TREATING CHILDHOOD ASTHMA IN SINGAPORE - WHEN WEST MEETS EAST

Though Western medicines and ideas about asthma have become popular in many Asian nations, local beliefs about treatment prevail. The multir acial society of Singapore shows a variety of beliefs about causes of asthma attacks (for example, the balance of yin and yang) and types of treatment-herbal remedies, inhaled versus eaten medicines, the influe nce of Ramadan. Many of the cultural practices mentioned are probably preserved among south east Asian minorities residing in the United Kin gdom. Eastern treatments typically take a holistic approach to asthma and do not ignore the psychosomatic component of the disorder.