Asthma spreads alarmingly; it’s very difficult to breath easy in Bangalore

Asthma spreads alarmingly; it’s very difficult to breath easy in Bangalore
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Is Bangalore turning India’s allergy capital? If studies conducted by Dr.Batra’s Positive Health Clinic here are anything to go by, Bangalore has the highest congregation of asthmatic patients while comparing with nine other major cities of the country. In addition, about 22 per cent of asthmatic patients in Bangalore are children.

Studies conducted by the reputed clinic, famous for its effective homeopathic treatment of allergic diseases like asthma, also disclose that about 30 per cent of women in Bangalore are suffering from Asthma and among them 81 per cent remain below the age of 25 years.

To make the survey more accurate, experts with the clinic went through the case history of as many as 4629 asthmatic patients from 10 different cities during the last several months. The respondents were selected through random sampling.

According to Dr. Mukesh Batra, CMD of the institute, Bangalore gets the dubious distinction of allergy capital mainly because of its peculiar climatic conditions.

‘‘It’s a proven fact that people with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs. When exposed to certain triggers, these airways getting narrow making it difficult for them to breathe. This obstruction can cause wheezing, coughing, breathlessness and chest tightness,’’ he explained.‘‘Nobody knows for sure what exactly causes asthma. Family history is important as with one asthmatic parent the child is at 25-30 percent risk and with both asthmatic parents the risk rises to the level of 70-75 per cent,’’ he added.

The various triggers that can set asthma off include dust, dust mites, pollen, tobacco, allergies, and viral infections like flu, animal hair and sudden weather changes.

Important allergens identified by experts of the clinic in Bangalore include Cassia, Ageratum, Salvadora, Ricinus, Albizia Lebbeck, and Artemisia Scoparia. A weed named Parthenium, which commonly known as congress grass, also causing the problem.

‘‘Avoid stress and strain that affect both mind and body. Light exercise like walking is useful,’’ the doctor suggests. He also recommends breathing exercises like blowing up a balloon or football as they would help increase breathing capacity. ‘‘Avoid known allergens and other precipitating factors such as strong smells, pollens, ice creams, and exposure to cold or damp weather, he advises.According to Dr.Batra, studies conducted by University of Glasgow and Government Homoeopathic Hospital in Hyderabad had confirmed that homepathy can cure asthma effectively than any other branch of medicine. The clinic has already treated over 20,000 asthmatics and over 85 per cent turned success.