Treatment for asthma
Asthma treatment is complicated due to the polymorphism of this disease. Asthma causes over 14 million yearly doctor visits and nearly 2 million emergency room visits. And, tragically, asthma can kill. Most people who die from asthma are over 50, but children sometimes die of the condition. That’s why asthma treatment is essential.
Although there’s no cure for asthma in Western medicine, treatment can help control the symptoms so you can live an active life. Listed below are some of the most common asthma treatments:
Asthma Inhalers
The most common asthma treatment involves devices called asthma inhalers. An asthma inhaler is a small device that delivers asthma medicines directly to the airways. Inhalers for asthma come in two types:
- Metered Dose Asthma Inhalers (MDI): MDIs are the most common asthma inhalers. They spray medicine from the inhaler, similar to an aerosol can.
- Dry powder inhalers for asthma: Dry powder asthma inhalers deliver a powdered medicine that does not spray from the inhaler. Instead, the user must inhale the asthma medicines quickly and forcefully.
Nebulizers for Asthma
An inhaler cannot be used for babies or very young children. Nebulizers for asthma, however, can be used at any age—electricity powers nebulizers for asthma, which turn asthma medications into fine mists.
Medications for asthma
Medications for asthma are also one of the treatments for asthma if an inhaler is not helping control your symptoms. Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) are the primary medications for asthma. They also come in syrup and powder forms. You take them every day to help stop your symptoms from occurring. Possible side effects from asthma medicines may include tummy aches and headaches.
However, natural asthma treatments are gaining popularity as more asthma sufferers begin to see the merits of alternative treatment options.
Asthma, a common but severe health condition, is most commonly found in children between the ages of five and seventeen. Scientists believe that children are highly susceptible to the disease. For one reason, asthma has a solid genetic code that can be passed down through parents.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a common but severe health condition that causes a person’s airways to inflame and narrow. This can be caused by several things, including allergies, pollution, and smoke, and may also be activity-induced.
What causes asthma?
Asthma results from complex interactions between an individual’s inherited genetic makeup and environmental interactions. Listed below are some of the causes of asthma
- Family history of allergic conditions
- Personal history of hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
- Viral respiratory illness, such as a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), during childhood
- Exposure to cigarette smoke
- Obesity
- Airborne allergens such as pollen, dust, spores of mold, pet fur, saliva, or even cockroach waste
What are asthma triggers?
Asthma triggers can be anything that irritates the airways and causes asthma symptoms. Many asthma triggers include house dust mites, colds, viral infections, pollen, cigarette smoke, furry or feathery animals, exercise, outdoor air pollution, laughter, excitement, and stress.
There are many people with this chronic disease, and each one may have different triggers, and most of the time, they can have several of them. Anyone with asthma must know his triggers and try to avoid them or take precautions.
Symptoms of asthma
Asthma can’t be cured, but it can be controlled. Almost all people suffering from asthma can have a productive life by managing it. Not everyone who has asthma experiences symptoms in the same way. So, while the symptoms are common, the experience is individual.
Some of the most common symptoms of asthma are
- Coughing, especially at night or in the morning
- Wheezing is a whistling sound when you breathe
- Shortness of breath
- Tightness, pain, or pressure in your chest
- Trouble sleeping because of breathing problems
What is an asthma attack?
An asthma attack or asthma exacerbation occurs when the airways become swollen and inflamed. The muscles around the airways contract, and the airways produce extra mucus, causing the breathing (bronchial) tubes to narrow.
You may cough, wheeze, and have trouble breathing during an attack. The symptoms of a minor asthma attack get better with prompt home treatment. A severe asthma attack that doesn’t improve with home treatment can become a life-threatening emergency.
What causes an asthma attack?
It is vital in improving your health to know the different causes of asthma attacks. This helps you understand what triggers your medical condition so that you can protect yourself against its disturbing effects. Listed below are the causes of an asthma attack
Allergens
- Pet dander, mold spores, dust, and pollen allergens usually cause an asthma attack. These allergens are usually found in the environment that you live in, and they circulate in the air you breathe. You may feel confident inhaling the air in your home, but you don’t know there might be an allergen. Once inhaled, it can cause an allergic reaction, which results in inflammation of the airway passages.
Poor quality of air
- Always remember that a clean home does not always indicate that you’re breathing safe air. You might not even be aware that the air around you is unsafe. Breathing in a poor-quality environment can irritate your airway passages, leading to asthma attacks.
