Wait a moment. You have one—a curriculum that truly addresses every element of an asthmatic’s life. Called CAP, or Comprehensive Asthma Prevention program, it is a novel blueprint—one that directs us to fight the odious spasm, or every possible trigger, of asthma. How? From the way you breathe, the level of vitamins and minerals in your red, and white, blood cells, to toxins in your home, office, or elsewhere.

I first thought and worked on CAP, because I was myself not able to get that much-needed relief from my long-time tryst with asthma with medications alone. For an asthmatic sufferer like me, CAP, in essence, has evolved as a pragmatic, breathe-easier, user-friendly roadmap—something that you could work at, on your own terms. This you’d do on the basis of a few elementary rules and, most importantly, with your mind-body co-operation for better results.

How to Reverse Your Asthma

To start with the program, you ought to first tell your therapist and yourself your own problems with the disorder—to find your own real you—one that is more than a question of really getting to know your own genuine you. Not just the physical, or any other, basis of the problem.

But, before you’d do that, it is only natural that a host of questions may be running through your mind:

• How to prevent an asthma attack?
• What kind of exercise is better?
• What kind of change may go on in your lungs with asthma?
• Do children outgrow asthma, or is it still a myth?
• Why asthma sprays are sometimes dangerous and/or why allergies make them vulnerable to asthma?

Each patient has his or her own unique genetic and biochemical imprint. It is like a spider’s web, woven differently each time, because each person’s biochemistry is unique. Each patient also has a special combination of hidden nutritional deficiencies, and other sensitiveness. The good news is that every patient has unique healing capacities that, when tapped, can help restore health.

CAP combines the best of conventional medicine—of what is going on at the cellular level vis-a-vis asthma, including an agreeable and informative battery of general, and sophisticated, tests—supplanting a holistic approach to health.

This is, indeed, a revolutionary program—one that is specifically designed for asthmatics. It also, in so doing, accounts, and denotes, “scores” for all possible health hazards we face in day-to-day life: drugs, medications, home, office, food, allergic potential, intestinal malfunction, immunity level, nutrition, and so on.

Medications, when properly used, are, of course, an invaluable tool. They serve as a bridge to a healthier life. But, too many asthma patients today are over-medicated, and under-treated, or they are inadequately treated.

Reducing and Eliminating Dependence on Medication

So, what is the best way out of such an impasse? Patients can make a dramatic improvement in their health by reducing their medication in the context of a programme like CAP—a schedule that eliminates life-style triggers of asthma, and bolsters the entire body with a rich lode of nutrients.

CAP does not, of course, miss the wheeze for a sneeze, and vice versa. It helps asthmatics in more ways than one, albeit one should not simply lessen one’s prescribed drugs on their own. The important thing is that this program must, without exception, be conducted under supervision. More so, because, the basic aim of CAP is to help asthmatics lead an almost drug-free life, and also encourage them to lead as healthy a life as possible, while relying on the least amount of medication necessary.

Asthma is generally a manageable problem. Reason enough why CAP combines the best in natural, non-invasive, non-toxic treatments, backed by substantial research. CAP is also more than geared to educating asthmatics about the many possible triggers that cause the inflammation and congestion in the bronchial passages leading to asthma attacks. In so doing, it spells out how healing and prevention are achieved through diet, nutritional supplementation, environmental modification, breathing exercises and, most importantly, stress reduction.

Try Complementary Therapies Too

To complement it all, the program urges both therapists and asthmatics to make use of effective alternative techniques, based on the mind/body concept of healing: meditation, self-hypnosis, visualization, biofeedback, healing through music/sound and brain synchrony, yoga, ta’i chi, acupuncture, aromatherapy, osteopathic manipulation, sleep, cognitive re-framing etc.,

This novel plan for turning-around asthma, which is explained in my book, Reversing Asthma [Warner Books, US], is, however, no quick-fix. Neither is it a do-all, or end-all, outline. In its totality, the idea could take time, to give results, yes, but it’s well worth a real, good try.

Because, CAP, in sum, for more reasons than one, is a thoroughly practical, no-nonsense approach, and full recompense for individuals who want to break that most distressing, “gung-ho” spasm — the song of every asthmatic’s burden.

Breathing Exercises to Reverse Asthma

If breath is life, and breathing properly is the mainstay of CAP, exercise is breath in action.

