Exposure to traffic pollution may increase respiratory problems and reduce lung volumes in children with asthma, according to researchers who studied the effects of road and traffic density on children’s lung function and respiratory symptoms in the border town of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
FRIDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) — Children with asthma who are exposed to traffic pollution are at increased risk for respiratory problems and reduced lung volumes, says a study that looked at children in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez, a crossing point into the United States.
Real or fake? It’s a question that most families ponder as we hurtle towards Christmas, but the National Asthma Council Australia is warning the two million plus Aussies with asthma to make a careful choice, as both options could trigger asthma symptoms. [click link for full article]
The number of children with asthma continues to rise; it is now considered the most common cause of childhood hospitalization and school absences — an estimated 14 million lost school days. With the arrival of winter, the estimated 6 million children who suffer from asthma face numerous triggers of the disease.
Your child’s asthma shouldn’t stop you from planning a family vacation, sending your child to stay with friends for a week, or signing your child up for sleepover camp. With some careful preparation and communication, you and your child should be able to enjoy all the benefits of life away from home.
An extensive literature review undertaken by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research has examined the pharmacological strategies for self-management of asthma exacerbations in adults, including those using inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting â2-agonist (ICS/LABA) therapy.
Indianapolis – A $5 million grant has been awarded to the IU School of Medicine to establish an Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Center (AADCRC). Principal investigator of the center grant is Mark Kaplan, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and director of Pediatric Pulmonary Basic Research in the Division of Pulmonology, Critical Care and Allergy at the IU School of
More women than men hospitalized for asthmaNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women are significantly more likely than men to go to the emergency department because of asthma-related symptoms and to be admitted to the hospital, a Canadian study shows.
Three common asthma inhalers containing the drugs salmeterol or formoterol may be causing four out of five U.S. asthma-related deaths per year and should be taken off the market, researchers from Cornell and Stanford universities have concluded after a search of medical literature.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that product labels for three popular asthma medications have been updated to state that the drugs could increase the chance of severe asthma attacks that could result in death.
Imperial College London and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich are to take the lead in a Euro 11 million (GBP 8 million) study to examine how genetics and environment influence the development of asthma in Europe.
Asthma UK, the only charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people with asthma, has appointed multi-channel communication specialist Broadsystem to manage communication channels during its campaign to promote a new asthma test pack.
Deseret Morning News - Apr 13 11:28 PM
It’s likely asthma has both genetic and environmental components. And health experts believe that understanding the genomics of asthma could lead to personalized treatments that are more effective, safer and perhaps even cheaper over time.
As winter-weary Americans burst outdoors to exercise, play and dig into yard work, and student athletes’ training transitions back out to fresh Spring air, millions of people may be at risk for flare-ups of lung disease due to high pollen levels and/or outdoor air pollution that can reach unhealthy levels any day… click link for more info.
Women who eat plenty of tomatoes, carrots and leafy greens appear less likely to have asthma, researchers have found. Though it’s uncertain whether the foods are the reason, the findings suggest that some vegetables may protect against adulthood asthma, researchers report in the medical journal Thorax .
Until recently, western medical research has been inconclusive in determining whether or not there is real benefit for an asthmatic to conduct breathing exercises as part of an overall asthma management program. These exercises have certainly been popular in many alternative type asthma management programs but have not yet been embraced by allopathic, or traditional western physicians.
But they are beneficial and will help an asthma sufferer reduce symptoms and increase strength.
The two most often practiced techniques are Buteyko (named after the Russian doctor who developed them) and a yoga training technique known as pranayama. In very simple terms, Buteyko exercises involve breathing through the nose (not mouth), exhaling for as long as possible and then holding the breath as long as possible at the end of the exhale. During the inhale, a series of short, but shallow breaths are practiced. Pranayama is about correct posture, relaxation and controlled, slow inhalation and exhalation, with a focus on using the diaphragm muscles to assist with breathing.
