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Healthphone.com's Healing Centre Panel of professional Chinese doctors,
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omissions. The information in this section is presented as is, for
educational purposes only. As with any medical matter, always
consult your healthcare professional before acting on any health-related
information.
Asthma is an episodic allergic pulmonary disease
characterised by paroxysmal attacks of breathlessness,
tightness in chest and wheezing (noisy sound produced by
long drawn out breathing), all due to the attacks of
narrowing of the bronchial (wind-pipe) airways. Asthma
attacks may come on suddenly, and they can last from 15
minutes to more than a day. They are frequently
triggered by allergies to particles in the air,
including pollen, dust, mold, or bits of animal skin
called dander. Smoke, exercise, cold air, some foods,
emotional upset, a common cold and according to new
research, impaired lung muscles can also spark asthma.
In a small percentage of people with asthma, aspirin can
prompt an attack. In asthma, muscle spasms and swelling
in the branches of the windpipe that carry air to and
from the lungs constrict the airways and block the flow
of air you need to breathe comfortably. Excess mucus
(phlegm) may further clog the airways. As a result,
patients have to gasp for breath.
1. Shortness of breath.
2. Wheezing or whistling sounds with breathing.
3. Tightness in the chest.
4. Coughing, especially at night.
5. A severe attack of Asthma will have the patient
fatigued, unable to lie down, with an abnormal
pulse, silent chest (the wheezes disappear) and
cyanosed (bluish appearance of skin esp. of lips,
tips of ears, cheeks and nails).
TCM's
evaluation of healing effect on such disease. Many
Asthma are successfully treated by TCM's treatment, it
is more effective than other kind of treatments.
Generally, it takes about two or three weeks to
treatment; however, the acupuncture may release the
difficulty breathing.
This ailment,
according to TCM, has different syndromes. The treatment for
these syndromes using herbal medicine and acupuncture is shown
below.
Syndrome (a)
Asthma of Cold Type
A
feeling of fullness and distress in the chest, shortness
of breath with wheezing sound in the throat,cough with
sputum, frequent attacks in cold seasons or caused by
cold, whitish, moist and glossy fur of the tongue, taut
and tight pulse.
To treat byHerbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Ventilating the lung and
expelling pathogenic (disease producing) cold,
eliminating phlegm to relieve asthma.
Prescription/Formula: Belamcanda and Ephlera
Decoction with additional ingredients. Belamcanda
rhizome (She gan), Ephlera (Ma huang), Pinellia tuber
(Ban xia), Fresh ginger (Sheng jiang ), bitter apricot
kernel (Xin ren), Perilla fruit (Shu zi), at 10 g each;
Aster root (Zhi yuan), Coltsfoot flower (Kuan dong hua),
Schisandra fruit (Da zao), at 12 g each; Asarum herb (Xi
xin) 3 g.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Ventilating the lung and
expelling pathogenic cold, eliminating phlegm to relieve
asthma
Syndrome (b)
Asthma of Heat Type
Dyspnea (shortness of breath) with wheezing, irritable
oppressed sensation in the chest even gasping for
breath, yellowish mucoid (full of phlegm) sputum,
thirst, frequent occurrence in hot seasons or onset
closely associated with heat, reddened tongue with
yellow greasy fur and a rapid pulse.
To treat by Herbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Removing heat-phlegm and
facilitating the flow of the lung qi to relieve asthma.
Prescription/Formula: Modified prescriptions of
decoction of Ephedre, Apricot kernel, Gypsum and
Licorice. Ephedre (Ma huang), bitter Apricot kernel (Xin
ren), Perilla fruit (Shu zi), Iepidium seed (Ting li
zi), Sichuan fritillary bulb (Chuan bei mu), Licorice
root (Gan cao) at 10 g each; Gypsum (Sheng shi gao )30
g; Mulberry bark (Shang bai pi ), earthworm (Di long),
Trichosanthes seed (Gua lou) at 15 g each.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Removing heat-phlegm
and facilitating the flow of the lung qi to relieve
asthma.
Chronic and recurrent attacks for a long time, constant
minor and persistent asthma at ordinary times, The sound
of cough being low and weak, palpitation (noticeable and
irregular heartbeat) and shortness of breath,spontaneous
perspiration and aversion to wind, general ill health,
pale tongue with little fur, and weak pulse.
To treat by Herbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Tonifying the lung and
spleen, improving inspiration to relieve asthma.
Prescription/Formula: Powder of Ginseng and ecko
with additional ingredients. Ginseng(Ren shen) 10 g;
Gecko (Ge jie ) 3 g;Walnut kernel ( hu tao ), Ophiopogon
root ( Mai dong ), Schisandra fruit (Wu wei zi ),
Astrandra fruit ( Huang qi ), Cordyceps ( dong chong xia
cao ), Lily bulb ( Bai he ), Iili bulb ( fu lin ), red
Tangerine peel (jue hong ) at 12 g each; Prepared
licorice root ( Gan cao ) 6 g. All the above drugs
except gecko are tobe decocted in water for oral
administration.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Tonifying the lung and
spleen, improving inspiration to relieve asthma.
Generally speaking, Qigong is good for healing
effect of this specific ailment, however
individual results may vary. It improves the
flow of the qi and the circulation of the blood,
so you'll experience more energy, but, you won't
see/ feel any immediate effects, as with many
exercises and therapies, it takes a few weeks or
even months of practice before you'll see any
significant improvements.
For the information of different types of Qigong
,just click a link above.
This information is for education purpose only.
We strongly advise you seek a licensed Qigong
master to learn the correct ways to conduct
these exercises before attempting them.
(b) Medicated diet
1. Tangerine peel(Chenpi) 10g, Bitter Apricot
Kernel (Xingren)10g, Ophiopogon (Maidong)12g,
rice 60g, put 3 cups of water then soak 20
minutes, boil 30 minutes to make rice gruel, eat
once a day for 2 weeks.
2. Astragalus Root (Huangqi)12g, Cordyceps
(Dongchongxiacao)6g (Chenpi)10g, lean pork100g,
with 4 cups water to decoct 1-2 cups of soup to
drink twice a week for 2 months.
(c) Life style 1) Stay away from smoke and smokers, If
you smoke, quit. 2) Stay indoors, if possible,when air
pollution and pollen counts are high. 3) In cold weather, breathe through your
nose and cover your nose and mouth with a scarf.
4) Keep your house as dust-free as
possible. 5) Get bedding that is made of
nonallergenic materials. 6) Stick with pets that don't have hair
or fur. 7) Take a Qi-gong or Tai-ji class, It can
help relax you. 8) Lower your risk of colds and flu by
washing your hands often and by getting a flu
shot every year. 9) Don't lie down, you can breathe better
if you sit upright and lean forward slightly.
10) Remain calm and quiet. Anxiety makes
the symptoms worse.
Acknowledgments:
Healthphone.com greatly acknowledges the support
and dedication of our
Healing Centre Panel, without whom this
section would not be possible.
We also greatly acknowedge Ms. Najaf Munir,
MBBS, for her editorial support. Ms. Munir
simplified the highly technical medical
documents into easy-to-read documents, for the
enjoyment and education of our numerous
visitors.
