Asthma Attacks

Asthma is an allergic condition resulting from the reaction of the system to one or more allergens. It is the most troublesome of the respiratory diseases. The asthma patient gets frequent attacks of breathlessness.
Asthma comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “panting or short-drawn breath”. Actually, the asthma patients have more difficulty in breathing out rather than breathing in and it is caused by a spasm of the smaller air passage in the lung. The effect is to blow the lungs up because the patient cannot drive the air properly out of the lungs before he has to take another breath. All asthmatics have more difficulty at night, especially during sleep.
The onset of asthma may be sudden or gradual. Sudden onsets are often preceeded by a spell of coughing. When the onset is gradual, the attack is usually brought on by respiratory infection. A severe attack causes an increase in heart beat and respiratory rate and the patient feels restless and fatigued.There may be coughing, tightness in the chest, profuse sweating and vomiting. The air being pushed through the narrow bronchi produces the wheezing sound identified with asthma.
Asthma is caused by a variety of factors. For many it is due to an allergy, which may be caused by weather conditions, food drugs, perfumes and other irritants, which vary with different individuals.
Allergies to dust is the most common symptom that triggers asthma.
Some persons are sensitive to the various forms of dust like cotton dust, wheat dust and certain types of pollen, animal hair, fungi and insects.
Foods which generally cause allergic reactions are wheat, eggs, milk, chocolates, beans, potato, and certain meat varieties like beef.
A vegetarian diet is best for asthma. Ideally the diet should contain a limited quantity of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that are acid-forming foods, and a liberal quantity of alkaline foods consisting of fresh fruits, green vegetables and sprouted seeds and grains.
Asthmatics should always eat less than their capacity. They should eat slowly and chew their food properly. In the evening, give enough time for the food to digest before going to sleep. They should drink 8-10 glasses of water everyday. During an attack a cup of warm water is recommended every two hours. The last meal should preferably be taken before sunset or at least two hours before going to bed. Asthma is a condition which is normally aggravated during winter months, however if the appropriate precautions are taken this can be kept under control!