Maybe you'd find my message of 12-31-03 on "taking a deep breath" helpful.

More espeically realize that when everybody is speaking of "asthma", they are really talking about something inseparably linked to drug treatment.

Although shiploads of studies on drugs and asthma have been produced and make the whole thing look highliy scientific, the basic question of the relative value of breathing techniques is never tackled because of (a) our basic medicine instinct, (b) doctors' self-image as healers only using pills and sprays, and (c) the activities of the pharmaceuticals industry irresponsibly based on pandering to public taste. Such a comparison is needed before asthma treatment can be considered scientific.

Try to get her onto diaphragmatic breathing. Regards and best wishes, richard friedel

I agree with the above but would also suggest that it would be worth while looking into homeopathic &/or naturopathic medicines. Since conventional wisdom (such as it is) isn't working look elsewhere. Also you might try to borrow or rent a humidifier (used for asthmatic children - i'm not so sure that they're generally used for adults) this might help her breath at night.

Yes, I guess this is a very interesting point, that is to say homeopathy in the wide sense of finding an effect (not necessarily medicaiton) which seems to be related to a worsening of the condition and which may be a natural cure.

It is rather surprising that conventional asthma approaches do not look for any self-healing mechanism in asthma. It would seem odd if there were no such mechanism and if we had a sort of achilles' heel.

In an attack of asthma the "system" starts gasping frantically to take a deep breath, which makes the condition steadily worse because of airtrapping (not being able to breathe out properly). My thought is that the gasping is basically correct but that it is thwarted because an asthmatic does usually breathe diaphragmatically. My experience with diaphragmatic breathing is that gasping does not cause any bad effects. It is like bhastrika in pranayama (yoga), that is to say working the diaphragm as a sort of bellows. This is said to be therapeutic or even curative for asthma. Asthmatic breathing using the diaphragm seems to come on naturally and is perhaps the missing link, the natural self-healing effect.

This would all fit in quite nicely with the rest of the facts on asthma, more especially that the pharmaceuticals industry does tend to sell highly symptomatic drugs which may well be the enemy of self-curing effects. Regards, richard friedel

homoeopathy has very good remedies to alleviate the breathlessness due to an attack of bronchial asthma, relieve teh cough and congestion due to the accumulation of the phlegm. Also it has remedies to gradually see that the attacks become less severe and intense and also that the frequency of the attacks reduces. Over a period of time we would see many a patient get cured of bronchial asthma. It is time you have tried homoeopathy.

Hello, i, too, have asthma and was recently put on prednasone. I wasn't told that it would impair my immune system. Because my immune system was impaired, I immediate caught a cold and have been sick ever since. I am now taking a herbal formula (wellness formula) as well as my daily inhalers (also steoids, but not as strong nor as dangerous as prednasone). I am slowly, but thankfully recovering. I hope this has been helpful.