Asthma
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways to the lungs. It is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out
Asthma is manifested by acute, recurrent, or chronic attacks of widespread bronchial-bronchiolar narrowing.
Asthma is easily managed with asthma Ayurveda treatment.
Asthma signs and symptoms :
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness or pain
- Wheezing when exhaling, which is a common sign of asthma in children
- Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing, or wheezing
- Coughing or wheezing attacks that are worsened by a respiratory virus, such as a cold or the flu
- difficulty talking
- anxiousness or panic
- fatigue
Asthma causes :
1. Triggers–
- Weather(sudden changes in temperature, fog, wind, thunderstorm)
- Exercises(running)
- Stress
- Coughing
- Repeated laughing
- Drugs(NSAIDs, Beta/Alpha-blockers)
2. Inducers
- Infections (Pertussis, Mycoplasma, Viral URTI, Respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis)
- Cigarette smoking
3. Allergens-
(house dust, mite, tree pollen, feathers, paint, smoke, animal, dander, molds, milk, eggs, nuts, chocolates, fish, shellfish, strawberries)
Tests for Asthma :
- Allergen specific IgE
- Arterial blood gas analysis
- Chest x-ray
- Lung function tests
- PBF
- PEFR
- Skin tests
- Sputum test
- Total Serum IgE
- Spirometry
Asthma Treatment :
Treatments for asthma fall into three primary categories:
- Breathing exercises
- Quick-acting treatments
- Long-term asthma control medications
Know about Natural treatments for Asthma
Breathing exercises
These exercises can help you get more air into and out of your lungs. Over time, this may help increase lung capacity and cut down on severe asthma symptoms.
Your doctor or an occupational therapist can help you learn these breathing exercises for asthma.
Quick-relief asthma treatments
These medications should only be used in the event of asthma symptoms or an attack.
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilators work within minutes to relax the tightened muscles around your airwaves. They can be taken as an inhaler (rescue) or nebulizer.
First aid asthma treatment
If you think that someone you know is having an asthma attack, tell them to sit upright and assist them in using their rescue inhaler or nebulizer. Two to six puffs of medication should help ease their symptoms.
If symptoms persist for more than 20 minutes, and the second round of medication doesn’t help, seek emergency medical attention.
Long-term asthma control medications
These medications, taken daily, help reduce the number and severity of your asthma symptoms, but they don’t manage the immediate symptoms of an attack.
Long-term asthma control medications include the following:
Anti-inflammatories– Taken with an inhaler, corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory medications help reduce swelling and mucus production in your airwaves, making it easier to breathe.
Anticholinergics— These help stop your muscles from tightening around your airwaves. They’re usually taken daily in combination with anti-inflammatories.
Long-acting bronchodilators. These should only be used in combination with anti-inflammatory asthma medications.
Biologic therapy drugs. These new, injectable medications may help people with severe asthma.
Bronchial thermoplasty
This treatment uses an electrode to heat the airwaves inside the lungs, helping to reduce the size of the muscle and prevent it from tightening.
Exacerbations
When your asthma symptoms get progressively worse, it’s known as an exacerbation or an asthma attack.
It becomes increasingly difficult to breathe because your airways are swollen and your bronchial tubes have narrowed.
The symptoms of an exacerbation may include:
hyperventilation
cough
wheezing
shortness of breath
increased heart rate
agitation
Although an exacerbation can end quickly without medication, you should contact your doctor because it can be life-threatening.
The longer an exacerbation continues, the more it can affect your ability to breathe.
Asthma Ayurveda Treatment
In Ayurveda, Asthma is said to be the disorder of the Pranvaha Srotasa. It was described that due to regular intake of the causes, doshas are getting imbalanced, which results in agnimadhya and will lead to the formation of the ama (Improper digestion of Rasa dhatu). Then, the ama combines with Vata and creates an aavran in strotasa that obstructs the dhatu vehan and will lead to increased Kapha dosha, and hence the natural direction of Vata is blocked and it flows in a reversible direction (Pratilom Vayu). Vata dosha naturally has a dry properties and due to an increase in its quantity, natural lubrication is disturbed and a patient feels difficulty in breathing.
