1. Acupressure: There is a line of points on the upper back where the neck and shoulders meet that can help relieve asthma. Large intestine 4 between the thumb and first finger towards the wrist from the web, is good for anything going on in the head and face, so it’s good for allergies as well. Holding the three points in a triangle at the inner eyebrows and third eye can help relieve allergies too.
Massaging around the elbow and hands and upper chest and upper back will help. In reflexology the lung reference areas are the pads of the feet. You can massage that area regularly and use the eraser end of a pencil to push into area of tenderness on the feet for a whole body tune up. The Kidney area in the center of the bottom of the foot is also related to asthma.
2. Breathing technique: My understanding of the Buteyko method in short: breathe out and hold your breath out as long as you can. This is helpful if you find yourself in a situation where you have asthma and no rescue inhaler. It is said to be good to build endurance by practicing holding the out breath to improve your condition overall. Holding your breath out can be hard to do when you have an acute asthma attack. You can also breathe using very tiny “bunny breaths”, meaning you hardly breathe all as if you were a bunny hiding from a predator.
These methods of breathing can change your carbon dioxide chemistry and help in an emergency.
We can help prevent asthma and repair the body with acupuncture, herbs, and nutrition, but if you have chronic asthma, even if you rarely have an attack, it is good to carry a rescue albuterol inhaler, and know these exercises and points.
In general, a paleolithic, hunter gatherer diet, is a good choice for people with asthma. I recommend organic foods as well to avoid the many pesticides and genetically modified organisms. Animals who are well treated is also an important choice in my opinion for the health of the animal and all of the people.
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