Asthma is a chronic lung condition wherein the air passage gets blocked or constricted due to the production of extra mucus. It is an age old condition which has been creating problems for people since a long time. Despite the seriousness of the condition, there are various myths people tend to believe about asthma.

Here are a few myths about asthma and the usage of inhalers:

Regular Usage of Inhalers is Addictive: This is a total myth. Using inhalers is not at all addictive, it is a necessity. Just because you use your inhaler regularly does not mean you are addicted to it.  Just like brushing your teeth every day isn't an addiction, taking your daily medicine from an inhaler isn't an addiction as well. Using an inhaler will just help you with your asthma condition.
Oral Medicine Gets Better Results than Inhalers: Absolutely not. In fact, it is proven that inhalers give better results than oral medications. Oral medication takes longer to act during a sudden asthma attack while inhalers deliver the drug directly to the lungs.
Inhalers Are Meant For Severe Asthma Cases: Well, this again is not true. Inhalers are used for treating asthma. Period. Asthma is a condition where your lungs inflame which is best cured with steroids, and the easiest way to have steroids administered to you is through the inhalation method. When you use the inhalers, the steroids are delivered directly to your lungs. They also have a minimum number of side effects when administered through inhalers.
Asthma is Curable: You might tend to think that asthma can be cured with the help of proper medications. You might think that asthma is not a constant condition. But it is not what you think. The symptoms of asthma might not be present all the time but that doesn't mean you do not have asthma. Asthma is a long-term condition where the airways swell up causing you to suffer from breathlessness. If you suddenly stop taking your daily medicines because the symptoms have not surfaced, then it will take you a long time before you will be able to totally recover from the next attack you suffer from.
If you have asthma, remember to take your medicines daily and timely. 

Debunking Asthma Myths

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder. In asthma, the airways of the lungs get inflamed. Due to this inflammation, there is swelling inside the airways. This also causes excess production of mucous. The combined effect of swelling and mucus production is that the passage of air gets obstructed. This makes breathing difficult. A whistling sound or wheezing is often heard in such patients. Often the patient gets cough due to this obstruction of the airways. This cough is a reflex of the body to get rid of the excess mucous in the airways. A sense of tightness or heaviness is felt in the chest. One cannot expand the chest fully while inhaling. This is a medical condition characterised by paroxysmal wheezing respiration dyspnoea. 
Homeopathy for Asthma-
When it comes to the treatment of Asthma, Homeopathy is much better at treating asthma. It is in stark contrast to allopathy, where inhalers and steroids are used to suppress inflammation. Homeopathic medicines do not aim at just reducing inflammation. They also intend to cure the basic cause of the recurrent inflammation. This way, not only the symptoms of asthma are treated but the incidence of asthmatic attacks is completely eliminated. With a couple of months of Homeopathic treatment, you will be able to live a disease-free and medicine-free life. It is worthwhile to mention here that all Homeopathic remedies are natural and do not contain any chemicals. That is why these purely natural homeopathic remedies do not have any side effects at all. Here is a list of the top homeopathic medicines for asthma, along with the symptoms when they are used-
Ipecac: Ipecac is used in treating asthma, where the patient experiences symptoms like heaviness and tension around the chest area. Sudden wheezing, suffocation is experienced followed by other symptoms like motions, vomiting and gagging. The cough remains constant, and the chest gets filled up with phlegm. Cold and perspiration is also likely to be experienced. A patient may feel as if a lump is present in the chest. Increased salivation is also indicated.
Arsenicum: Arsenicum is an efficient homeopathic medicine, which treats asthma attacks, which take place after midnight. The patient is anxious, restless, and cannot sleep because of the fear of being suffocated. In such cases, the patient dozes off a bit, and wakes up with great burning sensation and sore feeling in the chest. Arsenicum is prescribed during chronic stages of asthma, usually in elderly people.
Nux Vomica: Nux Vomica is used when asthma attacks occur due to gastric disorders and during simple spasmodic asthmas. People who consume an excess of caffeine or alcohol are more likely to experience such attacks. A constricting feeling in the lower chest region may be experienced. These attacks commonly occur during the morning.
Kali Bichromicum: This homeopathic medicine is used is asthmatic patients where the asthma attacks occur because of potashes. The attacks generally occur between three to four a.m. in the morning. The patient gets compelled to rise from sleep and sit up in order to breathe. A stringy yellow mucus may be produced, and the patient feels a lack of air in his chest.
Natrum Sulphuricum: This is another effective medicine for treating asthma. The symptoms of asthma treated with this medicine get worse in damp weather. Most asthma attacks occur with a rattling sensation being felt in the chest. Bowel movement may become loose after this type of asthma attack. Alcohol and aerated drinks make the symptoms even worse. Such attacks are common in the morning with the production of a green mucus.
Homeopathy has no side effects and treats the underlying cause of asthma. You should consult a homeopathic practitioner before starting homeopathic treatment for asthma. 

