Hydration Treatment for Bronchial Asthma Cure

The oxygen and hydrogen molecules in water are known not only to sustain life, but some believe they also have great curative properties. Natural health advocates, such as Purity 2000.com, promote hydration treatment as a possible cure for bronchial asthma. However, a National Institutes of Health study casts doubt on whether water and hydration have an effect on mucociliary function, or the function of cells in the airways.

Using Hydration

• According to Purity 2000, natural remedies for many ailments aim to use noninvasive, nonchemical and nonsynthetic treatments to improve life and health. Purity 2000 reports that many advocates of these natural remedies consider water the most elementary requirement for treating diseases. Some of these natural treatments involve the use of water and other substances, while in simple hydration therapy water alone is administered in prescribed amounts to patients. Bronchial asthma is one type of illness that Purity 2000 suggests may be helped through the use of hydration therapy.

Theory

• Hydration therapy for treating bronchial asthma works based on the principle that bronchial asthma is a condition in which the airways that take air into the lungs are inflamed. This inflammation is generally the result of excessive histamines in the body. Dehydration is one of the major exacerbating factors for this condition. When there is less water content in the body, it is easier for histamines to build up. Therefore, advocates say, the opposite is equally true. In other words, the chance of buildup of histamines in the body is greatly reduced if the person is well-hydrated. Purity 2000 reports that water is one of the major nutrients for the lungs and that the lungs use water to keep themselves moist. This moisture prevents the tissue linings from getting dry, which would produce mucus. A study called "Therapeutic Regimes For Acute Bronchial Asthma" done on animals demonstrated that increased consumption of water over a few weeks greatly reduced mucus buildup as well as the production of histamines. Water therapy is thus the foundation for keeping the lungs moist---and hence free of inflammation.

Effectiveness

• Despite preliminary positive results, a National Institute of Health study suggests hydration is not an effective treatment for patients with bronchial asthma---especially those who have been on other forms of medication. When hydration therapy was introduced in a batch of patients aged 15 to 40 over a six-month period, it did not significantly alter the condition. Although the hydration therapy did not cure bronchial asthma, there was noticeable improvement in other important parameters like respiratory rate and pulse rate, the study found.