9 Different Types of Asthma - You Should Be Aware Before it is Too Late

If you think that asthma is just a general disease with no other types and kinds, think again! Asthma actually is comprised of several types and it is important for doctors to specifically assess and diagnose of what type of asthma their patient is suffering from. This will enable the doctor to prescribe the appropriate medicine and give the needed recommendations.

1) Allergic Asthma

This type of asthma is the most common among all the other types. Statistics show that kids are more prone to allergic asthma with 90% having the disorder. Allergens such as molds, pollen and mites are the most common culprit of allergic asthma. Exercising in cold air or inhaling strong fumes, dust, smoke, perfumes or colognes can actually make it worse.

Since allergens can be found everywhere, people with allergic asthma must be careful with the places they go to as well as be vigilant in the cleanliness of their surroundings. As much as possible, they should steer away from dusty places and make their home or work-area as dust-free as possible.

2) Non-Allergic Asthma

From the name itself, it is obvious that non-allergic asthma is not triggered by any allergy-related factors. Usually it appears after middle age and is most often a result of recurrent infections in the lower and upper respiratory tract.

Just like allergic asthma, Non-Allergic is triggered by factors not related to allergies. It is characterized by the obstruction of the airways due to inflammation that is partially reversible and controllable with proper medication. Although the causes of non-allergic asthma may be different, the symptoms are still the same; wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing and tightening of the chest.

Non-allergic asthma can be triggered by intangible factors such as stress, anxiety, over or under exercise, cold air, hyperventilation, dry air, viruses, smoke, and other irritants. Unlike allergic asthma, the non-allergic type does not involve the immune system in the reaction.

3) Nocturnal Asthma

From the name itself, it is quite obvious that this type has something to do with sleep. And yes, it actually has something to do with sleep because it disturbs or disrupts the sleeper's good night sleep. It deprives individuals from having a good night's sleep because they usually waken in the middle of the night by very dry coughs.

Tightening of the chest is one of the very first symptoms of nocturnal asthma, followed by a series of uncontrollable, dry coughs. This type is one of the least preferred asthma because it is actually a scary kind. Who would want to wake up in the middle of the night feeling helpless and unable to breathe?

4) Occupational Asthma

Again, the background and cause of this type of asthma can already be guessed or determined from the name itself. This kind is just like any other kind where the only thing that makes it distinct from others is that it is acquired in the place where an individual is working.

Perhaps one of the most common occupations that induces asthma are teaching (chalk dust exposure), factory workers (exposure to dust and other powders), painters and construction workers (exposure to paint and other fumes), etc.

The symptoms are no different from the symptoms of the abovementioned other types; wheezing, dry coughs, tightening of the chest, rapid and shallow breathing are still present.

5) Child-onset Asthma

This usually occurs when children are exposed to certain allergens such as dust mites, fungi, animal proteins, and other potential allergens. When a young child or infant wheezes during viral infections, it may be a hint that asthma may be brewing around the corner as they grow older.

6) Adult-onset Asthma

It can easily be described as a type of asthma that develops during adulthood. It may be allergic, non-allergic, occupational, mixed, seasonal or nocturnal. The distinct characteristic is that it occurs in adulthood.

7) Cough-variant Asthma

This kind of asthma may be a bit difficult to diagnose since it can be confused with other kinds of cough that may be related to chronic bronchitis, sinus diseases or post nasal drips due to hay fever. It would usually take a lot of tests and check-ups before the doctor can make a proper diagnosis.

8) Mixed Asthma

This is a mixture of extrinsic and intrinsic asthma. This is a more serious kind since the sufferer must be vigilant to both extrinsic and intrinsic factors that can trigger asthma attacks.

9) Seasonal Asthma

From the name itself, seasonal asthma only occurs during certain seasons wherein the pollens or other allergens seem to be more present than any other season. For example, an individual is quite healthy all year round except during Christmas season, when firecrackers are more common. The dust and smoke emitted by firecrackers may be the triggers for the asthma attack.

Sinusitis Asthma and Cough

Today we appreciate how much the sinus affects asthma and related cough. Sinuses and lungs come from the same embryo bud and have systems known as cilia. These are tiny oars that beat to move bacteria out of the sinus and chest. Sinus drainage affects cough and asthma. Why do we cough, even when we are not particularly sick?

The coal minor digs coal and inhales coal dust. But he doesn't cough. Then he inhales a large piece of coal dust, too big for the chest cilia to move out of the lungs. Now he coughs.

Mr. Jones never coughed before. There was an accident at the plant and he inhaled a large amount of Chlorine Gas. Now he coughs. Tests show that his chest cilia no longer move at 14 pulses/second in order to remove material from the lungs. Chlorine is a known cilia inhibitor. If the chest cilia are not moving particles out of the lungs, then coughing takes over to do the job.

Sinusitis occurs when the nasal cilia move too slowly, thereby allowing bacteria to multiply in the sinuses. After 9/11 many of the rescuers developed sinus disease as a result of the nasal cilia being damaged by the toxic fumes. Unfortunately, many also cough. How does the nasal/chest cilia work?

There is a layer of mucus that traps bacteria. Below that layer there are tiny cilia, like oars, and they move the mucus blanket with the trapped bacteria out of the nose where it falls into the stomach and the stomach acid takes out the bacteria.

In the chest the cilia move the mucus blanket out of the lungs, the trachea and into the stomach. When cilia fail in the lungs, cough takes over. When cilia fail in the nose, you sneeze.

In Postnasal Drip, the cilia move too slowly and the mucus thickens. The bacteria have time to multiply so you get breath problems.

In allergy, in the acute stage, the nose runs because the cilia are trying to wash out the allergens. Weeks later, the cilia are exhausted, no longer able to move bacteria out, and sinus disease develops. You can prevent this by restoring normal cilia movement.

After sinus surgery the nasal cilia are "stunned" and move slowly or not at all. Even though the surgeon says that the sinus disease is corrected, and X-rays show improvement, the patient may continue to complain of nasal congestion, yellow or green discharge and felling tired or sick. A sinus infection can take place that requires an antibiotic. This condition is called Post Operative Nasal/ Sinus Infection Syndrome or PONSIS.

PONSIS may be due to biofilm that resists antibiotics or can be caused by blockage of sinus drainage due to thick phlegm. This phlegm and drainage adds to the cough and wheezing symptoms. Pulsatile irrigation at the correct speed of pulsation not only helps restore normal cilia function, but also is effective in disrupting and removing biofilm. Pulsation irrigation is best for getting rid of thick mucus and the bacteria. With fewer bacteria and good cilia function, the body can heal without drugs.

A common cause for persistent sinus sysmptoms is daily use of nasal irrigation devices that have flowback. The bacteria from the nose flows back into the bottle and the bottle is contaminated. Then the sinus is reinfected by the contaminated liquid.

The cilia of the nose and chest are closely related:
- Hot tea with lemon and honey helps the nasal cilia as well as the chest.
- Allergy pills that help the nose also help the allergic chest.
- Prednisone affects both areas similarly.
- In infection, cultures from the sinus and lungs show similar results.
- The speed of the nasal cilia is often identical to the speed of the chest cilia.
- The severity of the asthma attack is inversely proportional to the cilia speed-the slower the cilia, the worse the attack.
- Harmonic vibration can affect both nose and chest favorably. Sing "oooommmm' at a low tone. Your chest and nasal cilia will speed up.
- Both chest and nasal cilia respond to the same medications.

What should you do if you have PONSIS? Or, you continue to have sinus or chest symptoms?
- Drink huge amounts of hot tea, lemon and honey. Should be black or green tea, with or without caffeine.
- Sing "oooooommmm" at a low tone
- Jump rope and jumping jacks
- Irrigate with saline using pulsatile irrigation.
- Take probiotics/yogurt
- Get good sleep
- Avoid heavy nose blowing
- Listen to cheerful music and smile

Tea has chemicals that speed cilia movement.

Singing "ooommm" and jump rope thins mucus and vibrates cilia.

Pulsatile saline irrigation with the Hydro Pulse Nasal/Sinus irrigator is at a pulse rate that is "harmonic" to restore slow cilia. The pulsation removes biofilm, and the steady stream is best to suction out bacteria from the sinus cavities.

Chronic Sinusitis has the same causes as PONSIS- slow cilia that allow bacteria to multiply and the same methods are used to prevent sinus symptoms. This method also is used to prevent the need for sinus surgery.

7 Asthma Herbal Cures You Need to Know Now

If you experience coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, breathing difficulty, chest pain and tightness, you may be having an asthma attack. To properly establish the correct diagnosis, you must see your doctor immediately. Asthma is a disease with the above-mentioned symptoms. It is characterized by inflammation of the air passages. Once the air passages are inflamed, you will experience breathing difficulty, coughing, wheezing, and others.

Once your doctor is able to make the correct diagnosis, he or she can now prescribe the correct type of medications for treatment. Medications for asthma can be steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, and bronchodilators. Depending on the severity and frequency of symptoms, you doctor will prescribe the right type of medication.

The problems with these medications are cost and side effects. Some of the medications can be rather costly for people with asthma to be able to purchase these regularly. And like most medications, anti-asthma drugs also have different side effects. Because of these disadvantages, some people have poor adherence to the treatment.

If you want to have better treatment adherence, you can use asthma herbal cures. These asthma cures have been established to be effective. In fact, these cures have been in use for many centuries. Our ancestors have been using these herbs to treat asthma. These kind of cures have no side effects and are very cheap. What are the 7 asthma herbal cures that you must know now?

One of the popular asthma herbal cures is licorice. This herb contains glycyrrhizin which functions as anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antihistamine, and antioxidant. You can buy licorice in powder, capsule, dried, tablet, and liquid forms.

Stinging nettles are also asthma herbal cures. Famous for stimulating circulation in the body, stinging nettles are also popular in treating asthma because these open the air passages. You can add stinging nettles into juices or teas.

