Asthma is one of the most common and common chronic respiratory diseases. Asthma occurs due to inflammation and narrowing of the airways (bronchi) in the lungs. Although asthma sufferers cannot be completely cured, the symptoms experienced can be reduced with good and appropriate treatment.
Treatment methods that can be done, one of which is therapy, from therapy with drugs, breathing techniques, to certain types of exercise. In addition to reducing the severity of asthma symptoms, asthma medication therapy also aims to reduce the frequency of recurrences. Then, what types of asthma healing therapy can be done? Here's the explanation!
The type of asthma treatment therapy that is often recommended by doctors
It is important to consult a doctor first to find out which type of therapy is most appropriate for treating your asthma. The doctor will analyze what type and severity of asthma you are experiencing. After that, the doctor can determine which drug and type of therapy is right for you. This needs to be considered because not everyone is suitable for one particular therapy. What types of therapy are usually recommended by doctors? Here are the types!
- Drug therapy
Drug therapy is a common asthma treatment method recommended by doctors, both for the short and long term. The length of the drug therapy period will be adjusted to the severity of the asthma experienced. Drug therapy for asthma is divided into three, namely long-term, short-term treatment, and allergy treatment.
Long-term asthma treatment aims to control the severity of symptoms, and prevent ongoing relapses and complications. This therapy usually involves the use of inhaled medications.
Short-term asthma treatment aims to relieve acute asthma attacks when they occur immediately. This drug can also be used as first aid when experiencing a sudden asthma attack.
Allergy treatment is devoted to dealing with allergies that cause asthma. So, drugs are usually only given if the body reacts with certain triggers (allergens).
- Breathing therapy
Breathing therapy is a way to deal with asthma without drugs that doctors often recommend. However, this therapy needs to be practiced every day, by accustoming people with asthma to breathe more effectively. Over time, routinely doing respiratory therapy will help improve lung function to accommodate & absorb oxygen, and prevent asthma from recurring.
- Yoga therapy
This one exercise trains you to regulate the pattern of inhalation and exhalation following every body movement. That is why yoga can be used as a way to relieve asthma symptoms. The breathing techniques in yoga will gradually increase lung capacity.
That way, people with asthma can inhale a greater volume of oxygen when breathing short. Not only that, yoga also indirectly teaches how to breathe better and more efficiently and reduce stress that can trigger asthma. With a duration of 50 minutes per day, yoga has been shown to be effective in reducing the recurrence of asthma attacks in the morning and at night.
- Swimming therapy
When exercising, people with asthma may unconsciously often breathe not through their nose but through their mouth. This way of breathing can make sufferers more short of breath, because the air that enters the lungs is dry air.
Dry air can irritate the airways which eventually triggers asthma symptoms. Well, swimming is a sport that is quite recommended for people with asthma. This is because swimming helps moisten the airways so they don't dry out and become irritated.
In addition, a flat body posture when swimming can make the muscles of the respiratory tract more relaxed, so that later people with asthma can breathe more easily. This therapy also aims to help people with asthma to stay active.
Those are some therapies for treating asthma. Before choosing which therapy you want to undergo, you should consult your doctor first. This is because the condition of asthma experienced by each person can be different, so the treatment that can be done is of course different.
Article written by dr. Chrispian Oktafbipian Mamudi, Sp.PD-KP (Internal Medicine Specialist - Pulmonary Consultant at EMC Pulomas Hospital).