Treating Asthma With Homeopathy

8 Ways to know that your immunity is low

Are you falling sick very frequently or get tired too soon? It could be most likely because your immunity is very low and your body has to fight harder to function properly. There are certain indicators which tell you that your immunity is low, and you must take quick action to avoid any major problem your body may encounter eventually.

Here are the telling pointers for lowered immunity.

1. Dehydration - Our body is made of 70% water. This goes to show how important water is, for it to function properly. Fluids help get rid of germs and other toxins from the body. It is very important to keep ourselves hydrated. At times, our body loses water, however we do not realize immediately. A good way to find this out is to keep a check on the colour of our urine. Ideally it should be transparent.

2. You are always unwell - It is a no brainer This is the clearest possible indicator that your immunity needs a boost. If every time there is a change in weather or you are around someone who has the flu/is sneezing, you get sick too then it is a clear indication that your body is unable to fight the germs.

3. Drinking water seems impure - Most parts of India doesn’t get pure drinking water and this happens to be a matter of grave concern. This doesn’t apply to only the poor and homeless; a lot of our population resides in localities where pure drinking water in not available. Therefore it is important to make sure you purify your drinking water. Always check your water purifier. In situations where one doesn’t have access to purifier, ensure that you boil and strain your drinking water.

4. You are forever stressed - Your work, family, personal and social obligations might be pulling you down and you are forever stressed or worried about something or the other. If you fall sick when already stressed, you body cannot fight the germs as it could if you are stress free. Chronic stress leads to your immunity being low and you falling sick repeatedly.

5. Your sugar cravings going up - We are all well aware that having a weakness for sweets poses a threat to your oral health and waistline. However, if it leads to a craving and you end up consuming too much, every day, it can lower your immunity by weakening the white blood cells. If the white blood cells are weak, the body loses its ability to fight the germs.

6. Your nasal passage feels dry - This is comparatively rare, but does happen to many people. While a dripping nose is bothersome, what is worrisome is a dry nasal passage. Germs linger in dry passages and one can have cold & flu frequently. Keeping a humidifier in the room might come handy.

7. You are overweight - Being overweight is never a good news. It leads to a multitude of diseases and also weakens your immunity. Once your body mass index is way above the allowed level, your body gets stuck in a vicious circle. An overweight body gives ways to health problems, which again affect your weight for instance, when hormonal imbalance happens.

8. Lack of energy - You are always tired. All you want to do is sleep, even after waking up from a good, long sleep. This is a clear indicator of low immunity. You need to regulate your diet & exercise, apart from ensuring you sleep a good eight hours in the night, instead of 8-10 hours throughout the day.




From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over WhatsApp, Facebook and other media.


8 Reasons Your Immunity Is Lower Than It Should Be

What is Allergic Asthma?

Allergic asthma is the condition in which the symptoms of an asthmatic attack appear after exposure to certain allergens. 90% of the cases of asthma in children are allergy driven, while in adults, the percentage is said to be around 50%.

An allergy happens when an individual's immune system exhibits massive reaction or fights vigorously against substances like pollen, dust, animal dander or certain other minute particles which are actually not harmful to the body but are considered so by the immune system.

Symptomatic changes in cases of allergic asthma:

If the symptoms of an asthma attack occur only when you are subjected to these triggers or irritant particles, your case is allergy driven.

In such cases, the airway reacts aggressively to the entry of such allergens.

The airway muscles tighten up and inflammation is observed.

Breathing becomes painful and compromised, and mucus accumulation sets in very quickly.

Coughing is a common phenomenon, as the body tries to expel the mucus accumulated.

The allergens mentioned above are not the only triggering agents. Basically, anything that causes irritation could trigger an allergy and an asthmatic attack thereafter. Symptoms in the case of allergy driven asthma are more or less the same as seen in other asthmatic cases.

Confirming the cause of asthma as allergic or not:

The doctor would give you a much better clarification on whether you're asthma is allergy driven or not. There are pretty much two ways to decipher the same:

One is to administer a tiny amount of allergen to the skin and making a note of the reaction to that. Whether the reaction is a normal one or an aggressive one would tell if an individual has an allergy or not.

Specific IgE test may be done to confirm the cause, or to test the presence of an allergic reaction in the individual.

All your queries pertaining to allergic asthma and asthma, in general, are more than welcome.

What is Allergic Asthma?

