Overview

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder that affects the airways of the lungs. The bronchial tubes serve as the entry and exit points for air into and out of the lungs.

The airways of someone who has asthma are constantly irritated. When something triggers your symptoms, they get even more inflated and the muscles surrounding your airways can get tighter. This causes symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and/or tightness in the chest to occur because it makes it harder for air to enter and exit the lungs.  

                                                            

 Sometimes airway edema makes it difficult for oxygen to get to the lungs. This implies that oxygen cannot get to essential organs or enter the bloodstream. As a result, those with severe symptoms require immediate medical assistance.

Causes

However, it appears that both environmental and genetic factors are important in triggering asthma,

• Certain elements, like becoming sensitized to an allergen, might operate as a trigger as well as a cause.                               

• Pregnancy                                                               

• Obesity                                                                                           

• Allergies                                                                                         

• Smoking                                                                     

• Environmental Pollutants                                                 

• Pollens, Dust, Danders etc                              

• Stress                                                                          

• Genetic factors                                                    

• Hormonal factors    

Symptoms          

The following are the most common symptoms of asthma:

• Coughing, especially at night, during exercise, or when laughing

• Breathing difficulties

• Tightness in the chest

• Breathlessness

• Squeaking or whistling in your chest when breathing, especially during exhalation, is called wheezing.

Ayurvedic View

Tamak shwasa- Main dosha involved is prakupita (aggravated) vata dosha, its gati (path) gets vikruta (vitiated), it takes sthana samhraya (settles) in shiras (head) ,greeva (neck) which together with dushita (aggravated and vitiated) kapha results in peenasa (cold), kapha is obstructed which produces sounds and when left untreated, this kapha causes obstruction in prana vaha srotas (respiratory system) leading to difficulty in shwasa and nishwasa kriya (respiration), this is asthma. Ayurveda approach is to bring back vikruta and vruddha dosha back to prakruta awastha ,gati, guna and karma, improve the functioning of respiratory system and also correcting other root causes which leads to this condition. 

Ayurvedic Treatments

Nasyam  Netra sekam   Bashpa swedanam   Dhoomapanam    Virechanam   Vamanam   Vasti (Matra vasti) 

Naturopathic Treatments

Steam Bath   Facial sauna   Jala neti   Sutra neti   Vamanam   Plantain leaf bath   Sunbath   Chromotherapy   Acupuncture   Reflexology