WORLD ASTHMA DAY - 5th May'09

Theme for 2009: "You Can Control Your Asthma."

Till a few decades ago Asthma was considered a very serious global health problem which couldn’t be cured. Today though people of all ages in countries throughout the world are affected by this chronic airway disorder that, when uncontrolled, can limit our daily lives. Over the years, the world has witnessed the ability of Homeopathy to manage, control and in many cases cure it effectively.



















What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. It causes recurring periods of: Wheezing, Chest tightness, Shortness of breath, and Coughing.

A Look into “Asthma”:

The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. People who have asthma have inflamed airways. This makes the airways swollen and very sensitive. They tend to react strongly to certain substances that are breathed in. When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This causes the airways to narrow, and less air flows to your lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways may make more mucus than normal. (Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow your airways.)

Figure A shows the location of the lungs and airways in the body. Figure B shows a cross-section of a normal airway. Figure C shows a cross-section of an airway during asthma symptoms.

This chain reaction can result in asthma symptoms. Symptoms can happen each time the airways are irritated.

What Causes Asthma Symptoms To Occur?

A number of things can bring about or worsen asthma symptoms:

• Allergens found in dust, animal fur, cockroaches, mould, and pollens from trees, grasses, and flowers.
• Irritants such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemicals or dust in the workplace, compounds in home décor products, and sprays.
• Certain medicines such as aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Viral upper respiratory infections such as colds/ runny nose.
• Sinus infections
• Reflux disease
• Psychological stress
• Exercise (physical activity)

Asthma is different for each person. Some of the factors listed may not affect you. Other factors that do affect you may not be on the list.

Information on Asthma – RISK FACTORS:

1. Studying the prevalence of asthma and related diseases such as eczema and hay fever have yielded important clues about some key risk factors.


2. The strongest risk factor for developing asthma is a family history of atopic diseases; this increases the risk of hay fever up to 5times and risk of asthma by 3-4times!


3. In children, between the ages of 3-14, a positive skin test for allergies and an increase in Immunoglobulin E increases the chance of having asthma


4. In adults, the more allergens one reacts positively to in a skin test, the higher the odds of having asthma


5. Studies which show that upper respiratory tract infections are protective against asthma risk also tend to show that lower respiratory tract infections conversely tend to increase the risk of asthma


6. The incidence of asthma is highest among low-income populations [asthma deaths are most common in low to middle income countries]


7. Asthma as a result of [or worsened by] workplace exposures is the world’s most commonly reported occupational respiratory disease


8. Asthma appears to be more prevalent in athletes than in general population. There appears to be a relatively high incidence of asthma in sports such as cycling, mountain biking, and long- distance running, and a relatively lower incidence in weight lifting and diving


9. Environmental tobacco smoke, especially maternal cigarette smoking, is associated with high risk of asthma prevalence and asthma morbidity, wheeze and respiratory infections.


10. Poor air quality, from traffic pollution or high ozone levels, has been repeatedly associated with increased asthma morbidity


11. Caesarean sections have been associated with asthma when compared with vaginal birth; a meta-analysis found a 20% increase in asthma prevalence in children delivered by caesarean section compared to who were not.


12. Psychological stress has long been suspected of being an asthma trigger. Rather than stress directly causing the asthma symptoms, it is thought that stress modulates the immune system to increase the magnitude of the airway inflammatory response to allergens and irritants.

To know about the Role of Homeopathy in Asthma log onto http://homeopathy-tips.blogspot.com/2009/05/asthma.html

Asthma & Homeopathy...

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways.
Asthma causes recurring periods of:

• Wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe),


• Chest tightness,


• Shortness of breath, and


• Coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.
  

What Causes Asthma?

The exact cause of asthma isn't known. It is usually a combination of factors (family genes and certain environmental exposures) that interact to cause asthma to develop, most often early in life. These factors include:

• An inherited tendency to develop allergies (atopy),


• Parents who have asthma,


• Certain respiratory infections during childhood &


• Contact with some airborne allergens or exposure to some viral infections in infancy or in early childhood when the immune system is developing.

If asthma or atopy runs in your family, exposure to airborne allergens (for example, house dust mites, cockroaches, and possibly cat or dog fur) and irritants (for example, tobacco smoke) may make your airways more reactive to substances in the air you breathe.

Who Is At Risk for Asthma?

Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts in childhood.
In the United States, more than 22 million people are known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children.

Risk factors include:

• Having allergies, most, but not all, people who have asthma have allergies.
• Eczema (an allergic skin condition), or
• Parents who have asthma.

Among children, more boys have asthma than girls. But among adults, more women have the disease than men.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Asthma?

Common asthma symptoms include:

• Coughing. Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep.


• Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs when you breathe.


• Chest tightness. This may feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.


• Shortness of breath. Some people who have asthma say they can't catch their breath or they feel out of breath. You may feel like you can't get air out of your lungs.

Not all people who have asthma have these symptoms. Likewise, having these symptoms doesn't always mean that you have asthma.

ROLE OF HOMEOPATHY IN TREATMENT OF ASTHMA:

Homeopathy helps:

• Prevent chronic and troublesome symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath


• Reduce your need of quick-relief medicines


• Help you maintain good lung function


• Let you maintain your normal activity levels and sleep through the night

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA:

1. Arsenicum Album : Scanty expectorations, putrid expectorations, restlessness, suicidal, anguish with fear of death, aggravation: midday, midnight, wet weather…Amel: by leaning forward in bed, walking around


2. Hepar Sulph: Croupy and rattling cough, wheezy asthma, cough and breathing mucusy, splinter like pain in chest, hypersensitiveness is marked, asthma better in damp, better by bending head backwards.


3. Kali Carb: wheezing asthma, stitching and cutting pain, chest coldness, offensive and cheesy expectorations, worse lying left side, around 3a.m., cold weather, AMEL: leaning forward, rocking


4. Natrum Sulph: Every fresh cold brings on an attack of asthma, dyspnoea of damp weather, must hold chest when
   

DOSAGE: 4 pills - 3 times a day...