Effective Home Remedies to Control Asthma

Many illnesses have increasingly become common worldwide affecting millions globally. Many of these diseases have evolved through the time where once they affected ancient men and now continue on to affect modern men. Modern health care has taken up much responsibility for treating and managing many of these diseases but some of these diseases are still outside the limits of our health care system. There are still scores of people inflicted with chronic illnesses that have not yet been cured of their disease and have tried their best to make their peace with it and accept their fate.

Definition of Asthma according to Modern Science:
Asthma is defined as ‘A chronic inflammatory condition characterized by airway hyper-reactivity and symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.’ During an asthma attack, edema and congestion in the respiratory attack block the airflow to the lungs which cause the airways to reduce and hamper the affected person's ability to respire.

Definition of Asthma according to Ayurveda:
A detailed description of respiratory disorders with dyspnea or shortness of breath as the main symptom has been discussed and are collectively known as Swas roga. Five varieties have been described under them and the fifth and last known as tamaka svasa corresponds to the asthma of allopathic medicine. According to the beliefs of Ayurveda, this variety is the only one which can be controlled and treated with an efficient response of the patient and the physician.

Etiology and Risk Factors of Asthma:
Vaghbata has discussed the causes and evolution of asthma in great detail. It initiates with a period of aggravation of Vata and Kapha doshas. Several factors are responsible for aggravating these doshas, which include; smoke, dust, respiratory irritants, cold precipitants, harsh wind, some medications and a number of other factors. If these are not treated at the appropriate time then the Kapha will obstruct the movement of the Vata in the chest area. This is how further dysfunction in the respiratory system is created.

Effective Ayurvedic Home remedies for Asthma:

• 1.Oleation and Fomentation procedures: Patients are first advised to undergo oleation therapy (snehana) at home, which involves oil treatment. Daily massage for 7-10 days is done first with circular breathing and use of oils such as; narayana oil, talispatra oil, amla and chandrabala oil. Then a daily intake of an appropriate substance for 3-7 days is advised, which is usually pure or medicated cow's ghee. At the same time, sweat or fomentation (swedana) therapy is also undertaken which includes steam box treatment.
• 2.Therapeutic Vomiting and Laxative procedures: After the above-mentioned therapies a laxative or virechana therapy is started in which daily doses of castor oil (Ricinis communis) are used. The vamana or therapeutic therapy is started which is one the most important procedures. On three consecutive mornings, the patient is given an emesis inducing herb (madana phala) and then asked to fill the stomach with water or cool milk. This does not cause nausea or feel uncomfortable
• 3.Tylophora Asthmatica or Tylophora Indica: Tylophora indica is a herbal medicine frequently used in the Ayurveda practice to treat diseases with mucus production and accumulation as the main symptom. It is supposed to have cathartic, diaphoretic, emetic and mainly expectorant effects. Mainly its mechanism matches that of a bronchodilator.
• 4.Ayurvedic Mixture: A very effective ayurvedic mixture can be prepared as follows: mix together powdered ginger root, black pepper, long pepper in equal amounts and store in an airtight container. Have half a teaspoon of this mixture with honey and lukewarm water daily.
• 5.Dietary Recommendations: In Ayurveda, it is advised to increase the use of foods (pathaya) such as Fish oil which contains omega-3 fatty acids and reduces inflammation in airways, basmati rice, barley, deep sea water fish, cabbage, lentils, pepper, cumin, garlic and several others. Foods (apathaya) which are discouraged include those which induce heavy, sticky, mucous producing foods which include dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter (except goat's milk which can be used), salt, nuts, freshwater fish, okra, sugar, pickles, cucumber and several others.

Conclusion:
Ayurveda has an advantage with allopathic medicine does not. Ayurveda treats the root cause of this disease whereas allopathy only gives relief to the symptoms, and patients find themselves caught between the vicious cycle of negative side effects and symptom-relief. Corticosteroids themselves have their own side effects and also cause physical dependency.

This guest post was written by Hassan Khan Yousafzai, he is passionate about Ayurveda and Digital marketing. Along with educational background in Software Engineering he is bridging gap between marketing and development department. At Techvando to gain online traffic and profitable leads.