Bronchial Asthma is a disease that affects the lungs by allergies or infections resulting in narrowing of airways which causes difficulty in breathing and cough. It can appear at any time but frequently starts in childhood and in one third cases, is outgrown by the age of 21.

Asthma is of 2 types:

·           Extrinsic asthma precipitated by allergens (substances that cause allergy).

·           Intrinsic asthma precipitated by infections.

Approximately 75 to 80 % of children with asthma have significant allergies.

Precipitating factors:

1.      Exposure to-

·           Common outdoor factors: pollen from trees, plants and grasses, including freshly cut grass and moulds etc.

·           Common indoor factors: animal dander from pets with fur or feathers. Dust and dust mites- in carpeting and pillows etc. cockroach droppings. Indoor mould etc.

2.      Exercise: running or playing hard, especially in cold weather

3.      Upper respiratory tract infections: colds or flu.

4.      Emotional upset.

5.      Irritants: cold air, strong smells and chemical sprays, perfumes, paint and cleaning solutions. Chalk dust, lawn and turf treatments, weather changes, cigarette and other tobacco smoke.

Sign & Symptoms:

Sudden and acute attack of-

·           Breathlessness

·           Cough

·           Wheezing (a whistling sound during breathing)

·           Chest tightness

These symptoms vary from person to person and from time to time in the same person. Some people have all the symptoms, while others may have only cough or breathlessness.

 

Management:

1.      Avoid exposure to precipitating factors

2.      The patient may require hospitalization if he complaints of:

·           Uncontrolled bouts of coughing or wheezing

·           Chest tightness or pressure

·           Intense breathing difficulty.

 

Food to be avoided

·           Potential food allergens like milk, eggs, nuts and sea food.

·           Processed foods.

·           Food additives like monosodium glutamate (aji-no-moto), which is used in Chinese food; and sodium metabisulphite found in beer, wine, dried fruits.

·           The yellow colouring agent- tartazine.

·           Rice, sugar, lentils and curds.

·           Fried and other difficult to digest foods, strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages condiments, pickles and sauces.

 

Home remedies

1.      Honey: honey is one of the most common home remedies for asthma. It is said that if the jug of honey held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes in contact with it, he starts breathing easier and deeper. The effect lasts for an hour or so. Take 1 or 2 teaspoon honey in warm water daily 2 times. Honey thins out accumulated mucus and helps its elimination from the respiratory passages. It also tones up the pulmonary lining and thereby prevents the production of mucus in the future.

2.      Figs: figs give comfort to the patient by draining off phlegm. 3-4 dry figs should be cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soaked overnight. They should be taken first in the morning, along with water in which they were soaked. This treatment may be continued for about two months.

3.      Lemon: the juice of lemon, diluted in a glass of water and taken with meals gives good results.

4.      Ginger: 1 tsp of ginger juice + 1 cup of fenugreek (methi) decoction + honey to taste = 2 times daily. It acts as an excellent expectorant. (the decoction of fenugreek can be made by mixing 1 tbsp of fenugreek seeds in 1 cup of water).

5.      Garlic: 10 garlic cloves, boiled in 30 ml of mil taken once daily., an excellent remedy for the early stage of asthma.

 

What Homoeopathy can do?

·           Improves self defense mechanism of the body.

·           No side effects of medicines.

·           Helps in reducing the frequency and severity of subsequent attacks.