Contents:
- Medical Video: ASTHMA TREATMENT – Home Remedies to Cure Asthma Naturally
- What causes asthma?
- Get to know the general signs and symptoms of an asthma attack
- The choice of asthma therapy recommended by the doctor
- 1. Use medication
- 2. Respiratory training
- 3. Yoga
- 4. Swim
- 5. Check lung function frequently with peak flower meter
- 6. Healthy diet
- What should be done if at any time asthma recurs?
- Tips to prevent asthma relapse
- 1. Avoid triggers
- 2. Create an asthma action plan
Medical Video: ASTHMA TREATMENT – Home Remedies to Cure Asthma Naturally
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease caused by inflammation and narrowing of the airways (bronchi). Inflammation then also causes the lungs to produce excessive mucus which makes it difficult for air to enter and exit smoothly. Asthma cannot be cured, but there are various types of asthma therapy that doctors recommend to control the severity of symptoms.
What causes asthma?
The causes of asthma to date are unknown. However, there are a number of factors that can increase a person's risk of developing asthma. Health experts and researchers agree that genetic and environmental factors play a very important role in the emergence of asthma from an early age.
The most common risk factors for asthma are:
- The body's tendency to suffer from allergies, which is called atopy.
- Parents or your family has asthma
- Having an upper respiratory tract infection (ARI) certain when he was a child. Because, sthe child's immune system is not fully strong to fight infection.
Asthma attacks can also occur when the body is exposed to things that can cause the respiratory tract to become inflamed. For example, inhaling foreign substances in the air (dust mites; stinging perfumes and fragrances; air pollution from vehicle exhaust fumes / chemical fumes on factory wastes / cigarette smoke; animal hair; flower pollen; tree wood powder; etc.) or drastic changes in weather and temperature. Severe food allergic reactions and exercise that is too intense can also trigger relapse of asthma.
Get to know the general signs and symptoms of an asthma attack
- Cough
A hard cough is the most common symptom of asthma. The cough can be a dry or phlegm (slimy) cough. Asthma cough tends to worsen at night or after physical activity that is too heavy.
If you cough continuously and last long with / without accompanying symptoms of asthma, this might indicate that you have a type of asthma cough.
- Wheezing
Wheezing is also one of the most common symptoms of asthma. Wheezing is a sound of breath that sounds soft like a whistle or sounds "tickling" every time you breathe. This sound arises because the air entering and exiting the lung is forced through the narrow airway and is blocked by mucus.
Even so it does not mean that people who experience wheezing must have asthma. Because, wheezing can also be a symptom of other respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia (lung infection).
- Difficult to breathe freely
Asthma makes it difficult for you to breathe freely because inflammation makes your airways (bronchi) narrow and clogged up with lung mucus. You may also often feel out of breath (exasperating) or interesting distress and take a deep breath.
Symptoms of asthma can trigger anxiety and panic because you feel unable to breathe freely. A stressful and anxious response then makes you more difficult to breathe. This condition is called hyperventilation.
- The chest feels stiff
Another asthma symptom is a tight chest sensation like one that wraps the rope tightly around your chest. This sensation arises from the airway muscles that swell due to inflammation, and then narrow the airway tunnel. This is what makes you feel a feeling of stiffness or tension in the chest area. Chest pain and stiffness make it difficult for you to breathe freely.
The choice of asthma therapy recommended by the doctor
Asthma symptoms recur and can appear suddenly in unexpected times and places. But before undergoing certain asthma therapies, it's a good idea to consult a doctor first to find out the type of asthma and how severe your symptoms are.
The goal is that you can anticipate what you need to do to prevent and deal with an asthma attack when you relapse. Consulting a doctor is also important so that you really know what drugs and asthma therapy are effective especially for your condition.
Doctors generally recommend the following things as an attempt to control the severity of asthma symptoms.
1. Use medication
Most people with asthma will be encouraged to follow long-term or short-term asthma therapy, depending on the type of asthma experienced. If you have intermittent asthma, your doctor will recommend short-term therapy. While if you have asthma including chronic or persistent mild to severe, asthma treatment that is suitable for you is long-term therapy.
Long-term asthma treatment aims to controlling the severity of asthma symptoms and prevent it from recurring continuously. Meanwhile, short-term therapy generally aims to be immediate relieve asthma symptoms acute when an attack occurs.
The use of asthma medication inhaled through an inhaler or nebulizer is the doctor's first choice for the treatment of long-term asthma rather than oral medications. The reason, inhaled drugs work more effectively deliver drugs directly to the respiratory tract tissue and are safer because of the minimal risk of side effects.
Examples of inhaled steroid drugs that are usually used in the treatment of long-term asthma are omalizumab (anti-IgE), Long acting beta2 agonists, fluticasone (Flonase, Flovent HFA), budesonide (Pulmicort Felxhaler, Rhinocort), flunisolide (Aerospan HFA), ciclesonide (Alvesco , Omnaris, Zetonna), beclomethasone (Qnasl, Qvar), mometasone (Asmanex), and fluticasone furoate (Arnuity Ellipta).
