Using Peak-Flow Meters for Your Asthma

Peak-flow meter is a small softball size portable device, available in very economical price in the market. It is relatively easy and to use and measures the air flow in your airways. The rate at which air moves through the lungs and airways is called Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR). An important point here to remember regarding peak-flow meter is that it is a device used to monitor air flow, and not to diagnose the asthma.

A peak-flow meter is a useful device that helps you in identifying asthma symptoms by telling you whether the airways are narrowing, or stethoscope detects any wheezing sound. Before the things get worse, you can seek help from your asthma management plan and PEFR to take some additional medications. Peak-flow readings help you and your doctor to conclude that the medicine plan is working fine or not. Your doctor will increase or stop your medication according to your PEFR. Peak-flow meter is also used to determine or identify personal asthma triggers.

Who Should Use a Peak-flow Meter?

Normally the people who take asthma medication daily are usually suggested to make a peak-flow meter part of their routine usage. In early weeks after diagnosis, peak-flow meter is used to assess airways' response to prescribed medication and helps to figure out and changes happen over time between readings and exposure to asthma triggers.

The guidelines published in 1997 by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute suggests that you are required to use a peak-flow meter on for a long term on daily basis, if you are older than five years of age and is a victim of moderate or severe asthma.

Mild, Moderate and Severe Asthma

With mild asthma you get mild attacks just once or twice a week. Symptoms of mild asthma are irregular. With mild asthma, your breathing reading on peak-flow meter should be about 80 percent as strong as it should be. The breathing rate with mild asthma will remain almost the same during day and night time. With such condition, your doctor may suggest you to inhale short-acting beta 9 agonist during asthma attacks. Within few minutes this inhaler or reliever medication will help you to have comfortable breathing. Whether you have mild or severe asthma, it is better to keep a record of your breathing patterns in asthma diary, using peak-flow meter.

Moderate asthma victims can have more than one asthma attack within a week. Severe coughing, wheezing and serious breathing problems can be a part of your attack. The peak-flow meter should be measured as 60 to 80 percent normal breathing rate. Moderate asthma attacks make breathing difficult for you at night time. A corticosteroid (a long-term controller) every day and a short-acting beta agonist (a quick reliever) are recommended during asthma attacks.

The people affected from severe asthma might have an asthma attack everyday. Chronic cough is a symptom of severe asthma. Like moderate asthma, the severe asthma also makes breathing difficult at nights. The breathing rate on peak-flow meter would measured as half of the normal rate. Higher dosage of an inhaled corticosteroid (a long-term controller) every day and a short-acting beta) agonist (a quick reliever) will be recommended.

Mold Dust Revealed- The Air in Your House May Be Making You Sick

We have all seen the stories on the news and read the articles in the newspaper about "sick buildings" and houses that have become uninhabitable and left the owners with a house they cannot sell. What makes these buildings dangerous to humans? Mold and the spores they generate into the air as they reproduce.

Breathing in mold spores (often referred to as mold dust) can heighten allergies, trigger asthma attacks, cause eye and skin irritations for even non-allergic people and lead to infections for those whose immune system is weak. This article will investigate the symptoms people exhibit if their house contains an unhealthy amount of mold.

As mold grows, it sends out spores which float through the air and look to land on a moist area. Once they find a moist area, they begin to digest whatever organic material they have landed on (ie. wallpaper, cardboard, books, wood) and emit gases as they digest their food. These gases can be toxic.

A very common reaction to inhaling mold spores and their gaseous compounds is heightened allergic reactions such as congestion, difficulty breathing and red eyes. These symptoms can begin almost immediately after exposure.

Folks who suffer from asthma that breathe in the spores can experience an asthma attack, especially if they are spending a lot of time in the room that has the mold growing. However, because the spores can spread quickly throughout the house, they may be affected in other rooms as well where the mold is not yet established.

People who normally do not suffer from allergies may start to exhibit allergy symptoms as their body react to the mold in the air. Hay fever like symptoms such as nose and throat irritation, runny nose and sneezing may begin. For these people to be suffering from allergy symptoms is a good sign that your house's indoor air is being affected by mold growth.

