News and Articles on Health

Asthma affects many people all around the world. It can be a very distressing condition which can lead to death if left too long, or is too serious. This article is written to give you a run down of the early symptoms of asthma that may help you recognize this condition and get treatment for it. Here are the symptoms you need to be on the look out for if you suspect you have asthma developing.

One of the first warning signs that may develop when it comes to asthma is an increased nighttime cough. This cough will start to worsen as the days and weeks move on. If you are experiencing an annoying cough of a night, that is getting worse you may need to see your local doctor.

One of the next symptoms is a certain wheezing or cough after physical activity. This means that after you exercise or do anything that may quicken your heart rate and breath, you will start to cough uncontrollably, or wheeze with each breath you take.

Tiredness when doing normal activities is another sign that you may be developing asthma. If you are struggling to complete normal activities that you used to be able to do with ease, then you may need to look into this and see whether it is something like a deficiency, for example iron deficiency. If it is not, then you should really get it looked at.

Although this can be associated with many other conditions, having a restless sleep or waking up extremely tired can be another early sign to look out for. This may be a result from a different breathing pattern when asleep that you may not know of. If you are experiencing this and you are constantly tired, you may want to see your doctor.

One of the last early signs of asthma is a persistence with allergies becoming worse. If you have allergies that seem to get worse as the days go on, and you cannot explain why, this may be the developing stages of this condition that should be looked at. These allergies may be a constant running nose, circles under the eyes which are darker than normal, and itchy and inflamed skin.

Asthma is something that no one would like to get, unfortunately there are people who do develop it. If you have one or more of these signs, then the best thing to do would be to see your practitioner. This condition is treatable, and when treated you can really get back to a normal and healthy lifestyle.

We all have to use cleaning to keep our homes clean, but did you know how harmful some cleaners and disinfectants can be to children and adults. If you like to use cleaners that come in an aerosol spray cans, then you could be exposing your loved ones to a barrage of air born toxins that could bring on an asthma attack. Spray cans that have fragrances in them are by far the worst. Use your own nose to select cleaning products without harsh scents. When possible, choose simple, natural products whose labels do not carry serious hazard warnings.
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Cleaning products are used everywhere, in schools, offices, by janitors and hospital workers to clean, disinfect, control dust and mold on surfaces. When adult’s work around these cleaners and children are exposed to where these cleaners are used, they can develop breathing problems. Some of the most chemical exposed jobs seem to be hospital workers and hotel housekeepers due to the constant cleaning with harsh cleaners after every visitor.

If you are around cleaning products and start to feel your chest tighten or you begin to wheeze or cough and have shortness of breath, you should call your doctor. These kinds of symptoms are not normal and you should talk to your doctor even if you were not the one using the cleaners or doing the cleaning.

The types of cleaners that can be harmful and should be avoided by adults and children are:

• Carpet cleaners
• Disinfectants
• Floor wax strippers
• Glass cleaners
• Tile cleaners
• Toilet cleaners

If you have asthma already, you should talk to your doctor before using these kinds of cleaners. If you don’t have asthma or breathing problems, you should read the MSDS (material safety data sheet) associated with the chemicals you are using or search the net for the hazardous substance fact sheet before using harmful chemicals. You should also request breathing masks and other protective gear, for you and anyone else who might come into contact with the chemicals or the fumes.

The very process of cleaning itself can stir dirt and dust up into the air, so you may want to do heavy cleaning when your son will not be around during or immediately after the clean up. You should only use harmful chemicals in ventilated areas away from children and pets. Your house can trap these air born toxins inside, where they can cause breathing problems for your loved ones. One thing you can do to minimize the exposure is clean when no one is in the home. Keep the home well ventilated by opening doors and windows. You can also use fans to control airflow throughout the home.

