Alternative medicine

Certain alternative treatments may help with asthma symptoms. However, keep in mind that these treatments are not a replacement for medical treatment, especially if you have severe asthma. Talk to your doctor before taking any herbs or supplements, as some may interact with the medications you take.

In most cases, more research is needed to see how well alternative remedies work and to measure the extent of possible side effects. Alternative asthma treatments include:

• Breathing exercises. These exercises may reduce the amount of medication you need to keep your asthma symptoms under control.
• Herbal and natural remedies. A few herbal and natural remedies that may help improve asthma symptoms include black seed, caffeine, choline and pycnogenol.