While breathing techniques have long been supported by naturopathic physicians, it is only in the last several years that the allopathic medical community (traditional doctors) has moved to try and quantify any potential benefit from these exercises. One study, published in the March 2004 edition of “Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine� concluded there might be some benefit, although more study was required.
In several patient groups (some using buteyko training and others using pranayana), there did appear to be reduced asthma symptoms although lung function did not appreciably change (as measured by PEFR). Nevertheless, patients felt better and did experience a reduction in need for relief medications.
How do breathing exercises help asthmatics
Since asthma is related to inflammation of the lungs and constriction of the smooth involuntary bronchiole muscles, how can doing breathing exercises help alleviate symptoms?
For starters, it is estimated that some 30% of asthmatics suffer some degree of breathing dysfunction. Bad habits are easily learned when suffering from asthma symptoms and it is not uncommon for those habits to continue in between attacks – breathing through the mouth and short, shallow breaths for example.
This type of breathing deprives the lungs of their full potential to effectively exchange oxygen with carbon dioxide. Breathing exercises enforce good habits where the full range of lung function is used. Consequently, the body gets the oxygen it needs and the chronic asthmatic feels better, with more energy.
And not only will it make the breathing process more efficient, there is evidence that breathing muscles (diaphragm and lung muscles) are strengthened. So even if breath training doesn’t directly improve lung function, eliminating bad habits will improve overall health and quality of life. And this new energy level is important in getting stronger and finding the motivation to attack asthma with a total management plan that results in symptoms being completely controlled – with very little, if any need for medications.
In addition to increased energy levels and stronger lung muscles, there is another benefit to breathing exercises –even if it doesn’t directly result in increased lung function. And that is when actually enduring an asthma attack.
Anyone who has asthma knows what it is like to struggle for breath. You can’t get enough air into your lungs and just as agonizing, you can’t seem to get any air out. Asthmatics who practice correct breathing exercises are much more likely to be able to endure, in a controlled manner, an asthma attack than those that don’t.
Of course that is not to say that controlled breathing replaces relief medication – it most certainly doesn’t. But it does contribute, in a real way, to stabilizing the attack because the asthmatic can fight the temptation to start breathing in an uncontrolled manner. Indeed, biofeedback, a technique in which patients are trained to basically will themselves to breath more efficiently, seems to be getting more and more traction.
Controlling asthma cannot be achieved by only using one tool. Multiple tools should be used – in addition to the control and relief medications prescribed by your physician. Diet, exercise, trigger controls are all essential components; and so is a good and consistent program of breathing exercises. Using all of these tools will allow an asthmatic to completely control her disease and enjoy a symptom free lifestyle.
About The Author
Peter T Kavanagh is editor of http://www.asthmahelpcenter.com. He is also the author of ASTHMA DOESN”T HAVE TO HURT, an ebook descriibing how he and his daughter became totally symptom free.info@asthmahelpcenter.com
Environmental studies have revealed that the air inside homes is dirtier than the air outside. People living in congested homes or localities usually live in dirty air.
The best way to deal with this problem is to purchase a good air purifier. An air purifier is a device that cleans the air. It assists in air purification by freeing the air from pollutants and contaminants.
Air purifiers are very beneficial for people suffering from allergies due to air pollutants, and asthma. The allergy inducing particles may come as dust or pollen, pet dander or mold spores.
A home air purifier removes these particles. It also provides protection against hazardous smoke particles and airborne gases that may intrude into the house and bedrooms. It offers a great protection against second hand smoke. Air purifiers convert the dirty and contaminated air into clean air and offer a morning fresh aroma to the whole house.
Different air purifiers use different air purification techniques including mechanical filters, adsorbents like charcoal, and electrostatic charges or ionizers. The additional setups include germicidal UV light and the emission of ions into the air to react with contaminants, making them harmless enough to breathe.
Benefits of air purifiers for asthmatics:
Air purifiers alleviate asthma, and the best air purifier can totally remove the causes by providing high quality air purification. It improves the living of asthma sufferers by air filtration, reducing the dust floating in the air, filtering second hand smoke, and purifying the air of chemical pollutants, car exhaust fumes or other contaminants.
