How to Take Charge of Your Asthma

Eight ways to find hope and healing to replace fear and struggle.

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

Getting asthma for my 50th birthday was no picnic, but I find that the more information I have about a health condition the better able I am to navigate it. I like to dissect things and find out every possible angle. Once I know the medical aspects I can make decisions to complement medical care with holistic and spiritual support. In the course my journey I was reminded that I do have the power to turn my health issues around; maybe not completely, but at least I learned how to enhance my health and manage my condition so that it was no longer managing me! I encourage everyone to find his or her own path but want to share lifestyle and spirituality enhancers that helped. Looking at asthma holistically allowed me to raise it up from a threatening medical condition to an opportunity to grow.

Identify Causes and Effects

Get a good diagnosis of what is causing your asthma by finding the right doctors and doing the right testing -- both classic allergy-testing panels (stick tests) as well as the more holistic, high-tech blood tests. Test yourself to see what foods, environments, and aspects of daily living have an asthma-inducing impact. Then when you feel ready, look more deeply into the emotional and spiritual aspects of your life that may be out of balance and adding to or exacerbating the condition.

Make Friends with Your Allergens and Irritants

Once you find out what is causing your asthma, embrace it. While it is natural to feel mad when you first discover the culprit (dog, cat, tree, pollen, dust, stress), hating it will not help you breathe easier. Allergy shots work by injecting you with serum that contains the very things you are allergic to so you develop immunity. I believe we can create this effect energetically. Not all of us can embrace our problems to the point of complete healing, but there are people who have chosen not to be allergic to animals -- and they no longer are.

Remove and Release

For asthma caused by allergies, one of the most important protocols is to remove irritants. Emotionally and spiritually embracing your allergens does not mean you must live with them forever. Discover which allergens you can adapt to and which you can't. You might have to give up certain habits, objects, and opportunities. For example, in my case, the dog stayed, but all rugs and fabric furniture that collected dog hair went. By the same token, I would never leave my work as wedding officiant, but I do try to stay away from lilies. When you come in contact with an irritant, or remove irritants, do so in a prayerful way and ask for harmony and balance for all.

Use Food as an Ally, not an Enemy

You may not have -- or not know you have -- food allergies and sensitivities, but 75 per cent of people with asthma are believed to also have acid reflux. Issues with the GI system can go hand-in-hand with breathing problems. Needless to say, extra weight and unhealthy foods can make symptoms worse. In general, asthma thrives with foods that congest you or upset you. Food that is not fitting for your body weakens your immune system and fogs your head. If you remove dairy, creams, buttery sauces, and sugary stuff, you have won half the battle. Modify coffee intake and ditch fried food and you will feel so much better. By removing these foods I dropped 25 pounds. That in itself made breathing easier!

Reduce Stress and Stressors

Stress and anxiety blow your adrenal glands out of whack and make breathing a challenge. These twin terrors can cause asthmatic symptoms. Work to change what you can in your life, to lower your emotional upsets enough to let your body heal. A physician friend of mine suggested I do an inventory of all the things that were stressing me. Once I could see the whole picture, I began to let go of or modify responsibilities and relationships that drained me. It was challenging and sad in some ways, but clearly required for my health.

Find Specialists Who Will Help You Breathe

Conventional doctors will treat you with medications and other classic treatments. So once you feel satisfied with your main medical specialist, add holistic practitioners who can truly support your healing process. I had an osteopath who was able to help open my breathing through osteopathic manipulations. He discovered some of my ribs had gone out of alignment and was able to get them back in place. I also worked with a nutritionist and a reflexologist and enrolled in an energetic balancing course.

Create a Health Altar

Have a place in your home where you can pray. Set it up according to your religious beliefs, with icons from your faith or sacred items representing your faith. You can also keep a photo of yourself in your healthiest time of life or place an image of healthy people you can relate to. Keep a healthy plant there to represent a strong and healthy you! Write prayers and place them on your health altar, and use your sacred place to bless your medicines and health supplies.

Ask God to Breathe with You

It is so frightening when you cannot catch your breath, yet struggling against the moment is not helpful. Your best bet is to calm yourself as much as possible and allow your breath to come back to you. Be in the present moment -- as much as you possibly can. I ran for a bus once and completely lost my breath. But somehow I had the presence of mind to stop trying to breathe and stand still long enough to allow my breath to come back. To this day I ask God to bring quiet and calm to the moment and to help me breathe through it. Keep your medicines handy, but know you are connected in every moment to the breath of God.