Asthma and Its Treatment.

Otago Witness, Issue 2975, 22 March 1911, Page 76

Asthma and Its Treatment.

Asthma is very much commoner among men than among- women, and it is a disease that is largely hereditary. The chief symptom is a distressing attack of shortness of breath, during- which the patient feels as if he were suffocating. The difficulty is to get air out of the chest, and the air cells which make up the bulk of the lungs are in a state of over-distension. The face is generally bluish or pale, and bears an expression of distress and anxiety. The attacks most commonly occur in the small hours of the morning, and sometimes a sufferer dare not lie down at all, but has to oontent himself with such rest as he can take in an arm-chair, or propped up into a sitting posture in bed Much may be done to relieve a paroxysm by drinking strong coffee, or inhalir.g the fumes of burning nitre or stramonium, but it is best to consult a doctor as to which remedy would be most suitable for a particular case.

In the way of prevention. Any person having an asthmatic tendency should hava as much fresh air as possible by night as well as day. and he should also take a fair amount of gentle walking exercise. Flan nel clothing must be worn, with plenty of ventilation allowed for, as warmth and lightness of weight are to bo equally aimed a.t. The asthmatic patient must live plainly and frugally; especially is it necessary to eschew all heavy meals in the later hours of the dlay, when no demand'should bo made on the digestive organs. The bowels should bo kept freely open every day. Where possible a sufferer should establish himself in a place that will bo beneficial to tho d,isea?e, but, of course, in many cases this cannot be done. It is a remarkable fact, based on the experience of all medical men, that no special locality oa.n bo named aes the right place for an asthmatic patient. Ono place suits one man and another perfectly different in every respect suite another. Some sufferers are never so comfortable' as in a town, others are better directly they get into country air.