HOMEOPATHIC CURE FOR BREATHING ISSUES

Q My six-year-old son has been suffering from frequent bouts of coughing paired with difficulty in breathing for the past two years and has to use a nebuliser frequently. Is there any homeopathic treatment for this?

A Your son has childhood asthma, a respiratory disease that affects infants and children. It is also called asthmatic bronchitis, and is a chronic inflammatory condition of the respiratory system often associated with allergies.

Children with asthmatic bronchitis face difficulty in breathing, which results in a wheezing (whistling) sound from the chest. Many cases are often associated with allergies, such as eczema, allergic rhinitis, and urticaria, while only some cases may present an inflammatory condition of the respiratory passage. A few cases can be a combination of allergy and an inflammatory condition.

Homoeopathy is a safe option for treating asthmatic bronchitis in infants and children. It works by boosting immunity and improving the lung capacities of the patient.

Homoeopathy also affects the airways, thereby reducing inflammation – which in turn reduces the cough and breathlessness. Regular homoeopathic treatment for a sufficient period helps in reducing the frequency and intensity of the attacks.

Homoeopathy has a wide scope when it comes to treating childhood asthma effectively and safely without any side-effects. The alternative medication focuses on reducing the frequency, duration, and intensity of the recurrent cold, cough, and asthma episodes. The scope of recovery is even better when the case is detected early. Chronic cases usually need more time to recover. In my experience, I have noted that children respond to homoeopathic treatment more effectively than adults.

Cases treated with steroids for a long time increase the duration of the homoeopathic treatment, and genetically inherited cases of asthma need long-term treatment to attain a significant remission (symptom-free) period.

When it comes to symptoms, childhood asthma usually starts with frequent colds and cough, where the cough usually gets worse at night. Upon chest examination, a highpitched whistling sound in the lungs can be heard while breathing out (exhalation), with difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath, particularly after exertion. The child gets tired easily after doing any activity, and has generalised weakness and a lack of stamina.

These symptoms may worsen after exposure to certain triggers or events such as: smoke; strong odours from perfumes, incense sticks, phenyls and so on; dust and dust mites; pollens that occur in the season between the months of MarchMay; pet dander (dog or cat fur); and eating foods containing preservatives, canned foods, eggs, peanuts, pistachios, fish, etc.