Breathe Easier
With alternative approaches
Even in our technologically advanced society there are natural remedies and alternatives. Some treatment options for respiratory conditions that used to be considered on the margins of allopathic medicine such as nasal irrigation are today considered mainstream.
To learn what is most likely to work in the alternative realm, we turned to naturopath Joshua Leavitt, ND,
of Whole Health Natural Family Practice in Hamden, CT. What, we asked, does he use for patients with allergies, sinus infections and other respiratory conditions? Here’s what he recommends.
Allergan. This pharmaceutical grade
petroleum jelly is rubbed on the inside
of the nostrils where it catches airborne
pathogens and helps prevent respiratory
infections. One study found it slashed
symptoms of allergic rhinitis (i.e., hay fever)
by 60 percent with no adverse effects.
Nettles. Dr. Leavitt often prescribes nettle
tea or nettle capsules for people with
allergies, asthma or other inflammatorybased
respiratory conditions. He recommends
brewing six to eight cups at a time
and sipping on it throughout the day, preferably
sweetened with a local honey produced
during the season in which allergies
are worst. One of the few published studies
on nettles found 300 mg of freeze-dried
nettles twice a day improved symptoms in
people with allergic rhinitis about as well
as their normal medication.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC). This amino
acid supplement was originally investigated
in people with cystic fibrosis. Studies
find it works well at thinning the thick,
heavy mucus common during colds and
sinusitis. Dr. Leavitt recommends 600 mg a
day, four times a day before meals.
Salt inhalation. The roots of this therapy
date back to Hippocrates, who had
congested patients inhale the steam from
boiling saltwater. In more recent times,
people in Eastern Europe sit in salt caves
and breath the air to clear their congestion.
For those of us without a nearby salt cave,
there are salt pipes. The salt is contained
in the bottom of the ceramic inhaler. You
breathe in the air emanating form the top
for 20 minutes at a time. Two studies in the
New England Journal of Medicine found that
inhaling a salt-water mist could reduce the
pus and infection found in the lungs of
people with cystic fibrosis, an often-fatal,
genetic respiratory disease.
Steam inhalation. This low-tech approach
to clearing out your sinuses or
nasal congestion involves filling a pot with
water, adding a few drops of thyme or eucalyptus
essential oils (available in health
food stores), and heating the water to just
below a boil. Remove from the heat, lean
over the pot and cover your heat with a
towel, and breathe.
Sublingual immunotherapy. You
know about allergy shots, but do you know
about this non-shot option? It’s based on
the same theory as allergy shots: exposing
your immune system to larger and larger
amounts of the allergen to &ldquo train&rdquo your
immune system to tolerate it. While the
shots can take months or even years to
finally eradicate your allergies, sublingual
therapy, in which the allergen solution
is placed under the tongue, works much
faster and, studies suggest, may be safer.
Unfortunately, most insurance companies
don’t cover it.
Elderberry extract. When it comes to
preventing infections, Leavitt recommends
supplementing with elderberry extract, a
&ldquo top-notch antiviral &rdquo 4,000 to 6,000 IU of
vitamin D, important for immune function
and four grams a day of fish oil for its
anti-inflammatory effects.