AN OPEN LABEL PROSPECTIVE STUDY TO EXPLORE EFFICACY OF IPECACUANHA IN CASES OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Abstract

Bronchial Asthma is a chronic inflammatory illness characterized by periods of shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and other symptoms produced by bronchial hyper responsiveness and fluctuating air flow blockage that can be reversed spontaneously or with medication. The World Health Organization recognizes bronchial asthma as a major health problem. According to the most recent Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study, 339.4 million persons worldwide have a high prevalence of asthma. Asthma is ranked 16th in the world for years lived with disability and 28th in terms of disease burden.

The prevalence of asthma is higher in industrialized countries than in developing countries. An estimated 15-20 million people in India suffer from asthma. In India, its incidence is around 2%. It is one of the causes of poor quality of life, with reduced capacity to complete daily activities (85%), physical activity limitation (69%), loss of productivity at work (73%) or education (64%), and restrictions on leisure and lifestyle (78%). Homeopathy is a discipline founded on the laws of similarity, which means that it treats diseases using medications that produce comparable symptoms in healthy people. Homeopathy treats the individual as a whole. In acute attacks as well as for chronic conditions there is group of medicines like Natrum Muriaticum, Natrum Sulphuricum, Bromium, Antimonium crude and Ipecacuanha.