NATURAL HEALING
Imagine suddenly being unable to breathe, as if something invisible
were suffocating you. Or what if you were severely allergic to pollen,
and inhaling a warm spring breeze might threaten your life? Or think of
yourself as a child whose parents monitor your every breath in an effort
to keep you out of the emergency room. Welcome to the lives of the 20
million Americans now suffering from asthma.
There was a time when asthma was thought to be primarily a
psychological disorder, the result of dysfunctional relationships between
parents and children. Asthma is not, in tact, psychological in origin.
However, there is a supremely important mind-body connection. Asthma is a
chronic condition, trotting such a stranglehold on daily life that it
often produces profound, lasting psychological damage.
Asthma, particularly when it starts in childhood, can disturb and
derail families' normal functioning as well as deeply undercut patients'
belief in their capabilities and safety. When my asthmatic patients
recall trips to the emergency room as children, they often say these
visits were the start of seeing life as a series of health crises and
reprieves from crises.
Asthmatics live in a world that constantly seems to challenge them.
A 1997 study in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology shows that young
adults with a history of asthma perceive stress more than their
non-asthmatic counterparts. A study in the Journal of Asthma found that
in southwestern Australia, where nearly 18% of teens suffer from asthma,
patients reported feeling lonely more often than their healthy peers.
Another study in the same journal found that asthmatic children scored
much higher in depression and lower on self-esteem than children with
diabetes or cancer.
Asthma's toll extends beyond patients to families. A study
published in the Journal of Pediatrics judged that 52% of families with
asthmatic children were dysfunctional; their levels of intimacy and their
ability to adapt to stress were significantly below average. Only 12% of
families with healthy kids were considered dysfunctional.
But this cloud has a silver lining. Asthma teaches resilience.
Patients find themselves drawn to challenging situations and ultimately
accomplish a great deal. Witness the triumphs of Olympic gold medalist
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who has battled asthma all her life.
To help control asthma, use stress-reducing techniques like
meditation, visualization and biofeedback. Special breathing exercises
can also increase your respiratory function, as will regular aerobic
exercise.
Sound nutrition can also be useful. I recommend foods like fish,
vegetables and fruits, and supplements such as magnesium, vitamin C and
omega-3 fatty acids as natural treatments for asthma. Various
antioxidants may also be helpful.
The success of such measures can be seen in Breath of Life, a
program I created in a school in the Bronx, New York, that has one of the
highest rates of asthma in the country. We taught 30 children simple
breathing exercises, visualization and meditation as well as good
nutrition. Over a period of two years, there has been a 70% reduction in
their days missed from school, along with improvement in their
respiratory function, reduced use of medication and increased self-esteem
and confidence.
In sum, asthma may not be psychological in its origins, but it
teaches us a great deal about the mysterious dialogue between mind and
body--and the necessity of an integrated approach to healing.
Adapted by Dr.
Dr. Richard Firshein is founder of the Firshein Center for
Comprehensive Medicine in New York City and author of The Nutraceutical
Revolution, to be published in January by Riverhead Books.
Tags:
asthma,
chronic condition,
dysfunctional relationships,
emergency room,
family,
health crises,
journal of pediatrics,
natural healing,
parents,
physical health,
physical illness,
psychological damage,
psychological disorder,
young adults
