Overview Asthma

Normally you won’t feel that you are breathing, but the moment you start feeling it - is called Breathlessness. Asthma is now the most common chronic illness in children, affecting one in every 15. Asthma makes breathing difficult for more than 300 million people worldwide. Asthmatic patients happen to exist globally with an alarming increase each year. With an increase in pollution levels and exposure to artificial foods & chemicals our body’s immune response ought to breakdown at some point. This allergic response manifests in the form of respiratory ailments or skin allergies.

Asthma is primarily a chronic disease that presents as recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. There is a vast variation in the frequency and severity of symptoms of asthma from person to person. This is where the individualized treatment with Homeopathy can give significant relief to patients of asthma and help them lead an easy life.

Most asthmatics opt for the conventional line of treatment which includes bronchodilators and steroids. They work wonderfully in acute conditions and when immediate relief is expected. Though helpful, individuals overtime realize that they work only at the level of relieving symptoms and preventing them temporarily. They do not help the body improve its response to allergens (irritants) or simply fail to improve the faulty immune mechanism.

Asthma cannot be cured nor can long-term relief achieved by medicines which only help in relieving bronchospasms (constriction of air passages or bronchioles), temporarily. Treatments capable of curing and offering long-term relief (such as Homeopathy) address the underlining causes of this ailment which are: poor resistance to allergens, lowered immunity, genetic predisposition, recurrent infections & colds etc.

Homeopathic treatment:

Homeopathy offers excellent treatment for asthma, which can do following:

  1. Reduce significantly frequency of asthmatic attacks
  2. Reduce significantly severity of asthmatic attacks
  3. Reduce duration of attacks
  4. Reduce need for bronchodilators, cortisone and antibiotic (in case of infections). In many patients, especially in children, homeopathic treatment can help get rid off all other medications.

Asthma in children is common and inhaled steroids are not the cure for it. Frequency of attacks of asthma can be dramatically reduced by using homeopathy.

What is Asthma?

  1. The small bronchial air passages in the lungs become inflamed,
  2. Partially obstructed with phlegm
  3. Tightened due to spasm of the muscle surrounding them.
  4. Reduce need for bronchodilators, cortisone and antibiotic (in case of infections). In many patients, especially in children, homeopathic treatment can help get rid off all other medications.

The clinical Hallmark is wheezing and difficulty in breathing.

In people who are prone to this condition, the air tubes are very sensitive and react strongly to allergic or irritating things. The reaction (allergy) involves the above three steps and results in cough, wheezing and chest tightness.

Severity of asthma may range from minor wheezing to life-threatening attacks. Long term medication is generally needed to control the disease and prevent the acute attacks.
Babies in their first year of life are prone to the characteristic wheezing sound due to their small air passages. As they grow older the air passages enlarge and the wheezing stops. However 50% of new cases of asthma occur in children below 10 years of age. It is therefore advisable not to overlook your child’s condition, as it could lead to a build-up of a chronic, severe illness. Child stands a 30% chance of developing it. If both parents have asthmatic risk goes up to 75%.

Asthma in certain individuals may be associated or may alternate with inflammation of the skin e.g. eczema or atopic dermatitis.

Diagnosis:
This is one of those conditions for which history and clinical findings are sufficient to diagnose. However, your physician may perform certain tests to confirm the same:
Lung function tests
Peak flow rate
X-ray chest.

Symptoms & Causes

Symptoms:
Characteristic wheezing sound when one breaths
Cough and difficulty in breathing
Tachycardia or fast pulse
Nocturnal attacks (night aggravations) The symptoms of asthma may be

  1. Periodical (once in a week to once in a year)
  2. Seasonal (a few weeks in a year)
  3. Continuous (all throughout or most of the time)

The symptoms might get triggered by one or more of the following:

  1. Physical exertion
  2. Change in weather or temperature
  3. Infection
  4. Mental stress
  5. Exposure to pollution (dust, chemical, pollen, etc.)
  6. Without any apparent reason

Causes

Genetic Cause:


Genetic predisposition: A positive family history of asthma and allergies may predispose you to asthma. Child stands a 30% chance of developing it. If both parents have asthmatic risk goes up to 75%.