Those folks that have compromised immune systems due to other ailments are more vulnerable to infections caused my molds. Even those with otherwise healthy immune systems may be affected with common skin diseases such as athletes foot or yeast infections as a result of the compromised air.

If your family starts exhibiting any of these symptoms, especially members who otherwise do not suffer from allergies, you should immediately suspect mold problems. Begin to investigate your house for evidence of mold growth, and most importantly begin the process of figuring out why your house's moisture is high enough to support mold growth.

OTC Asthma Attack Treatment

Nowadays, there are several OTC medications that consumers can avail of, regardless of their condition. The same option is available for asthma attack treatment, given that asthma is one of the most common ailments among the population. And as the rate of individuals suffering from asthma are projected to grow, pharmaceutical companies have made sure that cure for asthma is made easily accessible so that people will have ways to easily manage their condition.

In other cases, people spend a long phase in their life without suffering from any symptoms of asthma. Despite of this, you need to be prepared with an asthma treatment plan because you can never predict when an asthma attack will happen. OTC asthma attack treatment is then a good option for you.

Rescue Inhalers is just one of several over-the-counter or OTC asthma attack treatment available. But despite the popularity of this particular treatment method, there are several asthmatic patients who have noticed this method has become less effective over time. In other times, no relief is experienced at all. When this happens, your doctor will prescribe another asthma attack treatment to control the symptoms. These medications are intended to open up airways and facilitate in proper function of your respiratory system. If you are using OTC medications or asthma treatments however, make sure to follow instructions properly to avoid causing harm or further endangering your condition.

Aside from inhalers, another type of OTC asthma attack treatment option is the pill. When taken internally, the asthma pill should help loosen up any form of airway constriction during asthma episode. For more effective results, you can combine taking medications with alternative form of medicine such as yoga and deep breathing exercises. The latter is also very effective in de-stressing yourself to effectively loosen up your airway passages. Another benefit to performing these exercises in combination with taking medications is the ability to reduce the possibility of or reduce future asthma attacks.

But despite of having developed breathing techniques, it is advised to always carry around a rescue inhaler or other forms of OTC asthma attack treatment options to provide immediate relief whenever there is an occurrence of symptoms.

Proper Breathing Techniques Can Help Asthma Suffers

Isn't it strange how one person may have difficulty breathing due to allergies, coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and mucus, while the next person isn't bother by with any of these things? We all breathe the same air, so what makes breathing difficult for some people?

Actually, how we breathe can make a big difference as to how our body responds to the air we're breathing. Such as dust, pollen, smoke, and chemicals in the air. Proper breathing is just as important to good health as people's diet and exercise habits.

By considering where, or what part, of your body you use to breathe, how much air you intake, and the breathing pattern, rate and rhythm can make a difference. Because we have some voluntary control in the way we breathe, we can retrain the body to breathe correctly.

Asthmatic people do not breathe correctly; and on the other hand, anyone that breathes correctly does not have asthma.

As we breathe, the diaphragm muscle moves downward, and creates a negative pressure area that helps to such in the air we need. Then, the diaphragm returns to its original position, and creates positive pressure to force the air out of our lungs. This is the body's inhaling and exhaling process.

People who have asthma, tend to use only a small portion of the lungs and this is what causes shallow breathing. Shallow breathing takes place by breathing from the thoracic part of the lungs. An asthmatic does not fill their lungs fully, and tends to breathe more quickly to compensate for the body's oxygen needs. Rapid breathing causes the thoracic and costal muscles to get exhausted, and the person gasps for air during an asthma attack.

Learning to cope with asthma and breathe properly is one of the most important methods for asthma control. Breathing exercises can be the best solution. Yoga is one of the best methods to teach you how to breathe properly with one of its five principles: pranayama. Basically, pranayama is learning to inhale slowly through the mouth, fill the abdomen, and then count to five. Then, exhale slowly through the nostrils. Breathing in this manner helps the asthmatic fill the lungs completely, and allow more oxygen to reach the blood. Pranayama also provide better asthma management and avoid asthma attacks.

