Asthma Treatment & Information

For most asthmatics, a combination of short- and long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled steroids work well to control asthma symptoms including cough, chest tightness and wheezing. However, approximately five percent of asthmatics have a severe resistive form of the disease that does not respond well to conventional treatment. In these individuals, a currently investigational non-drug procedure called bronchial thermoplasty may be helpful in the future.

In bronchial thermoplasty, a bronchoscope is inserted by a pulmonologist into an individual’s trachea and into the bronchial tubes that lead to the lungs. Heat is applied through a special catheter attached to a radiowave generator to remove some of the smooth muscle that constricts and causes airway spasms during an asthma attack. The temperature reaches approximately 149 degrees and reduces the muscle mass but does not cause scarring or damage to the lung tissue. Studies have shown that although initially there is a slight increase in respiratory problems, six weeks after this procedure, most asthmatics are able to reduce the amount of short-acting bronchodilator needed and many could taper off oral steroids. All of the trial participants reported a significant increase in symptom-free days. The procedure lasts less than an hour and is done as an outpatient. No general sedation is needed. Approximately three treatments are needed to treat the entire lung tissue.

As with any bronchoscopic procedure, risks include an initial increase in coughing or wheezing, infection, irregular heartbeat, or bleeding. Most side effects were transient and resolved within one day to one week after the procedure. The benefits of the procedure seem to persist for at least one year and will most likely be permanent lifetime improvements. Although this procedure is helpful in significantly reducing symptoms, it does not cure asthma and maintenance medications will continue to be needed, although most likely in decreased dosages.

Although this procedure is not yet available out of the research population, these patients continue to be monitored closely and will hopefully be obtainable soon by other severe asthmatics.

Who is More Likely to Suffer from Asthma?

Asthma is a worldwide disease, more common in urban than rural areas and accounts for about 25 per cent of all non-tuberculous chest diseases. It may occur at any age, but in 50 per cent of the patients, it starts before the age often. It is more common in boys than in girls, but at the age of 30 years, the incidence is equal. About 25 to 30 per cent of asthmatic children spontaneously recover during adolescence, while a few recover several years later. Asthma occurring during adult life is more serious. The attacks are more frequent and prolonged.

Treatment

With the advancement in the methodology of treatment, the life expectancy of asthmatics have been considerably increased than in the past. The management of bronchial asthma includes specific treatment aimed at removal of the cause and symptomatic treatment.

Specific Treatment

If the cause of the asthma can be discovered, every effort should be made towards its removal to provide complete and permanent relief. If the patient develops symptoms of allergy, such as skin rashes, itching and pruritus and running nose the possible allergen (substance causing allergy) should be identified. Its removal is the most effective way of controlling allergic asthma. If this is not possible, desensitization by using an extract of specific allergen should be attempted. In many cases of allergic asthma, the specific allergen is not identifiable and anti­allergic drugs are tried. A few patients of seasonal asthma are benefited by temporarily moving to another town before the onset of a particular season, but this is not always feasible.

If infection is the cause, the person should protect himself from stress and strain due to extremes of weather. Frequent attacks of common cold may lead to asthma. Intensive treatment with a specific antibiotic must be instituted immediately. The most common offending organisms are Pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae. In these infections, broad-spectrum antibiotics like amoxycillin, cefuroxime or ampicillin are usually effective.

Symptomatic Treatment

The drugs used for providing symptomatic relief are those which prevent bronchospasms or cause broncho-dilatation. These can be divided into two groups: 1) for treatment during acute attack; and 2) for prevention and heatment of chronic asthma.

For Acute Attack

Adrenergic Beta:-Receptor Simulants: Salbutamol (Asthalin, Bronkotab, Ventrolin), Terbutaline (Bricanyl), Adrenaline

Stimulation of the adrenergic beta-receptors of the lungs causes relaxation of the bronchioles and opens up the respiratory airway. Salbutamol and terbutaline are most effective.