Other Causes:


Allergens: Animal dander, Dust mites, Cockroaches, Pollen from trees and grass, Mold (indoor and outdoor).
Irritants: Smoke, pollution, changes in weather and strong odors.
Respiratory infection, especially viral.
Anxiety or stress may precipitate an attack.
In Children: Nocturnal attacks are often associated with house dust mites and pets in the child’s bedroom.
Other: Medicines such as aspirin and beta-blockers, sulphites in food or beverages (wine).
Reflux disease: Reflux of acid which causes heartburn and can aggravate asthma symptoms.

Treatment

Conventional Treatment Why Homeopathy

Commonly recommended treatments make you dependant on these medicines for a lifetime. These medicines help as long as you take them and your body does not strengthen its responses to the allergens.

People who regularly use steroid inhalers (and large doses of the same for a long time) must watch out for side-effects of the same such as:
Irritability, mood swings, aggression, depression and insomnia, Osteoporosis, Stunted growth in children, Steroid psychosis in severe cases, Oral thrush or candidiasis .
Most asthma medications work by relaxing bronchospasms (bronchodilators) or reducing inflammation (corticosteroids). In the treatment of asthma, inhaled medications are generally preferred over tablet or liquid medicines, which are swallowed (oral medications). Inhaled medications act directly on the airway surface and airway muscles where the asthma problems initiate. Absorption of inhaled medications into the rest of the body is minimal. Therefore, adverse side effects are fewer as compared to oral medications. Inhaled medications include beta-2 agonists, anticholinergics, corticosteroids, and cromolyn sodium. Oral medications include aminophylline, leukotriene antagonists, beta-2 agonists, and corticosteroid tablets.

It must be borne in mind that the treatment period may vary from case to case and depends on certain factors such as the age of patient, duration of the illness, frequency and severity of complaints, medication taken in the past, etc. Presence of other systemic illnesses in the patient may prolong the duration of treatment.

In cases that are not very severe, Homeopathy can also help to reduce the need for conventional medications as well as reduce their dosage. There is reduced dependency on bronchodilators and steroid inhalers with continued homeopathic treatment.

Asthma, a condition often labelled as incurable and chronic can be cured if treated with Homeopathic medicines. Cases of recent origin and those affecting children have shown encouraging curative results and chronic, advanced cases experience noticeable reduction in the intensity and reoccurrence of the attacks.

If you are heavily dependent on bronchodilators or inhalers Homeopathic treatment will help you fight the allergen, thereby making you less dependent on those medications.

Conditions such as poor resistance to climatic changes, recurrent colds / sinusitis and atopic dermatitis (skin affection) can be effectively cured during the course of the treatment.

At Glance

  • Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (airways) that causes swelling and narrowing (constriction) of the airways. The bronchial narrowing is usually either totally or at least partially reversible with treatments.
  • Asthma is now the most common chronic illness in children, affecting one in every 15.
  • Asthma involves only the bronchial tubes and usually does not affect the air sacs or the lung tissue. The narrowing that occurs in asthma is caused by three major factors: inflammation, bronchospasm, and hyperreactivity.
  • Allergy can play a role in some, but not all, asthma patients.
  • Many factors can precipitate asthma attacks and they are classified as either allergens or irritants.
  • Symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing, cough, and chest tightness.
  • Asthma is usually diagnosed based on the presence of wheezing and confirmed with breathing tests.
  • Chest X-rays are usually normal in asthma patients.
  • Avoiding precipitating factors is important in the management of asthma.
  • Medications can be used to reverse or prevent bronchospasm in patients with asthma.
  • Homeopathy works wonder in many cases of Asthma.

Recommended Treatment Period

Homeopathy treatment at Preet Homeopathy:
Normally recommended treatment at Preet Homeopathy is 6 months to 12 months or more in some cases.

Homeopathy offers excellent treatment for asthma, which can do following:

  1. Reduce significantly frequency of asthmatic attacks
  2. Reduce significantly severity of asthmatic attacks
  3. Reduce duration of attacks
  4. Reduce need for bronchodilators, cortisone and antibiotic (in case of infections). In many patients, especially in children, homeopathic treatment can help get rid off all other medications.

Asthma in children is common and inhaled steroids are not the cure for it. Frequency of attacks of asthma can be dramatically reduced by using homeopathy.

Usually to begin the treatment we provide medicines for 3 months and further course is decided after the completion of 1st course.

(Note: Extent and nature of benefits of treatment varies among individuals and has been gathered from patients themselves & past clinical records)

Though we consider Asthma a stubborn and difficult condition to treat, individuals have a better long term prognosis on completion of Homeopathic treatment.