Best Tea For Asthma/Breathing
Caffeine is a bronchodilator, so the more caffeine the more it will probably help – as other people have mentioned, probably coffee is your best bet for a big caffeine hit, but if you want to drink tea instead, maybe go for a tippy black tea brewed fairly dark (I think the tips/buds of the plant have the most caffeine, and higher temperatures and longer steeping both extract more caffeine from the leaves), or matcha, or a caffeinated herbal (mate, guayusa).
All that is just opening up your airways though, it’s not actually decreasing the inflammation in your lungs that’s causing all the mucous and reactivity in the first place. You can try taking an OTC antihistamine in case you have allergies that are triggering it, or you can try eliminating possible environmental/food triggers (pollen, dust, dander, artificial fragrances… or do some sort of elimination diet… or try various GERD-reduction strategies as people above have suggested). But really you probably need to see a medical professional. Americans/urbanites in general seem to be obsessed with this idea of needing a different specialist for every body part in order to get good care, but I assure you that a good family doctor (or even a good primary care nurse practitioner) can manage basic asthma diagnosis and treatment. I’m sorry you live in a country that doesn’t provide universal healthcare, that’s incredibly shitty. But there might be some kind of low-cost option where you live.
Not always true. There are also some medications for asthma, such as Xolair (which I take), that only specialists can prescribe. If you can get a good general doctor that’s awesome, but the specialists are generally more up-to-date on new treatments, etc. :)
Seeing a doctor is best, no matter what kind. Long-term you will do damage to your lungs if left untreated.
Americans/urbanites in general seem to be obsessed with this idea of needing a different specialist for every body part in order to get good care, but I assure you that a good family doctor (or even a good primary care nurse practitioner) can manage basic asthma diagnosis and treatment.
Yeah, that’s… not all true. Most general practitioners are not equipped to deal with specialized diseases which is why there is a need for specialists in the first place. Specialists have access to research and treatment GPs simply can’t keep up with. Especially if it is a complicated diagnosis like multiple diseases that may need a variety of treatment.
Well I did say “basic asthma diagnosis and treatment”. :) Presumably asthma that can’t be controlled using first, second, or third-line therapies wouldn’t fall into that category. Anyway the “can only be prescribed by a specialist” thing is a restriction placed by insurance companies on extra-expensive drugs, there’s no actual rule saying other docs can’t write a prescription if the patient is paying out of pocket. Though I doubt anyone would want to pay out of pocket for Xolair, that stuff is expensive!
Anyway, I’m a curmudgeon who believes strongly in older, time-tested treatments and is deeply suspicious of whatever “newest, greatest thing” is currently being pushed by the pharmaceutical reps. So knowledge of the newest treatments doesn’t impress me much. Specialists are super important and necessary for managing rare and complicated issues, but I think it’s a waste of their time (and health care resources) to be seeing patients with really basic, common problems (eg. seeing a pediatrician for a well-baby visit, seeing a gynecologist for a Pap smear or birth control, seeing a psychiatrist for mild-moderate depression, seeing a cardiologist/nephrologist for high blood pressure, etc). This is what primary care practitioners are trained to do.
Anyway, this is getting super off-topic. Tea! I’m drinking puer again today, what are you drinking? :)
When I was younger my asthma was more correlated with overproduction of mucus along with the bronchial irritation. The only thing that really cleared me up was albuterol solution in the nebulizer. Funny though that if you’re an adult you need to request that specifically. My doctor once I had stopped seeing my pediatrician told me I was too old for it and put me on a daily steroid inhaler instead. With a side of allergy medication and over the counter Mucinex for the rougher seasonal asthma.
It makes sense that your asthma occurs mostly during the night. Mine is the same and my doctor confirmed that at night is when you’re most likely to experience an attack. Now I’m mostly managing with the steroid inhaler (Qvar), but I can see how caffeine could be helping. I also added a humidifier to my room and that helped a whole lot.
I do a lot better with my asthma when it’s about 68 to 70 degrees at night, maybe you’re too hot?
It probably depends on what your body is used to. I grew up in San Francisco, where it’s mostly cold and foggy in the evenings, and really anything above 73ish is too hot for me personally to even fall asleep. Above 80 and I have frequent asthma attacks.
Just a thought but have you been tested for Bronchitis? Chronic Bronchitis has symptoms similar to asthma. The basic fact is if you haven’t been to the right doctor you don’t know. If it is chronic Bronchitis a simple course of antibiotics may help you permanently.
They gave me an X-Ray exam and said that I didn’t have bronchitis. They gave me a strong course of antibiotics at that time, because she thought I had the whooping cough. Those medications did nothing to help, and actually I only got worse from that point. That is until that old family doctor gave me guafenisen. That did help, until eventually the symptoms petered out into a more intermittent breathing problem, and nocturnal symptoms.
I’ve been taking Nexium and Gaviscon liquid antacid to reduce the reflux now. Today I couldn’t barely breathe or expand my lungs at all for several hours, so I found Bronkaid which is guafenisen and ephedrine. Not perfect, but I’m breathing again.
In light of this, I believe that my GERD is probably causing the asthma, and always was, as in hindsight I realize that my GERD was really out of control when I started having those attacks.
Healthcare in Florida is very, very inadequate. People are often neglected or killed due to the treatments in this area. I’ve never had a positive experience with a hospital in the tri-county area.
Best anti cough meds still water. Lots of it.
I drink too much water. I constantly drink water. My cough is caused by inflammation of my lungs because of stomach acids, so the water doesn’t help at all. I simply cough and choke with water in my throat. Actually it strains my heaving breaths even more and provokes me to a dry coughing and gagging fit. I wish I could hold more water but I just have a very small stomach and it’s usually overfull of water and acid.
nothing but regular taking a cup of green tea can cure you. but it will take time. so you will have to be patient. but you should also use the best model of air purifier at your home. it will keep your environment healthy and germ-free.
http://airpurifierdr.com/
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