Another breathing technique is called buteyko. The technique stems from Russia, and goes back over 10 years. Basically, the Buteyko method centers around: (1) Encourage nose breathing, (2) Redirect breathing to the lower chest area, (3) Voluntary hypoventilation, (4) Reduce muscle tone, and improve posture through relaxation.

Learning proper breathing techniques can help asthmatics have more energy, rest better, and lower the body's stress level. Additionally, proper breathing improves blood circulation, increases oxygen supply to cells, eases heart strain, and can calm or stimulate the nervous system.

Can Pets Trigger Your Asthma?

Household pets consist of protein that is not human protein, so animal tissue might be the cause of allergies in some humans, which could trigger asthma. Human exposure to animal skin cells (dander) that have been normally shed is the most important source of sensitization. Animal saliva, urine, and hair also carry the allergy-provoking protein substances. Animal hair, since it is not in solution, causes fewer problems than saliva and urine.

Cats seem to cause more trouble than dogs. Certain major proteins have been found in cats that have been demonstrated to cause asthma. Some cats produce more of the offending proteins than others, and males produce more than females. It is also true that some cat allergens are more potent than others. Removing a cat from a home will reduce the amount of cat protein, but it may take as long as 6 months after the cat is gone for all of the cat allergen to degenerate and be gone.

Dogs are a little less offensive than cats when it comes to allergens, so results of exposure by the patient to dog protein are less explosive than with cat tissue. Unlike with cats, no specific major dog allergen has been identified. Dog proteins capable of causing symptoms have been found in dog dander, saliva, and serum. There are differences in structure and production of dog allergen with regard to breed. All breeds, including the Chihuahua and the Poodle, are capable of causing allergies.

Exposure to horse dander produces reactions as volatile as exposure to cats. But horse exposure is usually outdoors, ensuring less concentrated and shorter exposure than to cat dander. Allergy to cows, goats, and sheep is usually occupational, occurring in people such as veterinarians who have repeated exposure to such animals.

Chickens, ducks and other fowl can harbor mites in their feathers that could cause allergies. With the uptake of keeping fowl in the backyard for eggs, this is yet another source to look out for. There is also the possibility that the growth of mold in feathers, including feather pillows, is the source of some symptoms of allergies. Feather pillows are readily replaceable with synthetic materials, often eliminating the problem.

As a general rule, if you sneeze or wheeze after handling a pet you may be allergic and the allergy may trigger your asthma.

Asthma Complications

Asthma is a serious disease resulting as a permanent disorder in once health. It gives a lifelong suffering that one has to endure and it affects one lifestyle for life. There are lots of remedies to treat asthma both herbal and medical as well as prevention plans that you should consider in order to control the symptoms of the disease. If you have asthma, you shouldn't just take it for granted for an asthma that is not properly controlled and prevented can have an undesirable impact on your life quality. Here are some conditions that may result without proper treatment:

• Fatigue;
• Underperformance, absence, or termination from work;
• and psychological problems such as anxiety, stress, and depression.

As time goes by and you still don't put on remedies and do some care plans for your asthma, it will be serious and continuously persists. If you feel that your lifestyle is already greatly affected by asthma, you should contact your doctor or an asthma clinic.

Other complications of asthma include the respiratory complications which lead to a number of serious lung diseases, like:

• pneumonia (lung infection);
• respiratory failure;
• status asthmaticus or severe asthma attacks;
• COPD like acute bronchitis and emphysema;
• and dyspnea.

All of the complications mentioned above are life-threatening and will require medical treatment.

Death

The worst scenario could be if it is totally incurable or you didn't act quickly and see a doctor for your sickness. The highest risk will be death. You must remember that during an episode (asthma attack), there is a tightness of the chest and difficulty in breathing, If you do not have the medicine to quickly remove the pain (such as inhalers and nebulizers), there is a big tendency for you to pass out and lose your breath.

Colostrum For Asthma and Sinus Issues

Colostrum for Asthma and Sinus problems

Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs narrow, causing wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath due to a restriction of air intake. More than 17 million Americans suffer from asthma and it occurs equally in males and females and in all ethnic and socio-economic groups. The prevalence of asthma increased more than 60% in Americans between 1982 and 1994. Scientists suspect that the sharp increase was due to more exposure to second-hand smoke, growing populations in polluted city centers and new housing that was poorly ventilated.

