Yoga Therapies
Yoga Remedies >> Asthma

Asthma is a very stubborn disease. There is a saying that asthma goes only when one dies. As an effect of the attacks, the pores of lunges become smaller, the muscles become stiff and the patient has difficulty in breathing and more than the normal amount of phlegm is formed. Constant coughing helps throw out a little bit of phlegm and the patient feels somewhat relieved.

There is no fixed time for an attack of asthma, nor is its duration fixed. It can last for minutes or hours or even days. The patient feels very weak during and after an attack, but after a while he becomes normal. Some people get the attack under certain circumstances as in a particular atmosphere. It may be aggravated by dust, heat, cold or a particular kind of food. It may even be caused by an odour. Mostly one has been found to be afflicted by this disease by the age of fifteen. This disease is more common in men. Women are less prone to its attack. Many a time this disease is hereditary.

Treatment
To date, no effective drug has been found for this disease. Drugs, particularly in allopathy, only suppress it. Most Ayurvedic medicines do the same. Out of these medicines, it has not yet been decided which one is really the most effective.

Different patients react differently to these medicines, as this is a very individualistic disease. The physiologists' quest for the cause of this disease is based on a variety of principles. The root of the ailment is the stomach. The history of such patients reveals that they have often suffered from indigestion for a long time. Some patients get the attack when they are constipated. During an attack, the stomachs of some swell with wind. Therefore, the treatment of asthma should not be directed towards stopping the attack, but rather an attempt should be made to improve the digestive system by cleansing the stomach. A patient should himself be aware and conscious about his own treatment. This proves very helpful. The patient should also be aware of all diet restrictions.

Improving Digestion
After a hip-bath perform the following asans: (1) Tanasan, (2) Paschimottanasan or Padhastasan, (3) Pawanmuktasan, (4) Bhujangasan, (5) Shalabhasan, (6) Sarvangasan, (7) Matsyasan and (8) Shavasan.