BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Asthma has eluded remedy. Often noted physicians have tried and have become non plussed. Understanding the disease has been the want and pursuit of many doctors. Managing the disease can follow only after understanding it. To obtain understanding one has to know the structure and function of upper and the lower respiratory tracts. Having acquired knowledge of the respiratory system one has to proceed with collection of important information on symptoms, signs, clinical categories, epidemiology, pathophysiology, investigations, differential diagnosis, stanging, complications etc. These are the most important aspects intimately connected with the management. Thereafter one begins assessment of broncho-reversibility and prognosis. Most cases respond better only with preventive measures. But one has to be cautious rather than categorical. Management of Asthma depends on various factors, which a research worker has to observe and record. Important factors are:
Disease Related Factors

1. Degree
2. Intensity
3. State at which the patient reports
4. Pathological Changes
5. Miasmatic stage and classification

Patient Related Factors

1. Age of patient
2. Previous treatment taken
3. Drug dependence / dependence of Steroid
4. Maintaining causes
5. Associated complaints and complications
6. Co-operation of patient and relatives

Management, which begins thereafter, will include following steps

1. Selection of Homoeopathic remedy
2. It's potency and repetition
3. To watch out for other synergestic or antidotal action of other medicine(s) and
4. Devising ancillary measures like
   • diet
   • exercise
   • yoga

We shall here deal with the management of Asthma in relation to various miasms and shall dwell on remedies, which are closely related to each other for management of Bronchial Asthma. When the patient reports in the Psoric phase:

1. He will show a typical psoric personality (excitability, irritability and erracticity)
2. He will have an acute skin complaint or a skin complaint alternating with respiratory complaint
3. He will have some strong psychological symptoms or some maintaining psychological cause which produces Asthma.
4. Any measure, which re-establishes the skin symptoms, relieves asthma soon.
5. The patient will have more of spasm with minimal secretory phase. Breath-holding spasms in children are also covered under this category.

Management of asthma in psoric phase will require homoeopathic similimum in a higher potency with minimal repetition. As soon as the skin symptoms are re-established medicinal treatment should be immediately discontinued.
Usually in the cases of above type, no acute remedy for asthma or skin is called for. With just repetition of placebo, control over disease is gained. If, during the treatment the skin symptoms improve and patient starts getting repeated attacks of cough, cold, sinusitis etc. then we have to understand. That the treatment given was wrong and we should re-evaluate the patient's history and give the medicine rightly indicated. Occasionally when there is acute skin condition we might be required to prescribe acute indicated medicine. Otherwise it will not be possible to come out of the crisis. Once the crisis is over the patient recovers fast and fully. When the patient reports in the Sycotic phase, he will have:

1. Sycotic personality i.e. sluggishness, slowness, erratic response and behaviour, responding to various allergens in the atmosphere etc.
2. Aggravation of the condition will be caused by rainy season and also by getting wet. If so, the patient feels much better in dry climate.
3. There is marked secretion with great difficulty in expectoration. Expectoration is greenish, yellow, thick in nature (characterizing typical sycotic inflammatory discharge).
4. It is likely that the patient has had a past history of suppression of skin complaint of discharge from mucous membrane.
5. There might be concomitant musculo-skeletal manifestations.

The patient in sycotic phase will require frequent repetition of acute, constitutional and intercurrent medicines in low or medium potency. Reestablishing discharge of mucous membrane will immediately relieve asthmatic symptoms. The response in such cases is usually gradual. The patient recovers totally and he/she will not have recurrence of attach. In such conditions, high potency is likely to produce aggravation. It may also produce medicinal symptoms. If the treatment is correct the patient goes to psoric phase and usually does not require any further medication. If at all required, it may be the same remedy in higher potency or a complementary or a cyclical remedy.
DRUGS FOR ASTHMA…
You could see the whole text in Classical Homeopathy Magazine, 2/2005