If you have someone in your home that has asthma, you should talk to your doctor to find out what kinds of chemicals might cause them problems. For example, if your child is not allergic to dust mites. There is no reason to use harmful or harsh cleaning agents to aggressively eliminate them. The same should go for mold or pet dander. The better informed you are about your asthma the easier it will be to control the triggers that can cause asthma attacks. Colds and flu can also trigger asthma attacks, so keeping kitchen and bathroom surfaces clean is important. However, it is not necessary to use antibacterial soaps or cleansers. Your goal is to remove or wash bacteria down the drain, not kill them on the spot using harmful chemicals.

It may be surprising to hear that ingredients from solid and liquid cleaners can actually get inside our bodies. Yet, many liquids and even some solids give off vapors that we inhale, and some of these substances actually enter our body tissues. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences did a study of almost a thousand adults, showing a link between a chemical called 1,4 DCB (dichlorobenzene) and lung function. Those who had the highest levels of this chemical in their blood had worse lung function.

It is best to use all natural things to clean with. Plain soap, water, salt, baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice are best to use with some plain old elbow grease. The use of a scrubbing sponge can take the place of chemicals used to remove tough stains. Make sure you follow the instructions on the cleaning products to ensure they are not used improperly. Simple things can go a long way in keeping your family safe.

Your asthma is starting to dictate your life. You are wheezing and coughing so much that your work colleagues always know where you are. That attack you had last year where you ended up in hospital for a few days has left you fearful and frustrated for your future. The amount of medication you are taking is scary and you cannot even get through the night without waking up and needing a few shots from your puffer. You have become tired and exhausted all the time, your allergies, hay fever and colds have all become worse and now you are finding it a struggle to take your dog for a walk each evening.
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You also notice that your children are developing breathing problems and this is your worst nightmare. You do not wish your children to go through the terrifying experience of a severe asthma attack but what can you do about it. You know that despite all the asthma medications that you take, your asthma is not really under control and in fact is getting worse.

As if that is not enough, the cost of all this medication is killing you and you suspect that someone else is making a killing off you.

Then you get told that you are allergic to your pets – to your much loved dog and cat and that you should get rid of them. “Should what?” you say. But they are treasured members of the family and you would no more get rid of them than you would get rid of your child. But if they are triggering asthma attacks, what are you to do.

And do you know what? Despite all the literature you have read on asthma, none of it actually makes sense. Breathing is so integral to life how can it all go so wrong? So get this. Asthma is not a disease; asthma is your body’s natural defence against chronic over-breathing. We all understand that just the right amount of food is good for us and more is not better. And so it is with breathing. Just the right amount of breathing is good for us and more is not better. Both too much food and too much breathing can rapidly lead you down the path of chronic and debilitating illness.
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Acupuncture may help chronic, acute asthma

Acupuncture was once thought to be akin to voodoo, but Western medicine is becoming more and more aware of the numerous medical benefits of the ancient Chinese art of placing needles into the bodys energy meridians to achieve a wide variety of effects.

From relief of postoperative pain and chemo-therapy nausea and vomiting to treatment for addiction, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome, studies have shown acupuncture can be quite useful.

Now add asthma to that list.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, reported in its consensus paper that promising results have been shown for all these conditions, including asthma.

A British study reported in the September issue of Respiratory Medicine shows acupuncture, both real and sham, improves quality-of-life scores in patients with stable asthma.

That study showed no improvements in respiratory function after either real or sham acupuncture (needles placed on random points of unrecognized value on the chest wall), but with both real and sham acupuncture, there was a significant improvement in asthma quality of life scores and a parallel reduction in the usage of bronchodilators.

Recent studies back up NIH

A 1995 British study published in the Journal of Complementary Alternative Medicine showed acupuncture for patients with bronchial asthma facilitate[d] reducing pharmacologic medication and is safe.

A 1995 study published in a Russian medical journal says acupuncture resulted in a reduction of bronchial hyperreactivity.

Studies of the value of acupuncture are difficult, researchers agree, since its true placebo acupuncture points are impossible to establish because virtually any point on the body may have an effect on a condition.

Majid Ali, LAc (licensed acupuncturist), certified nutritionist, of M.M. VanBenSchoten Associates in Los Angeles, says acupuncture works by sending messages to the brain through energy meridians that tell the central nervous system to fix whatever is wrong.

