An Integrative Approach to Treating Asthma and Other Lung Disorders

The respiratory system is an intricate and delicate network of channels that carry prana (the vital life-force) and oxygen. The lungs are the organs that receive the prana and oxygen that we breathe in through our nose and mouth.

In Ayurveda, the lungs and the stomach are important sites of kapha dosha, the force in the body which is governed by the elements of water and earth. Most disorders of the respiratory system are a result of imbalanced kapha dosha. Mucus or phlegm is produced in the stomach and accumulates in the lungs. It can then be distributed to other sites in the respiratory tract manifesting as imbalances.

Although accumulation of mucus does not inherently mean that a respiratory imbalance will develop, it is indicative of low agni, or digestive fire. Low agni is among the common causes of respiratory imbalances and very often, the treatment protocol involves rekindling the digestive fire so that digestion can operate more optimally.

Other causes of lung imbalances include:

• Improper diet which leads to a leaky gut
• Polluted air
• Seasonal changes
• Poor posture
• Lack of exercise
• Excessive grief and attachment
• Inflammation that leads to autoimmunity

Although there can be an imbalance of the other doshas, vata and pitta, resulting in more asthmatic (vata) and infectious (pitta) conditions, people with excess kapha and kapha predominate constitutions are generally more susceptible to imbalances involving excess mucus.

Common manifestations are:

• Colds and flu
• Congestion
• Bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Swollen glands or lymphatic congestion
• Sore Throat

An integrative medical approach offers ways to bring an increased dosha back into balance through diet, lifestyle and herbal supplements.

Eight Steps to Help Your Lungs

1. Check for hidden infections — yeast, viruses, bacteria, Lyme, etc. — with the help of your medical provider, and treat them.

2. Diet: Check for hidden food allergens with IgG food testing or just try Fern Life Center’s elimination diet, which is designed to eliminate most food allergens. Follow a kapha reducing diet. Here are some simple tips to follow:

• Avoid heavy, dense foods such as meat and cheese.
• Avoid fatty, fried foods.
• Eliminate dairy, sugar and gluten.
• Sip hot water with lemon and honey with meals and throughout the day.
• Include warm digestive spices in your diet such as ginger, cloves, cardamom and black pepper.
• Do not overeat or drink in excess.
• Have your mid-day meal be the largest, eating a lighter breakfast and dinner.

3. Get tested for celiac disease, which is a blood test that any doctor can do.

4. Get checked for heavy metal toxicity using a hair mineral analysis test. Mercury and other metals can cause autoimmunity.

5. Fix your gut!

6. Supplements and herbs: Use nutrients such as fish oil, vitamin C, vitamin D, and probiotics to help calm your immune response naturally. Banyan Botanical’s Lung Formula blends pippali, licorice, and other herbs to nourish and support healthy respiration. This formula supports healthy lung function. Take 1-2 tablets, once or twice daily, or as directed by your health practitioner. In the case of low digestive fire, an appetite stimulant and digestive aid such as Trikatu can be taken.

7. Exercise regularly: it’s a natural anti-inflammatory. Kapha dosha can be very stubborn, dense and sticky. Warming the body through exercise helps to liquefy this substance, bringing it back to the digestive tract in order to be eliminated. When exercising, the breathing rate increases to meet the body’s demand for more oxygen. This helps to expand lung capacity, keeping them functioning optimally.

8. Lifestyle: Other daily lifestyle practices that can help keep the respiratory tract clear are:

• Nasya oil: lubricates the nasal passages and supports uncongested breathing.
• The Neti pot: removes mucus and pollution from the nasal passages
• Meditation: reduces stress, calms the mind and is an effective practice to help dissolve negative emotions that can be detrimental to your health. The calming and relaxing effect of meditation can help to regulate breathing patterns, improving lung function.
• Yoga: Regular practice of yoga improves posture and keeps the body’s channels open and free flowing. Linking breath and movement is an optimal way to invite space and increase vitality within the body’s tissues and organs. Asana or postures that move the rib cage and stretch the intercostal muscles help to keep lungs healthy. By bringing more flexibility into the ribs, back and shoulders, the lungs can expand more fully. To keep kapha dosha in check, practice yoga asanas more vigorously. Sun Salutations continuously linked with a yoga practice including many standing postures can help to raise the heart rate and improve lung function.
• Pranayama: Yogic breathwork or pranayama is an excellent way to revitalize prana within the body. Pranayama is a practice in controlling the breath. Pranayama cleanses and strengthens the physical body while calming and clearing the mind. It is important to practice with the proper posture to allow the breath to move freely in the body. Pranayama may be the ultimate tool to help support healthy lung function. It conditions the diaphragm while helping to more fully oxygenate the blood.
  • This pranayama exercise is often done while seated in a comfortable, cross-legged position, but it is also nice to do while lying on the back, particularly at the beginning of your practice. When you are lying down, you can really feel the breath moving through your body as it makes contact with the floor.
    • 1. Come to lie down on the back with the eyes closed, relaxing the face and the body.
    • 2. Begin by observing the natural inhalation and exhalation of your breath without changing anything. If you find yourself distracted by the activity in your mind, try not to engage in the thoughts. Just notice them and then let them go, bringing your attention back to the inhales and the exhales.
    • 3. Then begin to inhale deeply through the nose.
    • 4. On each inhale, fill the belly up with your breath. Expand the belly with air like a balloon.
    • 5. On each exhale, expel all the air out from the belly through your nose. Draw the navel back towards your spine to make sure that the belly is empty of air.
    • 6. Repeat this deep belly breathing for about five breaths.
    • 7. On the next inhale, fill the belly up with air as described above. Then when the belly is full, draw in a little more breath and let that air expand into the rib cage causing the ribs to widen apart.
    • 8. On the exhale, let the air go first from the rib cage, letting the ribs slide closer together, and them from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.
    • 9. Repeat this deep breathing into the belly and rib cage for about five breaths.
    • 10. On the next inhale, fill the belly and rib cage up with air as described above. Then draw in just a little more air and let it fill the upper chest, all the way up to the collarbone, causing the area around the heart (which is called the heart center in yoga), expand and rise.
    • 11. On the exhale, let the breath go first from the upper chest, allowing the heart center sink back down, then from the rib cage, letting the ribs slide closer together. Finally, let the air go from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.
    • 12. You are practicing three-part breath! Continue at your own pace, eventually coming to let the three parts of the breath happen smoothly without pausing.
    • 13. Continue for about 10 breaths.

• Massage: Loosens up the lymphatic tissues and allows for the release of toxic buildup and enhances the deep relaxation response that will calm the connective tissues of the pulmonary system.
• Steam: Opens up the airways. When steam is done at Fern Life Center in our uniquely crafted cedar cabinet, you also get the benefit of herbal steam, facial massage, and nasya oil treatments.

Here is a recipe that is healthy for dosha balancing related to the lungs:

Sweet Steamed Beets

• 4 c. raw beets (5 or 6 medium beets)
• 2T ghee or butter
• 2T lemon juice (or lime juice)
• 1T coriander powder

Wash and slice the beets into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Pour one inch of water into a heavy, medium-sized pot. Put in stainless steel steamer. Bring water to a boil. Place sliced beets in steamer and cook until tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain. Put in a serving dish.

Melt the ghee in a small sauce pan. Drizzle melted ghee and lemon juice over the beets. Add coriander powder and mix well. Serve.

Recipe reprinted with permission from The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar, Lotus Press, P.O. Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181.(c)1995 All Rights Reserved