Salbutamol (Albuterol)

It is the most commonly used drug to produce dilatation of narrowed airways in asthma. For acute attack it is given by inhalation (patient inhales the drug by a deep inspiration with nose pinched; training is needed for optimal results). Two types of inhalers are available.

Adrenaline

It has been the time tested’ gold standard’ for the termination of acute attack of bronchial asthma. However, because it disturbs the heart rhythm it is now used rarely and its use should be avoided. For the same reason Isoprenaline is not used today.

Direct-Acting Drugs: Theophylline, Aminophylline, Deriphylline

Theophylline and its preparation, aminophylline, cause dilatation of bronchioles by direct action. Aminophylline which contains theophylline and ethylenediamine as a dissolving agent, is very frequently used for providing immediate relief during an acute attack of bronchial asthma. In this condition, aminophylline is given in a well-diluted solution by the intravenous route. Theophylline is also given by the oral route along with ephedrine and other drugs, for prevention of reoccurrence of asthmatic attacks. These are discussed at the end of this chapter. Theophylline is more effective when given at night to prevent occurrence of night time attacks.

Dosage: The average oral daily dose of theophylline is 100 to 200 mg given 3 to 4 times a day. This is generally not tolerated by most patients. To provide immediate relief, aminophylline, containing 250 mg of theophylline, is diluted in 20 ml of5% glucose and injected intravenously, very slowly, over a period of 5 to 10 minutes. Deriphylline causes less gastric irritation and is better absorbed.

Adverse Effects and Precautions: Theophylline is irregularly absorbed and an effective dose given by mouth causes irritation in the gastro-intestinal tract. So it should never be taken on an empty stomach. The most common adverse effects are nausea, anorexia, and vomiting. A very quick intravenous injection of undiluted theophylline may cause a sudden fall in blood pressure, and irregular beating of heart.

Asthma is a chronic and a common condition that occurs when the main air channel of the lungs and bronchial tubes become swollen. It causes coughing, wheezing, tightness of the chest and difficulty in breathing. Asthma is a treatable condition. Treatments usually seek to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of your asthma attacks.

Though Asthma cannot be cured permanently, asthma treatment if managed effectively can prevent asthma attack. One of the Asthma treatments that are usually followed is using medications which can be taken orally or inhaled in vapour form. They reduce inflammation in your airways and prevent blood vessels from leaking fluid into your airway tissues.

Asthma therapy needs to be flexible according to changes in symptoms, which should be determined thoroughly by your doctor and then the treatment can be adjusted accordingly. In case the asthma is kept well under control, your doctor may prescribe less medicine. However, if your asthma is not kept under control or has worsened, your doctor may accordingly raise your medication dose and also advise more frequent checking.

Asthma can be treated through several types of medications. A combination of long-term control medications and quick relief medications is generally used. The main types of asthma medications include:

Long-term-control medications, also called as preventers are used regularly and are taken long term to control chronic symptoms and prevent asthma attacks. These medications are generally used every day for a long time, in order to control chronic asthma.

Quick-relief medications, also called as relievers are used for speedy, short-term relief during symptoms of worsening asthma attack. Medications for allergy-induced asthma reduce your body’s reaction to a particular allergy and prevent your immune system from reacting to allergies.

Due to a lot of different factors involved in asthma, a treatment plan will be different for different patients. Your doctor may prescribe and change the medications according to the severity of the asthma attack. It is advisable for you and your doctor to work together to control asthma, reduce severity and frequency of attacks and help lead a normal and active life. source

There are many causes of asthma and each person can have different asthma attack triggers. So, each person may need to use a different medical approach and different asthma natural remedies.

Using drugs to control your asthma makes sense when you first discover that you have asthma provided your asthma is well established or life threatening. Once you have your prescriptions and your doctor’s instructions, you should consider looking at or experimenting with natural remedies to control or even eliminate your asthma, since drugs are not a cure.

No matter what type of drug or inhaler you are using, they all have their side effects. The longer you use drugs or an inhaler, the less effective they become and most likely you will see side effects. You should use asthma natural remedies when you are having an asthma attack or when asthma is under control. There are four areas you need to concentrate on when examining asthma natural remedies.