Doctors are unlikely to start sticking needles into patients, although some are learning about acupuncture through a variety of courses, including quickie weekend seminars that acupuncturists find as dangerous as if a layman took a weekend course and hung out a shingle claiming to be a doctor.

Many people dont realize that legally, the scope of our practice is the same as a primary care physician, says Louis Kiwala, LAc, MTOM(Master of Traditional Oriental Medicine), director of the New York Center for Acupuncture and Alternative Medicine and co-founder of the Institute for Advanced Pain Management in New York City.

Chinese medicine is a complex art part science, part poetry with its foundations in anecdotal evidence gathered over 2,500 years of practice, he says.

Chinese medicine is more systemic than Western medicine, Kiwala says. In Chinese medicine, we would look at asthma as a an excess or an attack on an organ.

Consequently, he treats the entire system and often asks questions that seem unrelated to the lungs in his quest to strengthen the weak organs.

Kiwala and his colleagues rarely prescribe acupuncture alone for most conditions, including asthma. Generally, they will prescribe a combination of herbs to help the condition, so it is difficult to separate the effectiveness of each method.

Western medicine is a step behind because they find a single chemical to treat a condition, and that often results in side effects, Kiwala says. We find a variety of chemicals in herbs that interact with one another to restore balance and provide checks on one another, therefore avoiding side effects.

Ali starts his asthma patients off with herbs and acupuncture, and tells them the process isnt as fast and dramatic as Western medicine.

We look for imbalances, internal and external, Ali says. Some asthma is congenital; but most of it is environmental. We see a great deal of it here in L.A. with all the smog.

Bridges in treatment

Ali says sinus infections are a major underlying cause of asthma and estimates half of his patients have sinus triggers for asthma.

Another significant percentage of asthma patients suffer from chronic intestinal infection, Ali says.

When those conditions are treated, Ali says, patients find improvement or even the disappearance of their asthma.

Yet, he recommends that asthma patients combine their inhaled steroids and bronchodilators with the alternative route.

My goal is to get [off of] them; but if you need them, you have to take them, says the acupuncturist who works closely with many physicians, including neurologists, internists and psychiatrists and is working to bridge the gap between Western and traditional Chinese medicine. Ali calls himself a former asthmatic who still has an inhaler, but hasnt used it for several years. Id be stupid not to use it if I needed it, he says.

Roberta Lee, MD, a fellow of the integrative medicine program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, says she has found that in a handful of asthma patients experiencing mild bronchospasms she treated with acupuncture over the course of one hour, they became less symptomatic. I think there is some kind of energetic relationship to bronchospasm, Lee says.

She believes an East-meets-West scenario will ultimately prove to be beneficial to patients, as does the NIH consensus report which says for asthma acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program.

For more information on acupuncture for asthma management, contact: Majid Ali, (818) 344-9973

Parents and carers of a child with asthma should be aware that it is not uncommon for an acute attack to develop into a medical emergency. Recent research in the United Kingdom showed that one in five children who had asthma diagnosed by their doctor had to be hospitalized at some point. A serious deterioration in your child’s condition is a frightening experience for you and your child and it is essential that you recognize when it is time to call for help.

So, what should you look out for? Long before a situation develops, it is vital that you know what the signs of deterioration are and how to react to them. If your child’s symptoms are not improving and she is exhausted by the very effort of breathing, she should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. Her breathing will become very rapid.

As it becomes increasingly labored the whole of her upper body will appear to be involved in the struggle. The space between her ribs, the bottom of the ribcage and the area above her collarbone will all appear to be sucked in with every breath she takes. The wheezing may have become less obvious but this may be more a sign of fatigue than improvement in her condition.

Though it is less noisy, it can be an indication that her breathing is becoming shallower and this means she is taking less oxygen into her bloodstream. She may become unable to speak sentences and may also have chest pains.

Looking for an allergic bronchial asthma natural treatment? Look no further because I’ll share with you just one very effective natural treatment that drug companies don’t want you to know.

