We take breathing for granted, unless we suffer from asthma or some form of lung disease. Then, just walking up a slight incline is a trauma. Unless you have suffered it, you cannot imagine how difficult it is to put one foot in front of the other while trying desperately to breathe normally.
While these remedies are never going to cure serious lung complaints, they have been shown to help and calm some breathing difficulties.
Mild to moderate asthma has been shown to improve markedly by supplementing with magnesium. In a high quality trial of 55 men and women, those taking magnesium showed significant improvement in lung function and quality of life when compared with those taking a placebo.
Emphysema is a progressive disease of the tiny air sacks in the lungs that causes shortness of breath and coughing. Both the flower and the leaves of the herb Tussilago farfara (otherwise known as coltsfoot) can be used to make an infusion, or ‘chest tea’. The name is derived from the Latin tussis for cough and ago, meaning to act on, which gives a clear indication of its traditional use.
It is the herbal remedy of choice in chronic cases of emphysema and also silicosis (a chronic condition often found in miners, caused by inhaling large quantities of silica dust over many years). To make the infusion of the leaves and flowers, add one to two teaspoons to a cup of boiling water, let it steep, then drink it several times a day, with no honey added to avoid interfering with its beneficial effects (British Herbal Medical Association – British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, Bristol, UK, BHMA, 1983).
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables also seems to protect against developing lung cancer, so this is something else you can do to keep your lungs healthy
It is also a good idea to make the tea before you go to bed and place it in a thermos flask by your bedside, so it is ready to drink when you wake up in the morning. When suffering from emphysema, the cough is often at its worse in the morning.
Gentle exercise can be beneficial for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This term is used to describe a group of lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. They construct the airways and make it increasingly difficult to breathe.
In one small pilot study, a two-month exercise programme performed in a pool filled with hot spring water improved symptoms considerably in patients with COPD (Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil., 1997). Yoga and Tai Chi can also be of help to COPD sufferers and may even slow the progression.
If your cold has turned into a persistent, hacking cough, you may have bronchitis. This is an infection of the main airways of the lungs. A simple and effective remedy for this is eucalyptus, which contains the compound cineole, known to have mucolytic (mucus busting), bronchodilating (this is bronchus relaxing and allows them to expand) and anti-inflammatory effects.
In one study, patients with bronchitis, taking cineole capsules, showed significant improvement after just four days, compared with those taking a placebo.
You can sample the power of cineole yourself by adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a bowl of hot water and carry out steam inhalation. Drape a towel over your head and shoulders and breathe in the steam from the bowl for five to 10 minutes, or until the water cools down.
Another alternative for an irritating cough is thyme. The key ingredient in Buttercup Bronchostop cough pastilles and syrup, available from pharmacies.
If you need another reason to eat your fruit and vegetables (the recommended five a day), then some recent research endorses that. A research scientist at the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Washington in Seattle, US, has found that regularly eating fruit and vegetables reduces the risk of developing COPD and other lung disorders. It can also improve lung function in people who already suffer from COPD (Cough, 2013).
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables also seems to protect against developing lung cancer, so this is something else you can do to keep your lungs healthy. Ideally, the fruit and vegetables should be organic as there are higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants and health-preserving polyphenols than in conventionally grown foods.
Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis is a long-term lung disorder where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, causing breathlessness and persistent ‘wet’ coughing. There are few effective treatments available, but a completely natural one involving salt shows promise.
Halotherapy (from the Greek word hals, meaning salt) involves sitting in a room coated with salt crystals and pumped full of salty air. It is designed to mimic the naturally occurring salt caves in eastern Europe, said to improve symptoms of various respiratory conditions.
According to one study, it is beneficial for a variety of lung-related conditions, including bronchiectasis (J. Aerosol Med., 1995). Halotherapy centres and therapeutic ‘salt caves’ can be found all over the world. Visit The Salt Cave website for more information (www.saltcave.co.uk or www.saltcave.com).
kathryn@maltanet.net