Asthma Cures

Remedies for Childhood Asthma

Childhood asthma cannot be cured, however it can be suppressed to the point where it has little or no affect on the sufferer. Childhood asthma management seems to be the goal that we should realistically aim for. There is a lot of asthma medication available to help the treatment of childhood asthma, so it can be very manageable for most individuals. This, coupled with a lifestyle that enhances natural resistance, and a daily regime that avoids asthma triggers, means that childhood asthma sufferers can live an almost asthma free life.

Another problem with asthma is that it can be triggered by other allergies, for example the onset of Hayfever, or by changes in the sufferer's daily routine, for example if they go on a school trip, or have a visitor for the weekend.

Asthma is the most frequent chronic illness in children, affecting on average one in every ten, with one in four urban children being sufferers, compared to one in twenty in the adult population. Asthma is common in children and this is when it is most usually diagnosed. It is possible to start suffering from asthma as an adult and this is known as adult onset asthma.

Chronic means it is long lasting and recurring, however asthma is usually either totally or at least partially reversible with treatment.

Asthma is caused by inflammation in the air passages of the lungs, causing constriction of these passages which makes breathing difficult. In my daughter this involved recurrent attacks of breathlessness, often accompanied by wheezing, which was aggravated because she became distressed which in turn causes a loss of breathing control and so the situation spiraled into another distressful episode.

For instant relief from breathing problems, asthma medications are prescribed using inhalers which are preferred over tablet or liquid medications, because they act directly on the airway surface. The key to this is getting your little darling to remember to take the thing with them everywhere and use it according to the instructions.

I have read that childhood asthma symptoms can be classified into two main types: extrinsic, in which attacks are triggered by an allergy, and intrinsic, in which there is no obvious external cause for attacks. It is fortunate that my daughter's asthma is dominantly extrinsic or 'allergic' asthma, so we have had some success in identifying the more persistent causes and simply masking her from them. Asthma allergens can be triggered by many factors like and irritants caused by weather conditions, food varieties, drug intake and pretty much anything that could be breathed in, even perfumes.

In my daughter's case one of the triggers that sets off her asthma is cats. Stranger still, some cats affect her more than others. Not just touching a cat but even being in a room that a cat has been in. As my Mum has a cat visiting her house became a problem. We therefore had to restrict the time she spent in the house, which in the summer was easy because my Mum has a very nice patio.

We sometimes worry that medication is the only effective treatment of asthma, and feel that we do not want to be totally dependant on it because of our concerns over their long term use. There are a lot of alternative treatments for asthma, but because they have not been clinically tested no one can be sure of their effectiveness. Also, a lot are marketed by start up organisations or individuals, so there is a credibility gap that needs to be overcome. Having said that, there is a case for trying them, because some do work for some people.

In my daughter’s case where we tried homeopathic solutions, they were not particularly effective. Her current treatment involves taking Montelukast Sodium tablets once a day to alleviate asthma symptoms, runny nose and itchy eyes. She also uses a Beclometasone (brown) inhaler once per AM & PM as a preventer. She then has a Salbutamol (blue) inhaler for immediate relief, to be taken as much as needed if suffering an attack. A spacer is used to make the inhalers work more effectively by mixing the medication before it enters the airway.

Curing asthma with traditional remedies and natural cures does not inflict any adverse side effects on the patient. The best plan is to identify what suits you as a patient and of course, what also demonstrates effective results. The options that work best for us are: avoidance of the main triggers and irritants; a healthy active lifestyle; conventional medication reduced to a minimum and frequently reviewed to make sure they are working effectively.