How Does Monitoring SpO2 By A Physician With A Pulse Oximeter Help With Asthma

If you have ever heard of the term SpO2 and wondered what it is then search no more. SpO2 is also known as blood oxygen saturation and in essence represents the percentage of oxygen in the hemoglobin. This number is quite important for those that live with asthma because measuring the exact amount of oxygen in the body is essential to determining whether the person is at risk of experiencing an asthma attack. An asthma attack can come about in any situation especially when a person least expects it. The reason for this is because this health condition in essence prevents the free flow of oxygen to get into the body and as a result what happens is that the individual will experience a shortness of breath. Many times the attack can be so severe that even inhalers will not be able to help. As a result, physicians tend to recommend the use of a pulse oximeter to monitor the blood oxygen saturation levels.

The way that the pulse oximeter works to measure the oxygen saturation is quite unique in the whole spectrum of medical devices. Essentially when you place your finger inside the pulse oximeter what happens is that an infrared light passes through the finger. This light in essence is completely not harmful and the reason why it is used is because hemoglobin in the blood has varying light absorptive characteristics and as such this is the way that the computer of the device measures the levels. The main reason why physicians tend to recommend this device is because of its portable nature. When you have respiratory health conditions you need the ability to be able to measure your oxygen levels wherever and whenever that you need to. As a result a pulse oximeter is a very useful tool that satisfied both these criteria.

Asthma and Dehydration

Asthma is a histamine response due to dehydration. In my article Water An Antihistamine, I explain how histamine regulates the body's water supply. When the body is short of water, histamine will control where the water is directed based on priority. Asthma, it was once thought, was brought on by stress, especially in children. Studies have shown that an estimated 75 percent of the population has some degree of dehydration, significant enough to affect their health. Along with dehydration, the majority of people's body state is acidic due to our typical North American diet. Children love junk food which is very dehydrating and acidifying to the body which will explain why there are over 12 million child asthma sufferers in North America. There are many millions of adult sufferers as well.

Now we know that asthmatics have excessive levels of histamines in their lung tissues. If you breathe through your mouth long enough your mouth gets dry. Water is an integral part of keeping the lungs moist and functioning properly. Every time you breathe out, you lose water. When enough water is lost through the lungs, histamine kicks in to constrict the bronchial passages and increase mucus production to conserve whatever water is there. The mucus covers the tissues to prevent them from drying out. Once a diagnosis of asthma has occurred the person has been chronically dehydrated for some time. The constriction of the bronchial tubes occurs because there is not enough water to keep the cells hydrated and the nerves and blood vessels in the tissues are stressed and inflamed due to the histamine response.

If you are properly hydrated, the moisture in the lungs is rapidly replaced so histamine is not required to conserve and delegate water. By drinking enough water, particularly alkaline, ionized water, the inflammation in the lung tissue is relieved much sooner than drinking bottled water, tap water or reverse osmosis water. Water that is magnetized does not have a high enough pH to effectively address the acidic body terrain that is endemic in the population. Water that is microclustered is the most effective in hydrating the body. People seem to experience that the "water is wetter", which seems like a silly statement, but the surface tension is significantly different. The alkalinity helps reduce the acid terrain and restore cellular balance.

Tests in animals show that an increase in water intake will reduce histamine levels significantly. Studies show that within a 2 to 3 week period enough water is present to reduce mucus buildup in the bronchi and lungs. Once this starts to occur, the spasms reduce and the bronchial passages begin to open. Normal breathing begins again as the body continues to be hydrated. In my clinic, I am seeing the same results with clients, their asthmatic symptoms are no longer there, now that they are hydrated properly. One client decided that his asthma was gone so he stopped drinking alkaline, ionized water. He started to drink tap water again. Within 3 weeks, he was starting to see symptoms again. Wisely, he started drinking alkaline, ionized water again and he is now symptom free.

Asthma Effects

An asthma effect is a change which has come about as a result of an action. The effects of asthma usually come about when one is exposed to conditions that trigger an asthmatic attack. There are many causes of asthma such as smoking, allergy, environmental pollution, viral infection and eczema. These causes usually are triggered by different conditions.

If one has an allergy, and is exposed to an allergic element these can bring about the symptoms of asthma. These include, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness of chest and heavy breathing. There are various triggers of this condition such as pollen, smoke, food, molds, fungi, animals, house dust mites, colds and viral infections.

Therefore, a patient with asthma that has been caused by an allergy should avoid these conditions that could cause their asthmatic attack because of being exposed to them. The change of weather is also an asthma effect and can trigger an attack. In times of cold weather for instance, it important for asthma patients to keep warm and not to expose themselves to risky situations that could cause the trigger.

Environmental pollution is also another trigger of asthma effect. One should make sure that the environment they are in is clean, fresh and not polluted. Polluted air will definitely bring about an asthmatic attack. This may include smoking or even if the patient is not smoking but is exposed to smoke, this can bring about an effect that will result in an attack. Like the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It is therefore of importance preventive are taken to avoid an attack.

What Are the Known Common Short Term Side Effects of Asthma Inhalers?

Ventolin or Salbutamol as it is also marketed worldwide commonly referred to, is a medicine to relieve or rescue the symptoms of an asthma attack.

All medicines can cause small short term side effects, the severity of these can vary significantly. Many people have no or minor common short term effects, whilst others may experience a rare or severe effect, some of which can be fatal!

