I was sad to learn in the news this week that 3 people die in the UK every day from asthma. In fact I know someone who died from it just last year, she was only in her 40s.
The BBC news shared that "People suffering from asthma are dying unnecessarily because of complacency among both medical staff and patients, according to the first national study of asthma deaths in the UK."
I grew up with asthma, I had it from a very young age and when I was too small to really remember I was often in hospital suffering from attacks. I only learnt recently that during one of these attacks I actually died for a couple of seconds. Thankfully I came back!
My memories of growing up are predominantly of being sick with asthma. The most I remember about my school days was being at home sick or in bed in the "San" at school if I couldn't stay at home. Of course I have wonderful happy memories too of playing on the beach, swimming in the sea and running around the forest. It never stopped me fully.
So naturally I grew up always taking my inhalers. I actually noticed when I got a bit older that I had developed a bit of a dependency on my Ventolin, the inhaler that relieves your breathing when having an attack. If I didn't have it with me when I went out I would start to panic and my asthma would come on, it was the same when going to bed. I'd have to take a puff before I could relax.
In my early 30s my uncle who also suffers from asthma got prescribed a new inhaler called Seritide which completely took away all his symptoms. He shared his new found discovery with me and my cousins, it no longer felt like we had asthma any more. My cousins who had never been able to do sport at school suddenly became super sporty. It changed their lives, it grew their self confidence and for me I never had an asthma attack again.
How ever I was still taking an inhaler. Asthma was still there underlying.
When I was in India a couple of years ago I had a few rebirthing sessions with a man there. He picked up on how I saw having asthma as part of who I am. He said it's like I just accept I have it and am doing nothing to cure it. There and then I decided to do just that, take action to go about curing my asthma.
Since then I have learnt that my asthma was largely due to fear. Fear of not being able to breathe, and then dying. This has been mainly unconscious but once I uncovered that I was able to use affirmations to let myself know "I am safe, there is enough air to breathe" if my breath becomes short. Yogic breathing has helped to expand my lungs and deepen my breath. EFT has calmed me down if I feel the fear rise up and asthma triggered. I have changed my diet to avoid foods that create inflammation and I have had energetic healing around my scary experiences as a child having attacks.
I can happily say I no longer take an inhaler every day. The only time I do take it is when I volunteer at a cats home as animal hair still triggers me and being surrounded by 40-50 cats can be fairly overwhelming for my system. I choose to go there though as I love cats, like I said asthma has never stopped me. It is getting better though, sometimes I don't take it at all and when I am with just one cat now I don't have any reaction at all.
I know every one is a different case and you have to treat your asthma very carefully as it can be life threatening. I am just writing this post for those who have asthma who, like I also did, just see it as who they are. Who are not doing anything to investigate other alternatives to helping cure it. Or in fact with any disease.
Sometimes we can get so stuck in a way of thinking or being we forget that it actually may not be true or that it could be possible to change it!
I recommend reading Louise Hay's book - All is Well which links dis-ease to emotional problems and gives affirmations to repeat to yourself daily. It's really insightful, and usually pretty spot on.
I can honestly say I don't think of my self as an asthmatic now, just someone who gets it every now and then......and usually it's because I have valued something higher than not taking my inhaler, i.e. being with cats! .....and one day that will be cured too.
