Seasonal Asthma: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Home Remedies

With nearly 22 million people suffering from asthma today, things seem quite detrimental in how much this figure rise and what consequences will come up post its attack. Caused due to constriction and inflammation of air passage, seasonal asthma could be quite difficult to tolerate. As the name suggests, this type of asthma has an occurrence pattern for a particular time or season of the year and follows a particular cycle of symptoms.

The cause of Seasonal Asthma is still a mystery that can be relative to a person. While, we are aware of the fact that asthma leads to chronic inflammation of the air passage, we can never designate exact symptoms of the same as they vary from person to person. Yet what is constant with seasonal asthma is the swelling and constriction of airways that gets filled with mucus leading to:

• Intensive coughing that escalates during night or while performing any physical activity.
• Difficulty in breathing.
• Stiffness in chest.
• Shortness of breath.
• Wheezing.

Asthma attacks are characterised by muscle spasms and inflammation within the mucus membrane leading to airway contraction. As a result, resistance for air increases thereby making it difficult to breathe leading to excessive coughing and wheezing. The irritation can persists for long as body constantly struggles to clean out mucus depositions within the airway lining that leads to a cough attack.

Asthma is not always air borne and a past family history or genes have a strong influence in its occurrence. Therefore, it might feel strange to suffer from asthma while your friend doesn’t because you already have its history in your family.

While finding a complete cure for Seasonal Asthma could be difficult, one can definitely prevent symptoms from getting severe by staying away from allergens that can trigger damage. Limiting one’s involvement in physical activities, staying more indoors and avoiding places which are prone to smoke and dust are some ways to prevention of Seasonal Asthma. Medications are given for controlling seasonal asthma which include anti-inflammatory agents, inhalers and bronchodilators.

In many patients, asthma stays dormant for the rest of the year and happens to elevate during a particular season or time of the year; particularly during winter. “This seasonal notion associated with asthma sometimes makes people overlook the precautions during warm weather or at a time when they are comfortable. However, this is huge mistake on their part”! , says Fin Leland, Chief Physician at National Lung institute.

“If there is any time when asthma patients need to exercise extra caution and care with medication is particularly during the onset of winter season”, he says.

A good way to ensure prevention of asthma symptoms or to stop them from getting severe is by sticking to a winter asthma action plan. This is nothing, but a proactive approach and series of steps that would allow you to control the situation even with the onset of symptoms. According to Indian Lung Association, this plan should not only incorporate steps that could prevent symptoms from escalating, but also the list of allergens or triggers that can lead to specific symptoms like coughing or wheezing. It should clearly mention down the medications while breaking down the steps to control symptoms to provide relief from Seasonal Asthma.

Using a device called peak flow meter could be of great help in this prevention plan for seasonal asthma. This device measures your lung capacity to expel air thereby keeping you on head in determining your potential risks for asthma irrespective of the season. Keeping aware of peak flow ratings will ensure a person is cautious of coming trouble much before it is encountered. This can also make the doctor prescribe appropriate medications or steroids in case a cold or flu takes hold of the patient.

Being a super ingredient, ginger is an effective home remedy in helping to treat seasonal asthma. Ginger helps to reduce airway inflammation and contraction, thereby providing relief from excessive coughing that is triggered in seasonal asthma. Moreover, ginger is also known to support muscle relaxation that is initiated by some asthma drugs.

• Create a concoction, which contains honey, pomegranate and ginger juice in equal amounts. Drink it at least two times during the day.
• Alternatively, to prevent coughing during night time, mix one teaspoon of ginger juice in half a cup of water and consume it before going to sleep.
• Ginger-fenugreek combination is considered quite effective for seasonal asthma treatment. For this, soak about 1 tablespoon of fenugreek in a glass of water and mix it with two teaspoons of ginger juice. Consume it every morning and evening for better results.
• Eating raw ginger with salt can also provide relief from chest stiffness, which is common in asthma.

• Using mustard oil for chest massage can provide instant relief after asthma attack and can help to re-establish normal breathing.
• Put a little camphor in a glass of bowl of mustard oil and heat it on low flame. When it is properly warm, rub it gently over your chest several times till the symptoms of seasonal asthma go away.

• Figs are great respiratory boosters and help to flush out accumulated phlegm; thereby, cleaning away airway constriction naturally.
• Soak about two figs overnight in a bowl of water. When you wake up in the morning, eat the figs as well as the fig water on an empty stomach as a home remedy for seasonal asthma. Practice it at least for 30 days to get better results.

Chest congestion during asthma can led to breathing difficulties, which can be treated using garlic as a home remedy. Soak about three cloves of garlic in a cup of warm milk and drink it to get relief.

Coffee can be an asthma relief provider due to its caffeine content acting as a bronchodilator. Strong coffee can help to clear the air passage while relaxing the chest muscles.