Integrative Medicine for Asthma

Increasingly, patients and parents of children with asthma are using alternative and complementary medical approaches to improve asthma control and reduce doses of prescription medication. Integrative medicine can be effective in treating asthma by combining alterative therapies, lifestyle changes and traditional treatment.

How Can Integrative Medicine Help with Asthma?

Practitioners of integrative medicine have training and interest in both conventional Western medicine and alternative and complementary therapies, and bring a variety of techniques to their practices. Integrative medicine practitioners create a treatment plan that includes complementary and alternative therapies in addition to traditional medical treatments.

In a study in the U.K., asthma patients found that alternative therapies improved asthma symptoms. Breathing techniques such as the Buteyko Method were most notably reported to enhance symptom control and enable a reduction in medication. The Buteyko Method uses relaxation techniques in connection with controlled breathing to minimize asthmatic episodes.

The same study found that seeking and using complementary therapies seemed to help patients in two ways. First, it empowered them to take greater personal control over their condition rather than feel dependant on medication. Second, it enabled exploration of a broader range of possible causes of their asthma than commonly discussed within traditional health-care settings.

Another study reported that three alternative therapies most commonly used by asthma patients were homeopathy, herbal medicine, and relaxation techniques. A little more than half of those using complementary therapies for asthma reported that they usually or always helped. The most commonly reported benefits were reduced symptoms, calmer breathing, and reduced panic.

What is Integrative Medicine?

Integrative Medicine (IM) is the practice of combining alternative, complementary, and conventional therapies to take advantage of the strengths of each system. This practice is also called Integrated Medicine. Integrative Medicine is based on a physician-patient partnership in which both conventional and alternative methods are used to support the natural healing potential of the human body. With Integrative Medicine, lifestyle interventions, psychological approaches, and complementary therapies are combined with traditional medical treatment.

Why Use Integrative Medicine?

Integrative Medicine seeks to combine the best therapies of traditional and alternative medicine into cost-effective treatments with the aim of stimulating the body’s natural healing potential. Patients who work with Integrative Medicine practitioners report an improvement in their quality of life.

Some of the benefits include:

Reducing stress and promoting a state of relaxation
Reducing sleep problems
Enhancing immune system function
Decreasing infections
Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels
Lessening of anxiety or depression related to being ill

Asthma and Children

Asthma treatment begins with developing goals for therapy by the team, including the health-care provider, the family, and the child. The primary objective is to reduce symptoms and asthmatic episodes using conventional medications, environmental controls, and lifestyle modification. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may play a role in meeting these objectives. By combining conventional and CAM therapies, an Integrative Medicine approach may help to reach these objectives.

Is it Safe to Use Complementary and Alternative Asthma Treatments?

Most people think of herbs as being “natural” and therefore “safe.” However, many herbs have not been thoroughly tested, and herbal preparations are not regulated. The purity and amount of herb in each dose--and therefore its safety--cannot be guaranteed.

It is very important to always inform your health care provider of any herbs or dietary supplements you take. Some herbs may worsen asthma, or may interfere with prescribed medicines.

For example, Gingko biloba, used to decrease inflammation in the lungs, could cause bleeding problems in people who are also taking the blood thinner Coumadin. Licorice root, used to soothe the lungs, can increase blood pressure. Ephedra has been used as a bronchodilator but has also been linked to some unexplained deaths.

If you are currently taking any medication, only use herbal medicine that has been prescribed by an experienced practitioner that is aware of possible herb-drug interactions.

Special Considerations

Asthma patients often use complementary therapies with or without the knowledge of their health-care providers. Persons using alternative treatments for asthma should inform their health-care provider. A 2004 study found that more than half (54 percent) of patients using complementary therapy for asthma had not told a health professional.

People with asthma should avoid using products containing echinacea or royal jelly. These can have serious side effects for persons with allergies and may cause difficulty breathing.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid the following herbs often used in alternative asthma treatments:

Ephedra and ephedra alkaloids such as ephedrine
Goldenrod
Lobelia
Red Clover

An informed health-care practitioner plays a vital role in supervision, educating patients about valid and safe treatment options, decision making, and supporting patients in their own health management. An integrative approach based on evidence offers the best potential outcome for doctor, patient, and family.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways (small tubes that branch out from the lungs). Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control the symptoms and lead active lives. With asthma, airways become inflamed and irritated in reaction to some kind of substance or situation, called a “trigger.”

Common asthma triggers include:

Allergens, such as pollen, mold, dust and dust mites, cockroaches
Irritants, such as pollution, cigarette smoke, cold air, strong odors, stress
Sulfites in food or beverages

Signs and Symptoms of Asthma

Not everyone experiences all the symptoms of asthma. The frequency and severity of the symptoms will also vary from person to person.

The five most common symptoms are:

Coughing
Wheezing
Chest tightness
Shortness of breath
Rapid breathing

Only a doctor can diagnose asthma. If you have not been diagnosed with asthma but are experiencing any of these symptoms, see your doctor immediately.