Did you know that 1 out of 4 people suffers from asthma and is evident in all age groups? Your asthma can be caused by allergies, emotions and stress. Many individuals experience warning signs that an attack is approaching and treat it by taking some prescription medications.

This condition is really distressing and it can force individuals to drastically change how they live just to avoid the attacks. Some of you have to stay away from stress, dust or allergens, which is really next to impossible to achieve most of the time. Many people get regular attacks no matter how many prescription drugs they take and how much they stay away from the triggers.

Having allergic bronchial asthma is really hard but the good thing is that some kids can grow out of it. But if you’re one of those who regularly suffers from attacks I’m sure you’re looking for anything that could give you some relief.

What if there’s a natural way to reduce your chances of suffering from regular asthma attacks? A research study back in 2005 found that 57% of the patients studied found more relief from a mix of conventional and natural treatments, than prescribed drugs alone. One of the natural treatments that was tested was aloe vera. This is really not shocking because since 1951 to the middle of the 80’s there have been documented studies on the benefits of aloe vera for asthma.

The aloe vera plant has natural steroids and other substances that prevent and relieve inflammation. It was interesting because there were studies in Japan back in the 1980’s that demonstrated some substances in aloe helped in removing some of the contaminants that triggered the attacks. This is one very good reason why aloe vera can help relieve your asthma attacks.
It’s important to remember that you should not take aloe vera if you’re having an asthma attack. It’s only been proven to be very effective if used as a preventive measure. So, even when you’re having some positive results with aloe vera, it’s still helpful to have your inhaler beside you in case of attacks.

Natural Remedies has been around for a long time and they have become increasingly popular among American folks today. How natural remedies help the human body is to take advantage of the body’s natural healing process and boost overall health. It offers an alternative approach to prescribed medication which can have undesirable side effects.

However, this does not mean that natural remedies do not have any side effect. They still have side effects and it is highly recommended that you check with your family doctor or qualified pharmacist before you begin to start on any herbal remedies regime. There is a huge selection of natural remedies out there in the market that you can choose from. I’ll start with two famous natural food.

Pineapple is a good tropical fruit when it comes to asthma relief. Pineapple contains a nutrient called Bromelain that comes from pineapple stems helps to absorb quercetin better. Quercetin a natural antihistamine helps to stabilize mast cells and prevents the release of histamines that caused inflammation in our body.

Coldwater fish like cod, mackerel and herring are also good natural anti-inflammatory agents as well. They contain omega 3 fatty acids, the nutrient many women on supplements are often raving about. You can find omega 3 fatty acids in flax seed oil too. Omega 3 fatty acids help asthma by improving the forced expiratory volume for asthmatic. You breathe a lot easier with higher FEV.

Now let’s turn to herbal remedies. Herbal remedies that improve asthma are those that have anti-inflammatory properties. One very good example will be licorice. Licorice contains an ingredient called glycyrrhizin that helps to soothe asthma symptoms. However, do take note that licorice can increase blood pressure, so it a huge no for those suffering from hypertension and for those who don’t to take it in moderation.

Ginkgo Biloba is another natural remedy that can improve mental sharpness is also found to be able to reduce the occurrence of asthma symptoms. Another plant extract called Pycnogenol. This extract is especially most suitable for kids and teenagers, people that are still in their growing years. This extract has been shown to ease mild to moderate asthma due to its strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Bach Flower

One flower called Bach Flower is effective in managing stress. If stress has been causing your asthma, then this is the natural remedy for you. To use this flower, just put 4 drops of the flower extract into a 1-ounce bottle filled with spring water that is three quarter full. If you want to, you can always add apple cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin as a preservative.

Consume the water four times daily at regular interval. A good time to take the water will be in the morning right after you wake up, during lunch, another at tea break and finally the last one before you sleep. If you find the taste unbearable, you may choose to just moisturize the water on your lips.

Of course, that is not all the natural remedies out there. There are even more than I can mention on this article. Just take note to always consult a professional before trying any new herbal remedies because not all remedies is safe for consumption.

Do you know when you use a MDI (metered dose inhaler), only 10 to 14 percent of the medication will ever reach your lungs even on good inhaler techniques? Most of the medicine will end up in your mouth and throat.

Surprisingly, many people adopt bad techniques and an end result is that 5 percent or even none of the medicine even gets in your lung at all. It is essential that proper techniques are used because it maximizes the effectiveness of the medication and could well save your life. This article teaches you how to retain that 10 t o 14 percent.

Before you start to put the inhaler, make sure to shake your inhaler well. This will ensure that you mix the ingredients in the canister in the correct proportion. Now breathe out slowly for 3 to 5 seconds until all the air in the lungs in your air has been exhaled out.

Now put the mouthpiece in your mouth. Position the mouthpiece 2 finger widths away from the mouth.

This is one common mistake that I see many people make. They press the inhaler first and then quickly breathe in later. No, no, no. Please don’t do that. By the time you breathe in, most of the mist will come out of your mouth already and you get the 5 to 0 percent retention value that I talked about earlier.

The proper way is to inhale slowly first for about a second, then press down on the canister. This will ensure that you get as much of the medicine in your lungs as possible. Do not stop inhaling until you feel that your lungs are full.

Now take out the inhaler from your mouth, quickly press your lips together and hold your breath for about 10 seconds. Let the medication slowly spread throughout the lungs. Breathe out afterwards

If you are having difficulty, you may consider using a spacer. The spacer is especially good for toddlers or young children whom many parents find it difficult to teach. When using the spacers, please remember to shake the inhaler before putting the mouthpiece in the spacer.

After inserting the mouthpiece, breathe in slowly for 1 second and press down on the canister. Continue inhaling until you feel that your lungs are full. Hold your breath for about 10 seconds, then exhale slowly.

Do you know when you use a MDI (metered dose inhaler), only 10 to 14 percent of the medication will ever reach your lungs even on good inhaler techniques? Most of the medicine will end up in your mouth and throat.

Surprisingly, many people adopt bad techniques and an end result is that 5 percent or even none of the medicine even gets in your lung at all. It is essential that proper techniques are used because it maximizes the effectiveness of the medication and could well save your life. This article teaches you how to retain that 10 t o 14 percent.

Before you start to put the inhaler, make sure to shake your inhaler well. This will ensure that you mix the ingredients in the canister in the correct proportion. Now breathe out slowly for 3 to 5 seconds until all the air in the lungs in your air has been exhaled out.

Now put the mouthpiece in your mouth. Position the mouthpiece 2 finger widths away from the mouth.
Chronic asthma
This is one common mistake that I see many people make. They press the inhaler first and then quickly breathe in later. No, no, no. Please don’t do that. By the time you breathe in, most of the mist will come out of your mouth already and you get the 5 to 0 percent retention value that I talked about earlier.

The proper way is to inhale slowly first for about a second, then press down on the canister. This will ensure that you get as much of the medicine in your lungs as possible. Do not stop inhaling until you feel that your lungs are full.

Now take out the inhaler from your mouth, quickly press your lips together and hold your breath for about 10 seconds. Let the medication slowly spread throughout the lungs. Breathe out afterwards

If you are having difficulty, you may consider using a spacer. The spacer is especially good for toddlers or young children whom many parents find it difficult to teach. When using the spacers, please remember to shake the inhaler before putting the mouthpiece in the spacer.

After inserting the mouthpiece, breathe in slowly for 1 second and press down on the canister. Continue inhaling until you feel that your lungs are full. Hold your breath for about 10 seconds, then exhale slowly.

The first thing not to do is deny you have asthma. Saying “Oh it’s just a common cold and I’m wheezing a bit. Maybe it’s bronchitis?” When a doctor has just confirmed you have the chronic disease of asthma. Being obstructive is a course of action that will likely set your health back dreadfully. Accept the prescribed medications offered.