Ventolin or salbutamol has a range of short term effects. The most common when using a Ventolin inhaler would be:

• Coughing


• Nervousness


• Restlessness


• Headache Sinus Inflammation


• Throat Irritation or Dry and Sore Throats


• Tremors or Shakes


• Bad Taste in Mouth

You should discontinue use if you are experiencing any of these effects and seek medical consultation.

Other more severe reactions and allergic reactions have been noted. These more severe reactions and allergic reactions include:

• Rash Itching Hives


• Breathing Difficulty Wheezing Tightness in Chest


• Irregular or Rapid Heartbeat


• Swelling of the Lips, Face or Tongue


• Constipation


• Pains in the Chest

This isn't a full list of all of the known side effects which can occur when using Ventolin.

If you experience any of these severe side effects, discontinue use and immediately seek medical attention.

Other side effects noted in clinical trials include other serious cardiovascular effects. These include:

• Palpitations


• Blood Pressure Increase or Decrease


• Aggravation of Angina.

Also noted were other Musculoskeletal effects such as muscle cramping.

Metabolic side effects include, transient lactic acidosis, a decrease in plasma potassium, hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis and even Psychiatric effects are associated in higher doses.

It is important to that you should only use a Ventolin puffer in the situation of relieving an asthma attack. The long term effects of Ventolin are not mentioned here.

Get Rid of Your Asthma Problems With Natural Asthma Control

I don't know anyone that has asthma that can tell you it's a fun disease to live with. It's a scary thing having an asthma attack, and its something every asthmatic would want to avoid.

The good news is asthma attacks can be avoided, if the correct steps are taken to natural asthma control for your asthma improvement. One of the best ways of doing this is using natural ways to control your asthma, and staying away from your asthma triggers.

For top notch and best natural asthma control eating more foods with Vitamin C in it, is an excellent way to control your asthma. Vitamin C will bolster your immunity and help you get rid of nasty cold, and flu germs. It will also help improve your asthma in this process too.

By doing this you will be able to breathe a lot better, and do a lot more than what you were able to do before. It almost gets rid of symptoms as soon as it is taken in.

The more you eat Vitamin C, the better it is for your asthma, and the easier your natural asthma control becomes. Things such as Limes, Lemons, Oranges, Strawberries, and Tomatoes, are all things that have Vitamin C.

This is good for any person that has asthma, and I highly recommend you try this for your asthma management. You will be surprised at the positive impact that this will have on your asthma, and you will be happy you decided to try it.

Natural asthma control is really easy, but it does take time and commitment in order to get the results you are looking for. Just don't give up and stay focused, just because one thing fails you, it doesn't mean the next thing you are going to try is going to fail.

Athletes With Exercise-Induced Asthma

There are a lot of athletes suffering from asthma but once their asthma is controlled, they can perform at their peak level. It is highly recommended for athletes with this condition to go though a prolonged warm up activity instead of doing a sudden performance.

Prevention is always the best way to manage an asthma attack because once the airway is already tightened, only 50 percent of athletes will experience relief.

Proper hydration is also the key to a relaxed airway because dehydration can tighten airways.

Athletes need to be involved in an activity that can help increase your heart rate such as jumping jacks, biking, and jogging. These simple but effective activities can help prevent exercise-induced asthma. A 10 minute warm up exercise is highly recommended followed by an increase in the capillary flow. This method warms and also hydrates an airway.

One great technique is called pursed-lip breathing. This is done by inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your pursed lips producing a slow, blowing-like action for about four seconds.

This technique is so powerful and effective because it helps to slow your heart rate creating a back pressure to the airway forcing the oxygen into your bloodstream.

When paired with muscle relaxation, this two can ease the tightening of the muscles in the airway. To prevent common breathing problems on athletes, he or she should strengthen specific muscle groups in the neck, shoulder, and even the chest wall. An athlete needs to have strong muscles in those areas as well as learn how to do some muscle relaxation.

If you an athlete with exercise-induced asthma, you need to have a one-on-one session
with an experienced personal trainer to create a special exercise program for your needs.

Asthma and Your Heart

During an asthma attack you may have chest pains, your heart beats quickly and unsteadily at times. You might put these symptoms down to heart strain and wonder if you could be about to have a heart attack. But let's separate asthma from heart disease because they are two completely different things. Asthma will not damage your heart but hardening of your arteries will. It is heart disease that can cause a heart attack and not asthma.

It is true that your heart does have some strain put on it during an asthma attack. Your chest muscles, abdominal wall and diaphragm all work harder in an asthma attack. They want more oxygen but there is less of it available because your bronchial tubes have narrowed. To make up for this, your heart has to pump more blood around your body and will beat faster - not much faster than if you had been running hard. You could well get cramp in your chest muscles just like ordinary leg cramp but this is muscular pain and not from your heart. A healthy heart is quite capable of meeting the extra demands placed on it and once your asthma attack subsides your heart rate will return to normal without any damage to your heart.

So try not to be anxious that your asthma is going to do damage your heart, your anxiety may only prolong the asthma attack. Remember that cramp my be causing your chest pain and the remedy for that is to relax and breathe more slowly. Be aware that in a severe attack of asthma your chest pain could last longer, but after medical treatment your heart rate will slow down and things will go back to normal.