Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease.
In this condition, the bronchial tubes (airway passage tubes) get inflamed which results in difficulty in normal breathing.
The air we breathe is carried in and out of the lungs through the bronchial tubes.
Asthma causes the normal breathing process to be disturbed within these inflamed tubes.
Studies have found asthma to be more prevalent in developed countries and it affects people of all ages.
Asthma in children is more severe as their immune system is not well developed.
But the severity is not age dependent with patients in other age groups also getting affected severely by this disease.
Asthma causes a temporary handicap in patients suffering strong bouts of wheeze or coughing.
The various treatments of asthma only help alleviate the symptoms but rarely known to cure the disease.
The disease completes its due course and may subside after a stipulated period of time.
There are primarily two types of asthma: Extrinsic asthma and Intrinsic asthma.
Extrinsic asthma is caused by the response of our immune system to allergens inhaled.
Usually pollen, dust mite particles, or animal dander are harmless, to which the asthma - affected person's immune system over reacts as it classifies these foreign particles as allergens.
As opposed to Extrinsic asthma, production of antibodies is absent in patients with symptoms of Intrinsic asthma, and it is not caused due to allergens.
Symptoms for asthma can vary from person to person.
A myriad of factors like cold air, stress, exercise, laughter, food preservatives are but few of the Extrinsic asthma causes.
Asthma usually prevails over a long period of time, with different levels of severity in its patients.
An affected person can display a single or multiple symptoms of the disease.
The symptoms for asthma in patients include shortness of breath, coughing, tightness of chest, wheezing.
Various symptoms for asthma can be triggered due to factors including viral infections, hormones, sexual activity, food, weather, over exercising, among others.
These factors can pull triggers which cause asthmatic symptoms.
Though asthma is a chronic disease, it is very much treatable.
The treatments of asthma are carried out on a case to case basis.
The most common first aid medication for asthma is the nebulizer (a device used to convert liquid medication into fine spray).
Nebulizers are readily available in the market and widely used during asthma attacks.
But nebulizers do not offer a safe or sustained relief from the disease.
Inhalers are also widely used during a sudden asthmatic attack but have side effects such as fast heart beats or an upset stomach.
One can work towards a safe asthma management therapy together with a registered medical practitioner that helps in preventing asthma attacks.
Some asthmatic medications are known to have lethal side effects, thus patients pursuing similar treatments of asthma often opt for natural asthma relief with minimal or no side effects.
Honey, coffee, garlic or even onions can help alleviate symptoms and on occasions known to relieve the patient from asthma altogether.