When You Can't Breathe
by Traute Klein, biogardener
First aid for congestion and breathing problems. Whether you have allergy sniffles or a serious sinus congestion, whether you have a little cold or an asthma attack, here are quick ways of getting relief.
Background
I was in serious trouble. I had not been able to sleep properly all summer long. I had to ask for an extension to be able to complete my course work at university. I simply was unable to breathe except when I sat in the steam room at the health spa. My doctor told me not to go out on the street where the dust bothered me. Well, how was I supposed to live if I could not get out of the house?
There had to be a better way, and I was going to find it.
I make no apology to medical doctors. I gave them a chance, and they did not help me. I got help from natural health practitioners and from old folk remedies, and I am sharing what I know works for me.
Doing It My Way
Over the years, I have found different remedies most effective. I am sharing the ones here which I have found to give me quick relief even in emergency situations. I am also linking the articles in which I give more detail about each remedy.
Chinese Cough Syrup
A herbalist in Calgary sold me some Chinese cough syrup which is made up entirely of herbs and honey. A couple of drops of it at a time helps me to breathe better. I found it so effective that even after I moved back to Manitoba, I asked the Calgary herbalist to send me annual supplies of the syrup. I don't ever want to be without it, and I carry a little bit of it in a small bottle in my purse at all times.
I have recommended it to many people over the years, and all of them have never used any other cough syrup since. There is just one problem with this cough syrup. It tastes too good and needs to be hidden from young and old in the family, or else the bottle will mysteriously empty itself.
In Winnipeg this cough syrup is available at Safeway and Superstore, but the price is much lower at the Oriental Food Market in Chinatown.
This article is not publication ready, but it contains the name and the ingredients of this cough syrup.
Herbal Decongestant Tablets
These are available from several companies. Ask for them in health food stores. The most effective one I have ever used came from a Swiss company called Vogel, but I am no longer able to find it in Winnipeg.
I no longer take these tablets, because I find them hard on the stomach. Some people don't. They are only supposed to be taken twice a day, and that is not enough for me. I need something which I can take once an hour.
Folk Remedies
While teaching in southern Alberta, I caught the flu and was having a hard time breathing when my landlady made me a mustard plaster. It gave me great relief, but it can only be used for the occasional emergency, not daily. A reader also shared with me his grandfather's use of lard in the same way, and I remember my own grandparents using it as well.
Mustard plaster is a tried and proven first aid solution for respiratory complaints. Learn to use it safely and hear about other important medicinal properties of mustard and its relatives.
Raw Garlic
Here is the first inexpensive remedy for severe breathing problems which I have safely taken as often as once an hour. You can read about it in the following article.
Garlic is more than a herb. It has all the best properties of a food as well as of a medicine, and it is one of the most powerful and safest natural remedies.
Smudging
I found out by fluke that the smudging of the so-called sage relieves breathing problems. I say "so-called" because, except for the California white sage, the North American plants are is not sage but artemisias. The varieties all are a little different in different regions, but I have found them all to be equally effective. The European equivalent, wormwood, works just as well, except that it won't smudge. I simply lay it on a hot stove element to get it to smoke. As soon as it does, I turn the element off.
Native North American smudging is reminiscent of burning incense, but besides its ceremonial uses, it has health benefits associated with the medicinal herbs which are used in the smudging.
Acupressure
The quickest way to get relief and one which requires nothing except your own fingers to apply is acupressure. It is also referred to as shiatsu or reflexology. It is based on the same pressure points as acupuncture. I have not yet started my article on this method but will add the link as soon as I do.
Articles on Earaches
Earaches are one of the most common childhood complaints and can plague us all through life. They are also one of the easiest complaints to cure with natural remedies.
Email: allergylifeline@yahoo.com
All material on this site is © by Traute Klein, AKA biogardener,
unless a different author is indicated under the title of an article.
Reproduction on websites or in hard copy maybe arranged by emailing me.
Feel free to pass on or link any URL.