Looking for non-conventional remedies or other types of natural medicine for the control of asthma, all those medicines my son is taking seem to affect his behavior and I know all medicines have serious side effects.
UPDATE: He takes 5 meds and his behavior has change from a very happy and energetic to sad, frustrated, impatient child. I know he will probably need meds for life but at least not so many and have it under control, He has a few allegies and I really think that is what triggers it, he starts with sinus congestion issues then the Asthma flares up. He only gets the Asthma flare ups when he has the sinus issues otherwise he's fine.The meds really don't seem to help and he tried different ones and still the same result.
He is going to his pediatrician but when I suggest a allergist, pulmonologist, allergy shots or at least change his meds she refuses and said it's dangerous and he can die from trying them. So obviously I freak but I know I will have to look for another pediatrician. I have a long history of Asthma in my family so I'm know how dangerous Asthma can be, I"m looking to keep his meds to where he is controlled and doesn't have Asthma attacks so often or at all. I thought I would add some form of natural remedy to help to control the Asthma as well. His behavior is due to the meds, he said he feels "bad" when he takes them and I mentioned this to the doctor and she said some kids have this reaction to them. His diet is pretty healthy and organic, so I know that might not be it. I have several air purifiers at home and I make my own natural cleaners. I'm very green friendly. I believe the allergies trigger his Asthma, he is allergic to Dog and cats and we have none. Thank You for all the suggestions and will look into them.
*KristinaM if you knew how to read, I posted 3 different questions same topic.
Asthma is a symptom and not a disease. Typically allergies are the underlying cause. Have you seen an allergist and had him tested? If you treat the allergies you may alleviate the asthma.
Sorry - I can't see the other answers so I don't know if others have suggested this, but I get asthma issues steming from sinus congestion.
Do you think he would do a nasal rinse? That's helped keep me off meds for months and years at a time.
Also, have you explored indoor allergies? We found that my dust allergies led to sinus issues so I've been doing allergy shots. They've helped a lot - not as many infections, and the ones I have go away more quickly.
There's is some belief that dairy could be the root cause to this as well. I don't drink milk because I found it made the mucous thicker, but I do eat other dairy.
Good luck!
No gluten, no dairy, and regular chiropractic care!
You don't say, have you been to an allergist and had him tested to know exactly what he is allergic too? Also don't mess with asthma it can be deadly, so I'm not sure why you would try "natural remedies". Take him to a ped. pulmonologist, they will be the best to deal with this. I see you live in Chicago? Call your local children's hospital and they should be able to refer you to both an allergist and pulmonary doc.
Have you seen a pediatric pulmonologist? Ask for a referral is you are not. Asthma is a potentially life threatening disease. So called 'natural' remedies can have active ingredients that can interfere (in either a positive or negative) way with the meds he is taking. So you need to work with your physician when adding anything new or discontinuing what he is on.
Assuming you know what his allergies are, have you considered allergy shots? I had them as a child. It is a natural way to build up your immunity to your triggers. They basically administer small doses of the trigger in the form of a shot, slowly building up the amounts to increase tolerance. Your son's allergist can administer them.
You can also use saline nasal spray to help keep the sinus cavity clear, reducing the amount of stuff clogging up in there.
Have you discussed your concerns with your son's physician? If he refuses to change the medications, then have you considered finding a new one?
I had severe asthma as a child. Knowing how I hated certain medications because of how I felt, I can totally appreciate that you want to help him go back to his happy, usual self. However, I would not consider taking your child off of medicine on your own without consulting a professional. Asthma is a serious condition and should not be self-treated without proper guidance. If you have concerns about the adverse effects of treatment on your son, your doctor should work with you to come up with some alternative solutions. A good doctor would!
Also, consider that your son might be acting out because he doesn't feel well. When allergy season hits, it can be hard to breathe and hard to sleep...leading to a cranky kid. My son is always more cranky during allergy season, between the congestion and not sleep well, it is inevitable whether he is medicated or not. Good luck!
I would do a rotation diet to find out what food sensitivities he has going on- this is explained better in her book, but you can search for it online and get some guidelines as well. Definitely check out the book: Is This Your Child? (the library probably has it) because it talks in depth about allergies and asthma and is FANTASTIC.
Many kids have allergies to the things that are in their treatment meds, which is a real shame. One thing you can do is to do the diet, find out what his triggers are and then have the meds compounded at a compounding pharmacy-- they make your meds from scratch using ingredients you can tolerate (and the "active ingredient" of course.)
Even if you can't do the rotation diet, I would go gluten-free, dairy-free, and cut out all of the man-made things from his diet. This includes, but is not limited to: nitrates/nitrates, artificial and "natural" flavoring (those can hide anything!), artificial colors (biggie!!!), MSG or "yeast extract", and HFCS. I have some great kid-friendly recipes on my blog- www.chickiepea.wordpress.com , but some do contain dairy. Grains, eggs, and buckwheat are pretty common allergens as well as the ones mentioned above.
