5:43 p.m. - 2003-08-02
Breathing
I woke up at about 7 this morning because I couldn't breathe. Choking, retching because of the smoke from the forest fires. Lovely picture isn't it? I've had asthma for a long time so the first thing you learn is to stay calm. Stress responses cause shortness of breath too. So what does one do when one can't take the usual prescriptions.
Well, drink something if you can, and as much as you can to stay hydrated. It slows the inflammatory reactions in the lungs, gives the body the resources to do so. Went and got my herbal meds in tincture - lobelia, vervain, scullcap, with cohosh for the hormonal aspect of the disorder. The combination reduces the spasm and inflammation in the bronchioles. That helped but the smoke was thickening and the heat was increasing. Next? More hydrotherapy in the form of a shower. Eases the breathing by relaxing the muscles and the bronchial network. Next coffee - a stimulant of the adrenal glands. Stimulates the production of adrenal hormones that affect the lung function directly. That still wasn't enough so an antihistamine/allergy tab came next and one puff from an emergency inhaler I keep just in case. I hate using it because the meds makes me feel like I've got an alternating current running through my central nervous system. Drives me crazy. It still took two hours before my lungs were back to normal.
While I was waiting for the different strategies for managing the attack to work I got the newspapers read and most of the housework I'd planned for the day done. I guess leaving the area would be a lot simpler solution but I don't have the transportation or the cash to do that. The reaction likey wouldn't have been so severe except for the constant exposure to smoke there has been for about a week now plus the exteme heat and no wind causing higher concentrations of pollutants in the vicinity. I can't imagine living in a place like Mexico City where the air is constantly this bad. I suppose it's one form of population control. People like me just wouldn't survive long.
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