Ginkgo BIloba, a famous memory enhancer, is also a good antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. Because of these, it is one of the famous asthma herbal cures that you must know about.

Cayenne pepper is also one of the asthma herbal cures because it acts as a stimulant, antiseptic, expectorant, antihistamine, and anti-spasmodic. Aside from these, cayenne pepper also stimulates circulation in the body. Cayenne pepper can be taken either in powder, dried, raw, or capsule form.

Turmeric is used as a bronchodilator which makes it one of the asthma cures. Turmeric can be sipped, added to a cup of warm water, or taken as a tincture.

Another one of the herbal cures is parsley leaf. This is an effective expectorant. Pregnant women are advised not to take parsley juice or oil.

Mullein oil is also one of the 7 asthma herbal cures because it is effective in combating bronchial congestion.

Ways to Stop Asthma Attacks

There are effective ways to stop asthma attacks. These are extremely useful techniques to prevent your asthma attack before it happens at the same time during the attack.

Asthma is considered as a serious medical condition since its effects can be greatly disturbing. Although this illness is threatening, there are ways to stop it. Sometimes being relaxed can be useful to stop an asthma attack. Other times, it requires you to go to the hospital. Here are some ways that can be useful to stop whenever asthma attacks.

Ways to stop asthma attacks

1. 
   The best key is not to panic. Most people do not know what to do next because they panic immediately. This will only cause you to forget the things you need to do to stop it. It can also lead your muscles to get tense and your bronchial tubes to spasm. The most threatening is that it will worsen your asthma thus experiencing from fast shallow breathing.



2. 
   Learn deep breathing. Practice deep breathing every now and then. This will be useful to prevent shallow breathing during the attack.


3. 
   Keep your inhalant with you all the time. Asthma can attack anytime so it is best that there is something you can use instantly.



4. 
   Know the causes of asthma attacks. Having them in mind can be useful to get away from them. A lesser exposure to airborne pollutants means the smaller the chances of having asthma.



5. 
   Use your asthma medications given by your doctor. Although it is a good idea to create your own way of treating your asthma, it is always best to follow the instructions ordered by your doctor. You should follow carefully your doctor's medication, since they know better to treat your asthma.

Keep in mind that there are many ways to stop asthma attacks. Do not fear that you have asthma instead make it a challenge as your way to improving your health.

MSM Benefits Asthma, Arthritis Sufferers

About four years ago, my Mom asked me to look into something that wold help alleviate her asthma. She had suffered with it for over 30 years and felt that she would most certainly die from an asthma attack.

I started researching and came across MSM (Methyl-sulfonyl-methane), an organic sulfur (macro-mineral) that is found naturally in plants, animals and the human body. It's the fourth most plentiful mineral in the body and utilized in every cell.

Sulfur is essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. It stimulates bile secretion and helps to maintain proper brain function. When combined with vitamin C, it disinfects the blood and resists bacteria, parasites and fungus. MSM helps the muscles, skin and lungs maintain flexibility while controlling the body's inflammation.

One of the most powerful ways adequate sulfur levels can impact the body is when new cells are created, sulfur is incorporated into the cell's wall allowing it to be more permeable to nutrients. Without sulfur, nutrients have difficulty entering the cell wall.

Sulfur originates from the evaporation of the waters of the Oceans and through precipitation is then found in plants. If rain water isn't used in farming, but substituted with city or purified water then sulfur won't be found in the produce.

Some plant sources of sulfur are Asparagus, Garlic, Onions and Green Leafy Vegetables especially Water Cress and Swiss Chard. It's best to eat these raw and uncooked because sulfur is easily destroyed by heat.

Supplementing with MSM can benefit arthritis sufferers by improving joint flexibility, reducing stiffness, swelling and pain, increasing circulation and cell vitality.

Sulfur is useful to asthmatics by preventing inflammation and regulating the fluid that covers the airway surface of the lungs. It allows the lungs to be more flexible, increasing lung capacity.

Methylsulfonylmethane is considered extremely safe and toxicity is virtually unheard of. In fact, no toxic effects were shown in humans given up to 1 gram per kilogram of body weight (70 grams or more) per day for 30 days.

My Mom started taking 1 - 2 grams (1 gram is equal to 1,000 mg) daily, working up to 8 grams for a period of 3 to 4 months then weaning back down. She went from using her "puffer" everyday to never using it. She doesn't take any steroids or other medications anymore and is free from asthma for the last 4 years.

Side Note: sulfur should be broken into at least two servings a day since its half life is only 12 hours in the body.

Some other conditions that can benefit from adding sulfur supplementation are:

• Diabetes


• Allergies


• Wound Healing


• Pain Relief


• Eye Problems


• Cramps (and PMS)


• Stress


• Snoring


• Skin Conditions including psoriasis


• Parasitic Infestation


• Toxic Metal Poisoning

Aloe Vera & Asthma

Naturally reduce the chance of an asthma attack

Is there was a way to naturally reduce the chances you will suffer from an asthma attack? One study in 2005found that 57% of the asthmatics studied found more relief from a combination of conventional and natural treatments, than prescription medicines alone. One of the natural treatments being used was aloe vera. This is not surprising because there are published studies on the benefits of aloe vera for asthma from as far back as 1951 to more recently in the mid 1980's.

Can Aloe Vera Help?

Aloe vera contains natural steroids and other compounds that inhibit or reduce inflammation. Interestingly, the studies done in Japan in the 1980's showed that some compounds in aloe cause in increase in the removal of particles that may be asthma triggers. This is one explanation for how aloe helps asthmatics. Aloe vera should not be used to treat an ongoing asthma attack though because it has only been shown to be effective when used as a preventative measure. So even if you use aloe and it helps, you should still keep your inhaler nearby for attacks.

Aloe Vera Products: Laxative Effect Issues

One issue that many people have with aloe vera products is the natural laxative effect. This may be a plus for some but for many people it's a huge drawback.

Fortunately, one brand of aloe pills, Aloeride® has removed the issue completely. This product does not contain the portion of the plant responsible for the laxative effect. Plus, Aloeride® is pharmaceutical quality and is manufactured to be as pure as possible. Aloeride® is privately prescribed by doctors and therapists but also can be purchased securely via the internet.

Trouble Breathing Could Indicate Larger Problem

If you or a family member has recently noticed trouble breathing, it's important that you contact either your doctor or call emergency services. Unfortunately, people rush to judgment and place the blame on lack of exercise or the natural process of aging.

The fact is respiratory disruptions, often in the form of shortness of breath or tightening in the chest, can be symptoms of a variety of serious medical conditions. I will like to take a few moments to outline some of the health issues related to breathing problems so you can make fast and correct medical decisions.

Possible Causes of Breathing Problems

Trouble breathing is often associated with asthma, and this disorder is in fact one of the leading causes of respiratory problems. People with asthma suffer from inflammation of the bronchi, the tubes that let air flow between the windpipe and lungs. Irritants like pollen, mold and pollution can trigger as asthma attack. The person will experience shortness of breath; coughing and wheezing as the mucous and inflammatory tissue obstruct the airways.

Sometimes, people who have trouble breathing during physical activity are misdiagnosed with asthma when they really suffer from over exertion. Even reasonably fit people will have breathing problems if they don't pace themselves. I often remind athletes of the importance of starting out slow and working up to an intense pace so your body can adjust and keep up with you.

A condition known as Cardiac Asthma acts a lot like asthma, but is not actually a form of asthma at all. It occurs when the left ventricle cannot keep up with blood flow from the right ventricle and is often an early sign of heart disease. If you experience the symptoms of asthma, see your doctor who can make a diagnosis by taking your medical history and examining you for signs of allergic reactions and inflammation.

In addition to Cardiac Asthma, Coronary Artery Disease is another heart condition related to shortness of breath and is due to obstruction of the arteries that deliver blood to the heart. As you can see, breathing problems should not be taken lightly, as they could be signs of a heart condition.

A different cause of breathing problems is Apnea, a respiratory disorder that can vary in intensity. Most people with apnea suddenly stop breathing for short periods. Often occurring during sleep, this condition can escalate to prolonged apnea, which can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, turning blue or going limp. If you experience cessation of breath, see your doctor right away.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is another respiratory issue to watch out for. It is due to continuous obstruction of your airways because of emphysema or chronic bronchitis. In either case, a doctor will treat these causes in order to alleviate shortness of breath.

Some Simple Healthy Answers

While working in accordance with your doctor is important to treat the conditions I've described, there are some things you can do to cope with breathing problems in your everyday life.

1) Avoid triggers like pollen, dust and mold.

2) Stay indoors when the air quality index indicates potential problems for people with your condition.

3) Notice if your symptoms get worse when you encounter specific triggers like pollution, vigorous activity, pet dander or certain body positions. Report this to your doctor.

4) Don't smoke. It makes existing breathing problems worse and could lead to emphysema.

5) Reduce stress. It often triggers asthma attacks or breathing problems.

6) Sleep smart. On your side, keep your back straight by placing a pillow between knees and another under the head. On your back, elevate your head slightly under pillows and place more pillows under bent knees.

7) Stay fit. If you never challenge the respiratory system, any physical activity will be difficult to perform. Stay conditioned by being active everyday.

Even though staying on top of your health might seem like a full-time job, the pay-off is more than worth it. Your breathing is just one sign that something is off balance. Listen to your body, and you will enjoy life to the fullest.

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging

How to Help Your Child Suffering From Juvenile Asthma?

Juvenile asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder that reduces the patency of the airway, leaving the patient gasping for air. The mortality and morbidity rates of asthma has reduced to a certain extent with increased awareness and advanced medical facilities.

Now what causes an asthma attack is not clearly validated, however, every patient responds differently to the allergens. Sometimes these triggers are manipulative making it highly difficult to prevent an asthma attack. Nocturnal asthma that occurs early in the morning does not have any trigger, rather the slow breathing during sleep sends the respiratory system to a shock that causes an attack.

