While asthma mechanisms are still far from being understood, there are several effective asthma treatments that are currently in use. While there are literally hundreds of anti-asthma medications and natural asthma relievers, most of them are used in one of four most popular current asthma treatments:
* Bronchodilation (widening the airways)
* Reducing inflammation (in airways and lungs)
* Immunotherapy (reducing the allergens’ influence on your organism)
* Various natural asthma treatments
Of course most of the times all treatments are used at the same time as asthma requires a complex approach.
1. Bronchodilation
Bronchodilation (opening the airways) is the prime treatment in case of asthma attacks, but it is also an important part of any longer term asthma treatment (using so-called long-term bronchodilator drugs). The most common drugs that relax the airways muscles are
* Theophylline and
* B2-Agonists
Unless we talk about long-term bronchodilators, the first effects of the bronchodilation asthma treatments are almost immediate.
2. Reducing Inflammation
Reducing inflammation is probably the most important in asthma treatment for the long term. The anti-inflammatory drugs (usually steroids or corticosteroids) interfere with the activity of immune cells in the lungs and airways, thus reducing inflammation caused by the immune cells’ activity. This asthma treatment is a long-term one (certainly not a quick solution) as the medications often take weeks or even months before the first results become visible. This treatment is common in case of moderate-to-severe asthma, but only rarely used in milder cases.
3. Immunotherapy Asthma Treatment
Immunotherapy is much more complex and long-term than the two asthma treatment solutions above, but may bring a substantial improvement in controlling asthma by reducing the impact of the allergens’ presence onto the organism. While it works only against allergy-induced asthma, immunotherapy is certainly one of the most promising asthma treatments – the only one that may (at least theoretically) lead to healing asthma.
4. Natural Asthma Treatments
Natural asthma treatments are still in their infancy, according to traditional medicine (although, in Asia there are natural treatments that are thousands of years old). To learn more about natural asthma relief methods is definitely a wise course of action.
If you have asthma, your asthma treatments are certain to fall in one of the four categories above. Remember that which one is suitable for you is ultimately YOUR decision and not your doctor’s.
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