A 25 years old male patient, Mr. S. S. J. (PIN L6649) reported to us for his complaints of Bronchial Asthma which he was suffering for 3 years. He would get episodes of breathlessness about twice every month and these would last for 6- 8 hours. He would experience heaviness in the chest and inability to speak due to the breathlessness. These complaints would turn worse in the morning from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. These symptoms used to get triggered by the exposure to dust and chili powder at his workplace (He was working at a grocery store). The breathlessness would worsen on lying down and in the winter season. During the episodes of wheezing, he would gain some relief from sitting up. He had also been admitted once in the hospital to control a severe asthmatic attack. He was not on any regular medication for this, but he would require medicines only during the acute phase.
There were complaints of recurrent colds present since his childhood. He used to suffer from severe bouts of sneezing about once every month. The nasal discharge would be mucoid and cause much irritation of the nose. At the same time, he would also experience throat irritation and blockage of the nostrils. These complaints would last for about 3-4 days and would turn worse on the intake of cold food or drinks and in the cold weather. The change of weather would also trigger off his complaints. During the colds, he would experience excessive lachrymation and congestion of the eyes.
His was lean built. The patient had a poor appetite. He was very fond of sweets and milk. His bowel movements were not satisfactory and would require some straining to pass the stools. He didn’t experience much sweating, but he mentioned that his hands and feet would always be cold to touch. His sleep was sound and he had no complaints pertaining to that.
He stayed away from his parents in Mumbai with his brother and both of them were into a business. He had not suffered from any major illness in the past, except for jaundice a few years ago. His mother had complaints of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma.
He had a marked anxiety about his health. He would often wonder that if he was having all such problems at this young age, what would happen to him when he would get old. He would feel that he would die due to his breathlessness and would have a marked fear of death from breathlessness. He would like to be in the company of people. He said that he would rarely get angry, but, whenever he would get angry, his temper would be violent. Often, he felt like beating up the opposite person but he would have the tendency to suppress his anger and not express it at all. His anger would mostly get triggered by contradiction, and he was completely intolerant of contradiction.
He was prescribed Thuja 200 for his complaints based on the above case history.
At the end of 3 months of the treatment, the frequency of his asthmatic attacks was much better than before. He had just 2 episodes of breathlessness during these 3 months and they were very mild and lasted just for a few hours.
The medication was continued for another few months and after another 6 months, his asthma was significantly better than before. He was completely off any other medication for asthma now. He would occasionally get mild episodes that would subside within a few hours after medicines.
Remark: The remedy prescribed in these cases is patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the symptoms specific to the patient when the case was taken. It is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any self-medication.
Conclusion:
This case highlights that homeopathy is highly effective in controlling chronic asthma in some months of the homeopathic treatment and in providing the patient a great relief from the discomfort of asthma.