Controversy:
The critics of air purifiers opine that the air purifiers don’t offer any significant help to asthma sufferers. They feel that the media has over hyped the devices, and that they can’t completely purify the air. Air purifiers can’t provide complete protection against secondhand smoke, and cannot completely remove carbon monoxide.
The ionizing air purifiers are particularly under fire. They have kicked up a row that all ionizing models produce ozone (O3 poisonous allotrope of oxygen) that can worsen asthma and decrease lung function. Recent studies are supporting the fact.
About The Author
Paul MacIver writes articles on a variety of topics. For further information on home air purifiers visit http://ultimate-air-purifiers.info or http://www.about-air-ionizers.info to read more about air purification equipment. You are welcome to reprint this article only if this resource box is included, and links are intact.
Asthma control is the secret to living comfortably with the disease. You must understand early symptoms of you expect reliable asthma attack relief.
An important tool for asthma control is a “peak flow meter”.
This meter is a hand-held device that measures how fast you can discharge air from your lungs. This is called your peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). When you measure your peak flow regularly you will be able to identify an oncoming asthma attack.
To effectively use a peak flow meter, you first determine your best peak flow of discharged air. You do this by taking a deep breath and blowing as hard as possible into the meter’s mouthpiece. Give yourself this test over a period of two week when you are breathing with no sign of asthma. That will give you your personal best peak flow reading.
Now, when you suspect an asthma attack may be imminent, you can quickly take a meter reading and see of you have a below average reading. If so, you can begin medication for asthma attack relief.
You should be ready to use your medicines when: You have a peak flow reading less than 50% of your personal best You feel tightness in your chest Your experience prolonged coughing or wheezing Your experience shortness of breath You doctor can prescribe asthma medicines that prevent attacks and those that treat attacks. These are called “controller medicines” and “rescue medicines”. You doctor will explain when and when not to use each of those for asthma control
As you would expect, controller medicines work to reduce swelling in your airways. Medicines with such brand names as Azmacort, AeroBig, Flovent, Intal and Tilade fall into the controller category.
Singulair, Accolate and Zyflo are prescribed for some patients. They are designed to prevent asthma attacks
Controller medicines take hours or days to begin having an effect on your breathing passages and must be taken regularly even if you have no symptoms of an oncoming attack. You could consider controllers every day asthma medicine. When you are experiencing an asthma attack you need the muscles surround your breathing passages to relax and allow air to pass. You need quick relief and that is exactly what is provided by the medicines in the rescue group.
Brethine, Proventil, Tornalate are examples of inhaled bronchodilators. They are rescue medicines and can be used on a regular basis for fast relief.
If these medicines fail to provide relief emergency room drug treatment of severe asthma attack may be necessary.
This has been a short guide to asthma control, one of the secrets of learning to live comfortably with asthma.
An allergy is a super-sensitivity to a substance that is not harmful to most other people. These substances are called allergens. The common allergens include pollen, mould, dust mites, cockroaches and pet dander. Some people also have food allergies. Some people have symptoms with strong chemical fumes, odours (including perfumes, fragrances in household cleaners and detergents), smoke and air pollution. These compounds are chemical irritants and not true allergens. The common symptoms of allergy include hay fever, asthma, eczema or food reactions.
How do I know if I have allergies?
Hay fever is the most common allergy problem in Canada. The typical symptoms of hay fever are sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes, a dry cough and itching. Asthma is a lung condition which can lead to shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing. Eczema is a skin condition which often involves a dry itchy rash. True food allergy reactions can include hives, itchiness, shortness of breath, throat tightness, lightheadedness or stomach pain after eating the food allergen. Allergies can be a serious medical condition and you should consult your doctor if you suspect you have them. A doctor may recommend allergy scratch tests (a type of skin testing in which suspected allergens are applied to the skin, scratched and observed for a reaction in 15 minutes). Skin tests should always be done under the supervision of a qualified physician with an expertise in allergy.
