ASTHMA IN THE MONSOON SEASON

A 25 year old woman came to my clinic with the complaint of asthma. She had been suffering from asthma since childhood and had taken many different inhalers and treatment. However every year during the monsoon season the attacks would become more intense and the frequency would increase. This was especially in Mumbai. If she went out of town to a dry climate she felt much better. She wanted to know if Homoeopathy would help her.

WHY DOES THE MONSOON AFFECT PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA?

Certain constitutions seem to be affected more by the wet, damp weather than any other season. During the monsoon season the humidity levels in the air are very high and this can cause problems for some people. Also there are a lot of viral infections and everybody seems to have a cold, cough, fever. Therefore people especially asthmatics, who are extra sensitive to the environment around them seem to get affected more during this season.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF AN ASTHMA ATTACK?

Here are a few of the common signs and symptoms that a person suffering from asthma experiences.
1. Breathlessness is the main symptom. The patient experiences a difficulty in breathing and has to exert in order to breathe.
2. The child usually has a cough, which causes problems. This cough may be dry or with congestion in the chest and comes on very frequently.
3. A wheeze may be heard while breathing. This is because of the narrowing of the bronchial tubes.
4. Thick mucous may be present which makes respiration more difficult.
5. There might be other respiratory symptoms like cold and blocking of the nose, which makes the child breathe through the mouth.
6. Flaring of the nostrils, using the neck and other accessory muscles of respiration is not a good sign.
7. There might be a fever and the patient feels exhausted and fatigued.
8. The child may become cranky and his or her behavior might change.
9. The asthma patient normally experiences a tightness of the chest. They feel as if a load is there.
10. The appetite decreases as the breathlessness and heaviness of the chest is worse after eating.

HOW IS AN ASTHMA ATTACK TREATED AND MANAGED?

There are a number of drugs and inhalers available for the treatment of an asthma attack. They help either by dilating the airways or by suppressing the immune reaction of the body to the allergen. Often steroids are used in the treatment of an attack and though they are very effective in the longer run they have their own set of side-effects. Please understand that these are only temporary measures, which should be given during an acute attack, but it is not the long term solution to this problem. However let me specify again that these drugs should be given in order to relieve the patient either in the form of a tablet, inhaler, syrup or nebulizer in case of acute attack. Nebulizer is one of the most effective and least harmful way of dispensing these drugs and should be especially for children.

The key to treating and managing asthma is to prevent it from occurring. For this your immune system has to be in order and under control. The trigger factors should be avoided both in the environment and in diet. This ideal situation is very hard to achieve in our daily lives in this city. Environmental changes and pollution is hard to avoid and people who are susceptible will get affected. This susceptibility is what we try to remove in our Homoeopathic system of medicine in order to treat asthma.

Like I have mentioned above there are certain people or constitutions who seem to be sensitive to cold, wet, damp weather as compared to any other season. Here are a few well proven remedies to treat asthmatics during the monsoon season.

NATRUM SULPH

The main symptom of this drug is difficulty in breathing during damp weather. The asthma is a humid one with rattling sound heard in the chest. The patient feels especially uncomfortable in the early hours of morning around 4 - 5 am.
The expectoration is thick, ropy, greenish in colour. The asthma attack comes on if the patient gets a cold.
The Natrum Sulph patient feels worse in damp, wet weather and at night. They get relief by sitting up and by holding his or her chest with both hands.

Natrum Sulph 200, 5 pills 4 times a day will give great relief.

MEDORRHINUM

The case of the 25 year old female narrated above received this medicine as a constitutional one. She had difficulty in breathing especially during the monsoon season and at night. She would get relief only when she slept on her stomach or lying on her face which is a peculiar symptom of this drug.
Another thing that I noticed about her was that she was in a great hurry to say and do things. Her relatives also described her as being nervous and restless and always in a hurry.

I gave her Medorrhinum 200, in constitutional doses and her attacks reduced in intensity and frequency.

DULCAMARA

Another very handy remedy to treat cases of asthma which are worse in cold, wet weather is Dulcamara. Here the patient complains of a dry, hoarse, spasmodic cough. Physical exertion causes more problems and breathlessness. All the symptoms seem to be worse indoors, drinking cold drinks, ice-cream, damp ground etc…
Dulcamara patients feel much better in dry weather and by warmth.

Dulcamara 200, 5 pills in repeated doses should be given during acute attacks.

ARSENIC ALB

The arsenic alb patient suffers greatly during any change of weather. Here the patient will not be able to lie down due to feeling of suffocation. The air passages feel constricted. The asthma is worse while laughing, lying on back, at night, from damp cold and anxiety.
Like Medorrhinum even the Arsenic patient is extremely restless and thinks that he or she is not going to recover. They feel better by hot application and heat.

Arsenic Alb 200, 5 pills should be given according to the intensity and severity of the symptoms.

This Article has been written in order to make people aware that Homoeopathy has wonderful treatment for Monsoon related asthmas. However self-medication is not advisable especially in cases of asthma and children.