Asthma is a condition of the respiratory system. It affects the lungs through the airways which transports air in and out of the lungs. When the airways are affected, they swell and therefore cannot pass air as it should. Asthma can affects all age groups from infant, children adults and even old people.

When the flow of air is not simultaneous, the symptoms of asthma begin to be seen and they are coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath and heavy breathing. These symptoms are brought about by variety types of circumstances. These are called the triggers of asthma. Until today, there is no known cure for asthma but various drugs and medications have been developed to reduce, control or stop the symptoms of an asthma attack but drugs do not completely tackle the real cause of the problem.

Doctors use drugs for asthma aiming at two main things:

1) To stop the asthma attack- that is symptomatic asthma treatment- given via bronchodilators.
2) To prevent further asthma attacks- that is definitive asthma treatment- given via steroids.

Now for asthma, bronchodilators are pretty safe drugs to use, but the same cannot be said about steroids as cure for asthma. Bear in mind that you have to choose between what the doctor prescribes for asthma and some of the alternative therapies exist for asthma that is available. You see most doctors are normally not aware as to the existence of alternative therapies for asthma, even if they are aware they tend to be sceptical. Mind you, the treatment they prescribe for asthma is not wrong but it’s a personal choice you have to make between alternative therapies and the drugs.

With a few self-care remedies, you can find relief for you asthma and/or copd. All it takes is to make a some definitive lifestyle and diet changes which is far more effective and a longer term solution than relying on drugs.

The following are a few suggestions for natural cures for asthma:

• Yoga and relaxation techniques
• Honey. It can assist in the removal of mucous from the respiratory airways which creates a welcome asthma cure for the sufferer.
• Ginger Lemon Tea - Hot ginger-lemon tea mixed can be taken twice daily. I take one organic lemon, 1 large piece of ginger, a bit of warm water and blend without peeling ginger or lemon. Then simmer for about 20 minutes or so on low heat, strain into cup, add lots of honey (inflammatory) also assists in the removal of mucous from the respiratory airways and is a welcome asthma cure for the sufferer. I drink at night before bedtime to nurture my body and my lungs! Drink up, delicious!
  
• Turmeric - A teaspoon of turmeric powder (Curcumin) mixed into one tablspoon of honey will also help open up airways and decrease inflammation.
• Quercetin - Quercetin has long been used as a potent natural anti-allergen, as it helps to stabilize the histamine-containing mast cells. New research is showing that quercetin does this by modifying inflammatory signals at the gene level. Inflammatory signals such as TNFa, IL6, and NF kappaB were all reduced by quercetin. Problems such as asthma typically have elevations of these inflammatory markers. Quercetin is high in apples, and to a lesser amount in many fresh fruits. One new study showed that children who ate more apples as well as fresh fruit (2 servings per day) had fewer symptoms of asthma or sinus allergy. Another study showed that mothers who ate apples during pregnancy had children with fewer symptoms of asthma.
• Sunshine- At least 20 minutes everyday. Belly breath while outside, breath in (stomach sticks out) breath out (stomach goes in). Do this at lease 100 times per day to exercise the lungs and create elasticity which is lost with the use of steroid inhalers and rescue inhalers. The lungs need to learn how to breathe on their own again and they will and can again with persistence!
  

• Castor oil can be applied to the chest (lung area) via a flannel cloth (place plastic on the outside so that it doesn't stain clothing or bedding. Place heating pad over the plastic which is covering the piece of flannel with the castor oil on it. Lie with this for 1 hour and keep the heat on as hot as you are able. Do this at least once a day for several days on and take a couple of days off.
  

• Probiotics: Very important to counteract the bad bacteria withvcultures of potentially beneficial bacteria that normally reside in the healthy gut, usually taken in form of a probiotic supplement. The best probiotics will be refrigerated (in my opinion) to retain as much of the beneficial bacteria as possible.
• Digestive Enzymes-For the proper break-down of food and nutrients in the body so that your body absorbs the most that it can. I take Digestive Enzymes daily.
  
• Even though you may have asthma it does not have to control your life. It is possible to use natural remedies for your condition. It is important that you take control of your asthma and do not let it control your life. It may be that you can use any of the natural cures for asthma mentioned above in conjunction with traditional medical treatment. Either way, staying proactive and positive will one day find you enjoying a much healthier life.