Respiratory System Disorders and Therapy From a New - Louis Bolk ...

Treatment of the Consolidating Tendency in Asthma
a. Anxiety can be treated first and foremost by the calming effect of the physician’s
presence. Furthermore, it is important that the physician, by taking appropriate action,
reassures the patient and those around them during an acute attack.
In periods of remission, patients themselves can manage chronic stress or anxiety by
consciously choosing a more relaxed rhythm in their lives, by learning techniques to
handle stress and anxiety, and by protecting themselves from their hypersensitivity to
impressions. Psychotherapy can greatly support this process of self-education.
There is often anxiety due to the ‘consolidating tendency’ in asthma. Acupuncture
studies have chiefly been done on the calming effects of anxiety treatment surrounding
surgery. These studies show that anxiety can be decreased through acupuncture,
particularly with ear acupuncture (Karst 2007; Gioia 2006; Pilkington 2007). In
these studies, acupuncture is compared in a group of patients who were given fake
acupuncture pricks in the ear versus a group who were pricked at the actual, verum
points. There was clearly more effect in the true acupuncture group than in the control
group who were pricked at fake points. In another study, the effect of acupuncture
on anxiety in asthma appears positive, especially if the acupuncture is administered
by a trusted person (Mehl-Madrona 2007). It is, thus far, unclear whether or not this
suppression of the anxiety in asthma is caused purely by the acupuncture itself or if it is
chiefly due to the evolved trust in the therapist.
Anxiety is a good indication for such homeopathic medications as Aconitum,
Arsenicum album, and Phosphorus. Phosphorus can be used for anxious patients who
can lie on their right side but not on their left. Asthma attacks that are accompanied
by mortal terror specifically require the medications Aconitum and Arsenicum album
(Piltan, 2007). If the attacks occur around midnight (12.00-2.00 AM) and the patient
does not want to be left alone, we can give Arsenicum album. Aconitum is particularly
useful after catching cold. (Boericke/Phatak ed. 2005)
b. The barrel chest is positively affected by working on the hypertonic muscle groups in
the torso and limbs. The hypertonic voluntary muscles can best be relaxed by moving
Bolk’s Companions RespiRatoRy system DisoRDeRs anD theRapy - 79