Clean your house as much as possible- make it environmentally sound for him. This means, no stuffed animals in his room, cover the mattress w/a hypo-allergenic (preferably organic) covering, change pillow and all bedding to natural/organic bedding (Dr Rapp recommends cotton towels in a pillow case if you can't find a suitable pillow.) Remove the curtains, rugs, and any other dust-catching items. Remove any plastic bins, plastic coverings on the mattress, etc. as these can off-gas and contribute to chemical sensitivities. You want an environment (particularly for sleeping) that is as dust-free/mold-free/chemical-free as possible. Some other helpful things may be to close off the vents to his room and use a portable electric heater so that it cuts down on dust or hydrocarbons from the duct-work, and to use a GREAT air-filter for his room. (I would also make it a pet-free zone if you have pets you can't part with.)
Mold is a HUGE allergen. When is he getting sinus issues? If you look at times of year and notice spring and fall, it could definitely be a mold issue, as well as a pollen issue. I would do everything you can to keep him from damp/moldy rooms, tobacco smoke, and remove your shoes when entering your house (to keep contaminates and pollen from being tracked in.)
I agree that asthma can be life-threatening, and you definitely want to keep that in mind- always having inhaler, etc on hand. I do think you can cut down on allergens to the point that he *may* not have to be medicated every day. Chiropractic can definitely help, but beware of pyramid schemes and supplements that some chiros will try to get you to buy.
Feingold.org is another great site for diet/program that helps many kids. Keeping a daily diary of what he eats/touches/etc before the asthma attacks might give you the clues you need to help!
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about diet or otherwise.
M.
what products are you using in your home? cleaning products, air freshners, laundry stuff...we dont realixe it but these products we use in our own home can trigger this also. My son had asthma-like symptoms, & since switching over my ome products to Melaleuca, he has not had a problem. when he was in preschool, he had issuses bc of the cleaning/sanitizing products used in the classroom, but at home he was fine. if you would like more info feel free to contact me. I also have him taking Koala Pal vitamins daily and his health has improved as well. i hope this helps. :-)
I'm on the Feingold Diet for other reasons, but there are plenty of parents that have seen theirs or their child's asthma go away or greatly improve on it. Join the Feingold Yahoo group and you can ask them or check out www.feingold.org and there are experiences there too.
I also second the possibility that allergy shots may help. I had them for my allergy to mold and it help considerably.
Do you use non-toxic cleaning and laundry products? Green Goes with Everything is a book by a mom, Sloan Barnett, whose son is asthmatic and she shares her story of what has helped him.
I don't really think there are any. Asthma is a medical condition that may require medication for his entire lifetime.
How old is he?
What med's does he take daily?
What med's does he take occasionally?
Does he wheeze every day?
What else have you tried?
It this related to allergies? Only has it when he is having bronchitis? Etc....
More information is needed.
i have had mild asthma for years, it was triggered when i started smoking in my 20's. anyway, i quit many years ago and that helped (duh!) but i would still get wheezy after exercise, stress, heavy housecleaning, etc.
as part of my diet/exercise program i started making alkaline water, which, you just take a pitcher of water, add three slices each of lemon and lime, and refrigerate. my health coach goes on and on about the properties of it. it can boost your immune system, it alkalines your body which makes it harder for any illness to take hold (both my son and i went all winter without getting sick, other than a couple bouts of a mild head cold/sniffles), also several of us have gotten fewer headaches (myself included) and reduced asthma symptoms. now, it wouldn't do anything for a full on attack, but i do believe it has reduced my wheeziness. i helped my mom pull up carpet last weekend (physically challenging, and it was a DIRTY DIRTY job), and didn't have one bit of wheeziness. just make it and have it in the fridge. my 5 year old LOVES it. he drinks it constantly (and i've made sure it is suitable, they can't have TOO MUCH of it).
i'm not suggesting this as an alternative to steroids, etc, BUT it could help alleviate his symptoms so that he doesn't have to take as many, which sounds like what you're looking for.
it's worth a shot anyway - will absolutely do no harm. good luck!
I live in CA, otherwise I would give you my daughters allergist. We were referred to him about a yr ago and it has made such a difference in her life! So i recommend finding a good allergist for your child! It takes time, but is so worth it. Her prior allergist was always trying to add new meds and was over the top to say the least.
My DD is 13 years old and she suffers from allergy induced asthma. She is on singular, claritin, and two different nasal sprays because of the sinus issues. I have an ENT, allergist, and regular pediatrician we see. The takes allergy shots and I do believe they have helped her alot. If you are not happy with the answers your doc is giving you , find another doc or see a specialist. If your son is having issues with his meds, maybe there can be another alternative that he can switched to. I know it is hard having a sick child but hang in there. It is a matter of getting it under control. It WILL get better once the right meds are in effect. Best of luck.
What is he taking and how is he effected - in things like this more information is needed.
And stop posting the same question just worded differently over and over - you will be considered a troll and ignored if this continues.
I know someone already mentioned it, but it is really fun to see the changes in the office with kids suffering from Asthma and Allergies. I am a family chiropractor, my office is in Oak Park, and I have a specialty in pregnancy and pediatrics. Call the office if you are close enough or find someone near you at www.icapediatrics.org or icpa4kids.org.
Dr. J. A.
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