The Asthma Answer
April 10, 2010
Recently I have embarked on a new journey. It is a journey I am fully committed to and I cannot wait to see full results. Recently, I started reading a new book called Asthma-Free Naturally: Everything You Need to Know to Take Control of Your Asthma by Patrick McKeown. This book features the Buteyko Method. In short, this method teaches you how to breathe properly. Basically, asthmatics tend to chronically hyperventilate because we are always trying to overcompensate for our breathing, even when we aren’t having symptoms. Chronic hyperventilation is when one over-breathes and lowers the CO2 levels in his lungs below what is normal or what the body needs. Most people that over-breathe have random symptoms elsewhere in the body. Asthmatics however, have asthma attacks because their lungs try to close a little to balance the CO2 levels out. This is based upon a great deal of research, scientific evidence and facts. It isn’t one of those fake “all-natural” cures. It is real. Most of the world treats asthma this way, just not the US. Weird? Anyway, the author of the book was once a sufferer of severe asthma. Now he is asthma free and medicine free. Here are is the summary of the steps I am taking to be asthma free (or at least better off)
1. Breathe only through the nose. Even while exercising. Never, ever, ever breathe through your mouth.
– This one was not too hard to achieve…until I went for a jog. Wow! It was extremely difficult the first few times. I had a horribly runny nose and when I was done, it felt like my nose was on fire. Now, it is still a little challenging, but not a big deal.
2. Practice Reduced Breathing. This is a one hour per day (2 30min sessions) commitment. But, it works. I will be doing these exercises for the next few months then I can stop.
3. Keep track of your control pause.
4. Exercise regularly to keep your lungs in shape.
– Not a big deal for me. I love to exercise.
5. Eat a vegetarian/organic diet. Eat as “close to the earth” as possible.
– It is true that there are many foods that trigger attacks. Milk and ice cream for instance are huge offenders. I have always known that. Ice cream has never been good to my asthma. Red meat has inflammatory properties, so that should be limited. Caffeine dehydrates you, so that should be avoided. Dehydration triggers asthma. And apparently, chocolate is evil and terrible for asthma. Knowing what foods you are allergic to is obviously very important. What I have done with this information is taken my natural tendencies to eat healthy to the extreme. No more Diet Coke. No more brownies. No more processed foods of any sort if I can avoid it. And no more ice cream for sure. I warned Jeremiah about this and he is totally on board. It actually seemed like he was a little excited to be my guinea pig. I think I might have even convinced him to give up Diet Mountain Dew. Solidarity, you know. I plan to post my menu for each week on the site so others will know what we are eating. I also plan on posting how much we like/dislike certain things.
So how are things going so far…..
I have been doing the breathing exercises and nasal breathing for 2 weeks now and I haven’t had a single asthma symptom since. Even when it stormed (usually, my lungs let me know it is going to storm about 12-24 before it actually storms), I was symptom free. I started the diet changes last week and will continue to change the way our family eats.
What are my goals….
I am not crazy enough to think I will ever be medicine free. Maybe, but maybe not. What I would LOVE is if I could stop taking Advair 500/50 and go back to just taking Pulmicort. I would love to see a great reduction in my symptoms and flare-ups. And I would love to be able to stop taking my meds during the non-allergy months from October to February.
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