Smoke
- If you’re a smoker and you have asthma or anyone in your family has asthma, you’re putting yourself and your loved ones in great danger. Smoking tobacco products like cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can trigger an asthma attack.
Infections
- Certain infections can affect the condition of an asthmatic person. It includes influenza, pneumonia, colds, and bronchitis. These infections can temporarily weaken your lungs, resulting in an asthma attack.
Exercise
- Regular exercise is good for healthy people, but not for asthmatic individuals. In their condition, even a light or tiring exercise can cause their asthma to worsen. Special exercises can be used for asthmatic sufferers. Contact your physician and discuss which exercises for asthma can benefit you. However, it still depends on the environment and other conditions, such as the weather. One of the best things to do with this medical condition is to understand the causes of asthma attacks. Knowing this can help you prevent the threatening effects of asthma.
Symptoms of an asthma attack?
The symptoms of an asthma attack include:
- Severe shortness of breath, chest tightness or pain, and coughing or wheezing
- Low peak expiratory flow (PEF) readings if you use a peak flow meter
- Symptoms that fail to respond to the use of a quick-acting (rescue) inhaler
Note: The signs and symptoms of an asthma attack vary from person to person.
Natural treatments for asthma
Natural treatment for asthma is an effective treatment option that causes no side effects. There are many ways to treat asthma naturally. Among the most popular natural asthma treatments are herbal remedies, breathing exercises, homeopathy, etc.
Listed below are natural treatments for asthma
Home remedies for asthma—the most common natural treatment for asthma
Home remedies for asthma are natural remedies that help you get relief from asthma without any side effects. These home remedies are straightforward, and one can easily follow them in the comfort of their home. Listed below are home remedies for asthma that have been proven effective.
- The patient should try to drink plenty of lukewarm water. This will dilate the constriction of the respiratory channels, enabling more airflow.
- Avoid cold drinks, sour fruits, and refrigerated foods.
- Avoid stress and strain. These may disturb the digestive system and aggravate asthmatic attacks.
- The patient should avoid eating bananas. This fruit produces phlegm and obstructs the already constricted bronchial tubes of the respiratory tract.
- Asthma is generally due to allergies. So, patients should stay away from dust, smoke, and pollution.
- Restrict the intake of non-vegetarian food. This may cause constipation due to low fiber content. Constipation increases the load on the chest. Eat green vegetables and fruits rich in fiber.
Herbs for asthma: excellent and effective home-based natural treatment for asthma
Herbs for asthma are natural remedies for asthma that have been proven to be effective in reducing the symptoms of asthma.
Among the herbs that can help with asthma symptoms are green tea, turmeric, chamomile, elderberry, peppermint, garlic, ginger, licorice root, nettle, and hyssop.
Herbal remedies may be taken as a tea, capsule, tincture, inhalant, or applied topically as oil or ointment. Most herbal remedies must be taken for weeks to months for best results, but some also have immediate effects.
Yoga for asthma: a traditional Indian natural treatment for asthma
Yoga for asthma is a powerful therapy widely used to reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks and the use of medication. When done consistently, yoga increases the airflow, air capacity, stamina, and efficiency of the lungs in patients.
Yoga for asthma is an effective therapy that helps to maintain relaxed and controlled breath.
Breathing exercises – an essential part of any natural treatment for asthma
Breathing exercises for asthma are safe, and there are no side effects. These aim to promote using the correct muscles in breathing—the abdominal and diaphragm muscles—instead of the chest muscles.
Breathing exercises for asthma also improve the flexibility of the chest wall so that the accompanying muscles of the respiratory system can relax. Buteyko, Pranayama, and the Papworth method are breathing exercises that can benefit asthma patients. Aside from reducing the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks, breathing exercises also reduce the need for asthma medications.
Homeopathy for asthma: the #1 natural treatment for asthma
Homeopathy for asthma aims to use natural remedies for asthma that offer everlasting therapy for asthma. Homeopathy for asthma is safe and free from any adverse side effects. They may be prescribed to people of all age groups.
Listed below are the most common homeopathic remedies for asthma
Arsenic Album
- This homeopathic remedy is one of the best homeopathic remedies for asthma. The signs and symptoms indicative of the use of this homeopathic remedy for asthma are suffocative coughs, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
- Antimonium Tartaricum is a homeopathic remedy for asthma with an immoderate, rattling cough.
