What is Asthma

Asthma is a respiratory disease marked by spasms in the bronchi of the lungs leading to difficulty in breathing in an individual.

Asthma Symptoms

The most common symptoms of asthma include:
• Wheezing (a whistling or squeaky, almost musical-like sound during breathing)
• Shortness of breath (feeling like you are not getting enough air into your lungs)
• Cough, which may contain phlegm and is generally worse at night or early in the morning
• Chest tightness, pain, or pressure, or feeling like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest

Factors that Cause Asthma

Hereditary Factor – An individual whose parents are asthmatic has a likelihood of having the disease.
Lifestyle – Such as tobacco smoking.
Environmental Factors – Living close to dusty places, cockroaches, pets, outdoor air pollution, mold, smoke from burning wood or grass and infections.
Asthma can be made worse by the following factors – exercise, food additives, food preservatives, fragrances, medicines and emotions.

 
Asthma Treatment
Asthma medication can provide quick relief from symptoms or help control the disease in the long term.
Asthma treatment aims to do the following:
• Quickly resolve symptoms when they pop up
• Prevent symptoms and attacks
• Improve your sleep and activity levels

 
Home Remedies
There are various steps you can take at home to help manage your asthma.
Work with your doctor to create an asthma action plan that covers how to:
• Take your medication properly
• Avoid asthma triggers unrelated to physical activity, such as allergens and airborne irritants
• Track your asthma control
• Respond to worsening symptoms
• Seek emergency care
• Avoid or quit smoking