Whenever I see some children with recurrent asthma attacks in the clinic, I feel worried because these children with recurrent attacks should be playing and going to school to live a happy life like other children, but some parents do not understand the doctor’s instructions properly and bring pain and physical damage to their children with recurrent attacks. Asthma in remission has almost no symptoms and rarely attracts parents’ attention, but treatment in remission is the key to curing asthma in children.
Since asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways involving multiple cells and cellular components. This chronic inflammation persists during the remission phase of asthma, and irregular treatment of this chronic inflammation seriously affects the prognosis of asthma. The principles of asthma treatment are standardized medication, long-term control, avoidance of triggers, and self-care.
The following three aspects are introduced from dietary habits, Western medicine and Chinese medicine.
Firstly, dietary habits.
Dietary lifestyle habits are very important in the process of asthma treatment, but they are often not given enough attention.
There are many causes of bronchial asthma attacks, which should be noted from the following aspects.
1. Diet.
Do not let children eat compound processed foods with added flavors, colors, preservatives, etc. Try to feed mainly natural foods. Infants are better off breastfeeding, do not give up this best natural food to artificial feeding. Synthetic flavors, colors, preservatives, etc. may cause allergies, such as asthma, hives, itchy skin, etc. Some children with allergic asthma, treated with many methods are ineffective, but after stopping the food containing additives, the child’s asthma is relieved.
Also in the diet should be noted.
(1) It should be light, less spicy, vitamin-rich foods, not too full, too salty, too sweet, and avoid excessive consumption of fatty, sweet and thick flavors.
(2) Allergic people should eat less heterogeneous protein food, once a certain food is found to trigger the onset of bronchial asthma, it should be avoided, and more vegetable protein, such as beans and soy products, should be eaten.
(3) The diet should ensure the adequacy and balance of various nutrients, especially antioxidant nutrients such as β-carotene, vitamin C, E and trace elements of selenium should be increased. Antioxidant nutrients can scavenge oxygen free radicals and reduce the damage of oxygen free radicals to tissues, which can reduce the number of asthma attacks and increase the ventilation of children. β-carotene, vitamin C and E are abundant in fresh vegetables and fruits, and the trace element selenium is abundant in kelp, jellyfish and garlic.
(4) Infants should be mainly breast milk, which contains antibodies to secreted immune proteins that increase the body’s resistance.
(5) Regular consumption of edible mushrooms can regulate immune function, such as shiitake mushrooms and mushrooms containing mushroom polysaccharides and mushroom polysaccharides, containing a variety of amino acids and no cholesterol, which can enhance the body’s resistance.
2.Avoid allergic factors.
Allergens can be detected in 30% to 40% of bronchial asthma. Dust mites, cat and dog skin scales, mold, pollen, milk, poultry eggs, silk, feathers, moths, cotton wool and fungi are all important allergens.
3. Avoid microbial infections.
Colds and upper respiratory tract infections are the most common triggers, more obvious in winter and spring or when the climate is changeable. Respiratory tract infections, especially viral infections, are more likely to cause asthma attacks in children.
4. Avoid overexertion.
Strong or long physical labor, intense competitive sports, can trigger asthma.
5, avoid adverse mental factors.
Mood swings can be a trigger. Such as worry, sadness, excessive excitement and even laughter can also lead to asthma attacks.
6, pay attention to climate change.
Such as the cold season is easy to get cold and lead to respiratory infections, or sudden changes in weather or lowered air pressure can trigger a bronchial asthma attack.
Secondly, the long-term regular use of Western medicine.
Western medicine for asthma to global GINA program is the best, with Chinese medicine can play a role in the icing on the cake. gina program to inhaled hormone therapy, so that the side effects of drugs to reduce to a minimum range. Inhalation therapy should be standardized, long-term, and not discontinued casually. It should be evaluated every 1-3 months, and the condition can be gradually downgraded. The purpose of step therapy is to achieve the best control of asthma with as few drugs as possible. Inhalation therapy is currently a better way to prevent and treat asthma, because inhaled drugs can directly reach the lesion site, with rapid onset of action and few side effects; however, for mild patients, oral montelukast (shunhening) and traditional Chinese medicine can be taken first for observation, and if asthma symptoms can be well prevented, inhaled hormones are not needed for the time being.
Chinese medicine can regulate the body’s immune function and effectively prevent asthma.
Chinese medicine believes that the three organs of the lungs, spleen and kidneys do not function well enough, resulting in phlegm and drinks staying in the lungs and hidden in the lungs, which become the long-standing root of asthma. Therefore, during the remission period of asthma, we should focus on supporting the righteousness, regulating the functions of the internal organs of the lungs, spleen and kidneys, eliminating the long-standing root of phlegm, regulating the balance of yin and yang of the body, removing the internal factors that cause asthma, and achieving the purpose of treating asthma. The majority of children’s asthma can be prevented and treated if the body is in an optimal state and its constitution is constantly strengthened by traditional Chinese medicine.
The above three aspects complement each other, good diet and living habits can reduce exposure to allergens and avoid asthma attacks, western medicine acts on the bronchial tubes to play a local therapeutic role, and Chinese medicine acts on the whole body to regulate the body’s immunity, the combination of the three can make asthma well controlled. However, the length of asthma treatment and prognosis are related to the age of the child, the severity of the disease, the duration of the disease, and whether the treatment is timely. The key to preventing and treating asthma is long-term standardized treatment. To achieve this goal, close cooperation with the doctor and long-term persistence are required. The vast majority of children with asthma will be in remission by adolescence.