Instead, doctors will prescribe oral steroids (drinking drugs) such as prednisone and methylprednisolone; leukotriene modifiers such as montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), and zileuton (Zyflo); or ipratropium as short-term therapy. Oral medications are usually only prescribed for 1-2 weeks of use and only to treat severe asthma attacks. This is because oral steroid drugs can cause serious side effects if used continuously in the long term.
Even though your asthma symptoms begin to improve, try to keep taking regular medication and don't stop or change the dose without the doctor's knowledge. It's best to take your medication to each doctor's visit, every work, or even when you leave the house just in case you deal with symptoms that can recur at any time.
2. Respiratory training
Your doctor may refer you to a respiratory therapist to guide and teach you special breathing techniques that can control asthma symptoms.
As explained above, asthma symptoms can appear or be exacerbated by stress or excessive anxiety. Well, good breathing techniques can help you relieve stress and regulate breathing patterns more regularly. Regular breathing exercises can also help improvelung function to accommodate and absorb oxygen.
The easiest way to do breathing techniques is as follows:
- Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit or lie down. Try to leave your mind blank. After that, put one hand on the chest and one hand on the stomach.
- Take a slow breath through the nose in 5 slow counts. Let your chest and lower abdomen expand continuously until you feel your hands go up too. This means that your diaphragm is moving downward to make room for your lungs to be filled with oxygenated air.
- Hold your breath for as long as you can, then slowly exhale through your nose also in 5 slow counts. While doing this, you should feel your hands slowly coming down.
- Repeat for several minutes until breathing becomes more regular.
Practicing deep breathing techniques every day will familiarize your body to breathe the right way. That way when you are in a stressful situation that can trigger asthma to recur, you will instinctively use this technique to regulate your breath.
3. Yoga
Quoted from Everyday Health, yoga exercises you can also try as a therapy that is quite effective asthma. Constantine Saadeh, MD, director of Allergy ARTS (Asthma, Rheumatology Treatment Specialists) in Texas says that people with asthma can make yoga a natural way of treatment and prevention of asthma.
Yoga will challenge you to regulate the pattern of pulling and breathing, especially when you are struggling to maintain a balanced body posture from intricate and unfamiliar yoga poses for the body. The more complex your yoga poses are, the body will automatically instruct the lungs to take and take a deep breath slowly to save energy when you really need it.
Yoga breathing techniques will also gradually increase lung capacity to allow you to breathe more oxygen in a shorter amount of breathing.A study conducted on 57 adult participants for 8 weeks showed that regular yoga practice showed improvement in lung function and reduced their asthma symptoms.
Yoga can also reduce stress symptoms that can trigger asthma.
4. Swim
For some people, exercise that is too intense can trigger a recurrence of asthma. This is because when you exercise heavily, you may unconsciously pull and exhale through your mouth. This way of breathing makes you even more short of breath because the air entering the lungs is dry air. Dry air will irritate the airways and trigger them to narrow, which eventually triggers asthma symptoms.
On the other hand, the right type of exercise can be an asthma therapy option for controlling symptoms in the long run.Swimming is one of the most recommended sports for doctors with asthma.
Some studies reveal that swimming regularly as a therapy for additional asthma can reduce the severity of symptoms compared to just using drugs. This is becauseambient air around the humid pool. Inhaling damp air can keep the airways constantly moist so they are not dry and irritated.
In addition, swimming can also be a mild alternative for asthmatics to stay active. Because the lack of exercise can also make the physical condition of people with asthma more susceptible to diseases and asthma attacks.
When you want to swim to overcome asthma, pay attention to your posture.Horizontal posture (not perpendicular) when swimming can relax the muscles around the airway which can make you breathe more easily.Because, your body does not need to support too much pressure like when you are standing upright
5. Check lung function frequently with peak flower meter
People with asthma should have itpeak flower meter. Peak flow meter is a tool to measure the amount of air flow inhaled by the lungs. Experts and doctors often recommend people with asthma use this tool as one way to control asthma.
How to use a peak flow meter is to insert the tip of the tool into the mouth and breathe in breath as usual, then exhale into the cavity of this tool. The highest number coming out of peak flow meter is a good respiratory function value. While if the number is lowindicates that your lungs are not working properly.
When you are first diagnosed with asthma, your doctor may ask you to use a peak flow meter every day for 2-3 weeks. Most asthma action plans are based on your peak flow readings.
6. Healthy diet
There is no diet specifically for people with asthma. Even so, several studies have shown that people with asthma who can maintain high nutritious food intake are less likely to experience asthma recurrence.
The best type of food for people with asthma should be high in vitamin A C D and E, beta-carotene, antioxidant flavonoids, magnesium, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. You can fulfill it by following a Mediterranean diet that includes lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, wheat, to healthy fats from olive oil and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines) in its daily diet. Also add some herbs such as rosemary, sage, oregano, ginger, and turmeric in your food.
