World Asthma Day: Reducing the burden of Asthma

Asthma has become a common health issues around the globe at present due to increasing pollution and unhealthy lifestyle. Keeping this in mind, the increasing epidemic of Asthma across the world, World Asthma Day is being observed on May 7 every year with an objective to create awareness about Asthma among common people as how one suffering from Asthma can live a normal and controlled life.

About Asthma:

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that leads to recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing making you restless. According to the estimations of World Health Organisation (WHO), 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide and is prevalent among children.

Causes of Asthma:
Though, the major causes of asthma are still ambiguous but it is most commonly known to develop as a combination of genetic predisposition with environmental exposure to inhaled substances and particles that can result in allergic reactions or irritate the airways such as:

• Indoor allergens such as house dust, mites in bed, carpets and stuffed furniture, pollution and pet dander
• Outdoor allergens like pollens and moulds.
• Tobacco smoke
• Chemical irritants in the workplace
• Air pollution

How to Control Asthma:

Though, Asthma cannot be cured but by practicing some remedial activities on can certainly reduce the burden of Asthma to live a normal life. Some of the don'ts to Asthma include:

• Do not eat fried and processed foods
• Avoid eating food that is known to produce and accumulate phlegm or mucus (rice, curds, buttermilk, sugar, lentils, cheese, paneer)
• Drink plenty of boiled water.
• Avoid asthma triggers - stimuli that irritate and inflame the airways.