One of my daughters was born with Asthma, and when her temp got up well over 100 and she was gasping for breath, I put her in a cool bath till it went down. Then, in the early 1960s, the Air Force doctors did tell us to use the warm, moist air. I remember sitting over a pot of steaming water with a sheet over my head with the baby gasping for breath under it with me.
Coffee was our first line of defense, no milk, just a little sugar. It seemed to help, as did chamomile and comfrey tea my Grandma suggested. Daughter's now 51, still has Asthma, I'll suggest she try the freezer bit when she has an attack.