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Treatment for asthma is complicated due to the polymorphism of this disease. Asthma causes over 14 million visits to doctors each year and nearly 2 million emergency room visits. And, tragically, asthma can kill. Most people who die from asthma are over age 50, but children sometimes die of the condition. That’s why treatment for asthma is important.
Although there’s currently no cure for asthma, treatment can help control the symptoms so you’re able to live a normal, active life. Listed below are some of the common asthma treatment:
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 type of 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 and very young children. Nebulizers for asthma however can be used at any age. Nebulizers for asthma are powered by electricity and they convert asthma medicines into a fine mist.
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 main 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 treatments for asthma are now gaining popularity as more asthma sufferers begin to see the merits of alternative treatment options.
Asthma, a common but very serious health condition is most commonly found in children between ages five and seventeen. Scientists believe that children are highly susceptible to the disease. For one reason, asthma has a strong genetic code that can be passed down through parents.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a common but very serious health condition that causes a person’s airways to inflame and begin to narrow. This can be caused by several things including allergies, pollution, smoke, and may also be activity induced.
What causes asthma?
Asthma results from complex interactions between an individual’s inherited genetic makeup and interactions with the environment. 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 and saliva, or even a cockroach waste
What are asthma triggers?
Asthma triggers can be anything that irritates the airways and causes asthma symptoms. There are many Asthma triggers and the most common 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 of them 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 stay away from them or take precautions.
Symptoms of asthma
Asthma can’t be cured, but it can be controlled. By managing asthma, most all who suffer from it can have a productive life. 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, 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?
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.
During an attack, you may cough, wheeze and have trouble breathing. 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 to understand what triggers your medical condition so that you will be able to protect yourself against its disturbing effects. Listed below are causes of an asthma attack
Allergens
- An asthma attack is usually caused by allergens such as pet dander, mold spores, dust, and pollen. These allergens are usually found in the environment that you live in, and it circulates in the air you breathe. You may feel confident in inhaling the air in your home but what you don’t know is that there might be an allergen included in it. 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 is not always an indication that you’re breathing safe air. You may not even be aware that you’re surrounded by unsafe air. Breathing in a poor air quality environment can irritate your airway passages, which in turn can lead to asthma attacks.
Smoke
- If you’re a smoker and you have asthma or anyone in your family, you’re putting yourself and your loved one’s in great danger. The smoke that comes from tobacco products, cigarettes, cigars as well as pipes can greatly 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, which can result in an asthma attack.
Exercise
- Regular exercises are 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: Signs and Symptoms of an asthma attack vary from person to person.
Natural treatment 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 treatment for asthma are herbal remedies, breathing exercises, homeopathy, and so on.
Listed below are natural treatments for asthma
Home remedies for asthma – most common natural treatment for asthma
Home remedies for asthma are natural remedies for asthma that help you get relief from asthma without any side effects. These home remedies are very simple and one can easily follow them in the comfort of their home, listed below are home remedies for asthma that has been proven to be 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 – great and effective home-based natural treatment for asthma
Herbs for asthma are natural remedies for asthma that have been proven to be effective to reduce the symptoms of asthma.
Among the herbs that can help with the symptoms of asthma are green tea, turmeric, chamomile, elderberry, peppermint, garlic, ginger, licorice root, nettle, and hyssop.
Herbal remedies may be taken as tea, capsule, tincture, as an inhalant, or applied topically as oil or ointment. Most herbal remedies need to be taken for a few weeks to months for best results but some also have immediate effects.
Yoga for asthma – traditional Indian natural treatment for asthma
Yoga for asthma is a powerful therapy that is being widely used to reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks as well as the use of medication. Yoga when done consistently, 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 are aimed at promoting the use of the right muscles in breathing, that is the abdominal and diaphragm muscles instead of the chest muscles.
Breathing exercises for asthma also improve the flexibility of the chest wall so that accompanying muscles of the respiratory system can relax. Buteyko, Pranayama, and Papworth method are examples of breathing exercises that can benefit asthma patients. Aside from reducing the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks, breathing exercises also reduced the need for asthma medications
Homeopathy for asthma – #1 natural treatment for asthma
Homeopathy for asthma is a natural remedy for asthma that offers an 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
- 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 there’s an excessive cough with mucus rales in the chest.
Acupuncture for bronchial asthma – 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 of such ailments is asthma also known as Xiao Chuan in Chinese medicine, and these two Chinese words mean wheezing and dyspnoea respectively.
In the Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM, these two words represent two different 
illnesses, and they require individual treatments. Xiao known as wheezing comes in the form of whistling sound and accompanied by increased breathing rate, and the inability to rest in a horizontal position. Chuan, which is shortness of breath, is characterized by dyspnoea which shows in the form of raised shoulder walking posture, the opening of mouth to gasp for air as a way of aiding air intake when breathing, and also the inability to sleep horizontally.
In TCM, asthma is considered similar to other respiratory infections where external pathogens invade the lung which also affects 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, an asthma attack may be triggered by certain factors such as external pathogens, diet, emotional imbalance 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 lung, asthenia of lung, and kidney yin, asthenia of spleen and lung Qi, and asthenia of heart and kidney yang.
Mechanism of Acupuncture for Asthma
Acupuncture treatment for bronchial asthma involves a direct method to treat the ailments by using a holistic approach that eliminates not only the associated symptoms of asthma but strives towards achieving all-round healthy well-being of the patients.
TCM considers asthma as a disorder of not only the lungs but also of the kidney and stomach. The acupoints for the acupuncture for asthma are located along the meridian of the lung, kidney, and stomach. It also includes the meridian of the bladder considering the importance of the bladder to other parts of the human body. The energy blocks around these acupoints are corrected through 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 as one of the 40 diseases that may benefit from acupuncture. It is most effective when used in the treatment of early attacks of asthma before it turns into a chronic condition. A study showed an improvement in 70% of patients suffering from asthma after being treated with acupuncture for asthma for ten weeks on a regular basis. Another study in China showed a significant improvement in 75% of patients treated with acupuncture and also 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 that showed immediate positive improvement upon receiving treatments were observed to possess long term curative effects.
Are there side effects caused by acupuncture for asthma?
Even though acupuncture for asthma known as 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 precaution is to ensure treatment is administered by a qualified professional who adheres strictly to the ethics of the practice. For instance, one of the common risks is a blood infection, and this can be avoided if the administration of the treatment is done in a safe manner. This safety procedure will rule out the possibility of a patient been infected with hepatitis, HIV, or other blood-related infection due to contaminated needles used for acupuncture.
Side effects that come with the treatment include fatigue which can be overcome with adequate rest. It may be necessary you inform your acupuncturist if you have an issue with needles so he can offer advice and assistance where necessary. The muscle may also twitch during a treatment procedure, and muscle spasms may cause a little pain in some cases. It is a typical reaction and 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 secure you from avoidable mistakes.
Why Choose Philadelphia Acupuncture Clinic?
The procedure of acupuncture for asthma is a sensitive treatment that must be administered by a qualified acupuncturist of repute. Philadelphia Acupuncture Clinic offers you not only a comprehensive diagnosis of your condition looking into the causative factors but also the curative acupuncture treatment that fits the exact type of asthma that is peculiar to each patient.
We offer the best acupuncture for asthma that leads to a long-lasting cure or remission.
Contact our clinic 267-314-7575 to schedule an appointment for evaluation and natural asthma treatment performed under the supervision of Victor Tsan, MD
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