Asthma

1
Asthma Facts, Management and Treatment
Strategies

• Study of the disease, management and alternative
  treatments
• 
  by Livia Tiba Classical
  Homeopath

2
What is Asthma?

• Asthma is a respiratory disease that affects the
  breathing passages of the lungs.
• There is a chronic (ongoing, long-term)
  inflammation of the breathing passages as a
  result of overreaction to stimuli such as
  aero-allergens and cold, dry air.

3
What is happening in Asthma?

• As the airways or bronchial tubes, become
  inflamed and sensitive, the muscles around the
  bronchial tubes tighten, causing the airways to
  narrow. This is known as bronchospasm or
  bronchoconstriction.
• Mucus is produced within the bronchial tubes,
  further restricting the air flow

4
Common Symptoms in Asthma

• Asthma can cause any or all of the following
  symptoms
• Shortness of breath
• Tightness in the chest
• Coughing
• Wheezing

5
Who is affected?

• Asthma affects over half a million children in
  Canada and is the leading cause of school
  absences. (Asthma
  Society of Canada www.asthma.ca)
• Conform to Canadas National Statistical Agency,
  from 2005, over 2.2 millions (10) of people aged
  12 and older are suffering from asthma, the
  number increasing each year. It is estimated that
  currently over 3 millions Canadians have asthma.
• Asthma disproportionately affects children and
  Afro-Americans. Within the general population,
  asthma affects slightly more females than males
  however, among children, it affects males more.
• According to the World Health Organization,
  asthma is now a serious public health problem
  with over 100 million sufferers worldwide.

6
Where Asthma Starts? Studies show that
first-born asthma starts in the womb

• A study of 1,200 children on the U.K.'s Isle of
  Wight, followed from birth into childhood, found
  that first-borns children are known to have a
  higher risk for developing asthma and allergies
  than their younger siblings
• They have discovered that first-born children had
  higher levels of a certain immune-response
  substance, IgE - an antibody responsible for
  allergic reactions - in their umbilical cord
  blood than did second-born children.
• The study also showed that the elevated risk for
  asthma and allergies persisted in eldest children
  throughout childhood and they have about double
  the risk of reacting to skin-prick allergy
  testing than did their younger siblings
  
  (HealthNews cbc.ca)

7
Where Asthma starts?

• An overactive immune system leads to allergies,
  usually starting in early childhood as skin
  eczema or atopic dermatitis, sometimes called
  infantile eczema, that is a chronic skin disorder
  that involves scaly and itchy rashes.
• There is a clear evidence that children
  developing eczema, in the percent as high as 80,
  will develop asthma or allergic rhinitis, and
  nearly 70 of them have a positive family history
  of atopy. (National Library of Medicine.
  Understanding Allergy and Asthma)

8
How could be prevented?

• Studies have shown that the primary prevention
  strategies of asthma include exclusive
  breastfeeding for the first six months of life,
  avoidance of maternal smoking during pregnancy
  and infancy and reducing the levels of well-known
  allergy triggers in the environment.
  (Oddy, W.H. et al. BMJ 319
  815-818, 1999 Tang, M. L. Med J Aust
  177S75-77, 2002 )
• Developing asthma depends on a combination of
  genetic tendencies and environmental triggers, so
  the best prevention is to address both these
  factors.
• The genetic tendency can be addressed by holistic
  medicines such as homeopathy and acupuncture.

9
Classical Treatment for Asthma

• The classical medicine treatment of asthma is by
  controlling the symptoms and asthma is considered
  an incurable disease. Asthma medications are
  mainly anti inflammatory and bronchodilator drugs
  and they can fall into three general categories
  
• Relievers
• Controllers
• Combination medications
• Relievers (Rescue medication) - help stop the
  symptoms of an asthma attack and are used as
  needed at the first sign of shortness of breath,
  coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. These
  are fast-acting bronchodilators.
• Controllers ( Maintenance medication) - keep
  asthma under control over time by reducing
  inflammation and mucous in the airways. These
  include corticosteroids and long-acting
  bronchodilators.
• Combination medications - contain a controller
  and reliever medication in a single inhaler.

