World Asthma Day: ‘Milk, curd, lassi, banana, rice do not worsen asthma’

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 3

On the occasion of World Asthma Day on Tuesday, Dr HJ Singh, chairman, Indian Chest Society Punjab and Past President of Indian Association of Bronchology, organised an awareness programme wherein he said bronchial asthma is becoming a serious global health problem.

Dr Singh further added that it was very important on the part of treating physicians to give knowledge about the disease first and then prescribe the drugs since asthma was a long-standing disease and the only thing which could be assured was the excellent control of the disease. It is wrong to commit cure for the disease, he said.

He added that a common belief among most patients of bronchial asthma was that it gets worse because of milk, curd, lassi and fruits like bananas and rice. Dr Singh assured that this wa a misconception and patient should consume these foods without hesitation.

Dr Singh said diet allergy of course is important in asthma. “Diet allergy like peanut, fish, egg and other articles of course can cause asthma in very few percentage of cases. Only inhalation therapy is the main stay of treatment in asthma. Inhaled steroids are quite safe and efficacious in the treatment of asthma. Properly done allergy tests and immunotherapy as a great tool in modifying its treatment. Inhalers are not an addiction at all as thought by most of the patient suffering from asthma,” he tried to clear a few misconceptions.

He added: “The other cause of concern is that asthma is rapidly increasing in children. About 12-15 per cent children are suffering from asthma. It can occur any age and is more common in boys as compared to girls. Allergy to pollens, insects, dust mites, pets, viral infection, tobacco smoking lead to increased severity of asthma.”

Dr Singh said most of the patient who present to us in hospital are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and thus remained untreated. The main symptoms are cough, wheezing in chest, breathlessness and sneezing.

According to Dr HJ Singh, a clear communication and health education is the key to compliance in control of asthma. Dr Singh revealed new revolution in the treatment of bronchial Asthma. In which by doing bronchial thermoplasty patients will have a new hope because with this procedure the narrowing of bronchi will be minimised.