Dr Richard N Firshein's latest asthma treatment plan is more than a practical, no-nonsense bellwether for that commonplace 'gung-ho' spasm - the song of every asthmatic's burden.

.....Rajgopal Nidamboor

You'd, as a physician, always thought that there never was a comprehensive programme to beating asthma - an ailment with no easy answers. You now have one, at long last - a curriculum that truly addresses every element of an asthmatic's life. Called CAP, or Comprehensive Asthma Prevention Programme, it is a novel blueprint - one that directs your patients to fight the odious spasm, or every possible trigger, of asthma. How? From the way they breathe, and the level of vitamins and minerals in their red, and white, blood cells to the toxins in their home, office, or elsewhere.

CAP is the brainchild of renowned US osteopath and asthma specialist, Dr Richard N Firshein, a long-time asthma sufferer himself. It is, in essence, a pragmatic, breathe-easier, user-friendly roadmap - something that your patients could work at, on their own terms, on the basis of a few elementary rules and, most importantly, with your integral co-operation.

To start with the programme, says Dr Firshein, every doctor ought to first tell his/her patient to find their own real you - one that is more than a question of their really getting to know their own genuine you. But, before you'd do that, it is only natural that a host of questions may be running through their mind. Of how they can prevent asthma, including the latest studies in medicine, and medications themselves - whether they are good, or bad. Of what kind of exercise is better, what kind of change may go on in their lungs with asthma, do children outgrow asthma, or is it still a myth, or why are asthma sprays sometimes dangerous, or do allergies make them vulnerable to asthma.

According to Dr Firshein, each patient has his or her own unique genetic and biochemical imprint. He elaborates: "Like a spider's web, woven differently each time, each person's biochemistry is unique. Each patient has a special combination of hidden nutritional deficiencies, allergies, and sensitiveness: Every patient also has unique healing capacities that, when tapped, can help restore health."

Dr Firshein's programme combines the best of conventional medicine - of what is going on at the cellular level vis-Á-vis asthma, including an agreeable and informative battery of general, and sophisticated, tests - with a holistic approach to health. His is a revolutionary programme - one that is specifically designed for asthmatics. It's ditto for his CAP questionnaire which accounts, and denotes, 'scores' for all possible health hazards we face in day-to-day life: drugs, medications, home, office, food, allergic potential, intestinal malfunction, immunity level, nutrition, and so on.

Says Dr Firshein: "Medications, when properly used, are an invaluable tool. They serve as a bridge to a healthier life. But, too many asthma patients today are overmedicated, and undertreated, or they are inadequately treated." So, what is the best way out of such an impasse? Dr Firshein explains: "Patients can make a dramatic improvement in their health by reducing their medication in the context of a programme like CAP - a schedule that eliminates lifestyle triggers of asthma, and bolsters the entire body with a rich lode of nutrients."

Dr Firshein, to his credit, does not miss the wheeze for a sneeze, and vice versa. He says: "Asthmatics should not simply lessen their prescribed drugs on their own. This is one aspect of my programme that absolutely must - without exception - be conducted under a physician's supervision." He also adds that the basic aim of CAP is to help asthmatics lead an almost drug-free life, and also encourage them to lead as healthy a life as possible while relying on the least amount of medication necessary.

Asthma is generally a manageable problem. Dr Firshein's new outlook, which combines the best in natural, non-invasive, non-toxic treatments, backed by substantial research, is more than geared to educating asthmatics about the many possible triggers that cause the inflammation and congestion in the bronchial passages leading to asthma attacks. In so doing, it also spells out how healing and prevention are achieved through diet, nutritional supplementation, environmental modification, breathing exercises and, most importantly, stress reduction. To complement it all, Dr Firshein urges both physicians and asthmatics to make use of effective alternative techniques, based on the mind/body concept of healing: meditation, self-hypnosis, visualisation, biofeedback, healing through music/sound and brain synchrony, yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, osteopathic manipulation, sleep, cognitive reframing etc.

Dr Firshein's new plan for 'inverting' asthma, which the good doctor has also skilfully elaborated in his landmark book, Reversing Asthma [Warner Books], is no quick-fix. Neither is it a do-all, or end-all, outline. In its totality, Dr Firshein's idea could take time, to give results, yes, but it's well worth a real, good try. For your patients. Because, it is, in sum, for more reasons than one, a practical, no-nonsense bellwether, and full recompense for asthmatics who want to break that most distressing, 'gung-ho' spasm - the song of every asthmatic's burden.

ART OF THE MATTER

If breath is life, and breathing properly is the mainstay of CAP, then exercise, according to Dr Firshein, is breath in action. CAP trains patients in breathing techniques. It also propels them to establish a unique workout: proper breathing, a simple, but profound, manoeuvre. Here's a look-in at two of Dr Firshein's most handy, breathing exercises for asthmatics. You'd inculcate their usage for your patients - for better results:

— Instruct your patients to imagine an empty balloon, most of which is held in someone's tight fist. Ask them to try and blow the balloon, and also tell them they would only be able to inflate the neck. Now ask them to imagine that fist as their diaphragm muscles in a spasm. If only they can open the fist into a relaxed hand, they can blow the entire balloon. Their lungs can fill with life-giving oxygen, and because the richest blood flow in the lungs is at the bottom - where they are the largest - they will be flooding their body with energy.

— You may also urge your patients to practice Dr Firshein's Clearing Exercises to expel mucus plugs:

Position A. Tell them to lie facedown with their hips raised about twenty inches on a stack of pillows, and cough every few minutes.

Position B. Tell them to lie on their left side with their hips raised twenty inches on a pile of pillows, and cough every few minutes.

Position C. Tell them to lie on their back with their hips raised about twenty inches on a heap of pillows, and cough every few minutes.

Position D. Tell them to lie on their right side with their hips raised about twenty inches on a mound of pillows, and cough every few minutes.

by Dr. Richard Firshein