Asthma and complementary therapies
Many might think that asthma is a relative newcomer in the history of diseases and conditions, but that is not the case.
The ‘Father of Western Medicine’, Hippocrates, has been credited as being one of the first people to document asthma, followed by the distinguished physician Galen in the 2nd Century AD, who described asthma as being caused by ‘an obstruction in the bronchial tubes’.
Asthma has been recorded throughout modern medical history, and health professionals, as well as many amateurs, have devised ways and means to attempt to treat it.
While countless researchers, scientists and doctors continue to look for new treatments, and hopefully a cure, via traditional Western medicine, many people look to complementary therapies for the answer. History has recorded that the indigenous populations of many countries also turned to nature for asthma relief.
Herbal therapies
Here in Australia, Aborigines often had need of bush medicines, and in the Northern Territory many people still use either the whole plant or juice of an exotic weed called the asthma plant (Euphorbia hirta), claiming it as a traditional remedy.
The UK’s Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses describes Euphorbia hirta as an acrid, bitter, antiseptic herb that expels phlegm and relieves spasms.
Some Native American tribes used the rhizomes (a horizontal, underground stem that can send out both shoots and roots) of the indigenous skunk cabbage or polecat weed (Symplocarpus foetidus) to treat asthma by removing phlegm. The RHS says it is a pungent, warming, anti-spasmodic sedative herb with a terrible smell, which increases perspiration and acts as an expectorant and diuretic.
Other Native American tribes used great mullein (Verbascum thapsus), which was introduced by the Europeans to treat respiratory complaints including asthma. They smoked the dried leaves to relieve asthma. According to the RHS Encyclopedia, Verbascum thapsus is a bitter, cooling herb which soothes and lubricates tissues, has expectorant and analgesic effects and helps healing.
The Chinese have used many herbs in their treatments for asthma; the most widely known is ma huang, which is used to describe any species of the Ephedra family of herb. Chinese ephedra (Ephedra distachya) is the shrubby horsetail — a plant which the RHS Encyclopedia details as dilating the bronchial vessels.
This herb, though, has been linked to a number of adverse events and deaths. Research has linked the use of products containing ephedra to hypertension (high blood pressure), palpitations or tachycardia (increased heart rate), stroke, seizures and death. It is also thought to cause problems through its interaction with a class of antidepressant drugs — monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
A number of other herbs are also used as alternative therapy medications for asthma. Just some of these are asafoetida, bayberry, cardamom, cayenne, colt’s foot, comfrey, echinacea, eucalyptus, fennel, garlic, gingko, lobelia, parsley, roman chamomile, saffron and thyme.
Be aware that echinacea can trigger asthma in some people. If you have asthma, speak to your doctor before taking any medicines that contain echinacea.
Other treatments
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is another ancient healing system and has been used to treat a large number of different illnesses, and is used today used as an alternative therapy for asthma.It involves the practitioner inserting a number of needles into particular parts of the body, to influence the flow of energy along meridians, or channels, in the body.
A limited amount of research has been conducted into the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating asthma. An information sheet from Asthma Victoria says that some studies have shown benefits in the short term; however, no long-term benefits of acupuncture in asthma have been shown.
A systematic review of the evidence for the usefulness of acupuncture to treat chronic asthma has been prepared by the Cochrane Collaboration — an international organisation set up to help people make informed decisions about health care, based on up-to-date, credible evidence. This review found that there is not enough evidence available to make recommendations about the usefulness of acupuncture in asthma at present.
Yoga and relaxation techniques
Yoga combines a number of body positions with breathing techniques to help relaxation and can increase fitness.
Pranayama yoga exercises have been found in 2 studies to be beneficial in people with asthma — the people had fewer asthma attacks and were less responsive to some triggers. It may be that the effect is due to a reduction in stress brought about by doing the yoga.
Buteyko
The Buteyko breathing method is based on the claim that many diseases, including asthma, result from abnormal breathing patterns. Buteyko claims that the diseases are the body’s response to over-breathing and, in fact, are a ‘defence mechanism’ of the body against breathing too much.
While recognising the results of one small study (some encouraging results, but no improvement in lung function or reduction in attacks) into the effectiveness of the Buteyko breathing method for asthma, Asthma Australia believes further research is needed before it would suggest it as a method for managing asthma.
Manipulation
Practitioners of chiropractic therapy and osteopathy work in very similar areas — the manipulation of the tissues, bones and joints. An Asthma Victoria fact sheet on Complementary Therapies and Asthma states that some limited research has shown that the use of manipulation and mobilisation techniques positively affects the circulation of blood within the airways, lung capacity and the amount of oxygen reaching the blood.
However, a 1999 article by Andrew Vickers, published in the British Medical Journal, states that current evidence suggests that manipulative therapy is not of benefit for asthma.
A recent Cochrane Collaboration review of manual therapies for asthma states that there is insufficient evidence to either support or refute the use of manual therapies in the treatment of asthma.
Bee products
People with asthma and allergies should be aware that royal jelly has caused breathing difficulties, asthma attacks, severe allergic reactions and even death.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a warning to people with asthma about the possible effects of royal jelly.
Warning
There has not been as much research into complementary therapies as there has into conventional medicine. If you have any asthma symptoms, your doctor should be advised as soon as possible and an asthma management and medication plan devised.
Your doctor should also be told of all medications or treatments that you are taking, complementary, pharmaceutical or otherwise. Some herbal treatments can cause problems through interactions with other medications.
The National Asthma Council recommends speaking with your doctor before trialling a complementary therapy for your asthma. In this way you can monitor your asthma with your doctor before, during and after the trial, to best assess whether the complementary therapy has helped, harmed or had no effect on your asthma control.
Last Reviewed: 10 November 2003
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