Allergy Medicines for Asbestosis and Asthma

Many children with asthma also need allergy medicine. Treating allergy symptoms in the nose has been shown to help control asthma and per-vent flares. One often-overlooked function of the nose is to warm, moisturizer, and filter the air we breathe. Some children with allergies cannot breathe through their noses so they inhale colder, drier, dirtier air through their mouths, which can aggravate their asthma. Antihistamines with or without decongestants and nasal steroids may be prescribed to control allergies. If allergies are not adequately controlled, allergy shots may be given to make your child's body less allergic.
About one of every three Americans has tried herbal medicines, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, yoga, chiropractic manipulation, high-dose vitamins and minerals, and relaxation techniques. These types of complementary medicine, also called "alter-native" or "integrative" medicine, have not been studied and evaluated with controlled studies as rigorously as traditional Western medicines. But alternative approaches are coming into mainstream medicine. At least seventy-five medical schools—including University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia now offer courses in complementary medicine. Because complementary therapies have become so widely used in recent years, parents may wonder if they could help relieve their child's asthma symptoms. The following review of the most common alter native therapies is based on published studies of their merit. Chiropractic manipulation was not found to be helpful for asthma in any study. The results were more mixed for acupuncture. Five studies found that acupuncture was not beneficial, and eight studies found that it worked better than nothing. But in all studies, acupuncture didn't work as well as al buterol in treating asthma symptoms.

Yoga was studied in conjunction with standard asthma medicines, such as inhaled corticosteroids. Individuals who did yoga or relaxation therapies noted an improvement in their asthma symptoms (fewer, milder symptoms and improved lung function). Yoga did not replace standard therapies but was added to them in these studies. Many modern medicines are derived from herbal therapies. The advantage of modern medicine over herbs, however, is that potential benefits are maximized, while potential serious side effects are mini mized. One of the most common herbal therapies is Ma Huang, whose active ingredient is distantly related to albuterol, the common quick-relief medicine for asthma. Its active ingredient, L-ephedrine, is also very similar to Sudafed, an over-the-counter decongestant. High doses of ephedrine are known to have adverse effects that include high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, nervousness, headache, insomnia, dizziness, seizure, stroke, and fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack).The second most common herb used to treat asthma is Atropa bel-ladonna (deadly nightshade). 

Its active ingredient is atropine, which is similar to the active ingredient in Atrovent, a common medicine for other lung diseases. Belladonna was once burned in cigarettes, referred to as "asthma cigarettes." These primitive "inhalers" were a popular treatment for asthma and other respiratory conditions in Europe and North America in the early part of the twentieth century. Potential side effects include dry mouth, dangerously low heart rate, nausea, and headache.Ginkgo biloba is used around the world for a variety of illnesses. The main ingredients, ginkgolides, may prevent twitchy airways or cough-ing. Side effects of ginkgo include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, saliva-tion, anorexia, headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and allergic reactions. No controlled studies have shown a benefit of ginkgo biloba for asthma. Licorice root is used to prevent cough and increase the clearance of mucus. Its active ingredients include glycyrrhizin, which may prolong the action of steroids. No controlled studies of licorice have been conducted for asthma in humans, so it's important to discuss with your child's physi-cian any complementary medicines you are using, particularly in the case of an herb like licorice.