Asthma is a very common disease that affects around 235 million people worldwide. At present, this is an incurable disease and the medications are available only to keep the symptoms under control. In the case of severity, it will also lead to death. So it is better to consult a doctor when there is trouble in breathing and that resist you from doing your routine works. How does asthma occur? Environmental conditions like pollution, dust, etc are found to be the most common reasons. Some people are not prone to these conditions while others are getting affected due to their immune and poor lungs. Normal coughing is considered to be one of the asthma symptoms when it repeats for weeks, months, and even years.
How does it feel like?
It is a must to be aware of your body conditions to monitor the asthma presence. How to find out if you are suffering from asthma?
Trouble in breathing – this is the first thing that shows out. You may not be able to breathe normally if your environmental condition is too cold or dusty. It begins with wheezing (whistle sound) when you breathe and affects your day-to-day activities. This sound arises if your airways are either swollen or narrowed, which is what we name asthma, a chronic disease.
Chest pain – As the air passage got narrowed or inflamed, it disturbs the lungs from doing their work properly. This causes pain in the chest making you feel uncomfortable and is medically called an “asthma attack”.
Coughing during exercise or sleep – A continuous coughing during the night or when exercising is another feel that shows there is a problem in your lungs.
Too much mucus – Mucus is the naturally produced substance from the mucous glands. It is dangerous when there is too much secretion and that blocks the airways.
Types of asthma
There are various types of asthma identified based on the occurrence or region affected.
- Exercise-induced asthma – as the name implies, the person gets the symptoms in 15-20 minutes of any physical activity.
- Allergic asthma – certain conditions like cold, mold, dust, pollen, and pets’ hair can create difficulty in breathing.
- Non- allergic asthma – irritants in the air like perfumes, air fresheners, cigarette smoke, burning wood, etc. can make the lungs weak.
- Genital asthma – sometimes it is your blood relatives from where you get affected and hence named inheritable.
- Aspirin-induced asthma – the symptoms were triggered due to certain medications like ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin.
What is the common treatment in practice?
Like we discussed earlier, asthma is incurable, only the symptoms can be controlled with the help of certain medications as prescribed by the doctor. An asthma inhaler is the commonly used treatment method that prevents blockage and gives instant relief from the difficulty in breathing. In the case of severe asthma, the bronchial thermoplasty method is used, in which the doctor will heat up the insides of the lungs using electrodes that will smoothen the muscles and reduce the tightening.
How to prevent it?
Here are a few tips to avoid asthma:
- Keeping away from environmental conditions which caused the asthma symptoms earlier.
- Getting vaccinated for pneumonia.
- Staying away from allergens that cause breathing problems.
On a quick note, don’t panic if you get this disease. Following recommended dosage of medications prescribed by your doctor helps keep this under control. Natural treatments like breathing exercises are usually recommended to keep your lungs healthy. Do you know any other natural methods to control? Please let us know in your comments.