Ayurveda Remedies For Asthma:
Asthma is a disease of the human respiratory system in which the airways narrow, often in response to a trigger such as exposure to an allergen, cold air, excessive exercise or emotional stress. This narrowing causes symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing.
Causes:
Aggravated Kapha (water) accumulates in the airways, leading to their narrowing and obstruction. This causes an interruption in the flow of the air in the lungs, causing shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing. This happens because of increased intake of vata (air) and kapha aggravating foods, internal weakness of lung tissues, and various diseases affecting the lungs. Factors like living in a cold and damp atmosphere, having cold or stale food or drink, eating foods that are not easily digestible, and ama (mucus) formation that blocks the respiratory channels also causing difficulty in breathing.
Symptoms:
The onset of an Asthmatic attack may be sudden, with a sense of constriction in the chest, breathing becomes difficult, and wheezing occurs. However, between episodes, most patients feel fine.
Prime symptoms may include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, pain or tightness in the chest, flaring of the nostrils when breathing in, interrupted talking and agitation. These symptoms tend to be variable and may stop and start. They usually worsen at night.
Ayurvedic View:
Ayurveda regards Asthma as a disorder caused by impaired digestion. A malfunctioning digestive process causes hypersensitivity to certain substances, such as dust and pollen that triggers the asthma attacks. Deposits of ama (mucus) in the lungs and respiratory tract create obstruction in breathing and cause wheezing or coughing.
Ayurvedic treatment of asthma focuses on restoring digestion with herbal preparations and the right diet and lifestyle changes. The medicines primarily work on pacifying Kapha and cleansing toxins from the body. In addition, specific herbal combinations are also supplemented to boost the body’s immunity.
Diet & Lifestyle Advice:
Asthma is a disease of the human respiratory system in which the airways narrow, often in response to a trigger such as exposure to an allergen, cold air, excessive exercise or emotional stress. This narrowing causes symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing.
Causes:
Aggravated Kapha (water) accumulates in the airways, leading to their narrowing and obstruction. This causes an interruption in the flow of the air in the lungs, causing shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing. This happens because of increased intake of vata (air) and kapha aggravating foods, internal weakness of lung tissues, and various diseases affecting the lungs. Factors like living in a cold and damp atmosphere, having cold or stale food or drink, eating foods that are not easily digestible, and ama (mucus) formation that blocks the respiratory channels also causing difficulty in breathing.
Symptoms:
The onset of an Asthmatic attack may be sudden, with a sense of constriction in the chest, breathing becomes difficult, and wheezing occurs. However, between episodes, most patients feel fine.Prime symptoms may include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, pain or tightness in the chest, flaring of the nostrils when breathing in, interrupted talking and agitation. These symptoms tend to be variable and may stop and start. They usually worsen at night.
Ayurvedic View:
Ayurveda regards Asthma as a disorder caused by impaired digestion. A malfunctioning digestive process causes hypersensitivity to certain substances, such as dust and pollen that triggers the asthma attacks. Deposits of ama (mucus) in the lungs and respiratory tract create obstruction in breathing and cause wheezing or coughing.
Ayurvedic treatment of asthma focuses on restoring digestion with herbal preparations and the right diet and lifestyle changes. The medicines primarily work on pacifying Kapha and cleansing toxins from the body. In addition, specific herbal combinations are also supplemented to boost the body’s immunity.
Diet & Lifestyle Advice:
- Pulses like old rice (rice which is stored for at least one year is called old), wheat, barley, kulattha, mung beans, arhar beans, etc . should be consumed
- Honey, warm drinks like herbal teas, spice teas are also okay
- Sprouts, nuts and seeds can be taken in moderate amount
- The heavy foods and those which make ama should be avoided. This mainly includes milk products like cheese, curd, butter milk, creams, and banana, etc.
- Oily, greasy and fried foods which are difficult to digest should be avoided
- White flour and white sugar products should be avoided
- In addition, try to avoid the cold foods, cold drinks and other refrigerated things
- Avoid excessive or physically demanding exercise. Yoga and Pranayama can be helpful.
- Boil ½ teaspoon of freshly freshly-grated ginger in a glass of milk and add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder to it. Have it twice a day.
- Take ginger tea mixed with 2-3 crushed garlic cloves.
- Massaging the chest with warm sesame oil (5 ml) with a pinch of salt added to it helps to loosen the phlegm deposited in the chest, especially when followed with steam inhalation.
