Even after being on inhalers daily for years together, this patient had no respite from her asthma.

When 16-year-old Manju (name changed) visited our clinic, her two best friends, Asthalin and Budecort inhalers, accompanied her. They had been friends since the past five years and as the days were passing by, their friendship was getting stronger and stronger. Her parents were very much worried about this, as she was getting increasingly dependent on them.

Manju was diagnosed with asthma when she was a child. With conventional treatment, her asthma was almost in control when she was 10 years old. It resurfaced when her family shifted to Jaipur five years back. It was then that she was prescribed Asthalin and Budecort inhalers. The year before she consulted us, her family had relocated to Hyderabad and the high levels of pollution at Hyderabad made her asthma severe. She used to get the attack almost every night, especially after she finished her dinner. The attack would not subside unless she had taken her dose of asthalin and budecort inhalers.

During the case study, she mentioned that most of the times, the attack used to start as a simple cold, which later progressed to an episode of asthma. Sometimes she just used to get a sensation of tightness in her chest and breathlessness without any reason. She would not be able to eat or drink anything cold since it triggered the asthma episode. She had to avoid citrus fruits for the same reason.

Manju did not have any major illness in the past, except for recurrent episodes of asthma. Her maternal grandmother also had asthma.

In general, Manju had a normal appetite, except at the time of the asthma episode. She loved spicy food. She would sweat moderately on her underarms. Her thirst, bowels, urine were normal. The initial part of her sleep would be disturbed because of the asthma episodes.

Manju stayed with her parents and younger brother. She shared a cordial relationship with every one. She was friendly, caring and helpful by nature. These qualities made her popular among her friends. She never expected any favours in return. Manju had a very positive attitude towards life. She never let the asthma overcome her positive spirit any time. Because of her asthma, she was not able to get into any other activities, so she decided to put all her efforts in studies. This was the reason she could face the exams very confidently and come out with flying colours. Apart from studies, she enjoyed painting and travelling.

After a detailed case taking, the consulting doctor at Dr Batra's™ examined Manju. With the help of a peak flow metre, he measured her lung function. The test results were poor. Manju case was worked out by the consulting homeopathic physician and a constitutional medicine was prescribed to her. Along with the medicines, she was also suggested certain dietary changes and special breathing exercises were explained to her.

A few months after taking the medicine, Manju condition started improving gradually. The frequency and intensity of the episodes reduced. She was able to manage most of the asthma episodes without the inhalers, except for a couple of times when she required taking them. With continued treatment, her episodes of cold no longer progressed to episodes of asthma. Peak flow metre tests done to monitor her progress also showed improvement. Manju could now pursue other things of interest to her and no longer considered asthma as an impediment.

Within a span of eleven months, Manju was already feeling much better. However, considering that she had a family history of asthma, she was asked to continue the treatment for some more time. Her parents were extremely happy because Manju could finally let go of the inhalers, which had earlier become an inseparable part of her life.