Jugat was asthmatic since childhood. He & his parents had accepted that this is a lifelong condition & had learnt to live with it. But as he grew older, his mother became increasingly worried that how will he manage alone when he ventures out of town for higher cities. She began researching on the internet & talking to well wishers around to make changes in his diet. The results started showing pretty quickly. Today Jugat is free from asthma. He & his family are free from fear. Here is his story.

Jugat Singh Lamba
21 years, Student
Faridabad

(Jugat’s story as narrated by his mother Arvinder Kaur Lamba)

Family history of asthma

We are a family of four - me, my husband and my two sons. My elder one, Jugat, is 21 years old now and he was asthmatic. His asthma began when he was 5. Majority of the people in my maternal side are asthmatic and it has trickled down from generation to generation. So, we just knew that Jugat’s asthma was genetic and we had accepted the fact that it's going to be there.

The first major attack

I remember it was early in the morning, it was a transit weather from summer to winter. Jugat got an attack and I called the doctor, who said why don't you come to the hospital and I said he won't even make it till then, why don't you come home!! So, the doctor came and gave him some SOS injections and tablets. Jugat felt better & was hospitalized for 5 days. He was prescribed long-term allopathic medicines. Parallely, we started homeopathy treatment also. Two years later he was again hospitalized for the same issues

Learning to live with the new reality

We started taking a lot of precautions. Change in season from summer to winter or winter to summer would really affect him. Once the season set in, he used to be fine. During Diwali time, our doors and windows used to be shut. During Holi, we would stay away from colors. I used to be careful about what he’s eating, based on what I knew at that time. He couldn't eat out, no cold drinks at all. He couldn't go out to play in the parks because anything could trigger an attack, even an emotional reaction. When we would travel, we had to ensure we pack his nebulizers, puffs and medicines.

With medicines, things improved a little, no doubt. But a change of weather, and he used to be the first one in the family to go for a toss.

Life continued like this.

Shaken to act

When Jugat was in tenth class, I was anxious that within a few years he may go away from home for further studies. Given his asthmatic condition, how will he manage alone? I began researching at my end, took help from informed family members, friends and well-wishers. I didn't want to keep relying on the conventional medicine route because I knew my son’s issues were long term. How long could I keep giving them medicines!!

Stumbling upon a revelation

Soon enough we almost did a u-turn from where we were in terms of Jugat’s eating habits. He gave up gluten, dairy, oil & white sugar, which were game changers He included lots of fruits & cold pressed vegetable juices in his diet. He started taking vegetable salads twice a day. He went grain-free, he ate rice or wheat very occasionally and proactively replaced grains with millets. Intermittent fasting was an everyday affair now.

After incorporating these changes, we noticed Jugat’s condition started improving rather quickly. His asthma seemed to have gone away, maybe within a fortnight!!

Becoming medicine free

My son was on homeopathy medicines for 11 years, he started taking them at the age of 5 We had discontinued allopathic medicines long ago, allopathy was for SOS only. But when we turned a new leaf regarding his nutrition, he was able to get rid of all medicines, nebulizers and puffs - that was the turning point in his life.

Home away from home

He went to Chennai to do his B.Tech. Armed with so much knowledge about nutrition, it wasn’t difficult for him to lead an almost normal life. Peers having tea /coffee etc never bothered him since he already knew the benefits of being dairy free.

Away from home, he could not get home cooked nutritious food. But he managed with whatever was available. He mainly ate simple veg meals comprising dal, rice and sabji.

He never got an asthma attack during college days. He became more active, he started playing games - something that he missed in his childhood.

Asthma vanished but body still in cleansing mode

While asthma got cured, he got a terrible skin allergy on the back of his neck and arms. It was like his body was throwing away all the toxins, everything was coming out with a vengeance in the form of rashes. . These rashes lasted almost 3 years when he was in Chennai, but Jugat never gave up.

He stuck to his routine – no dairy, no gluten, no junk food, simple veg meals and fasting. And now when you look at him, he is as clean as ever, not a spot of rash anywhere!!

Back at home & committed to health forever

Jugat returned to Delhi for an internship in Nov 2017. At home, he was able to go back to his earlier food routine of intermittent fasting, lots of fruits, veggie juices, veggie salads, millets, grain-free, etc. He started gyming, another activity that he could do because he was asthma-free. He also started going to Siri Fort auditorium to play table tennis.

He does intermittent fasting every day. Intermittent fasting is the time between your dinner and your next meal in the morning. His dinner is around 9 o'clock and he fasts till 12 pm next day. He would not have anything during the body’s elimination cycle. After that he has his vegetable juices and salads. He has experienced the benefits of fasting in asthma and also when his skin rashes were terrible. Now it has become a way of life with him!!

Making an impact on friends

The best part is slowly his peer group is getting influenced by him. When he was going for his last semester to Chennai, his friends wanted some homemade vegan dessert!!

Balance is the key

We were always scared of winter because it gets difficult for asthma patients. But my son will be leaving for further education to Chicago soon, where it snows heavily.,. I am so much at peace with myself because I know anywhere in the world he goes, he knows how to take care of himself. He will take his fruits, vegetable juices, salads, lemons, he knows the nuances of the right food combinations.

Even now when we go out, let’s say for a movie or to a restaurant, he eats whatever is available. He enjoys having junk food once in a while. But he knows how to balance things out for himself. The next day he will increase his fasting period or he will drink an extra glass of veggie juice or the moment he comes back home, he will take a lemon shot.

Moving ahead in life – fearless, medicine free, independent

My son has done really well for himself. There is no asthma, skin rash or anything else now. It’s all passé. I’ve donated his nebulizer. We have learnt that nothing is genetic. If you change your lifestyle, everything is possible. Asthma is definitely reversible.

As a parting shot, I would like to add two recent events:

1. Few years ago, we had to shift to a rented accommodation for 2 months as we had some renovations going on in our house, and Jugat was highly allergic to dust /paint etc. Now again there is some renovation going on in our house and this time it is headed by Jugat !!
2. This year in June, Jugat and his friends went on a trek which was 5 kms uphill. They camped in the middle of nowhere, with no medication / nebuliser whatsoever. And river rafting too, something which would not have been possible had he not had a lifestyle change.

(About Arvinder Lamba: The above story is about Jugat Singh Lamba, as narrated by his mother, Arvinder. Born & brought up in Mumbai and settled in Delhi after marriage, Arvinder Lamba is a health enthusiast. She founded Rawsome in 2015, a food delivery service in Delhi supplying natural healthy food. She also does health education workshops, cooking classes & personal counseling for near & dear ones.)

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