A child suffering asthma can have a really tough time as their innocence does not allow them to understand the gravity of the situation. They generally want to run around, jump, dive and engage in other physical activities, but they are unaware of the impending attack.

What causes asthma in a child?

Allergens such as pollens, dust mites, dander or mold, airborne irritants such as cigarette smoke, perfumes, chemicals, respiratory infections such as pneumonia or sinusitis that affect the girth of the windpipe. Also in some children, exercises can cause tightness in the chest, wheezing and coughing. Emotional factors are also triggers of asthma like over-excitement or anxiety. Medicines such s NSAIDs can trigger an attack. Finally, weather conditions as in cold air, high temperature and excessive humidity.

Some of the commonly prescribed drugs for asthma are:

Preventive medications: The preventive medications should be taken long-term for a life time. These medications are available in the form of inhalers or nebulizer. Corticosteroids (Budacort), leukotriene modifiers (Singulair), beta agonist (Serevent Diskus), generic cromolyn nebulizer solution, immunomodulators (Xolair)

Medications in emergency: These are also considered as rescue drugs that help the patient to cope up with the asthma attack. They include Proair inhaler, Ventolin inhaler, or Proventil HFA.

These medications work by reducing the inflammation of the respiratory tract and dilate the bronchial muscles so that the windpipe is more patent.

Prevention is better than cure. This is an old adage that hold good to the contemporary world too. It is always better to prevent an asthma attack, as an attack can severely affect the entire body. The researchers have found out that an asthma attack can harm more than the respiratory tract. An asthma attack is linked to a host of medical conditions such as pneumonia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, psychiatric ailments, obesity and heart disease. Asthma is therefore, more than a respiratory disease.

So monitoring the disease regularly works better for the patient. The hospital visits, doctor's consultation, therapist's counselling can keep the safety levels high. There are many apps that help the patients to keep a track of triggers, intensity of attack, feeding types of medications used, medication reminder etc.

The child should be made aware of the diseases and its significance. Managing an asthmatic child is not easy when the age is tender and difficult to analyse. A parent should give never-ending support, guidance and love to keep the confidence level of the child higher.

Does Air Pollution Cause Asthma?

There have been many studies done to see if air pollution is causing Asthma and other health conditions. One thing they looked at first was our ozone which is something that protects us from the harmful effects of the sun. Ozone can actually drop down to lower elevations. It may also be causing what we call smog, keeping the air pollution down low where we can simply breathe it in. Smog happens mostly in the summer time when temperatures are hotter, causing the ozone to drop down and keep the pollution in. When the Ozone is low children and adults will have an increased risk of an asthma attack.

Children are more susceptible to asthma attacks because of their smaller body mass, giving them a much higher risk of breathing something in that will cause their airways to narrow, rather than that of an adult. Ozone can destroy good asthma control, when pollution comes down and smothers small towns and big cities in smog, it can destroy even the best action plan. Keep a close eye on the news for warnings of bad pollution days so that you know whether to stay inside or if it's safe to go outside?

Several local news channels can now alert people when ozone levels are at high or dangerous levels. There are also places online that keep track of air pollution and how high the risk is. High pollution days should be watched closely if you have children that suffer from asthma, so their asthma attacks can be kept at a minimum. Ozone levels seem to be lowest in the early morning hours. So if you go to the gym, jog outside, send your children outside to play, then I suggest going out early in the day. Going outside early would be your best chance of avoid breathing in pollution. You can feel better about breathing in and out more rapidly when pollution levels are at their lowest instead of their highest.

There was a study done on the affects of exposure to high traffic pollution called the MAMSE project. Scientists measured the amount of traffic and the circumstances that cause air pollution to move into the homes and the surrounding areas. 4,000 children took part in the tests and they found children exposed to higher levels of car/air pollution, had a 60% higher chance of developing Asthma, respiratory dysfunctions and had a higher probability to being allergic to pollens, airborne toxins and allergens. Genetic factors also played a role in this study. Automobile emissions are becoming bad news. There was study conducted on the size of the medication particulates that should be used for the inhalers of someone suffering from asthma. The drug particle size that was found to work the best was the size of 2.5 microns. At this size the medication can reach the deepest part of the lungs to give an adequate start to opening up airways in the lungs. This study also concluded that the emissions from Diesel exhaust had over 40 toxic air contaminants and some are known carcinogens such as arsenic and benzene.

Gasoline and diesel exhaust is a huge contributor to ground level ozone and the holding of smog in our cities and towns. Short term exposure to high levels of pollution can lead to headaches, eye irritation, coughing and even nausea. Long term exposure can lead to much more serious problems such as damage to your nervous system and can even cause brain damage. Does Pollution cause asthma? I think it's a major contributing factor to the development of Asthma and many other health conditions. Our reaction to allergies is stemmed from how much protection we have when we were children from smog.

There are all sorts of exhaust emissions from cars and diesel trucks that are now increasing every year because of our population growth. It will not be slowing down anytime soon, so we must protect ourselves from the threats we ourselves create. Learn ways to naturally remove the toxins and pollution from your bodies. Over time we develop what is called a "toxic burden". What our bodies cannot get rid of on its own are just absorbed into the body. That's a scary thought. Learn more about protecting your family members and close friends, it could change many lives and in some cases even save lives.

If you one who suffers from asthma, what better time to get on the road to healing then right now? There may be reasons to wait but there are so many more reasons for moving on with your life. Asthma can hold you back, it can keep you from doing the things in life you really want to do, and we have found a method that has in my own son removed this dreaded disease from his body in a very short time and has never returned. If you or a loved one suffers from this disease then please put change into your future, change your life, now is time for change, now is time to be healthy and worry about other things in life. Life is to short so don't put off healing for to long, because healing is only clicks away.

Exercise For Asthma is What Will Open Bronchial Tubes and Improve Breathing

The path that an asthmatic has to follow is long and arduous and it often involves taking a daily dose of medicine and having to also act in a manner that will help prevent the next asthma attack. If you have ever had the misfortune of suffering from asthma, you know just how much you will have to do in order to find a proper treatment for your woes. Though, few are lucky enough to identify ways by which to eliminate their asthma related symptoms.

Natural Solution

Combining medicines with a holistic approach is the norm and in fact, no two asthmatics will be found using the same means to cure their symptoms. However, a suitable option in curing asthma is to try the natural solutions such as exercise for asthma. To be sure, exercise for asthma will mean any and all forms of exercises that help to improve the condition of an asthmatic patient. It is hard to pinpoint any one exercise as being the best.

According to experts, the main benefit of trying exercise for asthma can be noticed by looking at the fact that when a person exercises, it helps to open up the bronchial tubes and thus provides long-lasting relief to the patient and irritation as well as constricted airways. Symptoms should not be as bad as what they were prior to performing exercise for asthma.

Even aerobics is considered worthwhile as exercise for asthma. Walking and even dancing and in fact, are also good choices. So are other exercises that make your heart rate increase and which are sure to prove effective in combating asthma in a more natural way.

However, there are certain kinds of asthmatics that need to rely on those exercises for asthma in which a connection is established between the mind and body, and yoga is a prime example of what exercise for asthma should be as it allows both mind and body to relax and unite as one. In fact, there are breathing exercises taught by yoga instructors that are in fact an essential element of the exercise. These breathing techniques also require being able to hold a number of different postures while at the same time focusing on your deep breathing and focusing your mind on what you are doing.

To be clear, there is also exercise induced asthma to contend with. So before opting for a particular exercise for asthma, make sure to understand how it will affect your health and only proceed further if no risks are attached.

There are no doubts about the fact that exercise for asthma is one of the best tools that can be used with good effect in controlling symptoms. You need to also take guidance from professional medical practitioners who can guide you into performing the best exercise for asthma for your particular condition and thus help improve your overall health.

What Should Be Eaten by Asthma Sufferers?

People who suffer from asthma should be very careful in almost all aspects, including in choosing the best food to be eaten. Some kinds of food might be very useful to prevent asthma attacks, but some other kinds of food will be triggering asthma attacks. Therefore, if you are a sufferer of this disease, you should be very careful in choosing certain kinds of food to be eaten. Here is a list of some kinds of food that are not only safe, but also very useful to control the severity of asthma attack.

The most well known food to control the severity of the disease is coffee. A lot of asthma sufferers drink it to get enough caffeine since this substance could act as a drug used to treat asthma. Surely, you can get caffeine not only from coffee, but also from other food and drinks that contain caffeine such as tea.

Spicy and hot foods are also very useful for asthma sufferers since they are able to thin the mucus and open them up. Therefore, asthma sufferers can have freer and easier breathing. Hot food will stimulate nerves that cause the release of watery fluid in the mouth, throat and lungs. Some foods that belong to this category are hot mustard, chili, as well as garlic and onion.

In addition, onion and fatty fish are also useful for asthma sufferers since they could control the inflammation of the airways. Fatty fish is highly recommended since the fish oil contained in this food is proven to have high anti-inflammatory in omega 3 fatty acids.

Green leafy vegetables that contain a lot of vitamin B are also very important for asthma sufferers. Besides, great sources of magnesium such as sunflower seeds as well as dried figs are also recommended to be eaten. Best recommended fruits for asthma sufferers will be grapes, raisins and papaya, while the best recommended vegetables are spinach, bitter gourd, as well as pumpkin.

Those food will be very useful to reduce your suffer of asthma. By choosing proper kinds of food, you can eat your meal without any worry of allergy effect.

Allergens That Trigger Asthma

Many people believe asthma is a disease. Asthma is actually a condition, where the bronchioles that carry oxygen to the lungs are constricted. It can also be called as an expression of our body a reaction that is stimulated due to hypersensitivity of our body.

