Reviewed by Dr.Vijaykumar Kamat & written by Dr. Khyati Dave.

Waking up in the middle of the night gasping for breath…is this what scares you? Well you are not alone then. There are millions of people like you who suffer from asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs which narrows the passage of airway to the lungs. There is excessive mucus production which makes it difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs.

There are many triggers that lead to an acute attack of asthma. These triggers could be exposure to an allergen, cold air, exertion or emotional stress.

The intensity and frequency of the episodes vary from time to time.

It is not always possible to avoid all the triggers, so the better way out is to learn to coexist with the affection.

It can be scary and exhaustive at times, especially when children are affected. Most of the asthmatic children become asymptomatic by the time they are adults.

A holistic approach works better in asthma cases because the root cause in many cases is emotional stress. If that is dealt with the superficial manifestations also reduce.

In most cases, just accepting your illness is a big leap towards cure.