Bronchitis occurs when the bronchial tubes become swollen due to an ailment or any kind of infection. These tubes are a part of the respiratory system and usually join the lungs. There are two types of bronchitis - acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. A virus or bacterium usually causes acute bronchitis. It shows up after a person has had a respiratory disease. The most common symptoms of this disease usually show up when a child has flu or cold. A blazing throat, a feeling of being sick and mucus draining from the sinuses usually describe the disease.

Homeopathy is a very effective treatment for bronchitis. In fact, it is the most effective treatment. Homeopathy has been successful in treating some exceptionally extreme cases of bronchitis. It functions admirably in both acute and chronic bronchitis. Here are a few treatments for acute bronchitis for kids that have proven to be beneficial over time:

Hepar Sulph is one of the best homeopathic medicines for bronchitis where a person experiences increased sensitivity to cold. Chilly air and exposure to the cold in any form is impossible to be tolerated by the patient. It energizes cough quickly. Hepar Sulph cures situations where even if a single part of the body is exposed to the cold like a hand or a foot, cough begins immediately.

Bryonia, on the other hand, is helpful in situations where a person feels extremely thirsty, yet may only have a few sips at a time. The mucous layers and the mouth become extremely dry. Even the cough is very dry in such cases. There is a pain in the abdomen and headache while coughing.

Pulsatilla is great in situations where the patient coughs up a lot of greenish or yellowish mucous. Cough is more irritable while resting and the person cannot rest or sleep because of the same. The patient is usually not at all thirsty in this situation.

Arsenic Album is one of the best homeopathic medicines for symptoms that include a feeling of weakness along with other signs of bronchitis. Extreme wheezing and cough increase after nighttime and makes it difficult for the person to sleep. Along with extreme weakness, restlessness may also occur. The patient feels parched and frequently drinks little quantities of water.

Antim Tart is useful when there is a lot of mucous in the abdomen and chest. Despite the fact that there is a lot of mucous in the abdomen, little is disposed off. Cough in this situation is aggravated while a person eats. However, Antim Tart tends to find relief from the same. Patients usually find it very hard to bring out the mucous in this situation.

Treat Acute Bronchitis In Kids With Homeopathy

A runny nose, Itchy rash, red eyes and shortness in breath are the most common allergic phenomenon which annoys you in frequent intervals, generally driven by several conditions due to hypersensitivity of the immune system towards something usual prevailing in the environment which may not cause any threat to others. It is why you may find different person allergic to different foods or different conditions. 

Diseases such as asthma, anaphylaxis, atopic dermatitis and so on are commonly considered as predominant allergic diseases. But most of the marketed drugs you take are as exasperating as the allergy itself, firstly due to its expensiveness and secondly, it droops you out. Though you may not be able to diminish the pollen in the air, but you can restrict the number of drugs you take by choosing natural remedies as it has been propounded by the medical editor of WebMD Dr Brunilda Nazario. He has also stated that the biggest trend we observe in allergies in these days is not found in any technological innovation or development rather it is the tendency of the common people to go for natural treatment to cure allergy.

 Prevention is better than cure - Cleanse your nose daily before the allergy strikes
According to most of the doctors, nowadays you are commonly encountered by seasonal allergies. It is mainly due to the fact that allergy season seems to appear earlier every year than the previous one. So as Nathanael Horne, MD of New York Medical College advises that you should begin treating allergies before it starts to pose threat. One such step is to spritz a saline cleanse into your nose on a daily basis in order to wash away pollen. Obviously, this particular method would not replace your need for medication but it would certainly minimise your dependence on drugs. In one survey, those who clean their nose twice a day with saline water are reported less nasal congestion than others.

About some of the seful natural herbs which fight allergy
Famous allergist from New York, Dr Tim Mainardi is of opinion that natural herbs are comparatively more effective than any other drugs and among them, one of the scientifically proven fighters of allergy you have, is Green tea because it is a natural antihistamine. According to his suggestion, if anybody starts to take two cups of green tea a day about two weeks before the arrival of the allergy season, it is likely to resist allergic infection. Mainardi also says that there is an another natural herb called butterbur, which effectively fights allergy as well as antihistamines. Apart from this Liquorice root is also a good choice because it helps to helps to raise the level of naturally produced steroid in your body and ameliorate immunity system.

Cook with turmeric to get rid of allergy:
If you taste every Indian dishe, you would get one spice common in all of them and that is Turmeric. Bharat Aggarwal, an Indian allergist expert from Houston considers Turmeric more efficacious than any other drugs in certain conditions as it contains Curcumin. It is why Turmeric may act as a decongestant. Though in the end, it should be mention that before you go with the natural treatment you should consult your doctor because these natural treatments would incorporate various alterations in your diet and medication.

Allergy - Top Natural Cures You Can Opt For!

Don't wait any longer, manage your Allergist/Immunologist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Allergist/Immunologist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES