Various Effective Home Remedies for Asthma
The goal of treating asthma is to control symptoms and prevent recurrence of attacks. For most people with asthma, drugs and treatment methods that exist today have been proven effective in keeping asthma symptoms under control.
To get effective results, the doctor needs to adjust the treatment with the symptoms of asthma that appear. In addition, patients also have to undergo regular checks (at least once a year) to ensure that treatment is suitable and that asthma is under control. Sometimes patients need a higher level of treatment at a certain time period.
Asthma treatment plan
Information about medicines should be included in the asthma management plan. This treatment plan can also help you know when symptoms can worsen and what steps to take. At least once a year, you have to review your asthma management plan with your doctor. Even a more periodic review needs to be done if the symptoms of asthma have reached a severe level.
You might be advised to buy a peak flow meter (PFM) or a peak expiration flow meter as part of treatment. In this way, you can monitor your own asthma so you can find out an asthma attack early and take the necessary treatment steps.
Recommended asthma medications
Asthma medications are usually given through a device called an inhaler (inhaler for asthma). This tool can send drugs into the respiratory tract directly by inhalation by mouth. Using asthma medication by inhaling is considered effective because the drug goes directly to the lungs. However, each inhaler works in a different way. Usually, the doctor will teach you how to use the tool and do the examination at least once a year.
In addition to the inhaler, there is also a spacer. This is a metal or plastic container that is equipped with a suction funnel at one end and a hole in the other for an inhaler. When the inhaler is pressed, the drug will enter the spacer and be inhaled through the spacer funnel itself. Spacers can also reduce the risk of mouth ulcers in the mouth or throat due to the side effects of inhaled asthma medications.
Spacers can increase the number of drugs that reach the lungs and reduce their side effects. Some people even find it easier to use spacers than just inhalers. In fact, because it can increase the distribution of drugs into the lungs, spacer use is often recommended.
As part of good asthma management, it is important for you to ensure that your doctor or pharmacist teaches you to use the inhaler properly.
There are two types of inhalers used in the treatment of asthma, namely:
- Relief inhaler. Reliever inhalers are used to relieve asthma symptoms quickly when an attack is in progress. Usually, these inhalers contain drugs called short-acting beta2-agonists or beta2-agonists that have fast reactions (eg terbutaline and salbutamol). This drug is able to relax the muscles around the narrowed respiratory tract. That way, the respiratory tract can open wider and make people with asthma can breathe more easily. Medications contained in the reliever inhalers rarely cause side effects and are safe to use as long as they are not excessive. Reliever inhalers do not need to be used frequently if asthma is well controlled. For people with asthma who have to use this drug more than three times a week, the overall treatment needs to be reviewed.
- Preventing inhalers. In addition to preventing asthma attacks, deterrent inhalers can also reduce the amount of inflammation and sensitivity that occur in the airways. Usually, you should use a deterrent inhaler every day for a while before feeling the full benefits. You may also need a relieving inhaler to relieve symptoms when an asthma attack occurs. But if you constantly need the reliever inhaler, then your handling must be reviewed in its entirety. Generally, preventive treatment is recommended if you experience an asthma attack more than twice a week, you should use a reliever inhaler more than twice a week, or wake up at night once or more a week due to an asthma attack. Preventive inhalers usually contain steroid drugs such as budesonide, beclometasone, mometasone, and fluticasone. Smoking can reduce the performance of this drug.
If asthma does not subside from the treatment above, the doctor can increase the dose of preventive inhalers. If this step can not control asthma symptoms, doctors will usually give you additional drugs called long-acting reliever or a long-acting bronchodilator / long-acting beta2-agonist. Its efficacy is the same as the drug relieves fast reactions, it's just that the performance takes longer and the effect can last up to 12 hours. Examples of slow reaction reducing inhalers are salmeterol and formoterol.
Because LABA also does not relieve inflammation in the airways of people with asthma, this drug can aggravate asthma while hiding its symptoms. This increases the likelihood of a severe asthma attack that might endanger the patient's life. Therefore always use a combination inhaler or inhaler combined with inhaled steroids and long-term bronchodilators in one device.
Side effects of reliever and deterrent inhalers
As long as its use does not exceed the dose, reliever inhalers are safe treatments that do not have many side effects. Side effects that may appear in the use of high doses include headaches, muscle cramps, and slight tremors in the hands. These side effects usually only last for a few minutes.
Just like relieving inhalers, handling asthma with a relieving inhaler has also proven to be very safe at regular doses. Side effects usually occur in the use of high doses and in long-term use. These side effects are fungal infections in the mouth or throat which are also called oral candidiasis. Another side effect is that your voice becomes hoarse. But these side effects can be prevented if you use a spacer. In addition, it is recommended to rinse with clean water after using a deterrent inhaler.
For the use of a slow-acting inhaler, side effects that may appear are headaches, muscle cramps, and a little trembling in the hands. The doctor will usually explain to you the benefits and risks of the treatment. Usually, your condition will be monitored at the beginning of treatment and reviewed regularly. If using a slow-acting inhaler does not help relieve your asthma, stop immediately.
Steps to overcome asthma attacks with an inhaler
If your asthma symptoms suddenly recur, do the following three main things. The first is to immediately remove the type of reliever and suction inhaler as much as 1 or 2 times. After that, do the second step by sitting quietly and trying to breathe stably. If asthma symptoms have not subsided, then do the third step by sucking your inhaler 2 times (or up to 10 times if needed) every two minutes.
If all these steps still do not relieve asthma symptoms and you are worried that the condition can get worse, then immediately call an ambulance or ask the people around you to take you to the hospital. Before you really get hospital treatment, repeat the third step.
Other asthma medicines
In addition to the inhaler, handling asthma can also be done with drugs such as:
- Oral steroids. Steroid tablets may be prescribed by your doctor if your asthma is still not controlled. This treatment is usually monitored by a pulmonary specialist who treats asthma sufferers because if used long-term (for example more than three months), the risk of causing certain side effects, such as hypertension, weight gain, muscle weakness, bone loss, thinning skin and bruising . In addition, the more serious side effects that can occur are cataracts and glaucoma. Therefore treatment with oral steroids is only recommended if you have taken other treatment methods, but have not succeeded. Most people only need to use oral steroids for 1-2 weeks and as an additional medication to deal with additional infections (such as lung infections). Usually they will return to previous treatment after asthma can be controlled. You should regularly check yourself to avoid osteoporosis, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
- Theophylline tablet. Drugs that can be used as a medication to prevent asthma symptoms work by helping to dilate the airways by relaxing the muscles around them. In some people, theophylline tablets are known to cause side effects, such as nausea, headache, vomiting, insomnia, and stomach upset. But this can usually be avoided by dose adjustment.
- Leukotriene receptor antagonist tablet (montelukast). This drug works by blocking part of a chemical reaction that causes inflammation in the respiratory tract. Just like theophylline, this drug is used to prevent asthma symptoms. Leukotriene receptor antagonist can cause side effects such as headaches and stomach disorders.
- Ipratropium. Although more prescribed in cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, ipratropium can also be used to treat asthma attacks. This drug is able to facilitate the flow of breathing by relaxing the muscles of the respiratory tract that tighten when the symptoms of asthma relapse.
- Omalizumab. This drug can reduce the risk of inflammation of the respiratory tract by binding to one of the proteins involved in the immune response and reducing levels in the blood. Generally, omalizumab is recommended for patients who suffer from allergic asthma and often experience asthma attacks. As a drug that is usually only prescribed by a specialist, omalizumab is given by injection every 2-4 weeks. The use of omalizumab must be stopped if the drug does not succeed in controlling asthma within sixteen weeks.
- Bronchial thermoplasty. This is a new asthma treatment procedure that is still being researched and not yet available in Indonesia. In some cases, this procedure is used to treat severe asthma by damaging the muscles around the airways which can reduce constriction of the respiratory tract. There is some evidence that this procedure can reduce asthma attacks and improve the quality of life for people with severe asthma. Even so, long-term profits and losses are not yet fully known.
Breathing exercises are the most recommended complementary method of treatment for asthma. And there is evidence that this method can reduce the symptoms of asthma and the need for medication to relieve some people. Breathing exercises can include yoga, Buteyko breathing techniques, and breathing techniques taught by physiotherapists.
In addition to breathing exercises, other complementary treatment methods are:
- Acupuncture
- Traditional Chinese herbal medicine
- Homeopathy
- Oral supplement therapy
- Hypnosis
- Ionization Therapy
- Chiropractic
However, among all the complementary treatments that have been mentioned, only breathing exercises that have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms and needs of patients with asthma medications. For other complementary therapies, further research is needed on its effects on asthma.
