Asthma medications come in 2 main types, preventers or bronchodilators and relievers or corticosteroids.

Many people are afraid to take preventives because they are, in fact, steroids, but is it better for people to avoid them?

If you or someone you know with asthma is experiencing asthma symptoms more than 3 times a week, your GP would recommend that you include a preventive-type medication in your asthma management plan. This can often scare people because a preventative-type drug falls into a class of drugs known as steroids, or corticosteroids to be more precise.

Steroids have gotten a bad rap due to widespread abuse by some people, particularly in the sports world. When people abuse steroids or are given a higher dose than required, side effects are likely to occur.

The most common side effects include:

1. Irritation of the throat and mouth causing hoarseness and yeast.
2. Suppression of the body’s production of natural steroids (a dependency)
3. Reactivation of latent infections
4. Growth suppression in some children.
5. Excessive weight gain due to increased appetite.
6. Aggravation of stomach and adrenal ulcers
7. Excessive hairiness and moon face
8. Worsens diabetes, osteoporosis, glaucoma and cataracts
9. They can even cause schizophrenia.

However, steroids can be relatively safe when used according to their intended use. It is much safer to use a low dose of corticosteroids to prevent asthma every day than to have to rely on a rescue dose of a reliever every other day.

The doctors who developed corticosteroids to control asthma won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in the 1950s for their work. What they developed is a synthetic version of the natural human hormone cortisol and, when used correctly, can greatly benefit asthmatics. This class of medications complements your body’s natural ability to produce the natural hormone and work in concert with your body, unlike bronchodilators which work against your body’s defenses and are more likely to cause dependency and make it harder to break the cycle of drug dependence.

If you are looking for a natural alternative, there are many options available to you. A life of drug dependency, no matter what kind of drug it is, should not be an ideal you are willing to accept. I can show you a simple way that allows your body to start producing enough cortisol to effectively control your asthma symptoms without the need for supplements.