Asthmatic condition doesn't happen to one an all, when being exposed to a similar circumstances. Thus, if two people are exposed to dust, or extreme climatic change, it is likely that only one gets an asthmatic attack and is breathless, where as, other person is normal and doesn't react at all. The conclusion is asthma can be connected to the constitution of each individual. The reaction of each individual is different. Thus it is the individual sensitivity, and disposition to allergy that can cause asthma.

Asthma is found in people of all age groups. Those with a family history are prone to asthma since childhood too. The presenting symptoms are difficult breathing, wheezing, and coughing. To many the reaction starts with simple sneezing or cold and then travels down to the lower respiratory tract causing congestion, tightness, and thus asthma.

There are many causes that trigger an attack of asthma. One of the most common is allergies. Allergens that stimulate an attack are dust mites, mold, pollens, certain food, pet hair, smoke, and even perfume or talcum powder for some. The body can be even allergic to numerous factors. Change in weather, especially winters and high attitudes, or damp and wet places, seashore etc cause asthma to many. Smell of rotting wood, dead leaves, or basement, closed bathrooms are causative factor to most as these are places where mold exist. These are a major allergic factor to those with asthma tendency.

To prevent an attack of asthma, one has to analyze what is their own causative factor and stay away from allergens and avoid allergy as far as possible. Allergy testing helps detect the probable causative factors too.

Getting Rid of Asthma at Home in 5 Minutes Or Less

Due to the fact that asthma is a chronic disease, long term treatment is usually required for its sufferers. Sadly, though, with the recession still ongoing, treating the ailment may be a bit costly.

This is why alternative ways of dealing with asthma becomes more and more appealing to the broad public.
So, to help ease the situation, here are some tips that can aid in getting rid of asthma at home:

1. Home remedies. Home remedies have been around since time immemorial, making them one of the oldest ways of getting rid of asthma at home. This is why there are tons of different home remedy recipes and procedures that can help your condition.

One great example is the use of honey. Honey has components that have the ability to thin the mucus that's in the nasal passages, allowing you to breathe easier. Some of the ways you can take it to help you in getting rid of asthma at home is by taking a spoonful with hot water or with a half of teaspoon of cinnamon powder daily.

Honey can also be a quick asthma attack cure. By inhaling its fumes during an episode, you can be sure of getting rid of asthma at home in just five minutes or less.

2. Ginger. As ginger stops inflammation, it is also an ideal home remedy ingredient. This is why it is also used widely in a lot of popular ways of getting rid of asthma at home.

Taking it is a juice form with honey is one of the most popular ways you can take honey as home remedy for asthma. You can also take it fresh with a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a glass of water, and a pinch of nutmeg.

3. Garlic. Like ginger, garlic also has anti-inflammatory components perfect for getting rid of asthma at home. So, taking it regularly can be very ideal for asthmatics worldwide.

A popular home remedy with ginger is its concoction with warm milk taken every morning. Another way to take it is with ginger tea that you can drink all day long.

4. Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is proven to help the body in balancing its acidity, thus affecting the overall health of an individual. Due to this, it is also used in getting rid of asthma at home, with the other food items mentioned in this list: honey and garlic. This concoction should be taken every morning.

These are just some of the more popular ways of getting rid of asthma at home. Most of them are perfectly safe, unless you're allergic to any of the food items, so make sure you still go ask your doctor for advise before taking any.

How Does Your Body Overcome Asthma?

The first step to learning how your body can overcome asthma and many other diseases is to first understand how your body works and how asthma may be caused. There is no sure thing on what will causes asthma because of the issues that surround the problem. Hereditary is to blame in a lot of cases of asthma, even if the person from your family was like your great granddads granddad. Another theory on what causes asthma is environmental pollution. Environmental pollution plays a big role in an asthma sufferer's triggers list for what can trigger an asthma attack. For example the cleaning products that you use inside your home can trigger an asthma attack. On high pollution days when the ozone layer has dropped down to ground level, you begin breathing in all the toxins that have been floating around on the jet stream. Breathing in these toxins right in your own front yard can be catastrophic to someone with asthma, and it happens all over the world.

So, understanding some of those triggers may lead us back to what actually causes the disease in the first place. Let us start at the beginning of when you were being created inside your mother's womb. Your mother had already started to share her toxic burden that she has accumulated with you during your first stages of life. That means when you were you born your body was already burdened with environmental pollution. Each child born anywhere in the world has an approximate amount of toxins they are born with and that numbers is about 200 known toxins and carcinogens in their blood stream. So our battle with disease like asthma and your body's immune system are already compromised the day you are born. We have already begun to work on cleaning up our planet but what about the damage that has already been done? Our planet is a toxic playground and we are in constant danger from this pollution.

Since the damage has already been done to our planer then a simple action plan should be simple to formulate. The idea of toxins in our bodies creates the problem of having to remove these toxins. Like our planets problem, where we have buried tons of toxins in the ground it's not likely the job of removal would be an easy one. Unlike the planet our bodies can make it much simpler. Cleaning out the toxins from our body can open up many doors to healing. The war that goes on daily inside your body could slow down to just a small fight because of toxins that won't give your body the leverage it needs to fight against disease and illness. Now, the process of removing these toxins can be hard to find and you have to decide if you want to remove them chemically or naturally. Which one would you prefer? If you said naturally you're on the right track because chemicals are what are making our toxic burden grow out of control. This accounts for the sharp rise in asthma cases and many other diseases.

The removal of your toxic burden naturally starts right in your home and in your kitchen. Vegetables and fruits must be washed thoroughly to insure that the chemicals they were sprayed with to keep the bugs off are not going to end up in your digestion track or other places. The best defense is not to take in any toxins at all, but unfortunately as our planet becomes more and more polluted our options start to decrease. There is one method that can remove toxins and relieve the stress on your body and can work so effectively that you don't even know that it's doing its job. It is a subtle thing created by Mother Nature herself to help us in this time of great need. Environmental pollution is slowly killing us all. Our bodies do have the natural ability to remove toxins and metals but it is being overrun with them. What it cannot remove it is forced to absorb into your body. Once absorbed the problems begin with sickness, slowly moving, having no energy to the onslaught of disease and illness because of the weakened state of your body. Can your body overcome asthma? I believe so, it's been done before. All you need is to believe and try something new and natural. Do your homework first.

Acai Berry to Cure Asthma & Diet - Top Health Benefits to Help Natural Treatments & Clear Toxins

Asthma is a troublesome condition that is associated with attacks of breathlessness. This is caused by mucus that clogs and constricts the air passageway. The underlying problems behind most asthma attacks are the inflammation of the bronchial tube and effects of allergens. Because certain properties of acai berry cause inflammation to subside as well as increase the body's capacity to deflect the results of certain allergens, acai berry can be considered as an effective natural asthma treatment and for your diet.

Each acai berry contains anywhere from 15% to 22% Vitamin C. While it may not hover on top of guava as the fruit with highest vitamin C content, the amount of vitamin C in acai berries is good enough to augment the body's need for the vitamin.

Vitamin C extracted from acai berries has two roles important in asthma treatment-one is the improvement of the immune system which lends to its better capacity to resolve stresses associated with asthma attacks and the other as an antioxidant.

In the presence of stresses (such as allergens), the immune system use up most of its vitamin C reserves in the body. It is important to note that the production of white blood cells or immune system cells is highly dependent on the readiness of vitamin C supply. In the absence of Vitamin C, the body may not successfully impede asthma attacks. This is why it is especially important to take acai berry daily for natural asthma treatment & clear toxins.

Being an antioxidant, Vitamin C from acai berry can protect and strengthen the lungs from the attack of free radicals that often aggravate the health of the lungs, making them more apt for the development of asthma.While acai berry offers a host of nutrients, vitamins and other compounds, the main benefit that can be derived from the fruit is its potency as a natural asthma treatment & for your diet through its abundant supply of Vitamin C, a necessary component that does not only strengthen the immune system from allergens but also reinforce the tissues of the respiratory system to hamper the development and worsening of asthma symptoms.

Skin Cancer - Breathe Right - The Surprising Link Between Asthma and Vitamin D

Vitamin D sure is in the news a lot lately. In fact, a recent statistic showed that up to 80 percent of American adults are deficient in vitamin D! That's a startling fact, especially considering all of the health benefits vitamin D can have, from keeping your heart healthy to staving off dementia and cancer. Now, a new study has shown that there's an asthma-vitamin D connection - especially if you're a mom-to-be. Let's take a look at this recent discovery.

An insufficiency of Vitamin D may be linked to the severity of asthma symptoms in children, according to a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. According to the study, a higher intake of vitamin D by pregnant women can reduce the risk of asthma in children as much as 40 percent.

Pregnant women who were vitamin D deficient had more of a chance of having a child who suffered from asthma and other allergies, according to the studies. The study was the first performed on children and the link to vitamin D concerning asthma.

The study also indicated that children with a vitamin D deficiency were more likely to be hospitalized for asthma symptoms than those who had enough of the vitamin in their bloodstream. In addition to being hospitalized for asthmatic symptoms, these children were also more likely to be more hyperactive and have more allergies and sensitivities.

What is Asthma?
Asthma is a serious condition that often requires hospitalization for someone experiencing an attack. Asthma has increased more than 300 percent in the last 20 years and affects around 20 million Americans. Clinically, asthma causes inflammation of your upper airways. The symptoms are wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightening, and coughing.

Other studies have been performed to discover how to lessen the symptoms of asthma and prevent attacks. A study performed in Australia in 2006 on mice indicated that sunlight reduced the symptoms of asthma. And for those of you who have been paying attention, one source of vitamin D is sunlight.

Researchers, according to the published report, feel that vitamin D is linked to the immune system as well as lung development in unborn children. Women who took vitamin D when pregnant had a 40 percent less risk of having children diagnosed with asthma between the ages of 3 and 5, which is when most conditions are diagnosed.

