I just wanted to compare to see if this has happened to anyone else – I haven't taken asthma medication (both preventer and reliever inhalers) since the summer, and have not found them to be very necessary.

For almost 30 years I have taken regular asthma medication and do not appear to need it right now. Probably the most notable factors are daily meditation for almost 3 years, a mostly vegan/vegetarian diet (probably not relevant), and being 30 years older (age can be a very significant factor). I have also stayed again in places where I did experience asthma, so I expect the place is not a factor. I'm wondering tentatively if meditation might have something to do with it, such as with the breath and releasing tensions and the like might be relevant. I am also careful to jump to conclusions about meditation being a cure-all.

Anyone else?

I am curious why you dismiss diet? That seems (to me) the most reasonable explanation. While I am not the poster boy for proper eating, there seems to be a lot of evidence for diet impacting many unexpected aspects of health.

I feel happy for you that you don't need to take any medication anymore, but I'm also a bit worried - - please be careful. Some meds have a long build-up time and consequently taper off very slowly. You might still have some protection.

Allergies change quite a bit over the years, so I have been told. In my childhood I was basically allergic to everything, with some allergies giving me asthma attacks, or even worse. I had a respirator for emergencies but only very rarely had to use it. I remember that I did specific breathing training to relax the muscles in the throat, neck and chest. I played the flute, so I was used to breathing from the diaphragm, which was supposed to be helpful in attacks. I think your breathing has become better from meditating, I have no doubt about that. In addition, increased mindfulness might help you to detect signs of constriction earlier than before, thus helping you to relax well before the onset of an attack.

Over time I've shedded most of the allergies, so this is in line with what you say about age being a factor. The last 10 years or so I have also worked on desensitizing myself. I experienced some itching and minor breathing inconveniencies when we got our first dog, but nowadays I don't have any problems, not with our 2nd dog and neither with other dogs. I also exposed myself over and over to food I was allergic to, in increasing quantities, until I was able to eat basically everything (of course with some exceptions remaining). I had some supervision from a nutrionist and she was adamant that the overall diet is very important. She pushed me to be vegetarian (not 100% successful, I have to admit, I still eat meat from time to time). She also highlighted that I should definitely cut back milk. According to her, milk is responsible for many inflammatory processes, including allergies. So I think you are doing yourself a favour with being a vegan / vegetarian.

Tom Otvos wrote:
Mostly because the change occurred about five years ago and there have often been periods such as several weeks of holiday when basically the food mostly included meat, and I didn’t notice (or rather I don’t remember) any change in symptoms. If it was diet, it seems like it’s the result of very long term changes to which a couple of weeks of reverting back didn’t make a significant difference.

In regards to meditation I think there could also be a reinterpretation of physical phenomena such as tensions around the chest, which in the past I might have thought of as asthma related and responded to with medication, or else worry about being unable to breathe and therefore more tension.

Frank wrote:
Thanks Frank! My experience is usually that things start to get tricky some days to a week after not taking my twice-a-day preventer (inhaled steroids), such as when I've neglected to get a prescription, so it's probably safe enough to say that a tapering-off period has passed. I haven't taken any inhalers since July. But I am of course careful, I have more than enough medication left over, and I still keep a reliever inhaler in bag if just in case, even if I never take it. The most important thing is that my lifestyle is in no way hindered, and any physical exertion (cycling at a good speed or running) I do these days is not in any way limited in comparison to when I take the medicine - stamina seems to be the same and I don't get any more out of breath.

This rings true for me, as the worst thing that usually happens these days is that I notice some slight suspicious constriction or tension and decide to see what happens to it, and eventual forget about it until the next thing I know is that it's gone. I also like the fact that it's a very clear point about the kind of effect it can have, rather than anything schmystical.

You and Tom are rightly making me consider this more seriously – when I prepare food for myself, I basically don't have any dairy; milk alternatives on my breakfast cereal every day has been consistent, although one meal a day might have some milk product in it. Which may mean that it's not significant enough for any asthmatic inflammation to develop. I'll keep myself under observation.

Thanks!

Little update: a few days after arriving to stay in a house in England after having travelled across Europe, the need for asthma medication increased again. Which is interesting because it is the same place where I stopped using it. Chances to meditate were fewer as well, which may or may not be relevant.