Befriending your aasthma

They come and go
The itch
The throat
The eyes
The ears
The barking cough
The puking
The wheeze
The sleepless nights
Not just me
But my mother
And my sonIn days of old
We turned
To home remedies
Ginger
Cloves
Cinnamon
Pepper
Hot soup
Ajwain
Haldi
Honey
Steam
They’re all good
But not enoughMy son
He suffered tooIt may come again
It may reappear
We’re doing all we can
To prevent this scourgeMy tale is in the previous blog
This one is the story
Of how to make
Aasthma
Bronchitis
COPD
Or other
Your very distant friendAvoid high dosages of systemic CORTICOSTEROIDS
As they can destroy your life
The only way to avoid this is to befriend your aasthma…and of course your doctor.
Your aasthma is your companion and you have to keep it happy.
Here’s how we’re doing it:

DO AN ALLERY TEST

They will tell you
It doesn’t show
All allergies
True
How does it matter?
Take what you getI got mine done
More than 20 years ago
I know knew my enemies
Fungus from dust mites
Mould in the cupboards in the rain
Pigeon shit
Some dal
Some other
Avoidable thingsMy son’s list
was the same as mine
That made it easierMy mother’s was a revelation
Paracetamol
And other medicines
Dust and fungus
Milk and other bovine stuff
Seafood
Poultry
Cocoa
And so on
Her diet now
Highly compromised
She bravely then
Gave it all up
Now she doesn’t
Itch in the night
A good night’s sleep
Helps her depression

For allergy blood testing from Endocrine Lab in Mumbai

Contact 9819459141

They’re in Borivali

They take your sample from your house

Rs. 6500 for all panels including drug allergies

For skin allergy testing

My Chest Physician

Dr Prabodh Garg 9619708785

Skin testing is supposed to be superior but in our case the blood tests also revealed the allergies.

Besides skin testing covers far less allergens that blood tests

FLU SHOT
I thank the day
My paediatrician
Told us about this little prick
That drastically
Cut down
Our infections
And attacks

The doctors
Some of them say
It compromises your immune system
It does not work
It’s just 20% effective

I’m not the one to question them
I can only give you
Anecdotal evidence
It’s mandatory in some countries
Widely used in Europe
I know we don’t go back
For very long
To the good doctor
Once we have got the shot
Now it’s selling on the TV
By a company called Sanofi

AVOID POLLUTION

Till your body
Gets used to it
My son would travel by school bus
Suffer from the exhaust
Of the vehicles
We got him transferred
To an A/C van

Then there are 3M masks
For public Travel
For offending smells
That make you sneeze
Or worse

DUST MITE PROTECTORS

If you can carry your bedding to the terrace
Dry then in the hot sun
That’s best
It kills the mites

Seal your bedding
With dust mite protectors
You get them on Amazon
From Trance
I use a plastic sheet
On the protectors for added protection

Changethe sheets
Once a week

Dust mites are microscopes creatures
That feed on dead skin
Besides other things
They carry a fungus
Which cause allergies
And gives you an itchy
Sleepless
Wheezy
Night

It’s a simple remedy
No side effects
The benefits certainly
Outweigh the risks
Which are none

CUBBOARDS

Avoid wood
It’s prone to fungus
Metal is better I think
Avoid moulds
Air when the weather is dry
Use cloves and naphthalene
If youre not allergic that is
You get gels
From Amazon
Which absorb moisture

VACCUM

Vigorous and persistent vacuuming takes care of the dust
Here I have a SECRET to share
We have a HEPA vaccum cleaner
For the bedding and upholstery
From Eureka Forbes
Euroclean Health Pro
Which kills the dust mites
With UV rays

PIGEONS

The hidden enemy
In Mumbai
Pigeons harbour a fungus
And are a leading cause of Asthama
Cover your A/Cs
Service them often
Put pigeon nets
Around the windows
So they can’t roost
And deposit their
Highly allergic poop.
If you have a swimming pool
In your complex
Get it covered
So they may not drink
And thrive
Ours is covered

5.HOME REMEDIES ARE GREAT

Milk with Turmeric
Ginger
Honey
Garlic
Onion juice
Jesthamad
Heated ajwain on your chest
Steaming
See what works well for you
They go a long way

EXCERCISE
Breathing or running
Swimming or pranayama
Whatever makes those lungs a champ
Use a respirometer if you think it’s fun
Available on Amazon

AYURVEDA
I use
Dabur honitus
For soothing the throat
Sitaphaladhi churna
For the phlegm to come out

HOMEOPATHY

I don’t understand how it works
But we did take it
And got better
Was it the medicine
Or something else
I do not know
We we definitely
Got much better

MEDICINES

My maxim is
If the doctor isn’t ready
To give what you want
It may be good
To try another
To me empathy
And humility
Matters more
Than experience
A young one
Who is ready to read
And research
May help you with
The latest medicine
This is not to say
Experience is bad
But some are so busy
They just don’t have time
To read and upgrade
To know beyond
The MR’seducation

One thing I check
Is the brand prescribed
If it’s an expensive generic
Then beware
It maybe that
Your health alone
Isn’t at stake here

I’ve taken
Nebulization
Rotscaps
Inhalers
Anti allergy tablets ( still taking Spirimont F)

Medicines are necessary
At times
But they may safe or risky

Befriend your doctor
Discuss the safest treatment
He is your partner
On your long journey
Keeping your doctor close
Helps keeping your Asthma away

THE NEBULIZER

This little machine
Puts you at ease
Use as recommended
By your doctor
This may avoid aggravation
And then recourse
To strong medication

AIR PURIFIER
I tried this too
When my son was bad
I can’t certify
That they work
But he certainly
Did get better

WASHING MACINES
Dust mites get killed
At 60 degree sales centigrade
And above
A Washing machine
That can do that
Would work wonders
Unfortunately
I don’t have one

PERCUSSION AND TAPPING
I learnt from a chest physiotherapist
Check out videos and train your care taker
To loosen the phlegm in your chest
No side effects
Just relief!

HOT WATER
That’s right
Not warm
HOT as you can tolerate
Clears your throat
And soothes
Like nothing else can
My son has been through
Nights
With nothing but hot water
And a spoonful of honey
Sometimes mixed with turmeric
He would get cranky and refuse medication
But not hot water
When he wasn’t well
The flask was his bottle
To carry to school

AIR
Go to the sea
Out of the city
Choking in the bathroom?
Leave the door open
Or like us
A wall mounted fan
The heat
The humidity
No A/C
No problem
We have a pedestal fan
Directing its ample breeze
On my son
As he studies
Or watches TV

RELAX AND BREATHE
If you’re having a long bout of coughing
It helps to remember
To relax your muscles
And take deep breaths
The coughing bout may subside
This works for me
And my son
No harm in trying

A PAT ON THE BACK
Every one knows
When your in a bout of coughing
Or puking
It’s so effective
Those pats on the back

SPEAK UP
If it is the smells that bother you
The neigbour’s agarbatti
The colleagues perfume
Let them know
Your situation
A request
Kindly made
Will take care of it

READ and be updated
There are newer
Better medicines
On the block
Medicines without
Steroids
Immunology
May one day be affordable
No one is more desperate for a solution
Than yourself
Always research
On your problem
On genuine sites

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
It takes years
To discover
So many things
That can help
Your fellow sufferers
DO SHARE