Vitamin D is filtered through the skin by UV rays from the sun. Getting enough outside exposure is one way to elevate the levels of Vitamin D. However, sometimes it's difficult to get an adequate amount of daily sun exposure, especially if you live in the "northern" regions of the country. A vitamin D supplement is one way to increase the levels of vitamin D in your body if you cannot get enough vitamin D from the sun. Taking a supplement will make sure that you are getting enough of the levels of this vitamin to reduce your risk of asthma symptoms.

In fact, according to reports, if you have 60 ng/ml levels of vitamin D in your bloodstream, you may not experience the signs of asthma any longer. This gives new hope to those who have asthma, or have children with the condition.

Breathe better by getting more vitamin D!

Asthma and Enlarged Tonsils

There is a lot of controversy and debate regarding the point whether tonsils should be removed or not in a person suffering from asthma. Different doctors have different opinions in this matter. Some advocate tonsillectomy (removal of tonsils) while others do not. It is therefore important to understand the role of tonsils in the human body so that adequate judgement can be made in this regard.

Tonsils make the first line of defence in the human body. They are present on either side of the pharynx. Pharynx is the middle portion of the throat. Why tonsils make the first line of defence is because they try to trap any germs and foreign bodies that may enter the body through the mouth and the nose. After trapping them the tonsils also produce protective antibodies with the help of their lymphatic cell structure that forms the main body of the tonsils. These antibodies circulate in the blood and fight the foreign organisms that somehow pass into the blood stream. So tonsils on one hand act as a mechanical guard and on the other hand they act on the molecular level also to protect the body. The antibody forming tissue is present in other parts of the body too but tonsils are first line of defence of the human system.

The body of a child is exposed to many different kinds of germs for the first time. The body is not used to these germs and needs to be protected against them. The tonsils work vigorously and in some children get abnormally enlarged in the process. If a child suffers from cough and wheezing his breathing is as it is strained. If this is due to some allergic reactions it may be accompanied with sore throat and fever as well. If the allergy persists or may subside and reappear again and again the tonsils too get infected while protecting the body.

In such a scenario the infected tonsils may need to be removed as their infection may be adversely having an impact on the body repeatedly. Also their enlarged size may be straining the breathing further in a child who is already suffering with asthma. So the children who suffer with asthma may be recommended a removal of tonsils if the asthma is of extrinsic type and is caused by allergens.

Sometimes in the children who suffer from intrinsic asthma too this may be recommended as the body becomes weakened and is susceptible to attacks from various organisms. But this is controversial because tonsils are the first line of defence and removing them may not be such a good thing to do, at least in theory. But in practice the tonsils may be a cause for many infections and it is best to get rid of the source of infections.

Some of the views regarding the question of removal of tonsils are:

1 The tonsils act at the site and later as a source of infection in the body. Their removal would influence the course of asthma favourably and even prevent its occurrence in a susceptible individual.

2 The tonsils prevent the spread of infection from the nose and throat into the bronchi and the lungs so their removal would create situations of mild asthma developing into severe one. In susceptible individuals symptoms of asthma may even precipitate due to tonsillectomy.

3 The presence or absence of tonsils actually does not make any difference over the allergic state of an individual. So technically removal of tonsils cannot precipitate the symptoms of asthma according to this view.

With reference to the varied views mentioned above it seems that the most appropriate path for the surgery for the removal of tonsils would not only be an individual choice but also may mean that a certain individual needs to be studied for previous history of infections, process of treatment and pathway of recovering from the infections before any decisions can be taken.

If there is evidence of recurring infections of throat and the infections seem to be localised in the tonsils then this may be the only option provided there are no other serious complications. Children in the younger stages are more susceptible to repeated infections of throat and the chest so to understand that the infections are localised to the tonsil area is very important before taking the decision of tonsillectomy.

Another point to be thoroughly understood is that removal of infected tonsils may have no effect whatsoever over the condition of asthma of the child. The removal of tonsils may have effect on the associated conditions of aggravation of the symptoms because of the effect that the associated allergens may be having on the situation.

This is also true only to the extrinsic type of asthma, but it shall have none or very little effect on the intrinsic type of asthma. Some doctors feel that the benefits associated with tonsillectomy are most evident in the first year of surgery and later they dissipate and after some time there remains no difference between the asthmatic children who underwent surgery and the asthmatic children who did not undergo any surgery.

Asthma - Prevention and Medication

Asthma can be one of the most frightening and potentially dangerous, primarily because asthma attack triggers a sense of panic and helplessness.
When an asthma attack occurs, the air passages in the lungs constrict, and there is much less room available for air to move in and out of your body. You end up gasping and wheezing, struggling for that breath of air that will end the attack. People have died from prolonged, unstoppable asthma attacks.

Prevention and Control is Key
You should be ready to prevent asthma before it starts. You do that by avoiding triggers -- smoke, cold wind, dust and pollens, animal hair -- you'll soon learn which set you off. Just stay out of their way.

Get a peak flow meter
This is a small, inexpensive device for measuring breathing that can be used anywhere -- at your job, on a bus, in a shopping mall. It fits in a purse or briefcase. The device will measure your lung capacity. That's important because lung function decreases before symptoms of an attack -- thus the meter is an early warning sign of an attack.

Using a peak flow meter gives the patient information to share with the physician, so both can make decisions about the treatment plan.
You and your doctor should develop a written action plan to guide your overall asthma attack plan. This plan should spell out which medicines to take and when, when a doctor is a must, and so forth.

Stay Calm
Asthma is worsened by your stress. It's a vicious circle -- you feel an attack coming on, you get upset, the asthma gets worse, you get more upset, and you're soon off to asthma hell. Being prepared will help you be calm because you will know that your defenses are ready when you need them.

Stay Fit
What you do to your body everyday affects your likelihoods to suffer an asthma attack. Get enough rest, eat properly, drink plenty of liquids, and exercise regularly.

Medication
Here are the primary medicines for asthma:

The Anti-inflammatories
1. Corticosteroids: These act directly to reduce the inflammatory response of the airways. They come as pills and in inhalers. They work great, but can have side effects if used too frequently.
2. Anti-allergy drugs: Cromolyn sodium is the most common. It's used to prevent episodes, but does not work after an episode starts. It's best as a preventive, but it does not work for everyone.

Bronchodilators
1. Adrenergic bronchodilators are drugs that relax the muscles of the airways and open them up. Usually, you suck them into your lungs with an inhaler. These come in pill form as well, but pills work more slowly.
Doctors say these kind of inhalers are dangerous, however, if relied on too often. Also, they do not work on the underlying inflammation that causes asthma, and can produce side-effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and heart rhythm abnormalities.

An alternative to the all of the above:

Immunotherapy
For some allergic people who cannot control their asthma symptoms with environmental changes and medication, immunotherapy, or allergy desensitization shots, may be your bets alternative. Allergies to dust mites, pollen, and cats seem to be the allergies most successfully treated with immunotherapy.

Helping a Child Who is Having an Asthma Attack

You may get panic when you find that your child is getting asthma attack. Today there are many children suffering from asthma because of several causes. Asthma can be caused by viral infections, cold weather, exercise, or exposure to allergens. When your child suddenly gets asthma attack, the parents have to act quickly in a way to keep the child safe. The following information will guide you to help a child who is having an asthma attack.

Recognizing the asthma symptoms is one of the most important things that you should know. When this illness attacks the children, it is commonly presented with continual coughing. The other common asthma symptom that you can notice is the wheezing. You have to give your children more attention and take fast action when they tell you that they feel tightness in the chest or they feel difficult to breathe.

Although the asthma attack can make you panic, you have to try to stay calm. Since asthma may cause your child to get stress, you have to stay calm so that your child can reduce his/her stress level. You need to tell your child calmly through your tone, voice, and body language, and make sure that everything is going to be okay.

If the cause of asthma attack is the exposure to allergen, you need to remove this allergen and remove your child from the irritant source immediately. Also, preparing rescue inhaler can help your child alleviating the asthma attack. In choosing the right inhaler for your child, you need to consult your doctor. Or, you can also give your child caffeine if you do not have a rescue inhaler. By giving a caffeinated soda to your child, it can help him/her alleviating the symptom.

The Stigma Of Asthma

In 2011, 5.4 million people in the UK are receiving treatment for asthma of which 1.1 million are children and 4.3 million are adults. This equates to one child in eleven and one adult in twelve. I don't know about you, but personally I find this figure quite staggering and this makes asthma the most common long-term medical condition. The UK has the highest rate of asthma symptoms amongst children in the world which is not a statistic of which we can be proud.

In school classrooms in the UK, on average you will find there are two "asthmatic" children, i.e. children who suffer from asthma. However,my 6 year old son has asthma and there are at least 3 other children in his class at primary school who are fellow sufferers. As an asthma sufferer myself and a parent to an asthmatic child, I completely understand how distressing it can be to watch your child wheezing, coughing and even struggling to breathe. I am also eternally grateful for the existence and widespread availability of inhalers and preventers which make normal life possible 99% of the time.

Many people today would not think of asthma as a killer, but you would be wrong as even with modern day medical and social advances, asthma can kill. In the UK in 2009 over 1,100 people died from asthma of which 12 were children aged 14 or under. The good news is that asthma is treatable though and for the most part, deadly asthma attacks are preventable.

If one or more parent has asthma, the child's chances of developing asthma are approximately double that of a child whose parents do not suffer from the condition. Unfortunately children living in homes where damp and mould are present are 1.5 to 3 times more likely to experience the coughing and wheezing associated with asthma. This would suggest that the poorer members of the population living in sub-standard accommodation are possibly more susceptible to developing asthma.

In some children, albeit a minority, a child's asthma is severe enough to prevent them from attending school resulting in days, weeks, even months of absence which of course brings a whole new set of problems with children falling behind with school work and being excluded from activities because of their wheezing and breathlessness. A survey suggests that about a third of children under 8 years old feel that they are often excluded from sports activities at school because of their asthma and a considerable number of parents do not feel confident enough that sports and PE teachers know how to deal with an asthma attack. However, the availability of modern asthma inhalers and preventers has made a huge impact on the ability of children and adults alike to live normal lives and not miss out on sporting and social activities.

