Drugs do not cure allergy. At best, they sometimes relieve the more common symptoms: wheezing, runny nose, itching. And they're often very valuable in breaking the spiraling escalation of more and more allergic irritation and discomfort, which can worsen allergies.

One thing about drugs is certain, however: they all have the potential to produce unpleasant – and sometimes dangerous – side effects. Allergy Drugs and Their Side Effects lists some of the more common adverse reactions, so we won’t repeat then in detail.

It's enough to say that no allergy drug is perfectly safe, and all should be used cautiously. And in many cases, non-drug alternatives work just as well (if not better), especially when combined with a program to avoid allergy triggers.

Some Natural Alternatives to Asthma Medication

The chief characteristic of asthma is wheezing. The lining of the air passage swells, the bronchial muscles around the airways shrink or go into spasm and the lungs produce more mucus. The chest feels tight and breathing is a chore. The obvious solution is to avoid the allergic stimulus, be it pollen, dust, dog hair or something else.

When that’s impossible, an asthmatic is likely to be prescribed one or more of the following drugs:

• An expectorant to thin mucus and promote coughing to eject it from the lungs (although use is increasingly less frequent);
• A bronchodilator, such as theophylline, to relax tightened bronchial muscles;
• Cromolyn sodium, if exertion triggers the asthma (in nine out of ten asthmatic, it does);
• A corticosteroid (such as prednisone) to reduce swelling and inflammation of the lungs and mucous membranes.

But there are non-drug approaches that relieve asthma, especially in non-emergency situations (which most are). First of all, drinking plenty of liquids helps keep mucus in the lungs thin to that it can be coughed up, thereby eliminating the need for expectorants (a dry or sticky tongue in an asthmatic is a sure sign that the body needs more fluids).

Drinking ½ cup to one cup of liquid, once an hour, is a good guideline (don't drink cold liquids, though. Cold can stimulate sensitive airways and trigger bronchial spasms. Also, avoid any colas or beverages with food dyes to which you and your child may be allergic).

Drinking warm liquids such as soup, herb tea or even plain warm water has another benefit: it relaxes bronchial muscles, says Constantine). Falliers, M.D., an allergist and asthma specialist in Denver.

”We’ve used it, and it works. We’ve had kids in the hospital for treatment, and when they can't breathe, we give them something warm to drink – water, or something with a little more flavor, like tea or hot cider or apple juice. They relax and don't need anything else. We control the panic and they start breathing quietly.”

Notice that Dr. Falliers mentions emotional calm as a necessary step in controlling an asthma attack. That’s because relaxation loosens up the bronchial muscles, in many instance replacing the need for bronchodilators.

”Many children breathe better as soon as a physician enters the room, before any medication has been given,” writes Doris J. Rapp, M.D., in her book, Allergies and You Family (Sterling Publishing, 1981). ”They anticipate help and that alone relaxes the bronchial muscles.” Similarly, if the parent keeps calm, the child will be less panicky.”

To make relaxation a skill rather a hoped for response, children and adults alike are often thought relaxation techniques and calming breathe exercises to nip panic in the bud and prevent bronchospasms from mushrooming into full-fledged asthma attacks (see Basic Deep Breathing Exercise for Asthma and How to Relax Away an Asthma Attack).

Relaxation technique, a calming presence or warm liquids are certainly more natural treatments than theophylline, a commonly used bronchodilator and cornerstone of the medical management of acute, chronic and disabling asthma. Theophylline drugs are methylxanthines – compounds related to the chemicals caffeine and other substance).

Because some people – particularly children – are very sensitive to methylxanthines, doses of theophylline must be very carefully adjusted to individual tolerance. Otherwise, the drug makes you feel like you just drank 30 cups of coffee. Cromolyn sodium is another drug for bronchospasms, but it's primarily used to help the many asthmatics who experience tightness and wheezing after exercise.

When inhaled, cromolyns sodium desensitizes thee tissue in the lungs and airways, making them impervious to the stress of exercise. As allergy drugs go, cromolyn sodium seems to be one of the safest. Taking cromolyn sodium can occasionally cause throat irritation, hoarseness, coughing – even wheezing (the last thing an asthmatic needs).

Studies have shown that many natural methods can also prevent exercise induced attacks, thereby reducing the need for cromolyn sodium. Among them are: taking vitamin C; wearing a face mask; choosing the right type of exercise; and doing a pre-exercise warm up. Let’s look at them one by one.

Two scientist at Yale University discovered vitamin C’s ability to relieve exercise induced bronchospasms. Several of their patients were pretreated with 500 milligrams of vitamin C before exercise test. The vitamin C significantly lessened the severity of the bronchospasms following exercise (Chest, September, 1980).

E. Neil Schachter, M.D., one of the investigators, told us, ”Vitamin C has the potential to help asthmatics, without the unpleasant or dangerous side effects of drugs.” The reason that exercise throws an asthmatic’s lungs into spasm may be water loss from their air passages, breathing in pollen or other allergens, or cold air that shocks sensitive airways (or all three).

A light, cotton face mask may help reduce those attacks. Scientists at the National Asthma Center in Denver found that after exercising for six minutes wearing a face mask, ten asthmatic youngster experienced much less asthma – or none at all. The researchers conclude that a ”simple face mask may be an inexpensive, [non-drug] alternative for the alleviation of exercise induced asthma” and may also be practical for asthmatic runners and skiers (Journal of the American Medical Association, November 14, 1980).

Wearing a scarf over the mouth before going outside, especially in winter, accomplishes the same thing. And breathing through your nose, instead of your mouth, also helps to warm and filter air before it reaches the airways, according to doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, April, 1982).

The type of spot an asthmatic engages in many influence how well he or she tolerates exertion. Sports that involve brief spurts of activity, separated by rest intervals, are far less likely to cause an attack than is continuous exertion. An asthmatic who plays baseball or soccer, for instance, is less apt to suffer asthma than one who runs the mile, and is therefore less likely to need cromolyn sodium or other asthma medication.

Swimming too, is deal for asthmatics, provided the water isn’t too cold rest breaks are taken. Deep breathing and warm-up exercise help asthmatics to handle exercise without stress. The American Lung Association recommends the following warm-up routine for kids with asthma (adults can benefit, too).

1. Lie down and do 12 deep breathing exercise (as described earlier)
2. Bend your knees and bicycle slowly for a minute or so. Stand up.
3. Stretch each arm straight above your head, six times.
4. Touch your toes six times.
5. Put your hands on your head and twist your trunk from side to side, six times.
6. Do 12 jumping jacks.

Then go out and enjoy yourself!