Alternative cure for asthma.

[dany_my]

Hi all,

I’d like some opinions from u guys on an alternative cure for asthma.

Current Physical Condition

Male
Sedentary for the past 2.5 years.
Height 5’ 9” and 96kg (211lbs) ..
Blood pressure 85/130 Borderline normal.
Blood sugar a bit high.
Diagnosed with mild asthma just 2 days back.

The Events

I have been experiencing coughes and phlegms for the past 1.5 months almost nonstop. It was kinda bad but now it has receded in the past 3 weeks. However, now I notice having a slight wheeze when breathing at nite and I tend to cough plegm (just a little now) whenever I laugh (go figure).

I went to see the doctor twice and still planning to go and see another one this week just to rule out TB pneumonia and what not.

I don’t know for sure what has triggered it, may be dust but I have no history of allergies to dust (lung wise) prior to this. It may also be my prolonged use of the airconditioning at nite since I live in KL (Kuala Lumpur) since the nites here can be hot. I sleep shirtless.

Anyways, the last doc I went to see has prescribed asthma medication to me to be used 3 times daily for the next 10 days (pulmicort) and to be reduced to perhaps 1 dose daily. My condition is mild asthma.

After taking the nebulizer & medicine, the weezing stopped almost immediately.

On the other hand, I have decided to look into some alternative therapies as well since I don’t want to be dependent on steroids (pulmicort) since it may have long term side effects (eg depression etc).

The question

I have just read about Buteyko method as a cure on the net.

What do u guys think?

Any other alternative therapies for asthma?

I really welcome all your opinions.

[Scott Sonnon]

Dany,

What changed in your diet and life 1.5 months ago?

[kerykes]

In answer to the Buteyko question - I've had asthma & allergies since I can clearly remember, and a very loose application of Buteyko's ideas has helped me control mild spasms & such. I don't follow Buteyko's method to the letter, but shallower nasal breathing & the control pause concept were useful. It allowed me to start letting go of 20+ years of breath-related panic so I could start with basic Be Breathed stuff.

Your situation sounds a lot different from mine, though - you may able to just fix whatever started the asthma a couple of months ago.

[dany_my]

Scott,

The past 1.5 months has not seen any difference in my diet. Typical Malaysian food (curry, fish, internal organs, beef, veges etc) and minus white rice for the most part but using brown rice or brown bread as a substitute (no change in diet for at least the past year).

I avoid all sugars in my drinks plus I've never taken any hard drinks in my life.

If u have a hard time imagining Malaysian food, think a cross of Thai, Chinese and Indian food. Basically rich, hot and spicy for the most part.

Apart from that, I do took supplements such a vitamin C in doses of 8 - 10 grams almost daily following Nobel Laurier Dr Linus Paulings regimen to reduce cholesterol build up and prevent artherosclerosis. ( But man do I go to the toilet often!).

In terms of events, well I did notice that I contracted some coughing at the beginning of the past 6 weeks from my infant daughter who started to cough. However, after sending her to the docs, she progressively got better (1.5 years old by the way). Whereas I recovered slower and ended up with a wheezing noise especially at nite.

I have noticed that within the past year, I have some sort of eczema condition on my chest just above my sternum as confirmed by the docs.

Prior in 2005, I experienced very bad coughing symptoms due to the haze that blow over KL every year (originating from the open burning of crop lands in Sumatra) in the month of July and August. This phenomenon has been recurring in KL for the past 12 years running.

That was the most terrible episode of coughing I have ever experienced. Prior to that, I have been relatively ok when it comes to the haze conditions.

Oh yes, my nose is allergic to dust (I think ) where the membranes inside the nostril tend to swell and block my breathing to the point that I wake from my sleep sometimes gasping for air. I have noticed that my snoring has gotten progressively louder to the point that I even some times wake up from the sound of my own snore (especially if I take a mid day nap). I have never snored and only learnt about my snoring about 7 years back. However, back then no one complained that my snoring was loud. Could this have anything to do with it??