CAP trains patients in breathing techniques. It also propels them to establish a unique work-out: proper breathing, a simple, but profound, manoeuvre.

Let’s take a look-in at two of the most handy CAP breathing exercises, for asthmatics. You’d inculcate their usage in your daily life, for better results.

The Empty Balloon

Instruct yourself to imagine an empty balloon, most of which is held in your tight fist. Try and blow the balloon, and also tell yourself that you would only be able to inflate the neck. Now, imagine that fist as your diaphragm muscles engulfed in a spasm. If only you can open the fist into a relaxed hand, you can blow the entire balloon! This will allow you to “fill” your lungs with life-giving oxygen, and because the richest blood flow in the lungs is at the bottom (where they are the largest), you will now be flooding your body with energy.

You may also urge yourself to practice the following four-step exercise plan, otherwise called Clearing Exercises, to expel mucous plugs, yet another major asthmatic hitch.

The Four-Step Plan

Position A

Lie face down with your hips raised about 20 inches on a stack of pillows, and cough every few minutes

Position B

Lie on your left side with your hips raised 20 inches on a pile of pillows, and cough every few minutes

Position C

Lie on your back with your hips raised about 20 inches on a heap of pillows, and cough every few minutes

Position D

Lie on your right side with your hips raised about 20 inches on a mound of pillows, and cough every few minutes.

The post How to Reverse Asthma with Comprehensive Asthma Prevention Program appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Beauty lies within

Our face is made up of 57 muscles. Yet, for most people, fitness starts only from the shoulder level, going down. Muscles have a tendency to increase in size and firmness when they are exercised. Giving your face a workout can help build and firm your facial and neck muscles.

So can this produce just as astonishing results as an expensive procedure or surgery would? Yes, if you start early and do these facial exercises regularly. Minute by minute, day by day, you can work on yourself and sculpt your face.

Facial exercises for a healthy and glowing face

Facial exercises are like face yoga, and they promote the production of healthier, more resilient cells naturally. Muscle fibre and connective tissue must be challenged to remain vital, healthy and youthful. Facial exercises improve the flow of blood to the face and more oxygen and nutrition reaches the skin. It is a non-surgical way to improve the problem areas of the face such as:

1. Droopy eyelids
2. Crow’s feet
3. Under eye puffiness
4. Sagging cheeks
5. Cheek folds
6. Droopy jaw line
7. Vertical line around the lips
8. Thinning lips
9. Double chin effect
10. Loose skin on the neck area.

For the first month, devote at least 10 minutes daily to do these facial exercises. Later you can do them four times a week. Because the facial muscles are small and easily isolated, truly dramatic results will be achieved in a short time span.

Benefits of facial exercises

• It stimulates blood circulation to feed the cells of the outer layers, promoting better colour and skin tone.
• It rejuvenates the elasticity and natural collagen, and smooths sunken areas of the face.
• It diminishes fine lines and softens deeper lines to create a more firm and youthful texture.
• It brightens and tightens the skin.

People of all age groups, right from 16 – 72 years, benefit from these facial exercises. The younger have problems of heavy cheeks or double chin. The middle age complain of toning up, and 45 and above for sagginess and deep naso-labial folds and wrinkles. It works well both for sculpting and toning the face as well as for delaying and reversing the effects of aging.

5 simple facial exercises

The following five simple facial exercises will help you improve your looks and delay those aging lines from appearing

1. Naso-labial lines and corners of mouth

Place two fingers on either side of the mouth and pull them towards the ears. Purse your lips and pout. Hold for a count of 10. Do 10 reps to avoid naso-labial lines and sharpen corners of your mouth.

2. Eye muscles

Place two fingers at the corner of your eyes. Shut your eyes tight. Open. Do 10 reps to strengthen your eye muscles.

3. Chin muscle

Place three fingers on the chin. Pull down your lower jaw. Curl your lower lip inside the mouth, against the pull of the fingers. Do 10 reps.

4. Double chin

Press the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth. Place the ball below the chin and press upwards. Hold for count of three. Release the pressure of the ball. Do 10 reps to avoid double chin.

5. Cheek lift

Place two fingers below the chin and pull it to one side. Place the ball on the other side of the cheek. Raise the ball towards the upper ear lifting the cheek muscles. Hold for count of 10 and smile to the same side of the ball. Do 10 reps.

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