Is there an herb to help with COPD and Asthma My husband has…

Hi! Thanks for asking your question here at Just Answer. I'll do my best to answer based on the information you've provided.

Joyce,
As you are well aware COPD and asthma are both serious conditions. There ARE herbal formulas that will help but it would be very irresponsible to try and guess which one would be best over the internet. What I would like to offer is some insight into how Chinese herbal medicines work and what you can expect from an herbalist. Then I'm going to recommend that you seek out a qualified herbalist nearby.

I agree with the above expert who recommended acupuncture. Many acupuncturists are also herbalists -- which is good because it would be best to do both types of treatment with someone who can coordinate the two.

Chinese medicine categorizes disease differently than western medicine. COPD and asthma are considered symptoms that are being caused by a deeper constitutional issue. This underlying imbalance in the body's health then affects one or more organ systems, and the herbal formulas address both the underlying reason for the disease (referred to as the "pattern") PLUS the actual symptoms. The benefit of this approach is that herbal formulas are never prescribed for life. It may take a while, but the herbs will eventually resolve the symptoms and help prevent recurrence.

Please remember I'm not making this as a promise in your particular case, but that is how they are designed to work.

The patterns that can cause COPD and asthma are going to sound kind of odd to western ears, but I assure you they mean something as specific to an herbalist as the words "asthma" or "high cholesterol" mean to a western physician.

I also want to mention that I have capitalized the Organ names because they do NOT refer to the physiological organ. If I type "lung" (lower case) I mean your actual lung. If I type "Lung" or "Kidney" (upper case) I am referring to the Chinese conceptualization of the various functions of those organs - NOT the physical organ.

There are quite a few patterns that cause asthma and COPD. They are: Lung Qi deficiency, Kidney Failing to Grasp the Qi, Spleen and Lung Deficiency, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney deficiency, Lung Yin Deficiency, Wind Cold Invasion of the Lung, and Lung Phlegm-Heat. Each one of them requires a different herbal formula to resolve the symptoms. In order to determine which formula will work best for you the herbalist will use differential diagnosis to narrow down which pattern(s) your husband has.

The process of differential diagnosis involves taking a fairly detailed health history - not just the duration and severity of the asthma/COPD symptoms, but also general health - everything from how he sleeps, what he eats, other aches and pains, bowel habits, etc. The herbalist will also take his pulse and look at his tongue - standard tools for Chinese diagnosis.

Once s/he has diagnosed your husband they will recommend a treatment plan of either herbs alone, acupuncture alone or both (probably both). Before recommending the exact formula they will ask for a complete list of your husband's medications to make sure there are no drug-herb contraindications.

Herbal formulas come in several forms: pills, granules (a powder that is mixed with a small amount of water or juice) or "raw." Raw herbs are simply the actual herbs - they haven't been ground up into pills or powder and they require cooking on the stove. They usually taste pretty terrible so most American Chinese practitioners carry the other forms. Raw herbs are the strongest though, and if your husband's symptoms are severe, your herbalist may recommend that form.

Lastly, a few comments about finding a practitioner. This is like finding any other physician. Start by asking friends and family if they can recommend anyone. If not, check yelp.com (if your city has it) for positive reviews. OR, you can check the following website (just indicate the state to get the most complete list):

http://www.nccaom.org/fap

This way you know you are getting a trained and certified practitioner.

I hope that this has helped you in some small way. I know I haven't given you something you can run out and buy, but this is a complicated and serious condition, and herbs are medicine. If I were to guess at what is causing the problem and recommend the wrong thing I could easily make him worse. It really will be better for him to see someone in person, and I hope I've explained why well enough. Let me know if you have further questions.

Finally, I do know this type of alternative treatment can help. You ARE on the right path to better health, and I wish a healthy future for the both of you.

Sincerely,