Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that affects 15 million persons in the United States. An estimated 5 million children have this respiratory disorder, which makes it the most common chronic disease of childhood. Some 60 percent of people who use steroids long term for asthma and other diseases will develop a mood disorder, such as depression or manic depression. Obesity is a known risk factor for type II diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. Evidence is now mounting that obesity is also a risk factor for asthma. Smoking during pregnancy is known to raise a child's future asthma risk.
   Intermittent periods of worsening airway inflammation, indicated by exacerbations, lead to faster lung function decline.

Natural therapies for asthma management
Avoid or reduce exposure to allergens
Eat more cold water fish with high content of epa and dha. Eating oily fish like salmon or mackerel regularly may reduce the risk of asthma symptoms, according to new British research.
Have hot soup and tea -- warm liquids lessen severity
Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Have a wide variety of produce, preferably organic.
Reduce hydrogenated and trans fats
Reduce omega-6 oils such as corn, safflower, and sunflower
Fish oil supplements may help reduce the severity of exercise-induced asthma. Eating oily fish such as salmon or trout during pregnancy appears to help protect babies predisposed to asthma from developing the condition during their first years of life.
Forskolin supplements could be helpful. See forskolin supplement information here.
Boswellia is an Ayurvedic herb that has been found to be helpful in asthma. You can find boswellia here.
There is no added benefit with peak flow monitoring for asthma management
Reduce your sugar intake, for a natural sugar alternative, consider stevia. See nutritional guidelines for a healthy diet.
Reduce weight - Excess pounds increases the likelihood of being hospitalized for a severe asthma attack. Diet Rx works well for appetite suppression.
Butterbur herb is mainly for migraine headache prevention, more  research studies and health benefit but some have promoted it for this airway condition. We could not find good research to back the claims.

I have been taking supplements for asthma as directed by my doctor. I was wondering if taking the graviola / guyabano will cause some kind of weird side effect if I mixed them. I am currently taking red yeast rice, niacin, flaxseed oil, CQ10, Vitamin E, C, probiotic, b6, calcium, a very small amount of tongkat ali, and a multivitamin. Since I have been on this mixture I have not had to use an inhaler. I am trying to put some miles into my runs and was able to make 5 miles before I got an upper respiratory infection about 5 weeks ago. I have not been able to make that run since. So I was wondering if this stuff will help. Is this something that should be taken all by it’s self? I am in my 50’s.
    It's very difficult to predict the response to such combinations since we have not seen human studies with graviola, guyabano and other supplements used together.

Fish oils, and omega-3 fatty acids
Fish oil intake compared with olive oil intake in late pregnancy and asthma in the offspring: 16 y of registry-based follow-up from a randomized controlled trial.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2008.
Our aim was to examine whether increasing maternal intake of omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy may affect offspring risk of asthma. In 1990, a population-based sample of 533 women with normal pregnancies were randomly assigned 2:1:1 to receive four 1-g gelatin capsules/d with fish oil providing 2.7 g omega-3 four 1-g, similar-looking capsules/d with olive oil; or no oil capsules. Women were recruited and randomly assigned around gestation week 30 and asked to take capsules until delivery. During the 16 y that passed since childbirth, 19 children from the fish oil and olive oil groups had received an asthma-related diagnosis; 10 had received the diagnosis allergic asthma. The hazard rate of asthma was reduced by 63%, whereas the hazard rate of allergic asthma was reduced by 87% in the fish oil compared with the olive oil group. Under the assumption that intake of olive oil in the dose provided here was inert, our results support that increasing omega-3 fatty acids in late pregnancy may carry an important prophylactic potential in relation to offspring asthma.

Asthma triggers include the following, try to reduce as many as you can
Additives to alcoholic beverages or foods — metabisulfites, MSG, tartazine (yellow dye #5), yeast, sulfite additives in wine.
Allergens from animal dander, cockroaches, dust mites or mold spores, pollen (trees, grass, weeds), indoor and outdoor pollutants. Children who are sensitive to cats appear to have an increased risk of developing asthma or hay fever as young adults.
Cleaning agents have many chemicals that could cause lung tissue damage. These cleaning fluids used in hospitals may present a health hazard to staff, and potentially patients. People who work as cleaners have higher-than-normal rates of asthma, asthma-like symptoms such as wheezing, and skin problems such as hand eczema.
Foods such as eggs, milk, nuts, soy, wheat and peanut. Toddlers who consume large amounts of margarine and foods fried in vegetable oil may be twice as likely to develop asthma as their peers who eat less of these foods.
Changes in humidity or barometric pressure.
Diseases such as GERD, sinusitis, rhinitis, viral infections, hyperthyroidism.
Drugs-- aspirin, NSAIDs, beta blockers, sulfites, estrogen.

Irritants and pollution -- tobacco smoke, wood-burning, perfumes, cleaning agents, carbon dioxide, pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone. Children who live near a busy road may be at increased risk of wheezing, a symptom of asthma. Exposure to air pollutants may increase the risk of death among people with severe asthma. Almost 100 million people in 21 U.S. states breathe unhealthy levels of tiny particles spewed by coal-burning power plants, cars and factories.
   The closer people with asthma live to roadways with heavy traffic, the lower their lung function.
   Infants exposed to indoor endotoxins and traffic-related pollution have a higher risk of childhood wheezing. Co-exposure to diesel exhaust particles and endotoxin has a synergistic effect on reactive oxygen species formation. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2009;180:1068-1075.
   Exposure to certain substances on the job is a major contributor to asthma attacks. Work-related exposures to gases, dust, fumes and other substances account for 15 percent of all asthma exacerbations among workers with asthma.

