Treatment for Asthma Overview
In this article, I will share some information concerning treatment for Asthma. I will also share what happens in the body when people suffer from asthma. I also detail some information on helping people relieve symptoms of asthma.
What is asthma
Asthma is a common long-term condition that affects an individual’s respiratory function. It is caused by inflammation of small tubes called bronchi that carry air in and out of the lungs. When an individual comes into contact with a substance that irritates the lungs the airways become narrow and the muscles around these tighten.
Common Asthma triggers include;
- House dust
- Cigarette or other smoke
- Pet / Animal hair
- Pollen
- Exercise
- Viral infections
Symptoms of Asthma:
Symptoms vary from person to person and sometimes the severity of the condition can lead to asthma attacks, some of these are so severe and result in hospitalisation.
Common Asthma symptoms include;
- Chest tightness
- Wheezing
- Breathlessness
- Coughing
How I work with Asthma / treatment for Asthma:
Out of the therapies I practice, I will often use The Bowen Technique when I am treating people struggling with asthma. In the technique, we have a really useful procedure called the Respiratory procedure.
The Bowen respiratory procedure;
This procedure can assist the body to start working at its optimum in terms of respiratory health at a physiological level. With this technique treatment for asthma is available. The procedure also helps the body relax and re-balance and people often report improvements with emotional and stress related problems including depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Stress and emotional issues can often be the root cause of respiratory-related symptoms. I have found this Bowen procedure to be invaluable when treating respiratory problems for an individual from a physiological perspective and also in addressing stress or emotional imbalance that might be causing other physical problems.
The procedure is done in two parts;
- The first part of the procedure is applied to the patients back on the thoracic area over the erector spinae muscles on both sides of the body. Whilst doing this we bend the leg slightly which helps to lock the thoracic vertebrae and gives a release in the respiratory cavity. Often people experience an immediate sense of expansion and feel as though they can breathe more freely after performing this.
- The second part of this procedure is applied to the front of the body. One finger is placed on the epigastrium while gentle moves are made on either side of the body on the rectus abdominis on the rib cage. Often whilst these “moves” are being applied the digestive system also starts to wake up and make noises!
This procedure is also used when a client is suffering from Digestive problems.
Self-help tips to help with Asthma:
Nutritional deficiencies;
A mineral that I would recommend to everyone including asthma suffers is Magnesium. It is responsible for a huge amount of functions within the body and is generally deficient in most people. According to Dr Carolyn Dean, most people with asthma are deficient in magnesium and asthma medication deplete the body of this mineral even further. Dr Dean reported a marked improvement in asthma symptoms in patients taking simple magnesium supplements.
Bowen Respiratory move;
The Bowen respiratory move has been used to effectively stop an asthma attack from developing. On a training course, my tutor told us about a woman who was a teacher training in Bowen and who had told him that many kids in her class required inhalers for their asthma. After being taught this “move” in a Bowen training course the teacher (with parental consent) showed the children how to perform this on themselves. As a result, their need to use inhalers significantly diminished!
Technique:
- With an index finger locate your lower breast bone on the midline.
- Move your finger down about ½ -1 inch (this will depend on your size)
- Inhale
- On the exhale very gently move your finger and the skin underneath your finger up and down
It is such a simple technique and when you get the hang of it can be done easily and quickly and through clothing. This simple technique can also alleviate heartburn. In fact, I showed this to a friend who relied heavily on heartburn medication to deal with her chronic heartburn and she has never needed to take one since!
For more techniques like this please check out my Wellness Workshop on my website.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
In TCM, the Large Intestine and Lung meridians are coupled or connected. Often the symptoms that present when we look to treat with the respiratory / digestive procedure are interrelated and impact upon both Large Intestine and Lung function. We see the parallel of TCM reflected in the Bowen Digestive / Respiratory procedure as this one procedure impacts on these two areas of health.