Don't forget to eat at least one apple every day. Research published in The American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine found that people with asthma who eat apples twice a week can experience a reduced risk of asthma attacks up to 3 times lower. This benefit comes from the high antioxidants contained in red apple skin which can help control allergies and reduce inflammation.
Besides increasing healthy eating, you should avoid:
- Food processing and packaging
- Processed foods made with artificial flavorings and preservatives.
- Avoid milk and processed products (butter / butter, yogurt, cheese, etc.) if you have milk allergies or lactose intolerance.
- Eat as fried and fatty, because it can increase inflammation in the body including the respiratory tract. These foods also inhibit the work of the drug therapy for asthma.
What should be done if at any time asthma recurs?
When asthma recurs, immediately take the following steps:
- Stay calm and immediately sit as relaxed as possible while trying to catch your breath slowly. Try to take a deep breath with 10 beats and exhale slowly with the same count. Repeat repeatedly until your breath becomes regular.
- You can also loosen clothes that are too tight so you can breathe more freely.
- Use your breathing apparatus, whether it's an inhaler or nebulizer. Try to always put the device in a place that is easily accessible at any time.
How to use the inhaler correctly and more effectively is as follows:
- Sit or stand upright when using an inhaler.
- Beat the inhaler well before inhaling it.
- Take a quick breath as soon as you press the inhaler.
- Hold your breath for at least 10 seconds after inhaling it.
- If you need to use more than one sniff per dose, wait a few minutes between each suction. If you use bronchodilator medicine work fast, give a 3-5 minute pause. For other types, give a 1 minute pause.
- Pull and exhale slowly between each suction.
Mouthpiece the inhaler (mouthpiece where you place your mouth) needs to be cleaned every time you use it. Dry it naturally. Do not use a cloth to wipe it dry.
How to use Nebulizer are as follows:
- Wash hands with soap under running water to prevent germs from entering the lungs through the hands that touch the nebulizer.
- Prepare the medicine to be used. If the medicine has been mixed, pour it directly into the nebulizer medicine container. If not, enter one by one using a pipette or syringe.
- Add saline fluid if needed and prescribe the doctor.
- Connect the medicine container to the machine and also the mask to the top of the container.
- Attach the mask to the face to cover the nose and mouth. Make sure the edges of the mask are well sealed with the face, so that no medicinal vapors escape from the sides of the mask.
- Turn on the engine then inhale with your nose and slowly remove it through your mouth.
- You can end it when there is no more steam coming out. This is a sign that the drug is up.
After using a breathing apparatus, pay attention to your body's reaction. If the symptoms of an asthma attack such as coughing, tightness and wheezing subside within 4 hours after inhaling the drug, you are already improving. Continue to use the breathing apparatus as recommended by the doctor or use every 3 to 4 hours for 1 to 2 days after that until the symptoms actually stop.
If the symptoms of asthma don't improve after days of taking inhaled drugs, go to the hospital immediately to get emergency treatment.
Tips to prevent asthma relapse
1. Avoid triggers
Asthma can recur at any time without your expectation. So if you have been diagnosed with asthma, it's important to know what specifically triggers your attack. The most common triggers for asthma include:
- Dust, animal hair, cockroaches, fungi, mites, and pollen from trees, grass and flowers.
- Cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemicals or dust in the workplace, compounds in home decoration products, and sprays (such as perfume or hairspray)
- NSAID pain medication (aspirin or ibuprofen) and nonselective beta-blockers for heart disease.
- Sulfite, preservatives for food and drinks
- Up stomach acid.
- Upper respiratory viral infections, such as influenza colds and sinus infections.
- Physical activity, including sports.
- Excessive stress and anxiety.
- Singing, laughing, or crying too much.
Once you know what causes your asthma attack, avoid these things as much as possible.
- Routinely clean the house from mold, dust, pollen, and air pollution.
- Use a humidifier in the bedroom or other activity room.
- Fix leaking channels or water sources as soon as possible.
- Install the exhaust in the bathroom to facilitate air circulation.
- Avoid drastic changes in temperature in a short time.
- Maintain a healthy body so you don't get sick easily or get an infection.
- Manage stress well.
- Enough sleep.
2. Create an asthma action plan
People with chronic asthma should have an easy-to-reach asthma action plan record sheet. The action plan for asthma aims to prevent your asthma condition from interfering with your daily activities.
It contains a number of basic information related to a list of symptoms triggers, the dosage of the medication used (as well as when and how to use it), to first aid instructions for dealing with asthma attacks. You must also include an emergency telephone number, such as the guardian / closest family member, your doctor's telephone number, an ambulance number, until the hospital emergency room.
Slip a copy of your action plan in your wallet or with your other important identity cards so that when asthma strikes in the public space, the person closest to you can access that information to help you. Make emergency ambulance number a quick call on your mobile.