Physical triggers include exercise, hyperventilation, and cold air.
Physiological factors - stress, psychological factors. Stress of finals may worsen the symptoms of asthma.
Infant swimming lessons in an indoor pool may have the unintended effect of raising some children's risk of asthma later on.

Environmental control measures include removing carpets from the patient’s bedroom and living areas, weekly washing of bedding and clothing in hot water, specially designed mattress and pillow covers, removing stuffed animals, keeping pets outdoors. Quilts made of synthetic fibers like polyester might trigger wheezing in some children with asthma.

People who work in detergent factories are at increased risk of developing respiratory problems, including asthma, probably from exposure to chemicals contained in detergent. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2009.

Aspirin as potential cause
Results from the Physicians Health Study indicate that regular use of aspirin may reduce the risk of new-onset asthma in adults. However, there is no evidence that aspirin improves symptoms in people who already have this lung disease, and it may, of course, cause acute breathing difficulties among individuals with aspirin-intolerant asthma.

Weather and temperature effect
Asthma symptoms can be worsened by certain types of weather. Some patients get worse with cold, dry winter air. Windy weather stirs up pollen and other irritants. Sometimes hot and humid air is harmful. Thunderstorms can trigger asthma worsening in some patients due to changes in barometric pressure.

Children and exposure to asthma triggers
Children who are genetically vulnerable to this lung condition are less likely to develop it if their exposure to a variety of allergy triggers can be limited. Asthma attacks, which are marked by inflammation in the airways, are often a response to allergens and irritants like cigarette smoke, pollen and dust mites. Shielding children from multiple allergens at once helps lower the odds of their developing asthma. In contrast, prevention that focuses on only one allergy trigger at a time is ineffective. Keeping children's surroundings clear of tobacco smoke, furry pets and dust mites. The latter can be controlled by regular household cleaning and keeping the home free of dust traps like curtains, pillows and "cuddly" toys, Maas noted. Breastfeeding for as long as possible is also important,. Breastfeeding and dust-mite avoidance are the two most effective measures against asthma development. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, online July 8, 2009.

Children born extremely early -- at 25 weeks or before -- risk a lifetime of lung problems, including asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2010.

Being raised on a farm
Children growing up on farms in Sweden were less likely to have asthma as adolescents - "in line with the hygiene hypothesis. The hygiene hypothesis states that early childhood exposure to bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms modulates immune system development and reduces the risk of allergic disorders. Pediatric Allergy Immunol 2010.

Information and medications
Asthma may be classified as mild, moderate, or persistent. Patients with persistent asthma require medications that provide long-term control of their disease and medications that provide quick relief of symptoms. Medications for long-term control include inhaled corticosteroids, cromolyn, nedocromil, leukotriene modifiers and long-acting bronchodilators. Inhaled corticosteroids remain the most effective anti-inflammatory medications in the treatment of asthma. Quick-relief medications include short-acting beta agonists, anticholinergics and systemic corticosteroids.

I have a frequent respiratory restriction, that currently is relieved with an albuterol inhaler. It is constant, i.e. I need to use the inhaler three to four times a day to allow free breathing. Attempts with additional inhaled drugs intended to provide longer relief have produced not better or more long term results. What is odd to me is that frequently after eating there is a sudden increase in respiratory restriction, which is always in the upper chest/lower throat region. This doesn't seem like the classical asthma with which I am diagnosed. Do you have any thoughts about this or any suggestions?
    It is not possible for us to make a diagnosis without doing a medical examination and review of medical history and lab studies.

Airway inflammation and how it occurs
Airway inflammation is the primary problem in asthma. An initial event in asthma appears to be the release of inflammatory mediators (e.g., histamine, tryptase, leukotrienes and prostaglandins) triggered by exposure to allergens, irritants, cold air or exercise. The mediators are released from bronchial mast cells, alveolar macrophages, T lymphocytes and epithelial cells. Some mediators directly cause acute bronchoconstriction, termed the "early-phase asthmatic response." The inflammatory mediators also direct the activation of eosinophils and neutrophils, and their migration to the airways, where they cause injury. This so-called "late-phase asthmatic response" results in epithelial damage, airway edema, mucus hypersecretion and hyperresponsiveness of bronchial smooth muscle.

Pregnancy
Women with asthma who use up to 1000 micrograms per day of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) during the first trimester of pregnancy are not at increased risk for congenital malformations, new research confirms. Use of higher doses, however, may in fact raise the risk. Journal Allergy Clinical Immunology 2009;124:1229-1234.

Infection during pregnancy as a cause
A mothers' infection during pregnancy may lead to the child having asthma, the most common chronic disease among American children. A 16-year study following nearly 400,000 births in California found that when mothers had an inflammation known as chorioamnionitis and if a baby was born pre-term, that child was more likely to develop asthma by age 8. Such inflammation of the placenta or amniotic fluid can result from a number of bacterial infections of the vagina, including E. coli and group B streptococci.

Use of steroids
I have been on prednisone for asthma for 25 years. I am taking new medication that is helping the asthma and for the 1st time I am down to 1mg a days. I have done research and realized that my body normally should produce cortisol but prednisone shuts it down. So far I am able to sustain the 1 mg but everyday I deal with fatigue, lower body pressure a chronic cough and major pain in my joints and muscles. Not all of these occur at the same time but every day  I deal with one or two. Any supplements that you can advise. I have been doing a lot of reading and have read for different reason that licorice extract, ginseng, and zinc should help different symptoms.
    It is difficult to know what would help, but perhaps some of the ideas on this page can be of benefit.