Asthma

             

                              Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease. Currently,  It often takes more than one medicine to

there is no cure, but it can be controlled.  treat the disease: some medicines relax the

airways (bronchodilators) and others reduce.  Airway linings become inflamed; that is,

(and even prevent) the swelling and excess they get swollen and secrete extra mucus. 

mucus production (anti-inflammatories).   Airways narrow and breathing becomes

difficult. Sometimes the narrowing gets better.

One of the characteristics of asthma is that the airway obstruction generally goes away on its own or else responds well to various types of medication. However, acute asthma attacks have also been fatal on occasion.

The airways in the lungs consist of the bronchi (or 'breathing tubes') and the bronchioles. In an asthma patient, they are hypersensitive to one or more kinds of stimuli. For example, they may be hypersensitive to pollutants, pollen, animal dander, cold air, dust mites or even internal triggers like anxiety and stress.

 

In non-asthmatic people, these stimuli do not usually produce an adverse effect on the lungs. However in an asthmatic, the muscle tissues that line the walls of the bronchi start to spasm when exposed to these triggers. Also, the cells along the airways swell to more than their normal size and discharge mucus. These responses have the effect of narrowing the bronchi, a phenomenon called bronchoconstriction. 

The net effect of bronchoconstriction is that the patient must make a much greater effort to breathe normally. This gives rise to the symptoms of asthma.

The cells that line the walls of the bronchi are called mast cells. These cells release groups of substances called histamines and leukotrienes. Both these chemical groups cause mucus to form and also cause the bronchi to contract. 

Histamines and leukotrienes are released in response to allergens - quite often, with a delay after the initial exposure to the allergens. These allergic responses can result in an asthma attack. At the same time, many asthma patients do not exhibit allergic reactions and yet have asthma attacks.

Asthma usually (but not always) begins during childhood or adolescence. Childhood asthma is thought to occur when a child becomes hypersensitive to substances in the environment as a result of genetic reasons. Such children are known as atopic persons.

Researchers in Finland have identified two genes that may predispose people to become

atopic. This is significant because it may help identify children who have a greater chance of developing asthma.

It is estimated that one third to one half of the population may be atopic. When such people are exposed to potential allergens in their environments, their systems respond by producing an antibody to capture and destroy these foreign substances. The effect of this response is that the airways become sensitive to these allergens. Repeated or continued exposure to these substances can produce an asthmatic response.

Since allergens are a common cause of the bronchoconstriction that leads to an asthma attack, minimizing exposure to such substances is a crucial step in managing asthma.

In asthma patients, inflammation of the nose lining - a condition called rhinitis - can worsen asthma symptoms. So can sinusitis and even acid reflux, which is a condition when acidic stomach contents back up into the esophagus. Other illnesses like viral infections that affect the respiratory tract can set off or worsen asthma attacks.

Severe asthma episodes are easy to spot because of wheezing and other symptoms. But some attacks may be quite mild and the patient may only experience moderate difficulty in breathing. In such cases, listening to chest sounds using a stethoscope can help identify the presence of an asthmatic condition. 

The good thing about asthma is that even in the case of severe attacks, the patient will almost always recover completely.

Treatment

Asthma control is defined as the absence of symptoms and acute attacks, no use of bronchodilators, no visit to the emergency room, a normal level of activities including exercise and a normal lung function.

This can be achieved in almost all patients and no side effects from the drugs. Asthma control can be achieved by implementing an effective disease management program: 

Educate the patient to develop a partnership with your doctor to manage the disease

Establish and monitor the severity of the disease with symptoms and measurements of lung function

Avoid or control factors that can trigger attacks

Establish medication plans for long-term management of the disease

Establish plans for the management of acute attacks

Provide regular monitoring over time of therapy and its effects

There are two types of drugs used: drugs long-term estimates (especially anti-inflammatory drugs such as inhaled corticosteroids or leukotriene receptor antagonists), which prevent symptoms and attacks, and medication for immediate relief (bronchodilators short duration of action) that acting fast to treat acute attacks or relieve symptoms.

  

 Effective Natural Asthma Treatment

There are a number of medicines available in the market but if you don’t want to pop that pill, various pharmaceutical companies have come up with products derived from Mother Nature to give the asthma patients a sigh of relief. Let us understand a few natural therapies which work as asthma treatments:-

People have reportedly benefited from acupuncture therapy where in a number of sterilised pins are inserted into the body of the patient at particular places called acupuncture points.

Breathing drills also extends its benefits for asthmatic patients. The deep breathing exercises open respiratory passages and gives long term relief.

Many patients have shown remarkable progress after speleotherapy. This is a special natural treatment for asthma that requires that a person suffering from asthma be treated using natural rock salt found in caves. The asthma patient is required to rest in these underground caves for about 2 to 3 hours a day and inhale the rock salt vapour filled air for a calming effect on the lungs.

When we talk of herbal treatment of asthma, it is generally advised to make way for fruits and vegetables as natural dietary supplements of your diet.

Along with the above mentioned treatments, there are a few natural remedies that can help those who are just beginning to show asthma symptoms. Here are some home remedies which are highly recommended for asthma:

It is considered very beneficial for an asthma patient to have a teaspoon of turmeric powder added to a glass of milk, to be taken twice a day on an empty stomach.

A gargle every night before sleep with salt and water can keep a check on cold and cough, which in turn can prevents asthmatic attacks.

Inhaling steam from boiling water mixed with ajwain (caraway) seeds is considered one of the simplest ways to keep a check on the asthmatic condition of a person.

Sun, air and water too are considered to have great potentials of treating asthma. It is said that sitting in fresh air daily for a little while (provided the environment is dust and pollution free) can do wonders in asthma.

If 4 or 5 cloves are boiled in around 125 ml of water and about a teaspoonful of honey is added to it, can be really helpful in treating asthma the natural way. This is also a good cough remedy which provides instant relief.

Why choose natural asthma treatments?

First and foremost, any good natural remedy is suggested simply because it has no side effects. When a patient suffering from asthma takes medication for an extended period of time, the number of side effects and their increased effects also become a major concern. These side effects include increased blood pressure, palpitation, insomnia, stomach problems, dependence on drugs and suppression of natural immune system and many more. By choose a natural cure for asthma, a patient can ensure that he finds asthma relief without causing any further harm to his body.

Along with medication, it is important for an asthma patient to monitor the lung function. For this a peak flow meter is used to gauze the lung function. It is believed that the lung function decreases when a person is nearing an asthma attack. This is generally two or three days prior to the attack. After all what it takes to win over asthma is a little thought of consideration along with the natural asthma treatments.