Homeopathic Treatment of Asthma in Kids

Asthma In Kids

A asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness among children and the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15. Unfortunately it is very common that the parents of young ones are not able to recognize the early signs of asthma and usually overlook them as a routine ailment which usually results in wastage of an effective time when asthma could have been easily controlled.

What exactly is asthma? Asthma is a disease that affects the lungs and results in chronic, inflammation of the airways. That means, the small tubes that bring air in the lungs are swollen and inflamed and at times clogged with mucus. This swelling and clogging makes it difficult for air to move freely in and out.

Asthma is characterized by repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, coughing, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing.

Why does asthma go undiagnosed in children?

Asthma usually goes undiagnosed for a number of reasons including the fact that there are other respiratory diseases that have overlapping symptoms. Another major factor is the fact that some children can stay free from the symptoms for long-periods before going through another asthma attack and also many kids only show subtle signs of the disease initially. Poor information about the true symptoms of asthma also reduces the chances of diagnosing it as most parents identify asthma with wheezing and this misconception usually makes them overlook other symptoms as just simple cold or just an infection in the chest. Chest congestion is another symptom that’s sometimes overlooked as an infection such as bronchitis. In infants asthma is all the more difficult to identify as wheezing may not be heard until they are at least 18 to 24 months old , so one must look for clues such as a rattling cough, rapid breathing and frequent chest colds. Small children may have difficulty in verbally expressing the discomfort felt in the chest so there are chances that the parents might not be aware of it.

How Is Asthma Diagnosed?

Although diagnosing asthma in children below the age of five is not so easy, but regular visits to a physician can help you in identifying the disease. After going through important information for e.g. Time of the cough, periodicity and recurrence of the problem, family history, symptoms such as wheezing, tight chestedness, signs of allergy etc. and the physical examination , the physician will be in a position to ascertain whether the child has asthma or not.

Testing of lung function with spirometry or a peak flow meter can also help in assessing the degree of obstruction in the air passages. However these tests are not effective for very young children and assessment is based on clinical examination and symptoms.

Can homoeopathy cure asthma, permanently?

If effectively prescribed homoeopathic treatment can completely root out asthma, though it may take time before desirable results are achieved. No two people have exactly the same asthma symptoms or outcomes. It?s a very individualized disease. The bottom line is to watch your child and listen to their observations and report it to your homoeopath. The treatment is aimed at both acute and chronic stages. There are medicines in homoeopathy that can effectively control the acute phase and later when there is a period of remission, constitutional treatment is given to optimize the immune system. With such a form of treatment one will gradually see the frequency and the intensity of the problem decreasing.

Identifying Asthma

Make sure you consult a physician if your child experiences any of the following signs and symptoms

• Coughing that is constant or intermittent.
• Wheezing or a whistling sounds audible when your child exhales.
• Shortness of breath or rapid breathing. This may or may not be associated with exercise.
• Chest tightness.
• Repeated respiratory infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis
• Identifying asthma in infants and the very young is usually difficult. The symptoms might only show up when the child exerting e.g. Coughing after running. Or your child may cough at night or during sleep. Coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath also may accompany crying, yelling and laughing. Infants may have problems feeding and may grunt during suckling.