Explain Asthma - What Exactly is it? Things You Should Know, But Didn't

How to explain asthma? Asthma is something we are all aware of; even if it doesn't affect us directly we know it kills, but what is it? Here are some useful things you should know about asthma.

Asthma kills. We have had epidemics of Cholera and Typhoid killing thousands of people and now, in this generation, we have asthma. It is not as dramatic as those other two diseases since it is not contagious and doesn't wipe out swathes of population at a time. Headline news is not as attention grabbing when it is not a threat to the entire population. However, the facts show asthma is steadily on the increase and potentially a greater killer than Cholera and Typhoid combined.

Asthma is something we are all aware of. Even if it doesn't affect us or our families directly, we have heard of it. But what exactly is it?

Asthma Attacks and Panic Attacks

Here is a general description of what happens during an asthma attack. The lining swells in the tubes running from the lungs, up through the throat to the mouth and nose, thus leaving less space for the passage of air; the throat muscles contract and mucus builds up giving the sensation of being strangled from the inside. It continues getting narrower and the sufferer finds it more and more difficult to breathe.

At this stage it is called an asthma attack. What follows is gasping for air accompanied by a sense of panic. This may develop into a panic attack with the sufferer feeling like they are drowning. Frequently this is accompanied by chest pains. It's a very scary experience. If asthma has not been diagnosed, you may well believe you are having a heart attack.

So, assuming you know this is asthma, the next question is "Why does it happen?" The truth is there is no single simple answer. There is frequently a family pattern, so a genetic predisposition is a factor. Studies into asthma show that smoking and obesity are significant contributors. The environment has changed considerably in recent times and, interestingly, underdeveloped countries have a much lower incidence of asthma than the more developed hygiene-conscious populations.

Asthma Triggers

Asthma affects different people in different ways. Pollen does affect some people while others may be unaffected by the pollen but react to domestic pets, certain wines or cigarette smoke. These are called asthma triggers and there are many of them. As well as those already mentioned, some common ones are dust mite droppings, exertion, anything requiring good breathing such as laughing or even speaking sometimes. It is well worth it to try and discover just what your individual trigger is (there may be more than one). This is time consuming, so please be patient - it will be worth it, I promise! Observation and common sense will help make your life easier.

The good news is that much can be done to keep this disease at bay. Knowledge gives you power; sensibly using this knowledge there is every hope that an asthma sufferer will go on to live a normal, healthy life.

There is an interesting theory that asthma is a defence mechanism that kicks in when the balance of different gases in our lungs goes out of kilter. Much work on this line of thought has been done in Russia. To get the balance right, they retrain the breathing patterns and the asthma goes away! Look up a website with an alternative solution about how to cure asthma the natural way.