Ipecacuanha and Sambucus Nigra
- These homeopathic remedies for asthma are tremendous for treating asthma in kids. Ipecac works well when an excessive cough with mucus rales in the chest.
Acupuncture for bronchial asthma: an ancient Chinese natural treatment for asthma
Acupuncture for asthma is one of the most popular treatment choices. Acupuncture is a medical practice of Chinese origin that is gradually gaining wide acceptance as its application is effective in treating virtually all ailments. One such ailment is asthma, also known as Xiao Chuan in Chinese medicine, and these two Chinese words mean wheezing and dyspnea, respectively.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these words represent two illnesses requiring individual treatments. Wheezing, also called Xiao, is characterized by a whistling sound, rapid breathing, and difficulty lying down. Chuan, which is shortness of breath, is characterized by dyspnea, which shows in the form of a raised shoulder walking posture, the opening of the mouth to gasp for air to aid air intake when breathing, and the inability to sleep horizontally.
In TCM, asthma is similar to other respiratory infections where external pathogens invade the lung, affecting the kidney and spleen. When allowed to progress, asthma can become a chronic illness that can get bad to the point of affecting the heart.
According to etiology, a variety of things can cause an asthma attack, including external pathogens, diet, emotional instability or shock, and congenital weakness. Also, in diagnosis, one of these syndromes is seen as the cause of asthma, which includes retention of phlegm-heat inside the lung, retention of the cold-fluid inside the lung, asthenia of the lung and kidney yin, asthenia of the spleen and lung Qi, and asthenia of the heart and kidney yang.
Mechanism of Acupuncture for Asthma
Acupuncture treatment for bronchial asthma involves a direct method of treating the ailments by using a holistic approach that not only eliminates the associated symptoms of asthma but strives towards achieving the all-around healthy well-being of the patients.
TCM considers asthma a disorder of the lungs, kidneys, and stomach. The acupoints for acupuncture for asthma are located along the lung, kidney, and stomach meridians. It also includes the bladder’s meridian, considering its importance to other human body parts. The energy blocks around these acupoints are corrected with the help of acupuncture, leading to the free flow of energy and these organs and the restoration of a healthy life.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers asthma one of the 40 diseases that may benefit from acupuncture. It is most effective when treating early asthma attacks before they become chronic. A study showed an improvement in 70% of patients suffering from asthma after being treated with acupuncture for asthma for ten weeks regularly. Another study in China showed a significant improvement in 75% of patients treated with acupuncture and recorded a sharp drop in clinical remission. This development recorded as a result of acupuncture treatment was traced to the duration the needle was left inserted. Patients who showed immediate improvement upon receiving treatments were observed to possess long-term curative effects.
Are there any negative side effects from acupuncture for asthma?
Even though acupuncture for asthma is known to be safe to a greater extent, it does not imply that it is 100% safe. It remains a safe treatment if certain precautions are adhered to while taking the treatment.
The main safety measure is to guarantee that the person providing the treatment is a qualified professional who strictly adheres to the practice’s ethics. For instance, one of the common risks is a blood infection, which can be avoided if the treatment administration is done safely. This safety procedure will rule out the possibility of a patient being infected with hepatitis, HIV, or another blood-related infection due to contaminated needles used for acupuncture.
The side effects of the treatment include fatigue, which can be overcome with adequate rest. You may need to inform your acupuncturist if you have a needle issue, so he can offer advice and assistance where necessary. The muscle may also twitch during treatment, and muscle spasms may cause some pain. It is a typical reaction, and there is no reason to panic, but you can inform the acupuncturist how you feel.
The bottom line is to choose your care center meticulously because it guarantees what you get from the treatment in the long run and secures you from avoidable mistakes.
Why choose the Philadelphia Acupuncture Clinic?
The acupuncture procedure for asthma is a treatment that a qualified acupuncturist administers. Philadelphia Acupuncture Clinic offers you a comprehensive diagnosis of your condition, looking into the causative factors and the curative acupuncture treatment that fits the exact type of asthma peculiar to each patient.
We offer the best acupuncture for asthma that leads to a long-lasting cure or remission.
Contact our clinic at 267-403-3085 to schedule an appointment for an evaluation and natural asthma treatment performed under the supervision of Victor Tsan, MD.