Bronchial asthma is a common disease affecting 10-20 per cent of the population. In the vast majority of cases, the disease is mild and often unrecognized. There is evidence that the prevalence of asthma is increasing. In spite of better understanding of the pathophysiological processes involved in this disease, mortality from asthma has not been influenced, and in our country, it has been increased!
Asthma means twitchy airways! These narrowed airways may lead to coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, symptoms often being worse at night.
Invasion of allergens into our daily life is the prime cause for it. Increasing industrialization and spreading urbanization are the provoking factors for it. Surprisingly, in a majority of the cases, allopathic drugs such as beta-antagonists, aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs often cause acute attacks of asthma. It is often aggravated by nonspecific factors such as cold air, tobacco smoke, dust and acrid fumes, respiratory viral infection and emotional stress.
Asthma is a clinical condition characterized by attacks of wheezing, breathlessness and cough due to the narrowing of the air passage within the lungs. There are two types of asthma—extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic asthma occurs in the younger age group. Patients are usually sensitive to pollen, house mice, feathers, food, fur, and drugs and have a family history of similar sensitivities. Exposure to the precipitating factor causes an inflammatory allergic reaction in the mucous membrane. This type of asthma tends to be sporadic. Intrinsic asthma tends to occur in older patients. It is a chronic condition. It has no apparent allergic cause or family history. This type of asthma is precipitated by bronchial infections, chronic bronchitis, strenuous exercise, stress or anxiety.
Throughout the world, bronchial asthma is on the rise. Out of sheer desperation, sufferers readily fall for any wonder cure. Consequently, hundreds of traditional healers make tall claims of having found a permanent cure for asthma. Most of these healers are quacks. Bronchial asthma is a complex disorder, which needs to be treated by a qualified medical doctor. Instead of searching for symptomatic relief or a magical cure, it is always better to concentrate on predisposing conditions and causative factors. If you identify them, then you can avoid frequent attacks.
Ayurvedic View
Bronchial asthma is known as tamaka svassa in Ayurveda. This medical science emphasizes on gastro-intestinal factors apart from the respiratory afflictions to be the cause for bronchial asthma. That is why in the preliminary stage of the disease or just before its onset, the patient complains of indigestion, constipation or diarrhea.
It is mainly a kapha syndrome, though differentiation of humoral types also exists. In other words, bronchial asthma can be from any of the three humors—vaata, pitta or kapha. Most often, the disease is kapha in nature.
Vaata type asthma is characterized by dry cough and wheezing. Additional symptoms are thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, constipation, anxiety and craving for warm drinks. Attacks occur predominantly at vaata time—dawn and dusk.
Pitta type asthma is characterized by cough and wheezing with yellow phlegm. Other symptoms are fever, sweating, irritability and need for cool air. Attacks are at pitta time— noon and midnight.
Kapha type asthma is characterized by cough and wheezing with abundant clear or white phlegm. The lungs are often congested producing a whistling sound. Attacks are at kapha time—morning and evening.
Self-Help Guidelines & Ayurvedic Remedies
The treatment of asthma consists in the employment of remedies to allay the paroxysms, and in the adoption of measures likely to prevent the recurrence.
According to Ayurveda, the asthma of recent origin can be treated effectively but if it becomes chronic, it can only be managed. It is not the drug alone that can give relief from asthma but regulation of diet and the change of conceptual thinking can also play a great role. Along with proper medication and control over eating and living, asthmatics can get better and quick results.
• During an acute attack, a hot chest and shoulder pack, repeatedly given every half an hour, will have a sedative effect upon the nerves and a relaxing influence generally, giving the quickest and the most satisfactory relief.
• Hot milk or hot water when sipped little by little, provides immediate relief from the attack. The inhalation of steam-laden air may be provided by using an ordinary teakettle, attaching a funnel to the spout, and inhaling from the upper wide end of the cone. This is very effective in relieving spasms. In many acute attacks, relief will be found in a simple, hot hand-bath or hot foot-bath (immersing hands or feet up to the elbows or knees).
• Concussion to the cervical vertebrae from the fourth to the seventh for six to eight minutes with half minute interruptions every minute is excellent to relieve attacks.
• A creeping plant known as somalataa (Ephedra vulgaris) is found to be highly efficacious in relieving asthma. This grows in western Himalayas in abundance and is sent in hundreds of tons to western countries where ephedrine is prepared from it. The powder is made from the whole plant, after drying in the shade and is given in the dosage of 100 to 250 milligrams, mixed with honey or water at the intervals of 8 to 4 hours.
• At the time of a full attack, wrapping a hot brick in a rough cloth and then giving dry fomentation with it to the chest is found to be useful in asthma. Smearing chandanaadi oil and then giving heat fomentation is also good. Turmeric paste used as poultice on the chest or warming the chest with it is very soothing.
• Taking pippalee (Piper longum) powder along with pure honey, makes an attack of asthma subside.
• The rhizomes of turmeric are to be baked in hot sand slightly and made into fine powder. This is to be taken 3 grams twice a day with sugar. The dose can be increased up to 10 grams in due course.
• During an acute attack of asthma, drink some hot water with the juice of one clove of garlic.
• Take the juice of the whole plant of Solanum surattense (chote kateri)—7 to 14 ml as such, or with Trikatu (equal parts of dried ginger, long pepper and black pepper)— one gm twice a day. You can even take Terminalia bellirica powder (baheda)—3 to 6 grams with 4 to 6 grams honey twice a day.
• Mustard oil (sarason) is a good remedy. Take a spoonful with jaggery, twice a day.
• If you wish to use a compound formulation, then here is a medicine for you. Prepare a decoction by boiling equal parts of root of Adhatoda vasica (adoosaa), rhizome of turmeric, stem of Tinospora cordifolia (giloa), and the fruit of Solanum surattense (chote kateri). Take this decoction internally, 14 to 28 ml with one gram of powdered black pepper twice a day.
• Smoke leaf of Datura stramonium (dhatura). This gives instant relief but needs medical supervision.