Q: My son is now 3.5 years old. From his childhood he has been suffering from cold and cough, which gradually led to breathlessness from 1 year of age onwards. We treated him allopathically through one of the child specialists, who prescribed Ventorlim for cough, Alerid for cold and Crocin for fever. On doctors prescription, we even used to give him nebuliser (doses of Duolin and Budecot). This problem occurs every every month except for the three summer months. Lately, we have started homeopathic treatment alongside and despite 10 months of treatment, the frequency of broncho asthma is still the same. We are losing our faith in homeopathic treatment. What should we do; which doctor should we show to?. We are unable to find out the cause for his cough and cold. We do not give him anything from the fridge not even green bananas and grapes. We know that with age he will develop resistance to all this, but till then we cannot see him suffering like this. Please help us.

A:Frequent cough and cold are a common problem during early childhood. However from the information provided by you, it appears that your son is suffering from bronchial asthma. A child suffering from asthma develops spasm of airways in response to a variety of stimuli including dust, pollen, certain foods etc. Very often, common viral infections that begin with cough and cold also precipitate bronchospasm. A child with bronchospasm has difficulty in breathing, he breaths fast; some times parents may also notice wheezing when the child is breathing out and indrawing of chest. Usually, these episodes respond well to drugs called bronchodilators . Ventorlin that you have been giving to your child, is a bronchodilator. Often during an acute attack doctors prefer to give brochodilators by nebuliser. Asthma in children is different from that in adults. Often, as the child grows older, the frequency and severity of episodes decrease. They may even subside completely. However, the course is variable and not easy to predict for an individual patient. If any of the parents or other close family members suffer from asthma or other allergic conditions like eczema, chances of asthma persisting are higher. Your child is best taken care of by a pediatrician, preferably someone not very far from your place of stay. Keep a record of his episodes and drugs prescribed to him during each. It would be a good idea not to change your physician very frequently because it gives the opportunity to the doctor to become familiar with your child's illness and he can then draw a long term plan to manage it. There are many drugs available these days which help in controlling the disease severity before it becomes worse and to prevent frequent episodes. Depriving your child of foods like banana, grapes etc is unlikely to be of much help. If you wish, you could also take an opinion of a pediatrician specialising in respiratory diseases. He can help to draw a long term plan for your child. You may find such physicians in most big hospitals in Delhi, or your State. Above all- dont feel disheartened. A large majority of childhood wheezing illnesses subside with age.