That’s about it.

So what is ur opinion for a remedy?

Kerykes,

Is the Buteyko anti thesis to deep breathing methods such as practiced in yoga or are they complementary and can be used together?

[imported_siameeser]

Have you considered or do you have access to raw milk? I don't know if this would work for you, but I know of several children whose symptoms disappeared after changing over to raw milk. I know it seemed to help me (42 yoa) with allergy-related breathing issues this past summer. I only suffered from three short-lived attacks this year vs the almost daily suffering from years past.

It's also the first year I didn't have to take any meds for the problems.

[Connie Brown]

Hm, the allergies, eczema, asthma, slightly high blood sugar, and creeping high blood pressure all say to me a diet that is contributing to inflammation, possible omega fat imbalance, and possible insulin imbalance.

is there an ND you can work with?

In your shoes I would look at the ratio of omega3 to other fats, switch away from rice&bread to root veg and fibrous veg, and have twice the volume of veg as meat/starch.

Oh and if you could start moving it helps everything. I now think these kind of diet problems are from the stoppage of "flow" at the level of muscle energy. I think of it as the incoming fuel "puddling up" instead of being used, and that leads to inflammation, allergies, skin problems, overweight, you name it. Like a stagnant pond, eeeeyew.

I have done that is how i know.

[kerykes]

Buteyko v. yoga... In my experience, they were not contradictory; the Buteyko gave me more comfort with controlled breath, which led me to freak out less when trying "deep" (more continuous) breathing like pranayama.

Of course, I'm not an expert on either!

[dany_my]

Thanks everyone and I regard every opinion highly. Do not fear, I realise they are not medical opinions [i wont sue ya :wink: ] so I will use these info as a stepping stone for more research.

I would like to know what is the RMAX remedy to asthma, highblood sugar, and what not?
Are they like yoga?
What is the underlying fundamental healing principle?
Are there any supporting clinical studies that can be perused?

Can we mix and match? ie: Buteyko, yoga, rmax etc.

[Scott Sonnon]

Dany,

Did you advise your doctors that you contracted the initial infection from your daughter's virus? 6 weeks may seem long, but it may be a secondary or tertiary infection from the initial.

[dany_my]

Scott,

Yes I did advise the first doctor of the situation. She proceeded to give me some anti phlegm pills, and a cough serum. This was about 5 weeks ago.

Second Doc, I met about 4 days ago, was also informed about my condition but said that I have mild asthma since the symptoms have persisted for too long and I had a slight wheezing in the chest.

The night before seeing the doctor, my wheezing got a bit bad and I did experience some discomfort inhaling (felt a drowning sensation which is extremely rare for me, i can only remember one other time back 18 years back when I had a similar but worse sensation after eating some pickles bought from a sidewalk hawker ).

I proceeded to exhale vigorously that night which resulted in more coughing but it was good since I felt relieved of the phlegm and the wheezing.

[dany_my]

Connie,

Regarding:


In your shoes I would look at the ratio of omega3 to other fats, switch away from rice&bread to root veg and fibrous veg, and have twice the volume of veg as meat/starch.

Can u elaborate what is:

1. root vege
2. fibrous vege
3 the optimum ratio of omega 3 to fats (how do i measure them?)

Thanks.

PS I dont have access to a nutritionist at the moment.

[Scott Sonnon]

Dany,

I have heard accounts of spontaneous asthma, but they are always associated with circumstances different than the account you give. It could very well be a new circumstance which I have not heard of before, but I could suggest this. I am not a doctor, nor a health care provider. That said, I suggest you ask a 3rd doctor, or the original, to give you a chest x-ray. Truly, from a lay perspective, it reads as if you have a strain of pneumonia.

[wurishi]

I've heard that dehydration can contribute to allergies (which some doctors say means anything less than about 2-3 litres of non-caffinated liquids a day, or thereabouts, depending on body size and activity levels, etc.). That might be worth looking into, in adition to other things of course.