1. Reduce mucus
2. Reduce inflammation
3. Reduce emotional and stressful situation
4. Improve immune system

Reduce Mucus

By using various herbs you can control and remove mucus from your bronchioles. Test various herbs or herbal combinations to determine which work best for you. Drink carrot and celery juice and drink plenty of water daily to help dilute and move mucus out of your body.

Reduce Inflammation

There are quite a few different nutrients that can help you reduce inflammation. You should consider using more than one at a time. Start with these and then experiment with the others.

• Add omega-3 to your diet by using flax seed oil or fish oil
• Use MSM supplements
• Take vitamin C supplement
• Systemic enzymes, try Vitalzyme
• Digestive enzymes

Reduce Emotional and Stressful Situation

Reducing stress in your life is a difficult area to deal with since some situations in your life are strongly anchored, like your job, your family, your friends, or marital situation. But if these areas are causing your stress and you frequently have asthma attacks, then you have to decide which is more important for you, your job or your health.

If your job is deteriorating your health, then start looking for a way out. This may require you to look for another job or to go back to school to get training for something you might like to do. Just take action and start changing your life.

Improve Immune System

Improving your immune system is accomplished through diet, through taking nutritional supplements, by reducing stress, and eliminating those conditions that overwork you body. The fewer things your immune system has to react to and get under control, the stronger it is to take care of an asthma attack when it occurs. When your immune system has to deal with toxins in your colon and throughout your body, then it is weakened and not able to neutralize pollen or pollution you inhale from the air which can trigger an asthma attack.

Use drugs when you first discover you have asthma can make sense. But, if your asthma is light, then finding asthma natural remedies to control it, instead of using drugs, also makes a lot of sense.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition with narrowed and inflamed airways caused as a result of hypersensitiveness to some allergens. The symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and in any individual from time to time. Many symptoms may be subtle and are also present in other respiratory conditions thus making diagnosis difficult. The four major recognized symptoms in asthma are shortness of breath with exertion, wheezing, cough that may be chronic or may occur when exposed to cold, dry air and chest tightness.

Most asthma medications work by relaxing bronchospasm (bronchodilators) or reducing inflammation (corticosteroids). Inhaled medications are preferred as they act directly on the airway surface and airway muscles where the asthma problems initiate and absorption of inhaled medications into the rest of the body is minimal. Inhaled medications include beta-2 agonists, anticholinergics, corticosteroids, and cromolyn sodium. Beta-2 agonists are inhaled bronchodilators which are called agonists because they promote the action of the beta-2 receptor of bronchial wall muscle. This receptor acts to relax the muscular wall of the airways (bronchi), resulting in bronchodilation. The bronchodilator action of beta- 2 agonists starts within minutes after inhalation and lasts for about four hours. Albuterol, metaproterenol, terbutaline sulfate are some beta-2 agonists.

The anticholinergic agents act on a different type of nerves than the beta-2 agonists to achieve a similar relaxation and opening of the airway passages. Ipratropium bromide is a commonly used anticholinergic agent. These two groups of bronchodilator inhalers when used together can produce an enhanced bronchodilation effect.

When symptoms of asthma are difficult to control with beta-2 agonists, inhaled corticosteroids are often added. Corticosteroids can improve lung function and reduce airway obstruction over time. Examples of inhaled corticosteroids include beclomethasone dipropionate. Expectorants are also used to thin airway mucus, making it easier to clear the mucus by coughing. For patients with atopic asthma, in addition to bronchodilator medications, avoiding allergens or other irritants is very important.

In patients who cannot avoid the allergens, or in those whose symptoms cannot be controlled by medications, allergy shots are considered. In patients with severe asthma, inhaled medications are unlikely to reverse the process and a mechanical ventilator may be needed to assist the lungs and respiratory muscles. A face mask or a breathing tube is inserted in the nose or mouth for this treatment. When asthma is unresponsive to treatment with an inhaler, patients should promptly seek medical attention at the closest hospital emergency room or their asthma specialist office. source