I'm wondering if anyone has successfully reversed an asthma flare and what steps you took to do so.
Wildfire smoke has worsened my normally-mild asthma. I have a lot to learn about dealing with this condition. We purchased an air conditioner but need to check that the filter works against smoke. A particulate asthma mask arrives tomorrow. A bedroom air cleaner with a heppa filter and smoke-filtering prefilter arrives Tuesday. The herbal remedy that my naturopathic doctor prescribed has so far kept me from needing my rescue inhaler. Enduring ongoing air quality issues isn't easy though.
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FearNot
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I understand the temptation to want to use alternative medicines, but ultimately your reliever inhaler is there for precisely this sort of circumstance. Its purpose is to open your airways during flare-ups to give you respite until the flare-up passes. Smoke is a common trigger (as you've discovered) so please use your reliever to help, otherwise you could end up with a worse problem.
You mentioned your rescue inhaler...that’s what I meant. That’s another term for a reliever. You asked the question about reversing a flare-up & part of the strategy most of us use is a rescue/reliever. Your maintenance medication would be designed to prevent asthma flaring up to begin with. Other than the herbal medication, do you take anything?
I take the herbal medication as a tincture in water. It works quickly in place of a rescue inhaler and also can be used for maintenance. It isn't instant, so I do keep my rescue inhaler on hand, just in case. I haven't had to use it and hope I won't. Albuterol gives me extra heartbeats and anxiety. I tolerate the herb better.
I haven't needed ongoing meds since my asthma has been so mild. The wildfire smoke changes that in the summers. I think I may not know what an asthma flare is. I thought it meant a group of ongoing attacks that increase your lungs' sensitivity. I was wondering about lifestyle changes that have helped people reduce asthma episodes. I'm on the Mediteranean diet, which some claim helps their asthma, for example.
The only thing that works for me is my rescue steroids and then they only work if I catch it early enough. If you aren't feeling any better, I would see your GP.
A fishermans friend lolly might make the difference, it’s liqorice and very strong and have found them helpful. Liquorice without sugar is good.
If you have an appropriate essential oil.. I got mine from ananda apothecary in the USA ( very best) their site has descriptions of actions and links to pubmed research. I used rosemary a drop in a half mug of hot water and breathed it in. Very comforting. Drank the cool water.
Breathing in a bag might help. Carbon dioxide is very healing, these are light helpers but might be all you need. I agree better not to use the blue ventolin if you don’t need it,
Thanks for the advice, Livre. I'm going to try using Fishermen's Friend drops. I'll look into aromatherapy with essential oils also. I'm not sure about consuming them though. I've read that is dangerous. I need to research this more.
It's lobelia tincture. Of course, like any other strong medicine, lobelia should only be taken under medical supervision. Lobelia doesn't help everyone, but no medicine does. It needs a few minutes to work, so it doesnt replace an inhaler in an immediate emergency. I've been taking it for about a week, and It averted several attacks when I took it at the first warning sign.
I am very interested in learning about your herbal remedy. I have made myself a “eucalyptus pen“, and it seems to help . it doesn’t entirely take the place of a rescue in Hailer, but it does feel cool and it does seem to open things up a bit.
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