[Doc]

Dany,

I have heard accounts of spontaneous asthma, but they are always associated with circumstances different than the account you give. It could very well be a new circumstance which I have not heard of before, but I could suggest this. I am not a doctor, nor a health care provider. That said, I suggest you ask a 3rd doctor, or the original, to give you a chest x-ray. Truly, from a lay perspective, it reads as if you have a strain of pneumonia.

Well, I am a Doctor...and while I would never attempt to diagnose a patient in cyberspace...I gotta agree with Coach! Sounds to me like a viral or myobacterial pneumonia ("walking pneumonia") is a possibility. This is frequently more mild and more persistant than the "typical pneumonia" people think about. Certainly worth asking your physician about to make sure it has been ruled out!

[mushtaq]

Salamat Dany,

I have a very good friend in Melaka who is both an MD (and very respected) and also familer with alternitive methods of healing. She is quite brilliant as a matter of fact. If you do not find help closer to home you might want to give her a visit. You can find out a bit about her clinic here.

http://nursyifa.info/kliniktaqwa/index.html

[Kathryn Woodall]

Well, I am a Doctor...and while I would never attempt to diagnose a patient in cyberspace...I gotta agree with Coach! Sounds to me like a viral or myobacterial pneumonia ("walking pneumonia") is a possibility. This is frequently more mild and more persistant than the "typical pneumonia" people think about. Certainly worth asking your physician about to make sure it has been ruled out!

I too am a doctor, also not willing to attempt to diagnose in cyberspace, but very willing to second both Keith and Scott's opinions.

[Coach Simon]

I just love the Tribe :D

Another physician chiming in...I agree with Coach, Keith and Kathryn. I hope you can find a doctor that you can stick with so they can help you work through this problem. Their first diagnosis is usually a working diagnosis. Their job, really, is to rule out other possible causes, and narrow in on the actual (read as most likely) cause.

Sometimes you have to look with a flood light instead of a flash light. Why is it that your immune system is slow to handle those darn lung invaders? Is your body already at war and its defenses spread so thin that a pesky virus can stay entretched for months?

In the absence of evidence, get a status report on the immune system. Find out what responses it has, or is, mounting. If it is not what the Coach and the other doctors have suggested then I suggest an exploration of allergies. Some authorites might suggest extending that search to include a blood test that checks for IgG's in the blood. You would be surprised what your body considers a foreign invader.

For example, many people are allergic to cow's milk and they are completely unaware of it. Some people are lactose intolerant, and their "allergy" to milk manifests as intestinal distress, dizziness, nausea, etc. :cry: Others may have no symptoms, but their immune system is kept so busy and spread out so thin, that it is not strong anywhere. It can only summon weak defenses to any one area.

You may want to think of cow's milk like this:

"Cow's milk is intended to bring an infant to full maturity in 2 years, weigh 2000 pounds, and have a low I.Q.. That desribes the identified and unidentified substance's in what we call milk. All other uses are questionable, but very tasty." - Dr. Jack Kessinger (I am really paraphrasing his words from a lecture he gave in the chiropractic internist diplomate program I am currently attending).

Your respiratory system may be experiencing a double whammy. You may have two invaders, separately, your body may be able to handle them without you becoming aware of their existence (read as - no symptoms). But together, well you know, wheeze, cough, fatigue, yuk.

To me, the word doctor means teacher. I believe that great teachers are excellent students. So the best doctors don't know what is wrong with their patients, they practice finding out. They learn from you. I remember a study that showed Physicians Assistants were able to correctly diagnose patients 83% of the time with a thorough history alone. You are your doctor's teacher, tell them everything, even symptoms seemingly unrelated. Make sure they help you understand what is happening inside your body and what their plan is, because it is your job to carry out the recommended plan of action.

Pick your doctor like your are picking a teammate. Together, you figure it out. :)