This blog post has been a long time coming and is filled with ideas I’ve gleaned from my own research and experience and so many other people. Huge thanks to my lovely friend Tanith from Be Natural Yorkshire who was so helpful and also Misty’s Gut Instinct on instagram.
These are ALL things I have implemented into my life and slowly I’m recovering my lung health and strength. I don’t know what caused so much inflammation in my lungs, but we’re working on it. Some of these things are options I would like to try, but have not been brave enough. I will be very clear which I have tried below.
For full transparency, I am using oral steroid preventative inhalers again at the moment because I need the extra help, but I don’t think they’re working very well. I use a Clenil brown inhaler with a spacer and Ventolin blue reliever. Book an Asthma Review if you’re worried.
So here, in no particular order are my top 16 things you’ll not have tried for your asthma:
- Mullein and thyme herbal tea – There are so many health benefits of this delicious herbal tea, but asthma is one condition that it can really help. I love herbal tea, so I’ve incorporated this one into my stash. It works by reducing inflammation in the body and in particular the lungs. Find out more on Healthline. There are lots of herbal teas that also help reduce inflammation, including Dandelion tea (see link below).
- Sleep roller ball – These are made by Tanith at Be Natural Yorkshire. It’s an essential oil blend that you gently roll on your chest and back before bed. I will be honest, I sometimes forget to do this, but when my asthma is bad I feel some relief. This is not scientific, I can’t prove this helps, but it calms me and perhaps this helps lower and relieve my breathing. Obviously not everyone is OK with essential oils so be careful.
- Pollen net curtains – I got mine from Coopers of Stortford. This was an idea I came up with because I absolutely have to have windows open for fresh air. The website claims that up to 50% of pollen and allergens are kept out of your room. I feel like it’s more because they’re quite stiff and fit nicely down the back of the radiator so they stay in place quite effectively. I don’t love how they look but they can easily be taken down when the pollen and allergens you’re allergic to are no longer causing you problems.
- Dr Morses Herbal tincture for Lung Detox – I get mine from Juice Retreats online. It’s a tincture with a dripper and contains: Mullein Leaf, Chickweed Herb, Pleurisy Root, Fenugreek Seed, Marshmallow Root, White Oak Bark, Yerba Santa Leaf, Horehound Herb, Bayberry Root, Thyme Leaf. Check out Juice Retreat and search for ‘Lung’ to buy online. I take a ten drops in water, along with other tinctures when my ashma is bad.
- Nebuliser – or home use – These are the amazing misting machines that you’ll be given if you are admitted to hospital with asthma. They will use oxygen and perhaps other asthma medication in the nebuliser. But using a home bought one with a water, saline mix can help to clear the lungs, particularly if you have a chest infection. It’s a bit like when you steam your nasal system over a bowl of really hot water when you’re blocked up. I bought two from Amazon and both broke, so I’m still on the look out for the perfect one for home use. One of them worked for a week and using it morning and night really helped shift a nasty chest infection that I caught. The second lasted 2-3 weeks and really helped relieve my asthma. I don’t have one right now because the two I got were not robust. However this saved me at a time when I was really scared for my health and life. I do want to find one for home use but am looking for a good recommendation that I trust.
- Silver colloidal inhaler – I have some silver colloidal spray that is really helpful at healing stubborn skin infections. I haven’t yet tried this in a nebuliser as both models failed, but I think a few drops could really help. I will be checking on this with my allergy doctor on my next visit to work out how much is the right dose. (Attenuation of allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of asthma by silver nanoparticles)
- Grounding sheet– Thanks to both Tanith and Misty’s Gut Instinct. Check out also PubMed research – The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. I bought a grounding sheet and have it on my mattress under the bedding. I don’t know how it works but I sleep so much better when it’s switched on and when I’m at home. My sleep improved after getting one. I can’t remember where I got mine.
- Correct breathing – this was something I learnt from a breathing coach during lockdown when I was worried about my asthma. What I learnt was that my posture and breathing technique sucked! I was not breathing effectively. I found it actually quite hard to modify my breathing, I’d been doing it that way all my life. I’m still working on it, but I am constantly dropping my shoulders now, down and back and reducing the depth of breaths I take. It’s about shallower, gentler breaths, allowing it breathe to reach right down into your lungs. Taking huge deep lungfulls feels like it is better but it is not as effective. Using better breathing techniques allows me to shift mucous up from my lungs pretty effectively and by doing this I can often reduce the times I need to use my inhaler. I have the inahaler with me at all times and do need it. If I’m struggling I will take a puff to help me get back to normal breathing.