Classification of Asthma In Ayurveda-
Asthma Ayurveda Treatment is done according to its classification. There are mainly 5 types of Shwasa Roga, named as:
- Mahashwas
- Urdhwashwas
- Chinnashwas
- Tamakshwas
- Kshudraswas
It is also divided into two types-
Santamak – fever and dark blacks. Aggravated at night time.
Pratamak – due to physiological factors.
According to the presence of dominating doshas asthma is of three types–
Vataj Asthma – In this a person suffered from dryness, wheezing, constipation, anxiety, dry cough, and the attacks occur during Vata times at dawn and dusk.
Pittaj Asthma – The person suffered from mild fever, sweating, irritability, coughing, and wheezing but with yellow phlegm. Attacks mainly occur during the Pitta times of day, noon, and midnight.
Kaphaj Asthma – In this type of Asthma, there is abundant white or clear phlegm with a cough. Rather than wheezing, there will be a railing sound by the fluids in the lungs which can also be heard during respiration.
In Ayurveda Bronchial Asthma is termed as – ‘Tamaka Shwasa’ The word Tamaka is derived from the Dhatu ‘Tamglanou’ which indicates Sadness and Darkness. The disease is called Tamaka as an attack of the disease precipitate during the night and the condition of the patient is so severe that he/she feels like entering into the darkness.
For Asthma Ayurveda Treatment proper identification of purvarupa is very important because the earliest treatment will yield the best and proper result that prevents secondary infections also.
Ayurvedic Treatment for Asthma
The Principle of Asthma Ayurveda treatment is ‘Nidanparivarjan’ which means the elimination of the causative factors, so it is very important to restrict some of the diet and lifestyle functioning.
According to Ayurvedic Concepts, Asthma Ayurveda treatment is divided into two major types –
- Shaman Chikitsa – in which diseases causing factors or doshas are suppressed by the Ayurvedic medicines
2. Shodhana Chikitsa – in which doshas are elements from the body by some procedures like Panchakarmas.
Ayurveda has been widely accepted as an alternate and almost permanent natural treatment for Asthma because we work on the root cause and prescribe the medicines according to the aggravated doshas.
Herbs for Asthma:
In Asthma Ayurveda Treatment the following herbs are very effective
- Vasa (adathoda vasica)
- Kantakari (solanum indicum)
- Sunthi (zingiber Officinale)
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Black pepper (pipper nigrum)
- Jatapatri (myrstica tragrans)
- Oman (hyoscyamus niger)
- Tagara (trylophera indica)
- Madhu Vashti ( glycyrrhiza glabra)
- Rasna (alpinia galangal)
- Pippli (piper longum)
- Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum)
- Vanaschlochan
- Nagkeshar
Ayurvedic medicines for Asthma:
In Asthma Ayurveda Treatment following medicines are used
Powder (Churna)
- Talisadi churna,
- Shrungyadi churna
- Shatayadi churna
- Haridradi churna
- Sitopaladi churna
Rasa–
- Shwaskuthar rasa,
- Swarnavasant rasa,
- Shwasakaasa rasa,
- Chintamani rasa
Asav-arishta––
- Kanakasav
- Vasarishtam,
- Grihitarist,
- Daraksharist,
- Tejovatyadi ghrita.
- Vasavleha
- Pippaladi lauha,
- Mahashwasari lauha
Bhasam—
- Abrak bhasam
- Sawaran makshik bhasam
- Shankh Bhasma,
- Moti Bhasma,
- Swarna Bhasma,
- Tamra Bhasma,
- Shring Bhasma,
- Praval bhasma,
- Raupya Bhasma
- Gilo satav
- Godanti Bhasam
Here, we approach Ayurveda for Asthma Treatment which helps to rejuvenate the innate healing response for a complete physical and mental healing.
Selected herbal medications are given to a patient to aid the healing process, strengthen digestion and help the body purify itself
These medicines are made up of 100% pure herbs extracts which work as an expectorant (help in expelling the phlegm), anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, and help in clearing the obstructive airways and allow a person to breathe freely.
For more detail on Ayurveda for Asthma Treatment, please contact us or comment below.
Statutory Warning: Self-medication can be very dangerous. Always use Ayurveda medicines under the strict supervision of an Ayurveda doctor.