Calling all asthma "friends"

momto2girls

Hey everyone -- my name is Jen and I don't post here as often as I would like. I have asthma and it seems as I get older it is getting worse. I recently moved to Colorado and am having a difficult time adjusting. Well, I am not per se but my lungs are not very happy. I am reading a book my mom sent me calling "Reversing Asthma" and I am looking forward to making changes that don't involve medication.

If you have anything that would be helpful regarding diet changes or supplements I welcome them. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!

Thank you for your support.

Kate_UK

Hi! Other than regular check ups with my doctor and taking my mediaction I don't really have any advise other than keep up the exercise if you feel well enough. I've seen a big difference in my lung function since I've started to exercise regularly.
That sounds like an interesting book. Who is it by? I'd like to look it up.

NatalieWinning

One tablet of Singular has changed my life. I don't live on antihistamines or inhalers anymore. I have them if I need them. But it's so much better! I get sick 2/3 less often and get over it quickly, too! All this means I can breath and do more, of course. Keeping my house and yard stuff picked up helps. As does a very good vaccume (Dyson pet). You can't reverse it, but you can keep it out of your life with some preventtion. The singular is the thing that worked for me. So look for less drugs, not no drugs. If you can get allergy shots, that might also dampen it with some immunity to some of your triggers. Exercise indoors or outdoors, whichever is better for you. I use my air conditioner with windows closed in the fall, spring, and summer. And I change my heaters filter often.

More fit helps, too!

garybonner

Jen,

I too, am a severe asthmatic. Unfortunately I live in Baltimore, Maryland where the air is damp and dirty. This has been a very tough year for me. Like you, as I have gotten older, it has not gotten better. I used to her friends say I would "grow out of it" but I'm 44 now and it looks like I am going to have to just manage this. A freind in Ohio turned me onto a supplement called Alj. It took about three or four weeks before I began to notice a real effect, but it does work for me. I have included a link, but you can get it at any vitamin store.

http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/products/product/stocknumber774-alj-100-caps.aspx

I hope that helps.

Godspeed to you and I hope you feel better real soon.

Thanks,

Gary

momto2girls

Thank you both so much, I appreciate your quick responses.

@Nammy - I am on Singular, I should have mentioned that. I also have a daily inhaler, a rescue inhaler and I just got off Claritin (per my Dr. after first frost).

@Kate - The book is by Richard N. Firshein, DO

ohwhataday

I have asthma and have since I was at least 7[when I was diagnosed] and although I could use one I don't have an inhaler or take medication anymore. I have read a laundry list of things naturally or simple things we could do to cut out symptoms and such but I haven't ever really paid attention other than trying to lose weight. The more I weigh the harder it is for me to breathe. I've read something about cutting out dairy but no thanks!! If I can find it I'll post the link. I hope you find out!! Would be good to know.

roylawrence87

I use to be severly asthmatic. I have since changed my diet. Going vegan helped in sooooo many ways. And dropping caffeine has too. I use to not be able to run 2 feet and have an attack. Now I do P90X everyday and I don't hardly ever feel it. I also try to control my breathing when I feel one coming on.

Erica2bFit

HI! Sorry the move is hard on your lungs. My mom has severe asthma (COPD) and a trip to Denver for treatment about killed her because of the altitude difference so that may be causing some of your problems. I wanted to suggest a book by Dr. Peter D'Adamo called Diet 4 Your Blood Type. Basically through study he and others have found that each blood type responses to foods differently therefore causing allergies that affect our health. I am not going to say its a cure for asthma but a more natural way to approach allergies and other diseases. I suffer from allergies and struggled with repeat sinus infections, once I started following the diet for my blood type I did not need to use allergy meds, inhalers, or antibiotics as often. I still have occasionally flareups but I feel much better. I also do not suffer from digestive problems as much or as severe. Since Feb I have lost almost 30#. I know not rapid weight loss but still a loss.I am also being follow by my Dr for my weight loss and she said it could take up to 1 1/2 years to lose the weight and for my body to naturally heal itself. Good luck to you and I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Kate_UK

Thank you both so much, I appreciate your quick responses.