- Mullein tincture drops – Put 1-3 drops under your tongue every day – this again helps to reduce inflammation. Make sure you get good quality organic drops from someone you trust. I did this religiously for 6 months. I don’t have anecdotal evidence that it works, but it certainly can’t do any harm. If you’re like me and want to just do all you can to strengthen your airways and lungh health why not give it a go?
- Immunotherapy – This is on here because I have been trying to get this for YEARS. I have a friend who works at a Harley Street practise who do this at their private practise to help people live with airborne allergies. The treatment is expensive though, however my plan is to get a batch of tests done through the NHS to guage my levels of allergen, then get pay for one session with the private practise to understand the treatment and how it works. If it works, I could then go to my GP and ask him to get me the medicine through the NHS. This option really excites me because every winter during mould and tree pollen season, when the central heating comes on, my asthma gets worse. I can’t do anything about it. It gets worse despite using the preventative inhaler and I have to up the dose every winter. I am so terrified of steroid inhalers. The Asthma Nurse is completely unsympathetic about this. After you’ve had your whole skin layer destroyed by topical steroids with NO help from the NHS an have not recovered from that, being old oral steroids won’t do you any hard isn’t reassuring. I’m sorry but I do not trust any doctors any more. I never will. I have to take these asthma drugs to keep my alive but I HATE them and wish I could find a better way. That is what doing all these supportive extra things is all about. Can I get off the steroid inhalers one day? I believe I can and I will never stop trying.
- Ivy Thyme drops from AVogel – I’ve only just got these as they’re quite expensive. Tanith recommended these to me as well and I love tinctures, they’re so much more accessible to the body than powdered supplements. I add this to the tincture concoction that I take. I don’t do it every day but I do remember to take them fairly regularly. More in winter.
- Keep grass lawn mown – This is a tough one when you have a grass allergy. This year I’ve actually got some help from a local gardener who just spends a few hours each month helping me keep on top of mowing the grass and also trimming hedges and weeding. If you have a pollen allergy, leaving it till it goes to seed is not a good idea. I love gardening, but only last about half an hour before it gives me an asthma attack and I have to stop and come inside, shower and decontaminate!
- Dandelion root coffee – You can make this yourself by digging up dandelions in our garden or nearby but it’s very time consuming. Check out YouTube for videos showing you how. I bought mine ready dried on Amazon and have been brewing it ever since I discovered it. It’s not a replacement for coffee but I really enjoy it. I limit my coffee intake anyway and may try cutting out caffeine for a few months to see if it helps further reduce my inflammation. You can make this tea with water or milk by boiling in a pan for 3-5 minutes so it’s quick and easy to make.
- Buy this Asthma Book – No More Allergies, Asthma and Sinus infections – It’s a fascinating read and I learnt a lot. I now always have a Xylitol nasal spray handy. It is really good and clearing my airways. I have never managed to do this as often as the book suggests. Maybe if I did my asthma would go away? Mine is so allergen related though that I need to cure my allergies to get complete relief. Working on that. Find out more…
- Eczema Decoded – Another book which I found really helpful has references to eczema and asthma. It’s all about reducing inflammation and the two do often come hand in hand. There are so many scientific studies included in this book and I love it when the information is backed up by experts. Eczema Decoded: How to Rescue Yourself or Your Children from Atopic Dermatitis Paperback – 6 April 2023, by Carolyn Akinyemi
- Castor oil body wrapping – Full disclosure, this is one that I’ve not tried myself. Misty does it and explained how you strap on the pack which is soaked in castor oil and the oil somehow draws out toxins and helps heal the body. I do not understand how this works but Misty does. I have bought the body wrap but not go around to trying it yet, mostly because castor oil is so messy I don’t know how I’d clean it. I put castor oil on my eyebrows to help them grow and spilt some ones – what an absolute mare that was to clean up. I will blog about this when I try it but thought I’d include so you can research it. I bought this one on Amazon: Castor Oil Compression Wrap Kit. Misty recommended that I try it for just 20 minutes at first as it can be quite powerful.
I know there is a lot to take in here, so have a think about what you might be able to start doing. I didn’t do this all at once, I started with simple things like keeping on top of the grass lawn this year (I usually let it get out of hand). I’ve slowly introduced new things as and when I’ve felt comfortable with the research and that I could afford it. If you try just one thing, think seriously about nasal breathing and learning the Buteyko breathing technique, which I have become very lax on doing. It really helps me, so as I finish writing this blog I am actually Buteyko breathing! I must remember to keep doing it, it’s incredibly effective at shifting mucous and calming breathing.
Also full transparency, I am still using steroid inhalers and still have asthma attacks. Particularly in winter, if I go in a cafe with the milk vapour etc. None of the things above are cures. They might not help you, but I just love having the knowledge of what’s out there that could potentially help others.
What helps your asthma? is yours bad this time of year? How do you cope?
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