Quick Relief From Asthma Attacks Using Home Remedies

Imagine this scenario; you are having fun with one of your friends playing some sports or anything that requires physical exertion. Or you are in an area where you involuntary inhale some smoke due to pollution. Everything is fine and dandy when suddenly, your friend keeled over. You immediately run up to him to see what is happening, and you noticed that he is having difficulty in breathing. He can’t talk, and he seems to be slowly fainting, then it occurred to you that he is having an asthma attack.

On a basic level, an asthma attack can be a pretty minor thing if you do something about it immediately and adequately. But when you let it be and ignore it, it can lead to significant complications and even death. If you have someone in your circle of friends or even someone in your family who has asthma, you need to learn immediate remedies for asthma attacks. Nobody knows when these attacks might occur, also when this knowledge might be useful.

What is asthma anyway?

Asthma is a chronic condition where triggers which can vary from foreign substances like smoke and the like to mere physical exertion of the body. This condition is when inflammation occurs in the airways of the lungs, making a person have difficulty in breathing. Asthma could also happen when our lungs produce too much mucus, blocking its pathways, which also leads to difficulty in breathing.  

Symptoms of an Asthma Attack

An asthma attack can be pretty obvious when you see it, especially if you know the person has this condition. The symptoms can include but are not limited to: non-stop coughing, rapid breathing, pale complexion, sweating, and a wheezing sound every time they breathe in or out.

Asthma attacks can escalate very quickly, so it’s essential for you to know some things on what to do if the person doesn’t have an inhaler handy. Luckily though, there are some home remedies for you to try whenever an emergency like this happens the next time.

Asthma Attack Home Remedies

Caffeine

Caffeine in tea and coffee can very well help a person during an asthma attack. The caffeine in these drinks can help the lungs open up its airways, similar to the usual asthma medication theophylline. Caffeine could improve the patient suffering from asthma attack breathe easily for up to four hours at maximum. So the next time you forget your inhaler, it’s good to know that you can substitute tea or coffee; furthermore, the drink should be warm for quicker relief. But still, always remember to bring your inhaler.

Eucalyptus essential oil

If you’ve heard of eucalyptus essential oil, where I’m betting you have at least heard of it once, you can also use it during an asthma attack. This type of treatment has been around for a very long time and is still used to cure a lot of illnesses.  

To use eucalyptus oil properly, you need to inhale its vapor. To do this, you need to put a few drops into an oil diffuser and let the person having an asthma attack sit near it for him/her to inhale the vapors from the oil. However, when you don’t have an oil diffuser, one thing that you can do is to boil a pot of water. Put a few drops of eucalyptus into the hot water and let the person inhale its vapor. What the gas from the oil does is it relaxes your airways, reducing the inflammation that is happening in your lungs. Once the swelling is over, you can now breathe properly.

There are also substances that you can substitute eucalyptus with like basil and lavender. It is crucial to note that these substances are not FDA approved so you should watch for the label and content of the product that you are using.

Still, knowing all this, it does not hurt if you stick to what your healthcare provider recommends you. And in the first place, when you have done preparations to prevent an asthma attack, they would not happen anyway. Doctors provide more efficient and long term treatments for this condition, and if you stick to their advice, you can live a long and active life. One prescription medicine for asthma is Spiriva. It is taken as a long term medicine for those who are suffering from asthma. It is what doctors prescribed and is acquirable with a Spiriva coupon.

Takeaway

Asthma is a minor nuisance, but when ignored, it can lead to more complications for the person. Knowing what to do during a surprise attack is one thing, but knowing the steps and the right knowledge to preventing one is another thing entirely, even better if one should say. It might be cliche, but prevention is better than cure.