Before you do, read this article first for it can protect you from fraudulent practices. While some alternative remedies may help and temporarily relieve your suffering, many have no scientific basis and can be dangerous. Aside from losing your money, you could lose your life.
What are some questionable asthma therapies? Below are two controversial treatments you should avoid:
Acupuncture - this ancient Chinese system of healing has been around for 5,000 years and is now being used by over 3,000 medical doctors in the United States. To treat a patient, the acupuncturist inserts needles beneath the skin or simply holds them above any of the 2,000 acupuncture points in the body.
Three hundred sixty-one of these points lie along meridians or "energy-carrying channels" which supposedly correspond to various internal organs. By twirling the needles either clockwise or counter-clockwise, acupuncturists claim they restore the balance of the body's "life-force" or qi (pronounced chee) and thus treat disease.
In spite of the glowing testimonials of people who have tried acupuncture, there is no scientific evidence that it works. Acupuncture points do not correspond to any known nerve pathways or anatomic structures. Moreover, there are serious disagreements among acupuncturists regarding the existence of certain meridians. If promoters of this technique cannot agree on acupuncture theory and practice, why should we believe them?
Scattered reports show acupuncture may help ease shortness of breath and reduce the need for asthma medicines. However, more studies are needed to confirm this.
If you decide to see an acupuncturist, check the person's credentials and carefully weight the risks. While most acupuncturists use sterile disposable needles, others reuse them, making the patient susceptible to a host of diseases like hepatitis and AIDS.
Gold therapy - believe it or not, gold was once used to treat asthma! This fad started in the late 19th century when German scientist Robert Koch, the father of bacteriology, discovered that the bacterium that causes tuberculosis could be stopped with gold cyanide.
It was not until the 1930s that gold therapy was found to be ineffective for tuberculosis. By then, however, quacks were using it to treat asthma.
Today, the practice has long been forgotten except in Japan where it remains part of the standard treatment for asthma. Our advice: If you have a lot of gold, put it in a bank not in your lungs! Using it to treat asthma can be hazardous to your health. Aside from suppressing the immune system, this treatment can cause blood loss through the urine and "gold lung" which is characterized by shortness of breath and diminished lung function.
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