Asthma is a respiratory disorder that causes difficulty breathing, coughing and tightness in the chest. The word from which it derives, ásthma, is of Greek origin and means ” painful, tiring breathing “. During an asthma attack, a spasm, or contracture, of the bronchial walls occurs, resulting in an obstacle to free airflow from the pulmonary alveoli. Let’s find out better.
Symptoms Of Asthma
The affected person feels a sense of suffocation accompanied by cough and, sometimes, excitation. The predisposition to this disorder is due to heredity, infections or exposure to secondhand smoke. Most children develop asthma symptoms in the first six years of age, and a fifth of these continue to have asthma in adulthood. There are cases of bronchial asthma not attributable to allergenic causes, but generally, asthma has an allergic genesis.
The factors that most frequently turn out to be responsible for asthmatic phenomena in predisposed subjects are foods (milk, eggs, dried fruit, starchy foods, peas, tomatoes, cod, crustaceans, strawberries); chemical substances; epidermal derivatives of domestic animals; plant pollen; medications; industrial and household dust, especially those in which the parasite. Dermatophagoides pterinyssimusis present, a mite that proliferates in temperate climates and lives in mattresses. In adulthood, it must be borne in mind that the symptoms may also be blurred due to their subjectivity and that thoracic objectivity can be damaging, especially in the initial stages of the disease.
Causes
Bronchial asthma can be allergic in nature or infectious in nature. In the first case, asthma is triggered by external agents, such as irritants, pollutants and various allergens (dust, animal hair, some foods or pollen). In the second case, however, asthma can be generated by various viruses that can infect the respiratory tract. There are also circumstances in which some medicines, such as aspirin and other non-steroidal drugs, can cause the onset of asthma, or the cold and physical exertion can trigger acute asthma attacks.
Diagnosis
When wheezing, coughing and respiratory distress persist, the diagnosis is as easy as that of an asthmatic state. The anamnesis implies the evaluation of the modality of the onset of these symptoms (example: seasonal repetition, in the presence of rhinoconjunctivitis, during exercise, after a cold that is difficult to heal, in association with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, in association with symptoms of sinusitis) and the detection of objective signs ( wheezing ).
Diet
Asthma is a predominantly allergic disorder. It is essential to follow a natural diet that excludes the presence of packaged products, food additives, pesticides and heavy metals. Foods containing allergenic substances such as milk and dairy products, eggs, nuts, shellfish, meats, alcohol, chocolate and some types of fruits such as strawberries and kiwis should be avoided. The liver mustn’t become overloaded because in allergic-based disorders, eliminating toxins from the body is essential. For this reason, excess animal proteins and foods from the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines, peppers and chili) should also be reduced.
An organic diet rich in whole grains, legumes, blue fish, oil seeds, extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, and fruit is essential. Many studies show a significant improvement in asthma in subjects who prefer a healthy and organic diet that tends to be vegetarian, taking care not to overload the body with dairy products and derivatives but by choosing other protein sources such as legumes, seitan and based products. of soy. Avoid, especially in allergic asthma, chocolate, nuts, eggs, meat, milk and dairy products, which could trigger breathing difficulties.
Herbal Remedies For Asthma
Factors that can lead to the onset of asthma include allergies, genetic predisposition, infections, heart failure, smoking, and stress. Therefore the officinal plants used in asthma therapy have an anti-inflammatory action on the mucous membranes, fluidifies and expectorants for the phlegm they produce.
Helichrysum
The flowering tops are used to treat allergies, which affect the airways and skin tissues. The plant has antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antibacterial properties and is, therefore, both allergic and infectious respiratory diseases. In herbal tea or mother tincture, it promotes the elimination of bronchial catarrh, reduces the excessive spasms of asthma and allergic inflammations of the nasal mucosa. Among the remedies used by phytotherapy for this disorder, we find the bud extracts of:
Black Currant
( Ribes nigrum ) is the elective remedy for all acute and inflammatory allergic syndromes at the level of the internal mucous membranes, as it behaves like a cortisone-like, stimulating the adrenal cortex in the production of cortisol; for this reason, it is used in case of chronic bronchitis and allergic asthma. Black currant can have side effects, such as allergies and high blood pressure. Always consult a doctor before taking it.
Lantana
( Viburnum lantana ) indicated for allergic, episodic, intermittent, periodic or continuous bronchial asthma associated with allergic soil infection, chronic bronchitis with asthma, dyspnoea (difficulty breathing), chest tightness and pertussis.
Black Alder
( Alnus glutinosa ) is used for allergic asthmatic forms because it is a stimulator of the adrenal cortex like Ribes nigrum. Its use is also helpful in inflammatory states that tend to become chronic in the acute phases of the mucous membranes, pleurisy and pneumonia.
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