Asthma is known as Shwasa Roga in Ayurveda. Shwasa means breath and roga means disease. So we can understand that a disease or disorder of breath is called asthma. The air passage of the respiratory system can become narrow. It is caused due to swelling of the small tubes present in the lungs called bronchioles. As a result, a patient may feel shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing. The root cause of this can be a problem in the respiratory system or some other disease or malfunctioning in your body, which can trigger Shwasa Roga(asthma). However, Ayurvedic treatment for asthma is the best treatment to adopt. The first step in treating a rogi (patient) is to find the root or source of the disease. So a Vaid or Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor) will first find the cause of the disease and then they will make a treatment plan.
Common cold also attacks the respiratory system, mostly the upper section like your nose or throat. It is known as Pratishaya in Ayurveda. The patient can be sneezing and coughing for approximately one week because a virus will mostly affect your health for only a week and not more than that. But, if someone is already an asthma patient and now their airways met a virus resulting in a cold, then it can become difficult to manage.
Asthma Symptoms
Asthma can narrow the small tubes (bronchial tubes) in the lungs. This is the basic cause of asthma patients finding it hard to breathe. Some of the Asthma symptoms are:
- A constant or repeated episodes of coughing
- A feeling of tightness in the chest.
- Very heavy and thick mucus in the airways.
- Fatigue and even fainting due to weakness
- Difficulty in breathing, especially while sleeping.
Common cold Symptoms
Common cold mainly attacks nasal passage and throat and there is mucus passing through your throat and nose. Some of the symptoms of a common cold are:
- It can cause a rise in body temperature or jwara (fever)
- Swelled tonsils, which can make it difficult to swallow one’s own saliva
- Runny nose
- Pain in the head, especially the crown area
- Coughing out dark or green-colored mucus.
- Dehydration or loss of fluids from the shareera(body).
When Asthma meets cold
People suffering from Pratishaya (common cold) may feel dizzy due to these symptoms. But if a person is already diagnosed with asthma and also get a viral infection (common cold) then the symptoms can be worse.
- Swelling in the upper part of the respiratory system like your nose and throat can increase manifold because of a common cold for an asthma patient.
- A person with a common cold can experience cough and breathlessness or difficulty in breathing which is not very severe. But in the case of asthma patients, they can even faint after coughing.
- The body becomes very weak because both asthma and cold will put pressure on the defense system (immunity) of the body.
- A thick slimy gel called mucus also starts building up in the respiratory system and a patient can also feel it in their nose and throat. This slime sticks to the inner lining of the windpipe and then it becomes difficult for the air to pass and the patient can hardly breathe.
- Lung health is reduced because the lungs are overworking to fight off not just one but two diseases at the same time.
- A shwasa rogi (asthma patient) will take much longer to come back to normal health than a healthy person who has a common cold.
Ayurvedic Treatment
After getting to know the severity of the symptoms we can see that if someone is already suffering from asthma then even a common cold can be very difficult for the body. But, this extreme health situation can be managed by the natural herbs and medicines given by Mother Earth. Ayurvedic philosophy is the treasure box of these herbs and Ayurvedic medicines for asthma and common cold treatment. These medicines can be used to fight diseases and also make your immunity and body strong.
There are some simple methods or changes in diet and lifestyle that a person can make. Some of these changes are:
Herbs:
Making herbal drinks or adding these herbs to the diet can help your body become stronger and fight diseases. Also, herbs are known as the best home remedies for asthma patient. Some of the helpful herbs offered by Mother Nature are:
- Turmeric
- Ginseng
- Garlic
- Black seeds
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Cumin seeds
- Cinnamon
- Coriander seeds
- Basil
- Neem
- Amla
Add one, two, or more of these herbs to water, and then boil this water for 15-20 minutes so that the tattva(essence) of the herbs is mixed in the water. After this herbal tea is ready, add some honey for more benefits and it will also increase the taste and make it easier to consume.
Foods:
- If a person is suffering from asthma, then they must eat only warm foods even in the summer season. They should never eat cold food or stale food.
- Asthma patients should always try to drink something warm or lukewarm to calm their throat pain and irritation. Also, drink your water slowly because quickly drinking the water can put pressure on your windpipe.
- Eat food with very less spices and especially do not use red chilli powder in your food. Spicy food can harm your nasya (nasal passage) even more.
- There can be some starchy vegetables like potato, taro root, cauliflower, or ladyfinger, that can increase the production of mucus and raise mucus levels in the body. So avoid these vegetables and instead have more green leafy vegetables.
Fruits:
All fruits except bananas are healthy when you are suffering from a respiratory problem. Bananas increase mucus levels in the body and it can increase the cough and cold even more, so it is advisable to not eat starchy fruits.
Fruits are rich in water and eating them will fulfill the water needs of the body. The body will get healthier and the water or moisture content will also be maintained in the body.
Steam:
Bashpa Sweda or taking steam is the best Ayurvedic approach to control the levels of mucus in the body, especially the lungs. Adding some herbs or oils in the steam is also an age-old remedy, especially for the treatment of asthma.
- Eucalyptus oil
- Tea tree oil
- Basil
- Cloves
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Neem
All these can be added to the water and then steam should be taken. It can aid in bringing down swelling and clearing the air passage. Bashpa Sweda is one of the best home remedies for common cold.
These are some of the methods of common cold treatment at home. All these will help an asthma patient to fight the common cold. But no two persons can have the same body and symptoms and they may need a personalized treatment plan. So anyone suffering from severe illness due to these disorders in the body should consult an Ayurvedic practitioner. Dr. Sharda Ayurveda is a leading institute in the world of Ayurvedic medicine. They provide both online and offline consultations.