Modern day inhaler devices are completely portable, readily available from doctors and highly effective for the majority of asthma sufferers. In recent times there have been highly publicised "confessions" by high profile, famous sports personalities such as the footballer David Beckham, who admitted being an asthma sufferer and using an inhaler thus helping to remove the "stigma" of asthma, particularly for children.

Buteyko Breathing Spells an End to the Runny Nose and Asthma

Buteyko breathing is a clinically proven method for treating asthma but did you know it can also stop a runny nose or free up a constantly blocked nose?

The September, 2008, issue of The Lancet medical journal featured a study that showed a link between rhinitis (runny nose, in medical-speak) and adult-onset asthma. What the authors of the study found by looking at various populations in Europe was that adults who suffer from runny noses have an increased risk of getting asthma. The authors concluded that, "Rhinitis, even in the absence of atopy, is a powerful predictor of adult-onset asthma." Atopy is a sensitivity to some type of allergen -- it could be pollen, dust mites, pet dander and so on. The list of potential allergens is long and many people are affected by several of them.

This is an interesting and not unexpected finding by these medical researchers and it also relates to the work of Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. The Buteyko Breathing method, which was developed by Professor Buteyko of Russia in the 1950s and is now used around the world to treat asthma, is based on the theory that asthma is caused by chronic hyperventilation (overbreathing). Many of us unknowingly hyperventilate on an ongoing basis. In fact, published reports suggest that between 5-10% of the population have signs or symptoms of hyperventilation to some degree. According to Buteyko, people who are predisposed to getting asthma i.e. they have hypersensitive airways, will respond to this ongoing hyperventilation by developing asthma symptoms.

Supporting this theory are two pieces of evidence. Firstly, hyperventilation is well known in medical circles to cause bronchoconstriction (airway narrowing). Secondly, there have been studies that show that people with asthma hyperventilate. A normal tidal volume (volume of air breathed in one minute) is 3-5 liters per minute. Asthmatics, in several studies, have been shown to breathe anywhere from 10-19 liters of air per minute, and this is not even when they are having an asthma "attack". During an acute asthma episode the volume of air breathed increases even further.

So, asthmatics over-breathe and over-breathing causes airway narrowing, but what does this have to do with runny noses? Professor Buteyko argued that the airways swell during asthma (one of the main problems in asthma is inflammation of the airways) in order to reduce further carbon dioxide loss. Carbon dioxide is blown off when we breathe out, and over-breathing, or hyperventilation, leads to too much carbon dioxide loss. Buteyko considered this to be a protective mechanism the body has because losing too much carbon dioxide affects both the acid-base balance of the body, as well as how much oxygen vital organs and tissues receive.

This theory can be expanded to include the nose. Many of us are mouth breathers and mouth breathing encourages hyperventilation, since more air can be gulped down via the mouth than through the nose. If you breathe through your mouth, one of the ways your body can respond to the over-breathing this induces is to cause swelling and mucus formation in the nose in order to prevent the loss of more carbon dioxide - your nose blocks or runs so that you cannot lose more carbon dioxide. Unfortunately this also makes it harder to breathe through your nose and so a vicious circle is established.

The Buteyko Breathing Method is not difficult to learn and there are many certified practitioners around the world that teach this method. They can be found on the Web. The method has gained substantial press and approval since the British Thoracic Society endorsed it with a "B" rating. This confirms that the health and symptom improvements gained from learning how to breathe less and breathe through the nose (essentially what the Buteyko Breathing method teaches you to establish as a habit) are a direct result of applying the Buteyko method.

Anyone with asthma, or anyone who finds it difficult to breathe through their nose, could usefully consider learning some strategies for nose clearing, nose breathing and reduced volume breathing via the Buteyko Breathing method.

How Do Steroids Help People With Asthma?

One most common disease which causes very high discomforts to the patients is Asthma. This notorious disease is a side effect of the environment pollution and earth pollution. Allergenic substances in the atmosphere and the foods cause mainly the symptoms of Asthma. It is a chronic, non curable lung condition by which a person suffers to get enough breath. This condition is characterized by cough, uneasiness in the chest, wheezing and breathing difficulties. There are many treatments for Asthma. Modern technological developments and research brought out innovative treatment plans for Asthma. Some such medicines are those containing steroid. How do steroids help people with Asthma?

Steroids are one of the very effective and potent anti-asthma drugs. These are used in chronic and severe asthmatic attack conditions. But presently it is clinically proven that steroids can be used as part of an anti asthmatic treatment plan even at the beginning level. Steroids work in many ways to give relief from severe asthmatic conditions. Let us discuss the main effects of steroids here.

o The steroids are very effective as bronchodilators. These can effectively widen the airways within a very short time and can sustain for many hours. This will help the patients to breathe more and feel comfortable.

o Steroids are anti inflammatory. Steroids are proven to be very effective in reducing inflammations in airways and lungs. This will effectively treat the swelling in the airways and lungs. This will certainly curtail cough and breathing difficulties. Inflammation in the airways and lungs make the patient wheezing. Wheezing is the symptom which affects the patients' morality psychologically also. Hearing the wheezing sound, the person feels that his lungs got severe problem and this will end up with tension and depression in patients. Steroid can effectively remove wheezing.

o Steroids are effectively used in immunotherapy. The steroids improve the immunization power of the body system and effectively fight against the allergens affective the lungs. Steroid reduces allergen's influence in the organisms.

o Action of steroids in the organisms is very immediate. For immediate relief of the severe asthma attack, inhalers with steroid medicines are found to be highly effective. Hence these steroids play very important role in the immediate relief from the dangerous asthma attack.

o Steroids can effectively improve the vital power of the lungs and breathing systems. This improvement is very essential as the intake of oxygen will only improve the health condition of the patients.

Presently many cortisone steroids are used for against asthma. New researches in the medical field are trying to find ways to avoid the side effects associated with steroid treatments. Let us hope that steroids will pave a way for complete cure of Asthma.

Some Severe Complications Of Asthma

In certain cases asthma becomes very acute and many complications arise out of an asthmatic attack. Children and young adults are more vulnerable to sudden and unpredictable attacks of asthma. These attacks are mostly triggered by allergens and excessive exercise. The immediate treatment for these is a puff or two of the inhaler or a nebulizer.

But if these conditions of persist for a longer duration it is in the best interest that a doctor should be consulted immediately. The patients who repeatedly show such tendencies of persistence of symptoms should never take their condition lightly. They should also be referred immediately to a hospital fully equipped with facilities to deal with any kind of emergency.

Also it is generally seen that a specialist in dealing with asthma cases is a much more preferred doctor in such cases. Most of the time it is seen that the people do take care to report emergencies when their kids are involved but they do not take enough care of themselves and do not report their own problems in time. This many-a-time aggravates their situation often making it go completely out of hand.

There are some signals that to an asthmatic person indicate hospitalization. The early warning signs that an asthmatic person should never negate are:

· Fast heart rate and rapid respiration.

· Major problem in breathing by the use of neck and rib muscles.

· Severe case of wheezing.

· Persistent sweating.

· Cyanosis or blue colour in lips and finger nails.

· Perplexed state of mind and reduced clarity in thinking.

The patients should be hospitalized and given oxygen inhalation therapy. Along with these several drug therapies are also given. Most of the patients recover after hospitalization of five to seven days.

There are some cases in which asthma can turn life threatening. These patients experience a situation called acute respiratory failure. In this condition the bronchial tubes are completely blocked. The lungs in this condition are devoid of life sustaining oxygen and they also cannot get rid of the toxic carbon dioxide. In such severe condition the machines called ventilators are used to take up the function of respiration.

The respiratory muscles are deliberately paralysed in this process and the ventilator takes up the control of respiration. This process is called assisted ventilation and it can safely be continued for two or three days. When the patient starts to improve, the machine is gradually turned down and the person is weaned away from the machine.

This process is available in bigger hospitals and has very low mortality rate. Along with a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs are given with intervention properties. This makes relapses rare and there is very little scope of the asthma patient developing this condition again very soon. This is all thanks to the fast moving growth and constant changes that have happened in the field of medicine and health care. So many incidences prove beyond doubt that if the patient gets medical attention in time he or she is sure to be saved and may even have chances of not having a repeat of same condition for a long time.

But many studies point towards a stark reality that most of the deaths from asthma occur at home or on the way to the hospital. The lack of availability of medical attention at the time of death also does not prove anything or point towards any concrete conclusions during the last moments. In such an event it becomes almost next to impossible to derive the exact reason why such episodes of fatality actually occur. Asthma researchers are now concentrating deeply on studying the patients who make it to the hospital and do emerge as survivors after a fatal asthma attack. These near fatal asthma attacks are termed as "sudden asphyxic asthma".

After several studies of patients with near fatal attack of asthma it was found that the patients who survived and those who did not had many things in common and some differences too. On the basis of studying the two groups of patients one who survived and one who did not some very clear characteristics appear that help in developing the profile of patients who are at risk of developing near fatal asthma. These criteria can be enlisted as:

· The patients show a history of seizures along with asthma.

· There may be done a recent change in drug treatment or administration dosages.

· There may be wheezing and other symptoms that may be neglected constantly.

· Even at the time when the patient may be discharged from the hospital after treatment from near fatal attack he may be having some wheezing.

· There may be lack of self care at the hospital.

· There may be emotional conflicts between patient, hospital staff and other family members.

· There may be a tendency in the patient to use their asthmatic condition as a tool for emotional manipulation of others.

· Severely dysfunctional family situations.

· Symptoms of mild to chronic depression

Relieving Asthma is Not Difficult If You Get These Tips

Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the air pathways of the lungs. Either the person's air passages are inflamed or the inflammation of the air pathways makes them very sensitive to several symptoms that cause asthma. Having asthma can be quite annoying especially that it is a chronic disease that does not only causes uneasiness but also triggers pain and sometimes deprivation of the things you want to do. If you have asthma, treatment is very necessary as asthma cannot be totally cured but only prevented. All you can do is to suppress the attack or make fewer contacts with it. You should always remember that relieving asthma is not as difficult as what others think. You cannot deny the fact that it is sometimes stressful and disgusting but if you are aware of the right things you should do every time you are struggling with asthma attacks, you can surely realize that it's easy to survive with the condition and to help you battle asthma easier, here are some asthma relieving tips.

Medicate yourself. Taking of prescribed medication is still the best thing you can do to provide relief against asthma. These medicines are scientifically made and proven by the medical experts to help patients in their asthma problems. There are different medicines that are guaranteed best for you like tablets, inhalers, nebulizers, etc.

Try the alternative or the natural relievers. Aside from the prescribed medicines, there are also safer and healthy means that can help you find relief against asthma. These methods include the popularly known herbs, home remedies and healthy lifestyles. Here you can also try yoga or entirely unique natural therapies like aromatherapy or the Chinese acupuncture technique.

Learn how to do proper breathing. Learning how to take a deep breath is very helpful especially during panic attacks. This will not only provide you relief but it also helps reduce the symptoms as well as it gives lungs the right amount of oxygen.

Take good care of your health. This is the most important aspect you need to focus on if you want to get rid of asthma. Have a healthy diet, exercise daily and lessen the series of episodes or encounters. By being healthy, you can be away from the triggers and you can feel relief for a good span of time.
Learn how to relax. Relax during complicated situations and relax when you are having asthma attacks because if you are stress and worried, it will only add up to the situation thus making the attack more intense.

These five relieving asthma steps are not difficult and relief can be at reach. Most of these steps can be done by you or even with the help of a specialist. Hopefully you'll deal with your asthma easier this time as you are now familiar with these simple but effective tips.

Pulse Oximeter Used for Pediatric Children Home Monitoring Solutions

There quite a few medical and health ailments that children face today in our society. Some of these are cardiac and lung health conditions that require very close monitoring and supervision by not only physicians and health care professionals but also parents. One of these conditions in particular is child asthma. Asthma is a physical condition where the child does not get enough oxygen in their system. This in fact will trigger an asthma attack that can have detrimental effects on their health. Parents in particular have also been looking for a device that help them monitor their children's health and asthma to ensure that they are getting enough oxygen in their system. Such a device a pulse oximeter device that can be used to monitor asthma.

The parents can simply use the pulse oximeter in order to monitor the oxygen levels of their children wherever the children go. Children are quite active so the ability to monitor their oxygen levels while on the go is very important to parents. If for example the child is playing on the playground or engaging in sports for little league, the parents can always have the pulse oximeter with them to monitor the health and oxygen levels of the child with asthma. This truly gives parents the piece of mind and power to monitor their children to ensure that they do not get an asthma attack. The pulse oximeter products are also made specifically for children as they are made to fit their small fingers.

Asthma and the Effects of Dehydration

When spring arrives it brings with it gobs of pollen. In March and April, everything gets this fine yellow dust cover of pollen, especially from the trees. For some people, this triggers allergy and asthma attacks. Asthma is much more alarming than the stuffy, runny nose and the swollen, weepy eyes of an allergy attack. Of course, asthma is triggered by more than allergies. Stress can be a strong contributor to this breathing problem. One relatively new theory also claims dehydration can cause asthma attacks.

Asthma is usually defined as a shortness of breath that can come on without any warning. The breath become shallow, more rapid and can be accompanied by a notable wheeze or whistling in the out-breath. Sufferers can sometimes feel that they are almost suffocating as breathing becomes more labored. New theories out there, determine that asthma may be no more than a dehydration response because of known lung mechanics. It can be illustrated this way. Breathe through your mouth for a few minutes.

Notice how dry your mouth gets, so much so that you have to stimulate saliva to move around your mouth with your tongue.

In a dehydration response in the body, histamine is activated. Histamine has two functions, one of which is not generally known. Histamine is in charge of the immune activation system, mobilizing the defenses against incoming invaders. Histamine is also in charge of water management in the body. It is the foreman, deciding where available water goes and how much goes where.

When dehydration becomes apparent, histamine activity greatly increases and the body is alerted that the emergency response team is at the ready. When the moisture level in the lungs decreases to the point where dehydration is becoming apparent, an increase in histamine levels in the lungs causes the bronchioles to spasm, which makes them contract. This spasming action caused by histamine in the bronchial tubes is part of the body's way to conserve water that would normally just get breathed out to evaporate during the out breath, that normally occurs when we breathe out naturally. Now the body cannot afford to give up that water, so it tries to save it.

In dehydration, the lung tissue can become very susceptible to drying out. The little air sacs in the lungs have very thin layers of tissue to easily and quickly pass gases and toxins through the thin walls as we breathe in and out. This tissue must be kept moist all the time or the tissue can become damaged, creating permanent breathing problems. Moisture in the lungs naturally evaporates when we breathe, so to prevent lung damage, the tissue constricts in response to histamine, to conserve water, preventing it from evaporating. As histamine constricts the tissues, the amount of air passing through and around the lung tissues is lessened, giving us the impression it is harder to breathe and we labor to get more air into our lungs.

Histamine also triggers mucous production to coat the tissues and protect them from drying out. This can stimulate the asthmatic cough as one tries to clear the passages enough to get the next breath. It can be scary as the breathing becomes more restricted if the body becomes even more dehydrated.

If this theory hold true, researchers say that by drinking two large glasses of water, the breathing will ease. In addition health professionals advise sufferers to make a cup of hot tea, particularly green tea. Take minute sips of the tea, as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself, swallowing them and breathing in the steam from the hot tea. This will moisten the lungs and the hot tea will relieve the spasming and coughing. Within minutes, the attack should subside and you will begin to feel much better.

By rehydrating your body with lots of clean spring water, you should feel better in no time. To prevent further attacks, sufferers are advised to continue to drink as much water as they can each day, half their body weight in ounces.

Asthma suffers should be constantly monitored by their health care professional as an attack can be very serious. Suffers may find that drinking more water may reduce the severity of an attack and may also reduce the number of attacks. By being vigilant, reducing exposure to asthmatic triggers and taking their medication as prescribed, asthma sufferers may find themselves more comfortable and requiring less medication. After all, we can't stop breathing.

Asthma Inhalers Information

Asthma inhalers are the most common medicine prescribed by doctors to treat asthma. Asthma inhalers are small, hand held delivers asthma medication directly into a person's airway. While asthma medication can be administered orally or intravenously, inhalers have the least amount of side effects while being the most effective.

When you think asthma inhaler, you probably think the small aerosol container that you press down on to deliver puffs of medicine directly into your mouth. Those are called metered dose inhalers. There's also dry powder inhalers, which require you to breath the medicine into your airways. Asthma inhalers are also broken down into two other categories: rescue inhalers and prevention inhalers.

The rescue or relief inhalers are used during an asthma attack or can be used prior to coming into a contact with a trigger. They don't actually treat the causes of the attack, instead they focus on the symptoms and making it easier to breathe. During an asthma attack, the muscle around the airway tightens. The rescue inhalers work by relaxing the muscle, opening up an airway. It doesn't affect the inflamed airways, but it will give short term relief.

The most common form of relief inhalers, works almost immediately and last for up to four hours. There's also rescue inhalers that take about 30 to 45 minutes to take effect, but last for six to twelve hours. The prevention inhalers works on the inflammation or swelling of the airways. Over a period of seven days to four weeks (depending on the kind of medicine), you'll notice a gradual change and decrease in symptoms. Steroid prevention inhalers are the must successful. Non-steroid ones are generally less effective and also take longer to take effect.

You should use the prevention inhaler as prescribed by your doctor. Even if you feel fine, you shouldn't stop taking your prevention inhaler. If you do that, the symptoms can quickly return. While there is no cure for asthma, the right medicines can help bring your asthma under control.

Learn How to Stop Panic Attacks Permanently

Stop panic attacks permanently?

Yes, you can -- and this you can do without the side effects of medications and the expenses of frequent trips to your shrink. You can stop panic attacks right in their tracks with the help of some easy and practical techniques that will harness your mind and body's natural power.

The First Time Panic Strikes

You may not be able to recognize a panic attack the first time it strikes on you. The signs and symptoms can easily mislead you to believing that you are having a heart attack or an asthma attack. Panic attacks usually disguise itself as a medical condition that you would readily treat with drugs and medication to heal from it. What you don't know is that what you have experienced is a panic or anxiety attack and those drugs and medications are unnecessary as they can also put you at risk of adverse effects.

Perhaps your lack of awareness and understanding on how to recognize and handle panic and anxiety attacks can also lead you to think that there's something different with yourself compared to all the people in the world. You may feel that you are defective and a failure, whereas your family and friends are enjoying their life as ordinary people. You may have your temperamental outburst and feel like you're going crazy. You frequent your shrink and spend much for the visits when all you need is to be in control to stop panic attacks.

The Second and Succeeding Attacks

The problem when you are not aware of the attacks, they can happen the second time and then again and again until your panic or anxiety attacks become chronic. Do you now visualize how important it is to learn how to put an end to your panic attacks before they can repeatedly occur for the nth time? Of course, you wouldn't want to destroy your life or affect the people around you with uncontrollable episodes of anxiety attacks when you can always learn how to banish it away from your life for good.

You see, it is not the absence of fear and worries that will drive the attacks away from your life. It is how you will use the same fear and worries to control panic attacks.

You won't need to risk your health to drugs and medications that can only provide relief of the symptoms. You don't even want to spend much of your money to visit your shrink only to experience another episode of attacks. It can mean endless trips to your shrink.

