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Signs
and Symptoms
Asthma
symptoms can range from mild to very severe. You may experience
only occasional episodes of asthma with moderate, short-lived
symptoms such as wheezing. You might also cough and wheeze most of
the time, or find that your symptoms become much worse after
exposure to an asthma trigger such as pollen, mold or tobacco
smoke. In severe cases, an asthma attack will leave you gasping
for air.
The
good news is that all asthma attacks give a warning. Learning to
recognize warning signs and treating symptoms early can help
prevent attacks or keep them from becoming worse.
Warning
signs for adults can include :
-
Increased
shortness of breath or wheezing
-
Disturbed
sleep caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
-
Chest
tightness or pain
Warning
signs for children may include:
-
An
audible whistling or wheezing when your child exhales
-
Coughing,
especially if the cough is frequent and occurs in spasms
-
Waking
at night with coughing or wheezing
-
Shortness
of breath, which may or may not occur when your child
exercises
-
A
tight feeling in your child's chest
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You're
more likely to develop asthma if you have an inherited
predisposition to the condition and are sensitive to allergens or
irritants in the environment. In fact, the inflammation that
causes asthma makes your airways overly sensitive to a wide range
of environmental triggers.
Asthma
can develop at any age — even well into your 70s and beyond. If
you're younger than age 30, your asthma is probably triggered by
allergies. Forty percent to 70 percent of people over age 30 with
asthma are also allergic to airborne particles.
For
the rest of adults with asthma, particularly older adults,
respiratory allergies don't seem to play a role. Instead, exposure
to any irritant — from a virus and cigarette smoke to cold air
and even emotional stress — can trigger wheezing.
In
most cases though, asthma results from a combination of allergic
and nonallergic responses. You may react to one or more of the
following triggers:
-
Allergens,
such as pollen, cockroaches and molds.
-
Air
pollutants and irritants.
-
Smoking
and secondhand smoke.
-
Respiratory
infections, including the common cold.
-
Physical
exertion, including exercise.
-
Cold
air.
-
Certain
medications, including beta-blockers such as propranolol (Inderal),
aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In
all, over 20 drugs are known to cause or aggravate asthma.
-
Sulfites
(preservatives added to some perishable foods)
-
Emotional
stress
-
Gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which stomach acids back
up into your food pipe (esophagus). GERD may trigger an asthma
attack or make an attack worse.
-
Sinusitis
When
to Seek Medical Advice
There
are three key circumstances when you should talk to your doctor
concerning asthma:
If
you think you have asthma. Wheezing, difficulty breathing, pain or
tightening in your chest or coughing without any other symptoms
may all be signs of asthma. Wheezing, especially, is a frequent
symptom of asthma in children. Yet about 20 percent of children
with asthma never wheeze. Instead, they have recurrent, spasmodic
coughs that are often worse at night. If you or your children have
frequent coughs that last more than a few days, or any other
symptoms of asthma, see your doctor.
If
you've been diagnosed with asthma. If you've been diagnosed with
asthma, talk to your doctor about ways to manage your condition.
Working as a team, you and your doctor can develop a plan to help
you control symptoms, prevent an attack or stop an attack in
progress. Don't try to treat asthma yourself. Most asthma deaths
result from a lack of proper treatment.
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Asthma
& Homeopathy
Conventional
treatment with bronchodilators and corticosteroids causes a lot of
side-effects like tremors, weakness, irritability, giddiness,
weight gain and high blood pressure.
Homeopathy treats asthma from the root rather than suppressing its
symptoms. If the cause is psychogenic, we administer homeopathic
medicines that can alter the emotional response to stressful
situations. After taking homeopathic medicines there will be a
decrease in the intensity duration and frequency of acute attacks.
You will experience a general feeling of well-being and your
dependency on bronchodilators and sprays will decrease. Thus you
can rely on homeopathy for healthy breathing and a healthy life.
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A
case of asthma :
A
boy aged 16 years consulted me for the daily spells of Asthma with
night aggravation and some times after siesta or indulgence with
fatty foods or sweets . The patient was sensitive to wet weather
and winter .In the beginning when he first had asthmatic attacks
during his childhood.The DPT inoculations and polio drops were
given with no reactions;but after two smallpox vaccinations there
were protracted three months recoveryperiod from the sequelae of
the vaccinations .Except the fourteen year duration of asthmatic
attacks and bad effect of vaccinations , there was nothing
significant in the patient's past history of illness In the family
history maternal uncles were asthmatics .
Allopathic bronchodilators helped him to control the attacks but
their subsequent repeated use was not effectively palliative
..Sometimes the attacks were associated with mild fever. The acute
episodes were associated unusual nausea and gagging.The patient
had intense thirstlessness during attacks , twice admitted to
hospital for intensive care.
The acute episodes were contolled with homeopathic medicine
Ipeecae 10 m, also given sulphure in phase intervals during
asymtomatic periods.Now for the past three years there were no
asthmatic attacks .
---Dr. Ila Kathuria
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Although
many people with asthma rely on medications to relieve symptoms
and control inflammation, you can do several things on your own to
maintain overall health and lessen the possibility of attacks:
Exercise.
You don't have to be sedentary if you have asthma. Regular
exercise can strengthen your heart and lungs so they don't have to
work so hard. It can also help you lose weight and lower your risk
for developing other serious diseases, including cardiovascular
disease and diabetes. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise on most days.
If you've been inactive, start slowly and try to increase your
activity over time. Keep in mind that cold-weather exercises, such
as skiing, are more likely to cause wheezing. If you do exercise
in cold weather, wear a face mask to warm the air you breathe. And
don't exercise if the temperature is below zero. Activities such
as golf, walking and swimming are less likely to trigger attacks,
but be sure to discuss any exercise program with your doctor.
Decontaminate
your decor. To minimize dust that may aggravate nighttime
symptoms, encase mattresses, pillows and box springs in dustproof
covers that can be removed and cleaned frequently. Replace bedding
made of down, kapok or foam rubber with synthetic materials such
as Dacron. Wash sheets, pillowcases and mattress pads weekly in
hot water. Replace synthetic pillows every two to three years.
Maintain
optimal humidity. Keep humidity low (40 percent to 50 percent) in
your home and office. If you live in a damp climate.
Keep
indoor air clean. Have a utility company check your air
conditioner and furnace once a year. Change the filters in your
furnace and air conditioner according to the manufacturer's
instructions. Also consider installing a small particle filter in
your ventilation system. If you use a humidifier, change the water
daily.
Reduce
pet dander. If you're allergic to dander, avoid pets with fur or
feathers. Having pets regularly bathed or groomed may also reduce
the amount of dander in your surroundings.
Clean
regularly. Clean your home at least once a week. Because cleaning
stirs up dust, however, wear a mask or, if you can, have someone
else clean.
Limit
use of contacts. Trying substituting eyeglasses for your contact
lenses when the pollen count is high. Pollen grains can become
trapped under the lenses.
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