Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways marked by variable symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. The airways become overly responsive to triggers like allergens, viral infections, exercise, smoke, cold air, pollution, and occupational irritants. Symptoms can fluctuate over time, and the same person may have long periods of stability followed by sudden worsening, sometimes called an exacerbation or flare. Diagnosis and treatment planning often draw on symptom patterns, trigger history, lung function testing such as spirometry, and the frequency of urgent medication use.

Treatment options vary because asthma is not a single uniform condition. Some people have mild intermittent symptoms, while others have frequent attacks, allergic asthma, exercise-induced symptoms, or difficult-to-control disease with repeated steroid bursts or emergency care. Western care often focuses on airway inflammation control, bronchodilation, trigger reduction, and escalation based on severity. Eastern approaches may emphasize constitution, breathing regulation, stress response, and support for symptom burden or quality of life. A balanced review is useful because evidence strength differs across approaches, and the best fit often depends on symptom pattern, urgency, tolerance for medication risk, access, and whether the goal is quick relief, prevention, or broader supportive care.