Asthma can be defined as the inflammation that causes restriction of air in and out of the lungs. Due to this restricted air flow, there is a very distinctive wheezing and panting sound. Asthma is considered to be the most common childhood chronic illness. Instead of the airways allowing air to exist and enter during exercise or heightened activity, the airways in someone who has asthma actually tighten. It is this tightening that causes the wheezing and panting.

Asthma is not only onset by activity, but can also be onset by allergies, especially pet dander and pollen. Emergency help should be sought when the symptoms include extreme difficulty in breathing or not being able to breathe, a bluish color in the face or lips, when the pulse increases and anxiety can be noticed, profuse sweating, and any signs of a decreased level of consciousness. However, when the symptoms are asthma are minimal and controllable without seeking emergency medical attention, asthma alternative medicines should be looked into and used. Using asthma alternative medicines is a great opportunity for people with asthma to not be controlled by their asthma.

The most common treatment of asthma is an inhaler. Some people use a quick relief inhaler that is used at the onset of an asthma attack. Others use a preventative steroid inhaler. This helps prevent the asthma attack from occurring to begin with. It is also fairly common for people to use a combination of both. However, one of the most common alternative asthma medicines is magnesium.

Although the daily intake or increased magnesium diet has not been proven to help with asthma, it has been proven that intravenous magnesium during a severe attack does help. A low level of magnesium has shown to be one of the common threads for people with asthma. The second most common of the alternative asthma medicines is something called N-acetylcysteine. This has been proven to lower the amount of mucous and therefore improve the symptoms of asthma. The third option of the alternative asthma medicines is potassium. Low levels of potassium and poor lung function seem to be negatively correlated. This means that the higher the level of potassium the worse the lung function is. Therefore increasing the potassium in ones diet could increase lung function. In addition, alternative asthma medicines like the ones listed above can have simple and inexpensive introduction.

Increasing the levels of potassium or magnesium could be as simple as taking a vitamin or supplement. Asthma can range from minor to severe and it is important for everyone with asthma to do what they can to reduce their chances of extreme attacks. Asthma does not have to limit ones life and therefore alternative asthma medicines should be researched and obtained if monitored by a physician.