10
Side effects of drugs

• Fast-acting bronchodilators (Rescue medication) -
  work by opening up the airways, making it easier
  to breathe. Side-effects such as nervousness,
  shaking, fast heartbeat, and palpitations.
• Corticosteroids (inhaled, oral, and injected)
  as maintenance medication, they work to keep the
  inflammation and reactive airways under control.
  Side-effects such as sore mouth or throat, loss
  of voice (inhaled drug), weight gain, mood
  changes, increased blood sugar, osteoporosis,
  growth suppression in children, unwanted hair
  growth (oral or injected).
• Inhaled medication is known to have less
  side-effects on the body compared to oral or
  injected medication, due to the fact that is
  applied locally on the respiratory mucosa.
• There are two main limitations to this approach.
  Firstly, the risk of significant side effects and
  secondly, the drug approach does not offer a long
  term solution as it is not treating the cause of
  the disease, offering only palliation.

11
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• Statistics show that an increased number of
  people are using CAM (Complementary and
  Alternative Medicine) in the treatment of
  different conditions. (Barnes P, Powell-Griner
  E, McFann K, Nahin R. CDC Advance Data Report
  343. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use
  Among Adults United States, 2002. May 27, 2004. )

12
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• Reasons for using CAM

13
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• Complementary and alternative therapies (CAM)
  most commonly used for asthma are
• Lifestyle changes
• Herbal remedies
• Physical therapies
• Homeopathy
• Lifestyle changes involve
• Dietary changes (allergic reaction to specific
  food allergens vegetarian, macrobiotic, avoiding
  allergens, non-dairy diet)
• Exercise and breathing exercising techniques
• Environment changes avoiding triggers and
  maintaining clean indoor air
• Herbal remedies there are a variety of herbal
  medicine that can help in relieving the symptoms.
  Caution They can also interact with the
  conventional medication and can have side-effects
  especially with improper use.

14
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• Physical therapies
• A physical therapy for asthma is Halotherapy
  (halos - salt in Greek). Halotherapy replicates
  the conditions of Speleotherapy (speleo - cave in
  Greek) which has been practiced in salt caves of
  Eastern and Central Europe for over 150 years.
• Halotherapy involves the use of a salt therapy
  device that simulates the micro-environment found
  in a salt mine, by placing very small
  micro-particles of salt and negative ions of salt
  into the indoor air. These salt micro-particles
  can reach up to the alveoli in the lungs and help
  in maintaining a good health over whole
  respiratory system.

15
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• The salt is known to have properties such as
• hydrophilic (absorbs water -edema - from the
  internal mucosa of the respiratory tract,
  reducing the inflammation )
• mucolytic and mucokinetic (restore the normal
  transport of mucus and unclog blockages in the
  bronchi and bronchioles)
• antibacterial (kills bacteria from the
  respiratory tract reducing inflammation)
• There are many clinical studies that involve the
  salt therapy in various respiratory diseases,
  indicating excellent results. (http//www.salineth
  erapy.com/html/research___studies.html)
• Salt therapy is a non-invasive, natural and no
  side-effects treatment in all respiratory
  conditions, for all people and animals. (more
  info http//www.salinetherapy.com)

16
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• Homeopathy
• is a holistic medicine that is founded on a
  gestalt philosophy in which the whole is more
  than the sum of its parts. No disease is totally
  local without affecting the whole body.
• is based on cardinal principles and thoroughly
  tested remedies on healthy people and gathered in
  Materia Medica. These contain the checks and
  balances that make homoeopathy a safe and
  effective healing art.
• In Homeopathy the healing process often shows the
  following set of observations
• The disease is cured in the reverse order of
  symptoms appearance (last symptoms are the first
  to disappear and older symptoms can reappear and
  fade away under the treatment)
• The disease migrates from inside to outside (e.g.
  from an inner organ to the skin, small joints)
• The disease migrates from above to below

17
Alternative Complementary Treatment

• Conform today researches (e.g. National Library
  of Medicine. Understanding Allergy and Asthma)
  children developing eczema or atopic dermatitis
  in the percent as high as 80, will develop
  asthma or allergic rhinitis.
• Using Homeopathy, the healing process can be
  easily seen as eczema will come back on the skin
  - for those who asthma have originated from
  suppression of a skin disease - as the symptoms
  of asthma subside under the treatment and an
  improved quality of life will be noticed. Under
  the action of homeopathic remedy the eczema will
  clear also, leaving the body in a healthy state
  (homeostasis).
• The homeopathic healing process can be a long
  process in chronic diseases but the vitality and
  well-being will be noticed right from the
  beginning, during the whole process. (More info
  http//www.thegentlecure.com)