periodic attacks of wheezing and difficult breathing. An asthma attack occurs when the airways become inflamed in response to a trigger, such as dust, mold, pets, exercise or cold weather. The latter may inflame the airways to the lungs, and the mucous membrane covering the walls becomes swollen with fluid allowing disease-fighting cells to accumulate and causing swelling in the lungs. For this, the airways become blocked or obstructed when the muscles surrounding the lungs tighten or go into spasm. Due to the blockage, air cannot flow in and out of the lungs freely and a whistling or wheezing sound may be heard. Such attacks can be mild, moderate, or severe, and can last for a few minutes, a few hours, or several days.Some of the symptoms of Asthma include breathlessness at the time of attack, heaviness in the chest, distended abdomen, uneasiness in body and increase in palpitation, cold and cough, weakness, breathing trouble during sleep and feeling of some comfort during sitting. The main causes of Asthma are the digestive disorders. If the food is not digested properly, it produces toxic juices in the system and causes obstructions in the respiratory tract resulting in the state of breathlessness.
Sometimes due to persistent Common Cold and cough, the symptoms of Asthma appear. If the parents have been the patients of Asthma their children may also develop this disease. Sometimes the effect of climate or some other disorders can also become the cause of Asthma.
An acute aggravation of asthma is commonly referred to as an asthma attack. The clinical hallmarks of an attack are shortness of breath called the dyspnea and either wheezing or stridor. Although the former is "often regarded as the sine qua non of asthma", some patients present mainly with coughing, and in the late stages of an attack, air motion may be so impaired that no wheezing may be heard. The onset of asthma may be sudden, with a sense of constriction in the chest, breathing becomes difficult, and wheezing occurs. During a serious asthma attack, the accessory muscles of respiration may be used, shown as in drawing of tissues between the ribs and above the sternum and clavicles.
During very severe asthma attacks, an asthma sufferer can turn blue from lack of oxygen and can experience chest pain or even loss of consciousness. Just before loss of consciousness, there is a chance that the patient will start to feel numbness in the limbs and palms and may also start to sweat. The person`s feet may become icy cold. Severe asthma attacks, which may not be responsive to standard treatments are life threatening and may lead to respiratory arrest and death. Despite the severity of symptoms during an asthmatic episode, between attacks an asthmatic may show few or even no signs of the disease.
In several cases, a physician can diagnose asthma depending on typical findings in a patient`s clinical history and examination. Asthma is strongly suspected if a patient suffers from eczema or other allergic conditions, thus suggesting a general atopic constitution or has a family history of asthma. While measurement of airway function is possible for adults, most new cases are diagnosed in children who are unable to perform such tests. Diagnosis in children is based on a careful compilation and analysis of the patient`s medical history and subsequent improvement with an inhaled bronchodilator medication. In case of adults, diagnosis can be made with a peak flow meter, which tests airway restriction, checking both the diurnal variation and any reversibility following inhaled bronchodilator medication.
Treatment of Asthma can be done by nature cure. The first option is usually diet. The patient of Asthma should find out the measures to cleanse the bowel and respiratory tract by fasting for about one to two days and gradually come to liquid and fruit, diet. Regular warm water enema may be taken daily during fast. Thereafter normal diet consisting of whole wheat bread and bottle gourd vegetable may be taken. Cold and heavy meal should be avoided and the dinner should be very light, honey can also be taken. Efforts should be made to have dinner before sunset. Warm water should be used for drinking purposes especially with the meals. The diet should however be avoided with edibles like Tobacco, Bidi, Cigarette, Pan Masala and Zarda. With water treatments, like Hipbath, hot footbath and Chest pack give considerable relief to the Asthma patients. In the state of attack hot footbath gives immediate relief.
Treatment of Asthma by Yogic Asanas is also immensely effective. Kunjala, Jala Neti, Sutra Neti and Vastra Dhauti may be practised everyday. After those first five exercises of Surya Namaskara, all exercises of Udara Shakti Vikasaka (Excepting Kunjala) may be followed. Urdhvagati and Engine Race are also beneficial in Asthma. Tadasana, Katichakrasana, Ashwathasana, Tanasana, Sarvangasana, Chakrasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Vajrasana, Ushtrasana, Gornukhasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana. Malsyasana and Shavasana are useful in this disease. Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, Suryabhedi Pranayama, Uddiyana Bandha and Agnisara are also beneficial in this disease. Aromatherapy is another method that is specifically for small children. Four drops of benzoin and four drops of rosemary oil should be added to the child`s bath daily. The massage oil should be made using three drops of benzoin and three drops of lavender oil and rubbed on the chest at regular intervals daily. Also, one can try using a vaporizer in the child`s bedroom at night, with benzoin, pine and rosemary oils.
Magnetic Therapy is an effective method of treatment in asthma. The South Pole of a magnet has the power to reopen the crammed lung structures, expand the tissues, improve breathing and bring relief in painful conditions such as bronchitis. Unbelievable results can be achieved in the treatment of asthma through the application of magnets. Patients undergoing the treatment invariably report freer respiration and improvement in the duration of attacks. In the Emergency Department of asthma, doctors may use a capnography which measures the amount of exhaled carbon dioxide along with pulse oximetry which shows the percentage of hemoglobin that is carrying oxygen, to determine the severity of an asthma attack as well as the response to treatment. More recently, exhaled nitric oxide has been studied as a breath test that indicates the airway inflammation in asthma.
Current treatment protocols recommend prevention medications such as an inhaled corticosteroid, which helps to suppress inflammation and reduces the swelling of the coating of the airways, in case of anyone who has frequent need of relievers or who has severe symptoms. If symptoms persist, additional preventive drugs are also added until the asthma is controlled. With the proper use of preventive drugs, asthmatics can avoid the complications that often result from overuse of relief medications in asthma.
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