Several alternative approaches have been used to successfully treat asthma.
1. Bioset. Bioset is an allergy-elimination protocol that removes allergies. It was developed by a Chiropractor in Mill Valley, Ellen Cutler. Dr. Cutler has since become an MD. A bioset practitioner will treat you for each offending substance separately in a particular order. First she will treat you for allergies to basic nutritional building blocks. There are at least 20 of these treatments. Next you can go ahead and begin treating for other offenders such as pollen. In my experience, pollen allergies are some of the most difficult to treat using Bioset because the pollens change all the time, so a truly complete treatment just for pollen allergies can take all year.
My experience has been that Bioset is very effective, has a lasting impact. At least one person who has used Bioset to treat pollen allergies walked away quite frustrated with it, which is understandable.
Bioset can be expensive and time-consuming. It also seems to me it does not address the underlying cause if the allergies, but life can be so much better without them you may not care. On the positive side, you can learn to do the treatments yourself and avoid some of the costs.
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture & Herbs). Some treat asthma successfully using acupucture and chinese herbs. This program in Canada seems to be well developed:
http://www.asthmaclinic.info/research.html
While this is a more formalized program, I am sure many acupuncturists in our local area are doing the same thing. One of the best acupuncturists in the bay area is Shirley Nichols. She practices 5-element acupuncture which is an older method closer to that practiced prior to the arrival of communism in China. The method focuses primarily on treating the spirit level, and it makes you feel wonderful. Shirley tells me most, but not all, asthma can be treated successfully with acupuncture.
Results of studies attempting to demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating asthma have been mixed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10796465
Here is a link with some cautionary notes about herbs commonly used to treat asthma which you may find useful:
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/asthma/hic_alternative_therapy_for_asthma.aspx
3. Homeopathy. Homeopathy is perhaps more effective in treating asthma than acupuncture, if studies are any indication. Double-blind studies indicate weakly that homeopathy can be helpful in curing asthma. The studies do not represent homeopathy in practice, since homeopathy is inherently individualistic. This causes responsible homeopathy practice to be not replicable in a double blind study. Actual homeopathic practice would likely be much more effective than the studies indicate. Nevertheless, the studies mentioned in the following research all indicated beneficial effects of the homeopathic approach:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10796532
I did not personally use homeopathy to treat my own asthma, as bioset took care of my own asthma problems. Homeopathy regularly works astounding miracles. After doing homeopathy, I do feel it gets closer to treating the root of health problems and works to bring your entire system into balance. For homeopathy I would most strongly recommend Farah Gron (www.FarahGron.com). Even if you do not live in the United States, you can still “meet” with her remotely using a web camera. Homeopathy is a truly holistic healing method, so it will treat the asthma, anxiety, and anything else that ails you. If you intend to use homeopathy to treat a child, it would be a very good idea to do it yourself too so that you understand better what the experience is like so you can better manage your child’s care.
4. Vitamin D therapy. Perhaps the most exciting information I have seen regarding the treatment of asthma was this one Dr. Mercola’s website. Recent research shows low vitamin D levels to be factors in people suffering with asthma, and that treatment with vitamin D has helped. I have personally found Vitamin D to be very helpful to me in dealing with a cough I’ve been living with–much too long–lately. It is a very helpful vitamin in ensuring the health of the lungs, heart, and many other organs.
If you embark on a Vitamin D program to help your asthma, you must do so under the care of a doctor.
Finding a doctor knowledgeable about the use of Vitamin D is very important. On the San Francisco Peninsula, these three doctors appear to be knowledgeable about the use of vitamin D to bring about optimum health:
Dr. Damon Miller (www.organicmd.com)
Dr. Bruce Flagg (650) 898-7604
Dr. Bryan Skinner (www.cnmhealth.com)
5. Other Vitamin Supplements. If vitamin D therapy alone does not cure your asthma problem (wouldn’t that be fabulous?) The following page details a more involved vitamin therapy which may be worth considering with your doctor: