeling really tired or my PF is low.
Looking at my PF chart I can see a noticeable improvement starting from a couple of days after I bought my air purifier, from between 350 and 390 to between 420 and 450. I am very aware that this could all be conicidence, or even the good old placebo effect, but I figure that anything that makes you feel better must be good.
If you look on the Allergy UK website there is a list of approved air purifiers. The only trouble is, you can't really see how big they are. However, John Lewis stocks 3 Bionaire models, which Allergy UK approves, so you can get an idea of how much room they'll take up before you buy. If you buy!
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grrr.....
Salt pipes.
Salitair Dry Salt Pipe
Salt lamps
Salt Caves - any thoughts?