Asthma attacks occur when the bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed, usually by contact with a triggering irritant such as pet hair or cigarette smoke. This reduces the space through which air can travel through the lungs, causing the lungs to work harder to move air in and out. The attack usually begins with mild chest pressure and a dry cough and, as the attack intensifies, wheezing develops and breathing becomes difficult with the cough producing a stringy mucous. Since the airway inflammation prevents some of the oxygen-rich air from reaching the alveoli, the cells of the body start to burn oxygen at a higher rate, which actually increases the body's demand for oxygen.

Inflammation of the airway occurs when an irritant comes into contact with the airway walls. The body's immune system detects the irritant as foreign and releases an immunoglobulin of the IgE class that can attach to the irritant. This triggers the release of specialized white blood cells, known as mast cells that head for the site of irritation. When they get there, the mast cells release histamine, a chemical substance that causes swelling and redness as part of an inflammatory response. This causes the muscles lining the airway to contract even more, narrowing the passage further. The cells that line the airway overreact to the inflammatory response and secrete a lot of mucous, which clogs the bronchioles and causes the wheezing.

The most common causes of asthma attacks are extremely small and lightweight particles that are transported through the air and inhaled into the lungs. For many people, the environmental triggers are allergens like plant pollen, mold spores, animal dander and fecal material from dust mites and cockroaches. The triggers can also be physiological, like exercise and infections such as the common cold. Alternatively, attacks may be brought on by substances found in food, such as the sulfites used to preserve beer and wine, and in medications like aspirin and ibuprofen.

Sinus problems are likely linked closely to a person who may suffer from asthma. The paranasal sinuses are air-filled, mucous-lined cavities in the head and cheekbones and in the frontal bone just above and between the eye sockets. The sinuses all drain into the nasal cavity. The sinuses are often infected with bacteria, causing inflammation and severe pain. Environmental and chemical irritants, as well as most allergens, can similarly cause a mild to severe inflammatory response in the sinuses. In all cases, the inflammation results in overproduction of mucous by cells lining the cavities. Repeated attacks often lead to a thickening of the mucous membranes and, sometimes, scarification requiring surgical intervention, which frequently provides only temporary relief.

So what can be done about all of this? The answer is routine dietary supplementation with a high quality bovine colostrum and here is why.

First, allergic reactions and asthma are manifestations of an immune system that is out of control. The problem is that at about age 13, the body's health support mechanisms began to deteriorate. Before puberty, when you were just a young child, the very foundation of your immune system was being established by a small gland-like structure in the upper chest, the thymus. It is within this structure that the cells mature that will determine the appropriate type of response that your immune system should mount after an insult and then cells from the same source will regulate the quality and intensity of that response. Cells from this gland also scan the blood for abnormal cells and remove them. After puberty, the thymus begins to shrink and ultimately almost disappears by age 50-60. So, although the immune system develops more immunologic memory with time, it gradually loses the ability to efficiently and effectively orchestrate and direct the actual immune response itself.

When dealing with any type of inflammatory condition, including an infection, it is wise to recognize that the best defense is founded on a good offense. Scientific studies have shown that insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a major component of high quality bovine colostrum, and the IGF superfamily of proteins can restore and maintain a fully functional thymus, even in adults. In addition, colostrum contains the alpha and beta chains of the hormone thymosin that act independently and in concert to regulate the functions of the thymus. Further, the proline-rich peptide (PRP), also known as thymulin, in colostrum is known to down-regulate the immune system and keep the response to a foreign substance under control. Other studies have shown that including only small amounts of colostrum in the daily diet of adult animals significantly enhances the ability of their white blood cells to respond to infection and destroy invading bacteria and viruses.

Thus, routine dietary supplementation with a high quality first milking colostrum, like that from Immune-Tree, will strengthen and support the immune system and help keep the immune system operating at an optimum level and hold the inflammatory response in check or, at a minimum, reduce the impact of the asthma attacks. As a suggested use routinely consume 5 - 6, 500 mg capsules or the equivalent powder daily and attempt to increase this to 8-10 capsules daily during the periods when the attacks historically occur.

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