Millions of people suffer from asthma, and many of them have been diagnosed with this condition at some point in their life, mostly in their early childhood. There are many people who don’t even know that they have this condition. However, timely diagnosis can be helpful, as proper treatment can prevent a patient’s condition from deteriorating, and he or she can lead a stress free life.
The most common asthma symptoms are tightness in chest, wheezing, shortness of breath that aggravates with increase in physical activity and stress, and dry cough. Signs that your asthma is deteriorating are shortness of breath even when you are resting, daily use of inhaler, wheezing and decrease in the ability to do physical work without losing breath.
Asthma Treatments:
Different types of asthma treatments are available today, and the choice depends upon the severity of the condition and age of the patient. Most of the physicians advise that you should do everything possible to avoid attacks. This can be easily done by cleaning your house twice a week, washing your bedding every week in hot water, avoiding pets with feathers or fur, encasing your pillows and mattresses in dust proof covers, replacing upholstered furniture with vinyl and leather, replacing your carpets with tiles or hardwood floor, and keeping humidity level in your house as low as possible.
The most effective treatment for asthmatics is to take proper medication as prescribed by the doctor. It is also important to monitor the lung infection with the help of peak flow meter that can assess the lung function. This is very important because lung function reduces dramatically before an asthma attack. If the meter indicates that peak flow is down by about 22 percent or more, then an asthma attack is on its way.
Many anti-inflammatories are also used and they work by reducing the inflammatory cell count in the airways, and by reducing any chances of blood vessels leaking any fluid in the airway tissues. However, some people fail to control the asthma symptoms even by avoiding the triggers and using proper medication. These people can use immunotherapy. In this therapy, an injection of allergen extracts is used to desensitize the patient, and this injection is usually given 5 times a week in the starting stages and its strength is gradually increased with time.
Natural Remedies For Asthma:
Among the most effective treatments for asthma these days are natural remedies, including magnesium, nutritional food supplements, vitamins, quercetin and omega-3 fatty acids, biofeedback, acupuncture, meditation and yoga. These remedies are not only cost effective, but show long-lasting results when implemented on a consistent basis. They can also reduce your dependency on various medicines thereby reducing their side effects. However, if you are already taking medicine, you should not stop until you’ve consulted with your doctor.
Home Remedies For Asthma:
Certain home remedies are also helpful in alleviating asthma symptoms. Natural concoctions such as garlic cloves and honey boiled in milk, steam bath for cleaning blocked airways, mustard oil, ginger tea along with minced garlic cloves, and brews made by soaking dry grapes can bring relief to asthma sufferers. Homeopathic asthma treatments are also helpful in reducing or eliminating any need for inhalers, or synthetic drugs. They can also complement the conventional asthma treatments.