Holistic care for asthma

Whole-person integrative treatment

Whether you're a provider working with patients who don't respond well to inhalers or someone living with flare-ups despite "doing everything right," there's more to the story on this chronic inflammatory disorder. Conventional meds help, but for many, they don’t go far enough, especially in complex or steroid-resistant cases.

Integrative care may offer something new: a broader lens that encompasses nutrition, botanicals, breathwork, and nervous system support. This piece explores what the latest science says—and how we can rethink asthma care, together.

Asthma affects the conduction zones of the respiratory system, specifically, the bronchi and bronchioles, which are responsible for airflow between the trachea and the deep alveoli in our lungs (Welsh & Prentice, 2023). In asthma, these airways undergo three significant pathophysiologic changes:

1. Smooth muscle constriction (bronchospasm),

2. Mucosal inflammation, and

3. Hypersecretion of mucus

   (Sockrider & Fussner, 2020)

These changes narrow th…