Tuesday was National Asthma Day so it seems like the perfect time to share with you some of my tried, and tested natural asthma treatments. And as we charge headfirst into hay fever season, there really couldn’t be a better time.

Asthma is increasing worldwide and currently affects around 5.4 million people in the UK, 1.1 million of them children. That is a shockingly huge percentage of the population and although the symptoms for most are easily managed, it can be incredibly scary and life threatening for some.

Medicines are all well and good in some cases, (although I personally hate them!) but constant use can reduce their effectiveness considerably so it may be worth trying some more natural remedies and only resort to medicine if you really feel you need to.

Asthma can start and stop at any age and can range from mild to severe, the inhalers work well and are fast but do you really want to become reliant on them and will they ultimately make your asthma worse?

Here are some tried and tested ideas to help you manage asthma more naturally.

Cut Down on Dairy, Gluten and Sugar

Dairy encourages mucus production, which can really affect your nose, throat and airways, there are plenty of alternatives out there so give them a go. Sugar and gluten are pro- inflammatory so should be avoided where possible especially in the form of refined carbohydrates like white pasta, bread and rice etc. Food intolerances are believed to cause a whole host of asthmatic symptoms.

Avoid Unnecessary Chemicals

Pollutants are a known cause of asthma as they can irritate the airways and cause other unhealthy reactions in the body, Try Ecover cleaning products, Faith in Nature, soaps and shampoos and avoid air fresheners and other chemicals that could be the cause of the problem. There is enough pollution in the air without having it in your home too!

Dust is Your Enemy

Dust, or more importantly dust mites, or even more importantly dust mite faeces can cause all sorts of allergic reactions and in turn asthmatic symptoms, so keep on top of your dust, get a Hepa filter in your hoover and dust with a wet cloth, add a little tea tree to your (natural) cleaner and wash bedding often at 60 degrees.

Keep Your Mouth Shut

Breathe through your nose. This may not always be easy but your nose has its very own filtering system so it’s a lot healthier than breathing through the mouth. Practice makes perfect on this one!

Introduce Homeopathic Remedies

Getting a good homeopathic remedy specifically mixed for asthma sufferers is a great start, check out Helios, they can post remedies to you or you could book an appointment with a trained homeopath for a more in-depth consultation.

Embrace Essential Oils

Put a few drops of Tea Tree, Eucalyptus and Peppermint Oils onto a cotton cloth/hanky and inhale deeply to open the airways and make breathing less labored.

Understand Your Reflexology Points

This is a great treatment, look at a reflexology foot map and using your thumbs firmly massage the lung, nose, throat areas of the foot for a few minutes with Vicks or diluted Eucalyptus Oil, it works wonders.

Sip Warm Water

Cold water exacerbates the symptoms of asthma so make sure you sip warm or room temperature water as it is more soothing. A good quality herbal tea with eucalyptus would be perfect served warm.

Take Vitamin C

Vitamin C is great for many things but a little known fact is its anti-histamine qualities. It is perfect to take during hay fever season and is a lot healthier than anti-histamine tablets. Take a high dose (1000mg daily)  from a reputable retailer such as Bodykind or Higher Nature.

Knock those symptoms out of the water with these natural remedies and try to ditch the medicine, it will be much better for you in the long run.