Harper

i believe strong coffee will help

Ayla

My son has Asthma and his inhaler does not help. We had to invest in an air pump and put him on Xopenex mist to clam his attacks. You might want to talk to your doctor about getting one, your insurance should cover it.

Helen

any stimulant will help, because it opens up your airways.

strong, black coffee WILL HELP, because of the caffeine.

also, getting near a humidifier or in a hot shower should help, from the steam.

Cheyenne

Go to an herb shop and buy some eucalyptus oil. When an attack comes on, rub some on a cloth and breathe it in until your symptoms go away

Dallas

Not really. Just try to stay as calm as possible. Stay away from the things that cause the attack-animals, allergens, over-exercising, etc.

It’s hard to not be getting the air you need and it sends you into a panic. The more you panic, the worse the attack is. Remember to keep your inhaler with you and you might want to ask the doctor about an EPI-pen for emergencies.

Sandra

I think CPR or Mouth-to-Mouth would work too, but I’m not entirely sure…sorry!!! Another thing I’ve heard of is this thing called Abreva or something like that. It’s like a purple disk…? I don’t really know how to describe it. What you do is you breath it in before you go anywhere or do anything and it actually prevents attacks. I saw it on TV and my mom has one. It works really well. The only thing is that it’s like a perscription med, so you’d need to ask your doctor about it…
Hope this helps!

Maya

What to do in an asthma attack

STOP any activity
Sit up
If the medicine is not working, call 911
You really should carry the inhaler i have myself with ashma when its bad and my inhaler isnt working to well i either try to humidifer close to my face breathing it in or i turn onthe hot water around the tub and sit in that room letting it steam up with hot steam to help me breathe. This seems to help quite a bit.

Exercise helps you:

Strengthen your breathing muscles
Boost your immune system
Keep a healthy body weight
All of these benefits can improve your asthma in the long run. The key to exercise- make sure you asthma is under control before you start

Stella

Many of the answers below could actually WORSEN your asthma, such as a humidifier, if your asthma is triggered by HUMIDITY, which many people have! Don’t try these until you find out what your “triggers” are!

For the time being, until you get yourself to a GOOD PULMONOLOGIST, try exhaling as completely as you can. This expels the “stale” air, with little or no oxygen in it. It may seem weird, to blow air OUT, since your instinct is to gulp it in…but it does work (I have asthma and have used this, w/success).

Then, inhale, slowly and steadily, trying to calm yourself while doing so.

The best prevention for asthma is to avoid things that trigger it, but it may not be possible in all cases.

The next best thing is to get a full evaluation, with your primary care doctor and a specialist. There are many PREVENTIVE meds (including inhalers) that can reduce your need for a “rescue” inhaler drastically!

Some preventive meds, are steroidal, like “Azmacort”, and others are non-steroidal, but reduce inflammation or even prevent it, such as “Intal”. You can even take a drug like “Accolate”, by mouth, to reduce the frequency of attacks.

Most docs WILL, however, recommend a “Rescue” (albuterol) inhaler, for sudden attacks.

See a doctor ASAP, since asthma attacks CAN be fatal if not treated immediately! I know two people who died from it, with very little warning.

You really can’t play around with this, such as trying to use “mind control” or herbal meds. Check out the site below, for useful info about the disease and treatment options.

Good luck!

Nathaly

The current information on the treatment of asthma contains no treatment recommendations for coffee, caffeine, eucalyptus oil, or over the counter meds like primatene mist.
Xopenex is a currently accepted alternative to nebulized albuterol. While it is more expensive, it has the advantage of decreased side effects as it is more selective for the airway smooth muscles.
Many people struggle with controlling their asthma and most people find that the first step is to identify and minimize exposure to the triggers for asthma. While not an all-inclusive list, common triggers are animals/pets like dogs and cats, smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, dust and dust mites, and vigorous aerobic exercise like running.
The second step is to pre-treat by using the albuterol inhaler prior to a known trigger such as before running, and to keep the inhaler close by during exposure to treat additional or persistent symptoms like wheezing or shortness of breath.
The third step is to begin daily treatment with a steroid inhaler such as Azmacort to keep the airway inflammation that leads to an asthma exacerbation at a low baseline, combined with the previous steps.
The most important and potentially life saving step is to immediately seek medical attention by dialing 911 should the shortness of breath suddenly become severe or is not responding to the prescribed treatment.
There are additional steps and alternatives given under the supervision of a physician if these measures are still not adequate.
Most people with asthma realize the extreme importance of taking the treatment of their asthma seriously the first time they are having difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, some have died before they learned how to effectively treat asthma based on the proven techniques I have described above.

Cory

Look into Buteyko Breathing Technique.

I use breathing techniques to control my asthma, although it is only mild asthma which I have, but this technique is considered to be very effective.

Controlling your breathing can also control the panic you feel during an attack.

Good luck.

Ricardo

A yoga teacher once commented to me that i should ‘loosen my diaphragm’ after i commented that i had had asthma… it’s a somewhat esoteric comment but perhaps if you rely more on deep belly breathing and less on upper lungs then the attack will subside more quickly. I don’t have attacks anymore but coffee/caffeine used to help me in the short term. (long term it is probably harmful, even causitive to asthma) I also remember somewhere recommending laying on the floor with your lower legs resting on a chair. Hot shower may help. There are different kinds of asthma though.

Reduce the allergens in your environment. Eat a healthy diet. Get beneficial fats, for example.

Taniya

What worked for me was warm water and peppermint. The warm water helped to open up m bronchioles for some reason and the peppermint soothed it. I had acute asthma though. it is worth a shot. Good luck.

Stone

Carefully watch and look for your trigger factors. Keep a log for 7-10 days. This should help. I know it can be burdensome to lug an inhaler around, but think about your life and the fact you want to live. Now, which is more important… lugging around an inhaler or trying to figure out a way to stop and possibly getting into major trouble because of it?

Owen

First: if you really can’t get enough air, get to a hospital or clinic and get some drugs for it.

If it’s just tight and unpleasant and panicky, but you are pretty sure your life is not in danger:

Stay calm. Count as you breath, if you can, so you find a rhythm and don’t panic.

Take a hot shower, the steam will make it feel worse for a bit but it will loosen things up.

Put a big glob of vick’s vaporub in the basin of your sink, turn the water on steamy-hot , put your face in the steam and put a towel on your head to trap the steam so you have to breathe it.

Finally, go to a gas station and get some pills with caffeine and ephedrine. Those will help some too.

If none of this works, and you are still having trouble, go to a doctor and get some help managing the situation.

Kira

Talk to your doctor and see if Singulair is right for you as well as many meds like Singulair. Take nice and long deep breathes, take classes in yoga, because this will help the breathe a lot and calm the breathe. Don’t stress yourself and this will help the asthma massively.

Rayan

You should talk to your doctor about possible medication changes, but in the mean time when my husband had an asthma attack and his inhaler had run out, he drank some coffee and closed himself in the bathroom with the shower running hot water, for the steam, that helped some. This will not work however if it is really bad, so go to the hospital or called 911.

Macey

I found something on the Internet about asthma. People had invested in Chihuahua and it cut their attack down or didn’t have anymore attack.