How to Avoid Respiratory syncytial virus in Ayurveda?

About Respiratory syncytial virus

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes infections respiratory tract and lungs. It is commonly seen in the children.  
• In adults and older, healthy children, symptoms of RSV are mild and are of same as common cold. RSV leads to severe infection in infants, especially premature infants, older adults, people having heart and lung disease, or anyone with a weak immune system.

Symptoms in RSV infection

In virus infection symptoms mostly occurs in 4-6 days after exposure to the virus. Common symptoms of RSV that are seen in individuals may include:

• Sore throat
• Headache
• Congested or runny nose
• Sneezing
• Dry cough
• Low-grade fever

In severe cases

When RSV infect the lower respiratory tract then leads to pneumonia or bronchiolitis .Signs and symptoms in severe condition may include:

• Fever
• Severe cough
• Wheezing sound while breathing
• Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing 
• Bluish discoloration of fingers, lips due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis)

Infants are most severely affected by RSV. Symptoms in infants include:

• Poor feeding
• Cough
• Short, shallow and rapid breathing
• Difficulty in breathing 
• Unusual tiredness (lethargy)
• Irritability

Most of the cases recover in one to two weeks. In Severe cases hospital care must be taken. 

RSV and COVID-19

• RSV and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the respiratory tract of the individual, so some symptoms of RSV and COVID-19 can be same. 
• Having RSV may affect your immunity and increase the risk of getting COVID-19 — for kids and adults. And these may occur together, which can worsen the severity of COVID-19 illness.

Causes of infection

• Respiratory syncytial virus can enters the body through the eyes, nose or mouth. It spreads easily through the contaminated air on infected respiratory droplets of infected person. The virus can also passes to others through direct contact, like shaking hands.
• Touch your mouth, nose or eyes after touching a contaminated object can affect you with virus.
• Symptoms are more severe in first week of infection. But in infants and those with weakened immunity, the virus can persist for four weeks.

Risk factors

People at increased risk of severe RSV infections include:

• Infants, mainly premature infants 
• Children or adults who are suffering from any kind of immune-compromised condition such as cancer or treatment such as chemotherapy
• Children who have congenital heart disease, any neuromuscular disorder or chronic lung disease
• Adults with any kind of heart disease or lung disease
• Older adults, having age 65 and older.

Complications of respiratory syncytial virus include:

• Pneumonia. 
• Middle ear infection.
• Asthma. 
• Repeated infections. 

Prevention

There is no vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus yet. But some lifestyle habits can help to prevent the spread of this infection. These may include

• Avoid any kind of exposure to infection. 
• Cover your face properly while coughing or sneezing. 
• Avoid your baby’s contact with people who are suffering from fevers or colds.
• Wash your hands frequently. Teach your children the importance of hand-washing.
• Maintain proper hygiene. Keep your kitchen and bathroom countertops, doorknobs, and handles clean. Discard used tissues right away.
• Don’t share drinking glasses with others. 
• Don’t smoke. 
• Wash toys regularly. 

Protective medication

• The medication palivizumab (Synagis), is given in the form of a shot (injection), can help to protect infants, children, younger people who are at high risk of serious complications from RSV. 

Diagnosis

• Doctor may diagnose this respiratory syncytial virus by doing physical examination and by history taking. During the examination, the doctor will check lungs with a stethoscope for wheezing or other abnormal sounds.
• Laboratory and imaging tests are not needed. These can be helpful to diagnose RSV complications or rule out other conditions that may cause similar symptoms. Tests may include:
• Blood investigation to check WBC count or to look for viruses, bacteria and other germs
• Chest X-rays for lung inflammation
• Swab of secretions from inside the mouth or nose to detect the virus
• Pulse oximetry or a painless skin monitor, to detect levels of oxygen in the blood

Treatment of RSV infection

General treatment for respiratory syncytial virus infection generally involves self-care measures to make your child more comfortable (supportive care). But in severe cases hospital care may be required.

Supportive care

• Use of nasal saline drops help to clear a stuffy nose.
• Over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) to reduce fever.
• Use of antibiotics is done to treat the bacterial infection.

Hospital care

In severe cases hospital care is must. Treatments at the hospital may include use of 

• Intravenous (IV) fluids
• Humidified oxygen
• A breathing machine (mechanical ventilation), in severe cases

Ayurvedic Treatment  of respiratory syncytial virus

• Ayurvedic herbs possess anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and anti-asthmatic properties that are effectively used to treat the respiratory tract diseases. 
• Herbal-based medicines balance the aggravated doshas and expel out the excessive kapha clear the airways and reduce breathing difficulties. These herbs also help in boosting the immune system and also prevents secondary infections.

Why choose Ayurveda?

• Work on the root cause of disease: Ayurveda focus on treating the root-cause of any disease. It detoxifies the body that helps to strengthen immunity that increases body’s ability to fight with the disease.
• It is more than a medicinal option: Diet and lifestyle factors also play an important role in disease management that compliment along with medicines.
• Reduce any kind of future risk related to health: Since Ayurveda mainly focuses on diseases. People who have completed the treatment showed reduced signs of health complications.

Chandigarh Ayurved centre provides some herbal products that are very effective to prevent any kind of respiratory tract infection and boost your immunity. These products include

• Giloy capsule 
• Curcumin capsule
• Garlic capsule
• Amrit Tulsi ras
• Ayush kwath
• Immuno-booster tablet

These all medicine is effectively used to prevent any kind of infection, fight against infection and boost your immunity. One can use these products to avoid respiratory syncytial virus infection.

For more details you can visit our website

www.chandigarhayurvedcentre.com