Asthma and Yoga

Many people are now opting for alternative treatments since conventional medications are already very expensive. Medical costs are continuously rising every year and because of this, individuals suffering from different health problems are turning to cost effective alternative treatments which were used many years ago by the ancient people. Did you know that yoga can prevent and control asthma attacks? If you don’t believe it, keep on reading.

Asthma is a Greek word which means short-drawn breath, gasping, or panting. It is considered as a respiratory ailment which causes discomfort among patients. About 10% of the children and 5% adults around the world are suffering from asthma; these are millions of people suffering a dreaded disease and when it is left untreated, it can cause death. Asthma symptoms don’t show everyday. The attacks happen when the asthma is triggered by a certain factor.

Normally, the air sacs appear like balloons when filled with air but in the case of an asthmatic, the air sacs become floppy-like while the alveoli and bronchi collapses. The asthma patient will therefore inhale more air but they will have difficulty in exhaling. It’s easy to tell if you’re having an attack, just look at these symptoms - dry cough, breath shortness, breathing difficulty, lightness or tightness of the chest, and whistling or wheezing sounds. Prior to your asthma attack, symptoms like irritated eyes, itchy throat, and running nose may also appear.

Asthmatics have trouble in exhaling but they can inhale with ease. Another thing that you should watch out for is that the asthma attacks occur at night, when the person is sleeping. If you want to control your life and prevent asthma attacks, you need to identify the possible triggers or factors. The triggers include allergy, abnormal or unusual body chemistry, heredity, and combination of several factors.

Bronchospasm occurs when the airways are constricted and clogged. This results to difficulty in breathing. Once the bronchioles become inflamed, it generates mucus and this result to muscle tightening; the airways are thereby irritated and the doctor will tell you that you’re having a bronchospasm.

If you don’t want to suffer from asthma symptoms often, you can try yoga. There are already a large number of Yoga centers all over the world. Asthmatics that joined yoga showed favorable results. Through yoga, you can avoid attacks without using any drug or medication. If you’re currently undergoing a medical asthma treatment, yoga practices can also enhance the efficacy of such medicines. Homeopathic and allopathic doctors now believe in Yoga’s effectiveness in treating asthma.

According to Yoga experts, your health condition is centered in the mind. Through yoga practices like meditation, relaxation, yogic kriyas, pranayamas, and yogasanas, the whole system can be calmed down. This aids in adequate food assimilation and the strengthening of the circulatory and digestive systems, as well as the lungs. By practicing yoga regularly and for longer periods, asthma attacks can be prevented.

If you’re taking drugs and medicines, the anxiety is still there and this can trigger an attack. With yoga, you get to relax because of the increased awareness of oneself. If you can allay your anxieties and fears, you can control asthma with ease.

The immune system is stabilized by the yoga practices and therefore, there are less respiratory tract infections. You can recover from asthma; find a Yoga center near you now.