Treating asthma

An 8-year-old boy is brought to your office because of a chronic cough. His mother says that he coughs frequently throughout the day and will have symptoms 2 or 3 nights a month as well.

He takes his medication 15 minutes prior to anticipated exercise, which will help to prevent the asthmatic attack but does not produce bronchodilation. She has been taking her medications as instructed, but one of the medications is causing her to have tachycardia, nausea, and jitteriness. She has been informed of the need to measure serum levels of this medication.

Of course, it’s most important that you take your asthma medications as prescribed. But in addition to taking your medicine correctly, if you’re having symptoms, there are some home remedies you can try to help make yourself feel better too. But remember — these tips should never replace your regular asthma medications.

Asthma is characterized by acute episodes of bronchoconstriction caused by underlying airway inflammation. A common finding in asthmatics is an increased responsiveness of the bronchi and trachea to exogenous or endogenous stimuli that results in inappropriate contraction of smooth muscle in the airway, and production of thick viscid mucus and mucosal thickening from edema and cellular infiltration. Asthma typically occurs with both an early-phase response lasting approximately 1-2 hours that is triggered by autocoids and inflammatory mediators such as histamine, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins.