Is it okay to take Chinese medicine for bronchial asthma?

Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
Updated on September 16, 2024
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Bronchial asthma can be treated with traditional Chinese medicine, but it is definitely not feasible to treat bronchial asthma only with Chinese medicine without Western medicine. Modern medicine still primarily uses Western medicine, which is the mainstream. Traditional Chinese medicine serves as an auxiliary treatment. Bronchial asthma is a recurrent disease that needs standardized treatment to be controlled. Currently, many unscrupulous businesses are exploiting the banner of traditional Chinese medicine or some ancestral secret formulas to provide non-standard treatments to patients with bronchial asthma, which may contain corticosteroids. Long-term oral intake of their herbal medicines might control bronchial asthma in the short term, but such long-term treatments are definitely non-standard and will lead to future difficulties in controlling the asthma. Therefore, patients with bronchial asthma must receive standardized Western medical treatment and can use traditional Chinese medicine as an auxiliary treatment, but it must be provided by a formal hospital.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
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Do you need to take anti-inflammatory drugs for bronchial asthma?

Bronchial asthma is a very common asthmatic disease in clinical settings. There are numerous and complex factors that cause bronchial asthma. Therefore, in cases of bronchial asthma caused by bacterial infection leading to symptoms such as cough, phlegm, respiratory distress, and breathlessness, it is necessary to use appropriate anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate these clinical discomforts. If the bronchial asthma is triggered by physical or chemical irritants, such as pollen, mites, animal dander, or harmful gases, leading to varying degrees of cough, breathlessness, respiratory distress, and chest tightness, anti-inflammatory drugs are generally not required. Instead, avoiding triggering factors and providing appropriate medication to relieve bronchial spasms can quickly control the asthma symptoms caused by bronchitis.

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Does bronchial asthma have wheezing sounds?

During an acute attack of bronchial asthma, patients often have wheezing sounds in their lungs, but it's important to note that some patients may not exhibit wheezing, such as those with chest tightness or cough variant asthma, who only show symptoms of chest tightness and typically do not have wheezing on auscultation. However, administering inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators can relieve their condition. Additionally, during a severe acute attack of bronchial asthma, severe airway spasms can occur, leading to a situation where the patient might not have any wheezing sounds, a condition referred to as "silent lung." In such cases, patients often experience difficulty breathing or even respiratory distress, which is usually quite serious and requires active intervention.

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Written by Han Shun Li
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What medicine is used for bronchial asthma?

Bronchial asthma, although common, currently has no specific treatment. The primary aim of medication is to control symptoms. There are two main types of medications used to treat asthma: one type is known as bronchodilators, commonly including receptor agonists, anticholinergics, and theophylline. The other type is anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly including corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, sodium cromoglycate, nedocromil sodium, and ketotifen. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor, according to specific circumstances.)

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The difference between bronchial asthma and pulmonary emphysema.

Bronchial asthma and emphysema are two different diseases. Bronchial asthma typically manifests as episodic coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing. Patients often develop this condition in childhood and adolescence, and it is relatively rare in the elderly. Emphysema, on the other hand, is often related to long-term smoking and is usually seen in middle-aged and older patients. Early stages of emphysema may only be evident on a chest CT and may not show significant symptoms of chest tightness. However, as the disease progresses, patients often experience noticeable chest tightness and difficulty breathing, and the condition tends to progressively worsen. Patients typically eventually develop complications such as chronic respiratory failure and chronic pulmonary heart disease. Therefore, the characteristics of bronchial asthma and emphysema are different. However, it is important to note that in patients with bronchial asthma, if the condition is not controlled and continues to progress, it might also lead to the development of emphysema, chronic respiratory failure, pulmonary heart disease, and other related conditions.

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Can people with bronchial asthma eat chicken?

Patients with bronchial asthma can appropriately eat some chicken, as chicken contains proteins, trace elements, and other minerals that can meet the body's demand for various nutrients and enhance its resistance. Additionally, chicken is a warming and tonic food, which helps to nourish the body and strengthen the patient's resistance, facilitating faster recovery from the illness. However, it is important to consume it in moderation and not eat too much at once, as overeating can burden the gastrointestinal tract and lead to indigestion. Therefore, it is advised to always eat in moderate amounts, regardless of the food type. Also, keep warm, avoid cold drafts, do not eat spicy, greasy, raw, or irritating foods. Furthermore, proper physical exercise should be maintained to enhance physique and improve resistance.