Remember to take the medications and do not refuse to take them. Not at first anyway. You need to get acute asthma under control before it controls you. Do not deliberately deviate from the therapy guidelines.

You may be given an asthma treatment program. Usually corticosteroid inhalers to begin with and possibly some breathing exercises to assist the airways. Not taking your asthma medication to this prescribed schedule can lead to the symptoms becoming erratic. This can be inconvenient at best and possibly fatal at worst. Not using your prevention inhaler regularly as prescribed can add to the possibility of an untimely asthma attack.

I have read that a peak flow meter is an essential part of your asthma tool kit. Do not believe it. You need the correct oxygen to carbon dioxide balance in your system. Part of the asthma problem is a lack of carbon dioxide in the lungs. Giving a big blow into a peak flow meter will deplete even further the amount of carbon dioxide that is left. Thus exacerbating the problem rather than helping to cure it. One blow into a peak flow meter will take around thirty minutes of careful controlled breathing to recover from.

Not eating certain foods might be an advantage. It is known that dairy foods, white flour and white sugar help to produce the mucus you do not want. While I am not advocating you become obsessive in avoiding these type of food at all cost, do not eat them to excess. It would be difficult to totally avoid that combination anyway as they are used in so many processed foodstuffs.

Do not smoke. If your lungs are at risk from asthma then it should be pretty obvious not to add to the aggravation with all the cocktail of toxins that is in cigarette smoke. Even if you do not smoke, make sure you are not in close proximity to others that are smoking. People have been known to have asthma attacks from secondhand smoke from others.

Sudden changes in temperature can definitely set off some adverse asthma symptoms. It is one of those famous asthma triggers. So do not go straight outside into cold weather without taking care to ensure you are properly wrapped up suitably against such conditions. Make sure you have your rescue inhaler when going out as well.

Having said all the above, the one thing I did not do was to believe all the doctors told me. While you should use the prescribed medications and plan of treatments offered there are some side effects to these medications. Tell your doctor when you notice those side effects. You could research to see if there are safer effective alternative asthma treatments available.

Millions of people around the world suffer from asthma, with several thousand fatalities resulting from the disease. Being an allergic inflammation of the lungs, which can occur due to a variety of reasons, asthma symptoms are not clear from the onset to identify immediately by the common person, and require a medical practitioner to perform a diagnosis. When a person suffers from an asthma attack, the inflammation of the walls and formation of sticky mucus inside the lungs ends up making it difficult for the person to breathe. While the severity of the attack can vary from time to time, there are cases where it can go on for a few days instead of a few minutes.

Full diagnosis by a medical specialist who has knowledge of asthma symptoms can yield an effective response and help the person gain quick access to medications and treatment. However, certain asthma symptoms are for the sufferer themselves to judge, before deciding on seeing the specialist or not. These include experiencing a scratchy throat, bouts of coughing, shortness in breadth, wheezing sounds when breathing, and tight sensation in the chest area.

Asthma symptoms can pop up due to a number of reasons;

• the environment at home and at work,
• the general state of health of the person,
• the diet and exercise regimen that is followed,
• levels of stress.

Even location and climate can cause certain asthma symptoms to develop leading to more severe problems later on. It is important that the following symptoms be kept a close watch on, and asthma sufferers immediately seek medical advice upon discovering any one:

1. If you are already a sufferer, and feel that the medication prescribed by the practitioner is not taking effect as it should, this is an asthma symptom for an expected severe attack.
2. Another asthma symptom, especially for a serious attack, is when you have trouble, breathing, talking and walking. With such activities causing botheration, it is essential to immediately seek emergency medical care.
3. Should your finger nails or lips turn blue, this due to a lack of oxygen. This is another asthma symptom of an impending attack, and requires medical attention.
4. An asthma symptom is also if your chest feels congested, with pressure on ribs when breathing. This could be another sign to state of something serious going down soon, and should be referred to the practitioner at the earliest.

Whether you are an asthma sufferer yourself or know someone who is, or otherwise; it is important that one understands these symptoms so that when case presents itself, you are able to possibly assist in the saving of someone’s life.