the night. Difficulty
of breathing is intense. The patient cannot lie down, but often sits at an
open window, resting the elbows on a table. The face is pale and the
expression is anxious. There is a feeling of great oppression in the chest
and often dread of suffocation. Respiration (breathing) though labored, is
not unusually frequent, as expiration (out breathing) is much prolonged.
In severe or prolonged attacks there are blueness, sweating, coldness of
the extremities, with small and frequent pulse and great drowsiness. The
attack lasts a few minutes to many hours, and may pass off suddenly,
perhaps to recur soon, or on several successive nights, with slight cough
and difficulty in breathing in the intervals. The cough is nearly dry at
first and the sputum is very tenacious.
MOTHERS' REMEDIES. 1. Asthma, Raspberry Tincture for Adults.--"Take a half
pound of honey, one cup water; let these boil, take off the scum; pour
boiling hot upon one-half ounce lobelia herb and one-half ounce cloves;
mix well, then strain and add one gill of raspberry vinegar. Take from one
teaspoonful to a dessertspoonful four times a day. Pleasant to take." The
above remedy is very effective, as the honey has a soothing effect upon
the inflamed parts, and the lobelia causes the bronchial tubes to dilate,
relieving the patient. The raspberry tincture makes it more pleasant to
take. In severe cases it will be necessary to give enough of the above
remedy to cause vomiting which relieves the phlegm.
2. Asthma, Simple but Effective Remedy for.--"Take pieces of ordinary
blotting paper and saturate it with a strong solution of saltpetre, then
dry the paper. When a paroxysm is felt ignite a piece of the paper and
inhale the smoke. This remedy is very good and acts quickly, doing away
almost entirely with the distressing symptoms and shortens the paroxysm."
[38 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]
3. Asthma, Lobelia Tea for.--"There is no medicine that is half so
effective as lobelia in removing the tough, hard ropy phlegm from the
asthmatic persons." This remedy is very good, but care should be taken not
to give it to consumptives, because it is too weakening. To obtain the
best results, enough of the remedy should be given to produce relaxation
of the bronchial tubes. Dose.--For adults should be from fifteen to sixty
drops according to the strength of the patient. This will cause a little
sickness of the stomach and vomiting, thus relaxing the muscles and
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