A lot of people turn to alternative and complimentary treatments to help them out with their asthma.
Complementary and alternative medicines differ from your usually prescribed medication because these are mostly comprised of herbal, dietary supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, biofeedback, homeopathy, nutrition and botanical products.
Alternative treatments are usually stand-alone, while complementary treatments work best when used in combination with traditional prescription medication.
There are a lot of complementary and alternative medications that claim to treat asthma.
But since there are few or no clinical studies that have been done to verify these claims, their effectiveness and safety in usage are unknown.
This is in fact the biggest issue when it comes to alternative treatments.
Since a lot or almost every alternative medication that are out in the market today claim that they can help you with your condition and since the FDA is not able to regulate them, you can never actually know if there are side effects that you will experience when using the product.
So just to be safe, before trying anything out, ask your doctor first, they will be able to provide you with much needed information concerning product safety and effectiveness.
Some herbs used to treat asthma have been found to adversely interact with other medicines.
Ginko biloba for example which is used to decrease inflammation in the lungs could also cause bleeding problems in people who are also taking the blood thinner Coumadin.
While licorice root, used to soothe the lungs of asthmatics have been also observed to increase blood pressure in some people.
One of the most dangerous alternative medication is Ephedra, asthmatics use this as an alternative bronchodilator but it has been linked to unexplained patient fatalities.
Remember that not all "natural" and herbal medications are safe to take.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering natural asthma treatments.
Talk to your doctor first before taking any further steps to avoid the possibility of getting yourself into more trouble.
If you start to experience any side effects like nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeats, anxiety, insomnia, diarrhea or skin rashes immediately stop taking the herbal product and call your doctor.
Do not take the company's word for it, when a certain company or medicine is claiming to cure asthma, and if you are interested in it, look for scientific explanations, clinical trials and solid facts that back up their claims.
With a lot of products that are out in the market today, you will find it more difficult to find which products can really achieve results and which ones can't.
Remember to be open-minded and use your common sense when choosing the right alternative asthma treatment for you.