Homeopathy as a complementary therapy for asthma
12/11/2019 / By Darnel Fernandez
Asthma is a common long-term disease characterized by the inflammation of the airways in the lungs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that around 19.2 million American adults aged 18 and above have this disease, equivalent to about 7.7 percent of the entire population in the US. There is currently no cure for asthma, although traditional treatment has been proven effective at managing its symptoms for some, especially when under the care of a qualified and skilled health practitioner. Others lean toward more natural treatments like homeopathy to help deal with asthma.
Homeopathic treatments for asthma
Homeopathy, also known as homeopathic medicine, is a holistic and natural medicinal practice that is used to treat a variety of diseases. Homeopathic practitioners often use diluted natural substances from flowers and herbs in their treatments using a concept called “like cures like,” which refers to the idea that using a substance that induces certain symptoms could also potentially cure them.
In the case of asthma, the goal for most homeopathic practitioners is to treat patients with a minimal dose that can cause symptoms similar to the condition. They do this to stimulate the body’s natural defense systems to treat asthma symptoms naturally.
Studies have looked into the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment for asthma symptoms, but the results are mixed. According to one review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, there is simply not enough evidence to reliably assess and evaluate the effectiveness of homeopathy in asthma. The researchers call for significantly more randomized trials and observational data to make a good assessment.
Another review, published in the journal Complementary Medicine Research, claims that proof supporting homeopathic treatment remains inconclusive. The trials conducted were inconsistent and at risk of bias, incomplete reporting and small sample sizes.
Other studies on homeopathy, however, show some promise. A double-blind study published in the journal Advances in Integrative Medicine involved a randomized trial on 140 adults suffering from bronchial asthma. From the results, the researchers found that normal treatment complemented with homeopathic treatment was more effective at suppressing symptoms than normal treatment with a placebo.
While the researchers could not draw solid conclusions, a study published in the Indian Journal of Research in Homeopathy suggests that homeopathic treatment can help reduce the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks.
Natural treatments for asthma
While homeopathy can be useful in dealing with the symptoms of asthma, it is often most effective when paired with other treatments. Thankfully, certain lifestyle changes can make a big difference in helping you cope with symptoms and tone down the debilitating effects of an asthma attack. Here are a few natural ways to help relieve asthma symptoms:
- Reduce your stress levels. High amounts of stress can be one of the main triggers of an asthma attack. In addition, excessive stress can even worsen your symptoms. You can alleviate high stress by doing meditation or deep breathing exercises to calm your nerves and relax your body. You can even engage in some hobbies to keep yourself entertained and busy.
- Keep up with your daily vitamin-D intake. Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects, making it a great natural remedy for dealing with inflammatory-related diseases like asthma. Not only can you get a good amount of vitamin D from just staying under the sun for a few minutes with exposed skin, but you can also get it from food like salmon and mushrooms. (Related: Asthma caused by deficiency in vitamins.)
People with asthma can live normal and healthy lives as long as they manage their asthma symptoms accordingly, such as through avoiding asthma triggers and having normal treatments alongside homeopathy.
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Tagged Under: alternative medicine, asthma, asthma attack, disease treatment, herbal medicine, homeopathic treatment, Homeopathy, lung health, natural cures, natural medicie, remedies, respiratory health
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