@Nammy - I am on Singular, I should have mentioned that. I also have a daily inhaler, a rescue inhaler and I just got off Claritin (per my Dr. after first frost).

@Kate - The book is by Richard N. Firshein, DO

Thanks for the info.

Shari_T

When I do the Oxycise DVDs regularly I don't even need to use my rescue inhaler. Unfortunately, I get lax and don't use them regularly and then I start having flares. I think the person who made them lived in Colorado. Hope this helps.

Shari

TrainingWithTonya

Yoga! Yoga! and MORE YOGA! I actually grew into my asthma instead of growing out of it like a lot of people. I got it when I moved to Atlanta. I now live in the country and still have problems with it when they burn the fields around me so I take Advair during that time of the year, but I can generally control it the rest of the year from learning how to breathe when I got my yoga certification. In the 5 years since I got my yoga certification, I've cut down the use of inhalers, nebulizers, everything because of learning how to focus on breathing. Even in the middle of an attack, my O2 saturation level doesn't go down like it use to because of getting more air in the lungs then I use to be able to get in there. Being at a higher altitude, you are going to have to get more air in your lungs to be able to get as much oxygen to the body because of the difference in the density of the atmosphere.

EmmieSu

I have a two little boys both born with RDS (respiratory distress syndrome), my oldest son, has food allergies and asthma. Allergies and asthma go hand in hand, so I suggest being tested for allergies. Once, you know if you have any food allergies, you can weed those out of your diet, and it can make a difference. I'm not saying you'll be healed, but once you know what to avoid, and do, you'll notice a difference. Environmental allergies, will also cause flare ups. The altitude does make a difference, also. Med, you take can also cause weight gain, so it can be hard for an asthmatic to lose weight, but it can be done. Don't get discouraged, just know, that what you are doing will lead to a healthier you.

zoey116

I agree with the others about allergie shots helped me ALOT. I had asthma as a child and grew out of it ...and then back into it in my early 20's As an adult I went back on my allergy shots but didn't think they were doing any good b/c I was still having issues b/c I was still having a few issues so I quit. About 6 months later I realized that was a HUGE mistake! When I am on my shots my asthma is soooooo much more under control than when I'm not. The only thing I'm wondering is how long have you been in Colorado? When I moved to Texas 2 years ago my Dr.'s (both in FL and TX) said it would take 1 year of me living in TX before I would become allergic to the "stuff" here in TX. And they were right...it wasn't till I hit the 1 year mark (where I was no longer on my shots from FL and before I could be tested for and start shots for TX) That I started having issues again. Sorry to ramble but I agree with everyone who recomends dr supervision and meds if needed. Prolonged Untreated Asthma can lead to COPD if it gets bad enough

msbanana

Asthmatic here too.
One of the best thing that ever happened to me was the day my food allergies were diagnosed. I never would have believed in a million years that I was allergic to food. Ok walnuts make my mouth itchy but that was the "worst" of it. As it turns out my SEVERE grass tree and weed allergies were not just seasonally making my asthma worse. Grain (wheat barley & rye) are grasses. I eat them- my chest gets congested. Tree fruit- like apples, pears, peaches etc.. as well as nuts are all related to the family of trees that I'm allergic to again congestion and lucky me the poops. You get the idea- My allergist is AMAZING and after I did a drastic cut getting all of that out of my life and I went from taking Singular, the highest dose of Advair, Allergy meds, and Albuterol 3 times a day with talk of allergy shots to 1 loratidine a day during allergy season and my albuterol as needed...

Definately need to take a look at what you're putting in if you wouldn't want to sniff for fear it'd make you sneeze you may not want to eat it. :drinker:

momto2girls

Thank you all, I really appreciate your input, advice and suggestions.

shaggy22

We have cats in my house which I am allergic to. I have had a medium level brochial problem for about 2 years which has been getting very slowly worse. About 3 weeks ago I bought an Airfree Air Sterilizer and for the first time since I have moved in here my condition is getting better. It seems like a miracle to me!

Shawnalee0703

I use to be severly asthmatic. I have since changed my diet. Going vegan helped in sooooo many ways. And dropping caffeine has too. I use to not be able to run 2 feet and have an attack. Now I do P90X everyday and I don't hardly ever feel it. I also try to control my breathing when I feel one coming on.

