I’m old- and had severe childhood asthma that landed me in the hospital in the 70s. We didn’t have inhalers. Not even nebulizers.
Instead I was given what was essentially speed, by mouth and IV. And when my lungs would fill up, my mom would beat on my back to loosen it so I could cough it up.
Stimulants and steamy baths- but mostly stimulants. Most of them, including ADHD versions, work great for as a bronchodilator but have obvious downsides. A meth addiction is not a suitable substitute for asthma.
There was a time when I was too poor to afford asthma medication- I learned to self-calm and load up on caffeine. This allowed me to breathe enough to sleep without getting the low O2 anxieties but do little else until it passed. It did result in my only adult hospitalization when I got the flu on top of an asthma attack- caffeine couldn’t touch it, then.
I’m old- and had severe childhood asthma that landed me in the hospital in the 70s. We didn’t have inhalers. Not even nebulizers.
Instead I was given what was essentially speed, by mouth and IV. And when my lungs would fill up, my mom would beat on my back to loosen it so I could cough it up.
They did tell me steam baths would help as well.
I didn’t get inhalers until the 80s.
What “helped” the most thogh
Stimulants and steamy baths- but mostly stimulants. Most of them, including ADHD versions, work great for as a bronchodilator but have obvious downsides. A meth addiction is not a suitable substitute for asthma.
There was a time when I was too poor to afford asthma medication- I learned to self-calm and load up on caffeine. This allowed me to breathe enough to sleep without getting the low O2 anxieties but do little else until it passed. It did result in my only adult hospitalization when I got the flu on top of an asthma attack- caffeine couldn’t touch it, then.