Medical science is always developing rapidly, but there are still some health problems that we aren’t able to cure completely. Asthma is one of these conditions. Why is it so difficult to come up with a permanent cure for asthma?

Curing Asthma

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a condition that affects the airways that carry air in and out of your lungs. When you have asthma, the lining of these airways can become inflamed, which makes them swell up and produce excess mucus. The airways can become narrower because of this, which makes it harder to breathe.

Approximately 1 in 11 children in the UK have asthma. We don’t know exactly what causes it, but asthma does seem to run in some families and it is linked to the immune system, which seems to be more sensitive in some people. The symptoms can be triggered by many different allergens as well as by other things such as stress and exercise. Asthma is a chronic condition, which means that it lasts for a long time and usually for life.

Why Can’t Asthma Be Cured?

Asthma is a complicated disease that can’t be cured like an infection or fixed surgically like a damaged organ. We still don’t know why some people develop this condition and there seem to be many different types of asthma. Some people develop in in early childhood and get better as adults, others are affected later on or for life. People can have different kinds of asthma symptoms and they can be triggered by lots of different things. We still don’t know enough to be able to prevent people from developing asthma or to stop the symptoms completely.

You might come across people or products that claim to be able to get rid of asthma completely, but you should be very sceptical about these “cures”. There are no known treatments, therapies or natural remedies that can cure asthma.

However, this doesn’t mean that it will always be impossible to cure asthma forever. In the future, new approaches might be developed that will free people from the need to take asthma medication regularly. It could be many decades before this is possible, but when today’s children have grown up and had children (or maybe grandchildren) or their own, there may be cures for different types of asthma.

What Can We Do About Asthma?

Even though there isn’t a permanent cure for asthma, there is still a lot that we can do to manage the symptoms. Most children with asthma will be able to enjoy full and healthy lives. Your doctor might recommend some of the following steps to keep your child’s asthma under control:

  • Medication to prevent asthma attacks
  • Medication to relieve asthma symptoms when they do occur
  • Keeping track of when symptoms happen so that you can identify and avoid triggers (such as anxiety, pet hair, dust or pollen)
  • Eating a balanced diet to improve health and ensure your child maintains a healthy weight
  • Regular exercise to improve aerobic fitness in a safe way