Fortunately for you, the internet offers valuable resources like The SelfSteps Program that will show you how simple techniques using your body and mind can help you handle your very own attacks effectively. What's best, when you learn how to control and manage panic attacks using your body and mind's natural powers, you can choose to banish the attacks permanently out of your life. Now, it's your time to attack your attacker. Stop panic attacks.

The power to do so is entirely in your hands.

Asthma Attack - What to Do in Case of Emergency

Asthma attacks usually induce panic within the sufferer as well as the people who are with the asthmatic individual. It is quite understandable why people initially panic when someone is having an asthma attack because seeing someone breathing difficultly and gasping for air is an alarming sight.

However, the asthmatic person having the attack as well as the people around him or her should try to avoid panicking because it will do more harm than good.

When people panic, they tend to be less logical and rational and they end up overlooking the simple and basic solutions to an asthma attack.

In case of an emergency, the first thing that people should remember is to stay calm and maintain a peaceful mind to give room for more sensible thought.

Children that are having emergency asthma attacks are usually hard to handle because they usually have a hard time understanding and expressing what is happening to them. Parents or guardians of asthmatic children must be keen and sensitive enough to know or sense when their child is already showing signs and symptoms of an asthma attack.

When this happens, the child must not be alarmed or provoked to panic; the parents or guardian must not show any sign of panic or alarm so the child can stay calm and feel at ease. Asthma attacks may happen anytime, anywhere, that's why it's always good to be ready and prepared, physically, emotionally and psychologically.

When someone is having an asthma attack, they can breathe easier when they are sitting up rather than lying down.

Do not ever make the grave mistake of making asthma patients lie down during their attack because it will only make things worse by making it more difficult to breathe.

If it's your first time to encounter or help someone who is having an asthma attack, you should not panic because an adult patient usually knows how to handle his or her attack and you may just have to calmly ask him or her what you should do to help alleviate the effects of the attack. You can ask the patient where they are keeping their inhaler so that they can at least have a first-aid treatment while waiting for medical help.

Help patients use the inhaler. During an asthma attack, patients may be shaking, nervous or scared and that's why you should really help them in using their inhaler. If at the time of the emergency attack, the patient has no inhaler with him or her, you can resort to using or borrowing someone else's inhaler while waiting for medical help.

Doctors greatly emphasize that an inhaler is a very critical need during an emergency asthma attack.

What Causes Mold Allergy and Asthma Symptoms?

Among the most common types of allergies is mold allergy, because mold can develop just about anywhere and can happen at any time of the year. We more popularly know and identify mold as that yellowish or greenish substance that results from our failure to throw out organic materials and clean out dark and damp spaces.

There are two plant groups in the family of fungi: molds and yeast, each of which has around a thousand permutations and versions to its name. While yeasts are characterized by single cells, molds are comprised of multiple cells that branch out when they grow. Both fungi subfamilies are allergic offenders, but only about a few mold species trigger allergic reactions in people.

Molds, when they multiply, also produce millions of spores. These spores are what cause allergies. When inhaled, these microscopic spores give birth to allergic rhinitis. And because they are so tiny and microscopic, escaping exposure to mold spores and susceptibility to mold allergy may be difficult to accomplish. Mold spores can easily bypass our bodies protective functions and lodge themselves into our respiratory organs.

Some people experience a more severe mold allergy attack when they take in food that has been processed with fungi, like cheese. There are also instances when dried food and some mushrooms, as well as yeast-related foods, like vinegar and soy sauce, help worsen the attack. We cannot say exactly the same for penicillin, however, though it is made from the mold Penicillium, because studies have not shown any blatant relationship between it and mold allergy.

Mold allergy or asthma symptoms related to molds can also come with the season, usually from spring to just before fall ends. Mold season is usually at its highest during the summer, because of the moisture and heat. Some molds thrive in cold temperatures, but most of them simply remain dormant until they are unfrozen and given the chance to grow again. Molds are particularly present just after the spring thaw because they feed on dead vegetation that that have been hit by the winter season.

Wherever there is moisture, you can be sure that molds will be there to grow. The best places they can thrive are damp closets and basements, unmonitored refrigerators, bathrooms, air conditioners, mattresses, house plants and uncleaned garbage pails, among others.

Given this information, households should make sure that all spaces are ventilated well and mold-attractive objects aired out regularly to avoid the development of molds.

The most common molds found in the United States are Cladosporium and Alternaria. Actually, there are many other mold species that they usually outnumber the pollen that spreads in the air. Worse than pollen, they can thrive both indoors and outdoors, and can be very tricky to detect at their early development stages. Most people recognize the presence of mold only after they have grown to annoying and smelly levels.

Continuous exposure to mold will not just bring about mold allergy but also lead to lung disease or asthma. If you have started to feel weird coughing symptoms and some wheezing, better have yourself checked immediately to nip the problem at the bud. Your physician will likely have you undergo a series of tests, including X-rays and blood sampling, to determine the cause. Needless to say, mold allergy, while seemingly temporary, is still not something that you should take for granted.

Black Mold Sickness Symptoms You Need to Know About

Sometimes, a perfunctory check may reveal several areas of mold growth. We know them to grow under the carpets, behind the wall, inside the ceiling, but black mold is also present in our refrigerators, inside the garbage cans, in the corners of our closets. They thrive practically anywhere that's dark and moist!

Don't be discouraged, though - black mold of the non-toxic type is not too dangerous. It can cause several symptoms, though, that can be quite unwelcome:

Coughing and sneezing. These symptoms will help you locate the mold growth because they'll intensify when you enter he room where they're at. Some people experience having a dry, itchy throat which may induce their coughing.

Clogged nose. As the black mold spores find their way to your nose (the spores, by the way, are airborne, so a messy mold cleanup actually releases millions of spores into the air), your cells react to the foreign organisms, triggering an inflammation reaction inside your nose and lungs.

This could lead to breathing difficulties and sometimes even a runny nose. People with asthma should be especially careful not to come near any black mold cleanup operation because even a mild inhalation of the black mold's spores can cause a severe asthma attack.

Headaches and fatigue. The headaches can be linked to the difficulty in breathing experienced by people with black mold sickness. Because a lot of effort is exerted in trying to breathe, the individual naturally gets headaches. Fatigue is caused by the toxic black mold variety, making you feel tired even after sleeping for hours.

This is because the mycotoxin released by this toxic black mold attacks the immune system, giving you a feeling of general weakness.

Some people with black mold sickness also experience lightheadedness or dizziness which often go hand-in-hand with the sinusitis symptoms.

Memory lapses. Countless studies have been made linking memory loss to black old sickness. As the spores travel through your respiratory system, the mycotoxins they released then attack the nervous system, including the brain. Apart from affecting the memory, many patients also report hearing loss and mood swings.

Nausea and vomiting. If you only experience sinusitis-like symptoms, there's a good possibility that you've only been hit by the non-toxic mold. However, flu-like symptoms are signs that the toxic Black Mold is what's causing the sickness, so you should not delay in having yourself treated once you suspect that you're infected with this toxic mold.

Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment

Medical Exams and Tests

A complete family, environmental and occupational history is gathered to establish triggering factors that lead to the asthma attack. It is also important for your health professional to note the sequence of events that lead to the asthma attack as well as periodic signs and symptoms when the asthma attack was treated, managed and prevented. After a preliminary history and diagnosis is established, the health professional will then use a stethoscope to listen to your lungs for signs such as wheezing and crackles.

Medical exams and tests will include chest x-rays, arterial blood gas, eosinophil count, lung function tests and peak flow measurements. X-rays will show a constriction in the bronchi and airway passages as well as thick mucous secretions. In acute episodes, sputum and blood tests may present elevated levels of eosinophils in the blood. Serum levels of immunoglobulin E may also be elevated if an allergic response is present. Arterial blood gas analysis will show an increased level of carbon dioxide in the blood and poor oxygen perfusion while lung function and peak flow measurements will show poor lung expansion and ventilation.

The Treatment Protocol and Taking in Medications

The treatment plan for asthma will generally revolve around these three important protocols:
(1) identifying and monitoring signs and symptoms for asthma,
(2) identifying and avoiding the asthma triggers, and
(3) taking in medications for asthma.
It is also important to develop an emergency action plan just in a minor asthma attack develops into a full-blown asthma attack.

Prevention is a key to the first and second protocols. It is important for you to recognize the causative factor to your asthma. Several causative factors may include allergic reactions to particulates and dust, overwhelming odors and toxic chemicals or fumes, cigarette smoke and automotive exhaust, pet fur and dander, spores and pollen, the ingestion and exposure to certain food, extremely cold weather and physical overexertion. Emotional and physical stressors, anxiety, ongoing respiratory tract infection and some medications may also trigger an asthma attack.

Taking in Medications

Basically, there are two kinds of medications to treat asthma. These are (1) quick relief or emergency medications and (2) long-term medications.

Quick relief, "emergency" or "short-term" medications are used to instantly relieve the signs and symptoms of an asthma attack and may be used at a one-time-only basis. These include: (1) short-acting bronchodilators and inhalers and (2) corticosteroids like methylprednisone and prednisone. Bronchodilators, as their name suggests, open up the already-narrowed airway passages. Meanwhile, corticosteroids prevent the exacerbation of the allergic reaction by inhibiting autoimmune function.

Long-term medications are actually maintenance drugs taken in on a regular basis to prevent the occurrence of asthma's signs and symptoms. These include
(1) long-acting corticosteroids,
(2) long-acting bronchodilators,
(3) aminophylline or theophylline,
(4) cromolyn sodium or nedocromil sodium and
(5) leukotriene inhibitors.
Theophylline and aminophylline are smooth muscle relaxants that inhibit bronchospasms. Meanwhile, cromolyn sodium and nedocromil sodium inhibit the inflammation of the lung passages. Leukotriene inhibitors reduce the action of leukotrienes or antibodies responsible for causing inflammation.