Introduction
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the respiratory airways. It is characterized by increased mucus production and hypersensitivity responses resulting in the following symptoms:
- Recurrent episodes of wheezing
- Shortness / gasping for breath
- Bronchial airway inflammation
- Increased production of a thick viscous mucus
- Decreased airflow
- Coughing
An “asthmatic attack” can come on at any time and most people experience a significant number of lost work days and disruption to the quality of social and family life activities. The major concern with asthma is that it can lead to respiratory failure particularly I the very young and elderly. An acute asthmatic attack can therefore be a medical emergency.
Causes of Asthma
Asthma is a multi-factorial disease process and some of the possible causative factors are as follows:
- Genetic predisposition
- Food intolerances or allergy
- Allergic reaction to tree pollens, house dust mites, moulds, and perfumes.
- Environmental smog, industrial pollutants, smoke or benzene from petrol.
- Infectious agents from viruses, bacteria, and certain fungi.
- Nutritional deficiencies induced by poor diet or malabsorption syndromes.
- Chronic or acute stress either physical or emotional
- Heavy metal toxicity
Conventional Treatments
- Bronchodilators
- Cortisone
- Muscle Relaxants
Natural Medicine
Conventional medicines can be life saving in an acute asthmatic attack. It is however important to try to get to the real cause of your asthma if you want to enjoy quality of life and live to your full potential. It is in this sphere that Natural Medicine potentially can offer a great deal if one employs the following measures:
- Relaxation techniques to counteract stress.
- Identifying the real cause of your asthma and eliminating it if possible.
- Herbal preparations help improve the integrity of lung tissue.
- Nutritional supplements have beneficial effects in reducing symptoms.
- Relocation to dry climate.