Never had asthma but what brought me to look it up is that I have been experiencing heavy coughing spells and weezing after my without stops. Not during, but after! Can't get full.lungs and then is weezes when I try. I have read in many articles that coffee actually is great for the lungs and has been known to reverse an acute attack. I don't know how, but I found this very interesting since I love coffee! I have no insurance right now unfortunately. Would anyone have an idea of what I may be experiencing? never had allergies or anything until we moved.into an apt! Agh!

gabeye

Hey! I have asthma (I was diagnosed at 13). I started swimming competitively and 35 hours in a highly chlorinated pool wasn't the best for the my lungs. Like roylawrence87 said about vegan-ism and caffeine intake- I've over the last year made a switch to be 80% vegetarian. It has helped me SO much. Last month my prescriptions for my corticosteroid and Albuterol ran out and I didn't even fill it and I've been fine. And I was sick this last week and I'd say about 3/4 of the times I get a bad cold or the flu develop straight into pneumonia or bronchitis because of my bad lungs but...nothing. Totally healthy and back to work again.

In the last week I've been moving away from drinking coffee and switching to tea as well but I never really thought of this for asthma so much as for my general health but nice to know that has helped some people too. I believe that the mainly plant based diet has helped me so much!!! I still eat eggs in baking dishes and what meat I do it is either fish or chicken. I've also moved to drinking almond milk instead of real, and I take vitamins to support my lifestyle as well. Oh! And I went to a vegetarian conference here in Portland, OR (NWVeg) and a LOT of people there have been asthmatics and a plant based diet really helped them.

Also, Like Tonya was mentioning breathing is so important! I'm a shallow breather like most people and it wasn't until recently that I've started taking "breathing breaks", lol. About four times a day, when I first wake up, then on my lunch break, when I get home, and before bed I take 3-10 FULL and SLOW deep breaths- and let it out. Really relaxing when I fully expand my lungs. As a nurse we recommend our patients do deep breathing on an incentive spirometer anytime they are in the hospital for a long period of time lying down (i.e. shallow breathing in a supine position) to reduce their risk of getting sick. I can literally SEE the difference in longterm spirometer and non-spirometer patients. I'm starting yoga this week to increase my "breathing related exercise" (plus it's a nice workout too, lol).

Hope my story helps others. Good luck!

Manda1987

I was diagnosed with borderline severe asthma at age 4.

I'm kind of iffy on the whole "diet and natural supplements can cure your asthma". I wonder how much of it is psychosomatic. However, I did participate in a study recently where they were testing omega fatty acids' effect on asthma. If I recall correctly, it was discovered that there was a fairly significant effect (they're still in the process of writing up the reports now). I had to take a whole heck of a lot of it, though (like 10 extra strength pills a day) so it's not all that practical.

Reading about your medication regimen, I wonder if you're being overmedicated. My asthma was being monitored and treated by my family doctor. Unfortunately, most family doctors aren't all that knowledgeable when it comes to specific conditions. I was taking Advair at 2000 mg daily... that's 4 times the maximum recommended daily amount! I was also taking Ventolin 4 puffs daily minimum, as per doctor instructions, even when I didn't need it. I was also on Singulair at the time. Somehow, with all of this, my asthma kept getting worse and worse. Turns out I was being severely overmedicated, which made my lungs very 'twitchy' and susceptible to medication-resistant attacks. I was fortunate to be involved in a study where I was being monitored by one of the top authorities on asthma in the world, and he rescued me and referred me to a specialist. I'm now OFF all maintenance puffers and rarely use Ventolin. So look into that.

isiswin

Like you, I am asthmatic (severely a few years ago) and getting older. However, I rarely rely on inhalers unless, I know I'll push my cardio beyond my usual habits. Nevertheless, I discovered breathing healthy air, deeper than normally and daily, enhances my lungs capabilities. I take almost daily a 1/2 to 1 hour brisk walk in the country side and away from car fumes. Now I can stand heavier cardio workouts w/o problems or need of medication. No so long ago, that was another case. It's worth the try and results can be seeing in a few weeks.