How are allergies treated?
The first step in an effective allergy treatment plan is to make some simple lifestyle changes that will limit your exposure to allergens. I would suggest having allergy scratch tests done before any major lifestyle changes are made. After the allergy scratch tests you will know the likely causes of the allergy symptoms. One can avoid pollen by keeping windows closed and air conditioning on during the high-pollen seasons. Most of the mould that causes allergies is from the outdoors. Therefore, keeping the windows closed is helpful. If you notice mould in the house it should be cleaned with diluted bleach. The best ways of avoiding dust mites are to purchase proper dust mite proof pillows and mattress covers, remove carpet from the bedroom, wash the bedding in hot water and to keep the humidity around 40 percent. Vacuuming and duct cleaning are actually not very effective at removing dust mites. The only way to remove pet allergens completely from the home is to keep the pet outdoors or to give the pet away. By keeping pets out of the bedroom, washing pets weekly and removing carpets from the bedroom, you can decrease your total pet allergen exposure. If you have a true food allergy, that food should be completely avoided.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about which medications would help you manage your allergy symptoms. Antihistamines are the most common medications used to treat hay fever. Antihistamines block the action of histamine released by the immune system and are effective at reducing sneezing, runny nose and itchy, watery eyes. They are particularly effective at relieving the symptoms of seasonal hay fever and should be taken as soon as an allergy attack develops. You may also need a decongestant to reduce nasal congestion. Some antihistamines can cause side effects such as drowsiness and they should be avoided if you have to drive, work or perform tasks that require you to be alert. There are several websites offering good information on allergies, for example, visit www.claritin.ca.
Dr. Harold Kim is an allergy specialist based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.
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If you just found out you have asthma or are a long time asthma sufferer, here’s step one to start off on your natural remedy lifestyle to reducing and controlling your asthma.
Use of lemon juice has been found to have tremendous benefits in the body and of course for stopping and controlling asthma attacks.
So, step one is to use lemon juice every morning. Forget about the idea that lemon juice is acid and is bad for you if you have arthritis. Yes, lemon juice can cut into and breakup oil. But, when it enters the body as an acid, it ends up as alkaline residue after your cells use it up. Besides if you aren’t eating enough oils such as olive and fish oils this can contribute to the lack of oil to lubricate your joints and anti-inflammatory chemicals and this can accelerate the deterioration of your joint cartilage.
Step one for fighting back if you have asthma
Now, here’s what you don’t want to hear. First, do a two day fast using only water and lemon juice. Every morning after you get up, in eight ounces of distilled water, squeeze the juice of one organic lemon. Warm the distilled water slightly to give this drink extra energy and to reduce the work you body has to do to digest this drink.
Increase the power of this lemon drink
After your two day fast, continue drinking this lemon drink in the morning at least ½ hour before you have breakfast. Now when you prepare this lemon drink add two teaspoons of ionic manganese. Here’s where to read more about manganese: http://www.wateroz.com/minerals/Manganese.htm
Then go to google and search for Wateroz ionic manganese
Manganese is known as the love mineral. If you have a lot of anger, hate, stress, depression, anxiety this can aggravate your asthma. Manganese will help to lessen these emotionally conditions.
After you drink this lemon juice, rinse out your mouth with distilled water so that the lemon juice acid will not affect the enamel on your teeth.
Super charge your lemon drink
Now, here is one more thing. Add one two tablespoons of liquid chlorophyll to your lemon-manganese drink. Now you have a drink that will help to detoxify your colon little by little. Toxins that get into your blood from your colon weaken the tissues in your lungs and bronchials. So, it is best to keep your blood clean.
There it is. This is just a start. Go out and get some organic lemons, do the fast, add some manganese, then some chlorophyll and see your asthma attacks lessen day by day.
About The Author
Rudy Silva is a natural nutritionist. Here’s where you can get more tips and information to help with your asthma. www.natural-remedies-thatwork.com/asthma1
