Homeopathic Medicine: Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Asthma

Homeopathy has a long history of successful prevention and treatment of seasonal allergies and asthma. It can strengthen your child’s natural defence systems so that the pattern of repeated sickness stops.

Homeopathy is the only system of medicine that can ‘cure’ a child suffering from asthma, instead of providing just symptomatic relief. While dealing with a child’s case, a homeopathic doctor will need to know not only the symptoms of the disease with all details, but also the medical history, family history, pregnancy and delivery history, in addition to physical and psychological characteristics of each child. This helps to find the cause, the precipitating factors, and the hereditary tendencies.

Of special interest to a homeopath is the history of suppression of skin disease. Homeopaths believe that when there is a tendency or predisposition for a disease it first manifests in less vital organs towards the periphery (such as the skin). If this manifestation is suppressed, then the disease shifts inwards towards more vital organs (lungs, heart, brain).

The correlation between childhood asthma and eczema was observed by allopathic doctors. They say that children often ‘move-out’ of eczema and ‘move-into’ asthma.

Homeopathy believes that suppression of eczema with topical steroids does not cure the child, but merely drives a disease inwards.

According to homeopathy when the asthma disappears, the old eczema may sometimes reappear for a short time, before finally disappearing itself. This reappearance of skin symptoms is seen as a reversal of disease process and is considered a very good prognostic sign.

If your child has allergies, she is more likely to develop asthma. More than 70% of people with asthma also suffer from allergies, which play an important role in triggering airway inflammation and asthma symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Allergies and allergic asthma are both diseases caused by exposure to an allergen which triggers an allergic cascade of events that results in a runny nose, itchy eyes or bronchial constriction and wheezing. Asthma affects more than 17 million North Americans. It is characterized by inflammation of the airways which makes them smaller, thus making it more difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs. This creates the symptoms of asthma: cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Asthma symptoms can be triggered by several factors, including:

• Allergens (pollens, moulds, animal dander, house dust mites, cockroach droppings). Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, is a risk factor in developing asthma.

• Irritants such as tobacco smoke, strong odours, gasses, household cleaners, paints

• Weather changes in temperature and humidity, barometric pressure or strong winds

• Viral or sinus infections, (for example pneumonia can trigger or aggravate asthma, especially in young children).

• Mouth breathing, exercising in cold, dry air or prolonged, strenuous activities such as medium- to long-distance running can increase the likelihood of exercise-induced asthma

• Medications (aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or foods (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish)

• Emotional stress lowers immune function. Viewing each child individually and as a whole, Homeopathic medicine considers physical and emotional factors together.

HOMEOPATHY FOR ASTHMA

Have you heard about asthma caused by anger, feeling of being abandoned or sadness when parents are divorcing? When a child experiences sadness or anger, it in turn can cause physical symptoms such as wheezing and coughing. A carefully chosen homeopathic remedy can help resolve this problem. Below are just a few examples from my practice.

Case # 1 – Asthma caused by feelings of abandonment

When Bobby, a 5-year-old boy with beautiful big, grey eyes was brought to me for a consultation, he was suffering from repeated severe asthma attacks during the past year and was taking “blue” and “orange” puffers to release them. He was extremely sensitive to peanuts, sugar, insect bites, ragweed, wheat, potato, and cigarette smoke. His asthma was worse during the spring and cloudy, hot, damp weather. He continued to cough even between asthma attacks; it was a wet, bubbling sound in his chest in the morning and a dry, teasing cough with wheezing during the day. He had suffered from eczema since he was three years old, which was treated with steroids. Since that time he would catch cold easily, which settled in his bronchi and lungs, and twice developed into pneumonia. He loved sweets, but didn’t like greasy food and never felt thirsty. He cried easily and loved to be consoled by hugging and attention. Once, he developed an acute asthma attack when his mother went away for a business trip. He was so upset because he thought she wasn’t coming back.

For this case, I chose the homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla, which helped him tremendously. After eight months of homeopathic treatment Bobby was completely free from asthma. His emotions were also much better, his immune system became much stronger, and he no longer caught every cold possible. For the last year, he hasn’t experienced any severe asthma attacks. His parents were told by a pediatrician that his lungs had completely cleared up.

Case #2 – Asthma Caused by Anger

A few years ago, I met a little five-year-old boy named John with his mom. His main complaint was an irritable, dry, tickling cough that could sometimes turn into rattling mucous in his chest. He had been hospitalized twice because of severe cough attacks. John was treated both times with corticosteroid drugs intravenously. Finally, he was prescribed broncho-dilating and steroidal puffers to be taken for six months. However, his mom (a registered nurse) was not happy about this and tried to find an alternative. Her friends referred them to me after their own four-year-old daughter was successfully treated in my office for chronic ear infections.

John was a curious and friendly boy with a big smile. His wide-open, brown sparkling eyes, red hair and freckled face reflected his extrovert personality. As soon as he walked into my office, he started to explore without any hesitation. He grabbed my otoscope (an instrument for ear examination), trying to understand how it works. When his mom took it away from him, John was very frustrated, his face turned red and he screamed for a good five minutes.

I learned from John’s mom that he can be very irritable, impatient, and easily frustrated when interrupted in his activities. When he had colic as a baby, and even lately, his sensitivity to pain was extreme. He could be restless, whining, wanting many things, but refused them right away when he was offered them. His cough often happened when he was angry with his eldest sister, if he didn’t get what he wanted.

I prescribed John the homeopathic remedy Chamomilla, which immediately relieved his asthma. After four months of homeopathic care, John’s mom was happy to see her son not only cured from asthma, but also happier and balanced emotionally.

CONCLUSION

Homeopathic medicine is a customized medicine. The length of the treatment, dosage and frequency are very patient-specific and depend on how deep and reversible the pathology is. The power and beauty of homeopathy lies in its individual holistic approach to each patient. From my experience, it might take at least a few months to stabilize a child’s health before cured.

Asthma attack can lead to a life-threatening asthmatic status requiring an emergency hospitalization and intensive medical care. Having worked in a critical care department and dealing with kids in asthmatic status, when sometimes it was extremely difficult to save a child’s life, I learned Homeopathy is a blessing for kids. It’s amazing how easily parents can help a child to prevent complications by using little sweet homeopathic pellets or drops. Hopefully homeopathy will become the medicine of choice for many families.

(This article is provided as general information only and is not intended to advise or treat any condition or disease. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes in your treatment, diet, or lifestyle.)

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