Thursday 15 April 2010

Major Causes of Asthma Which you Must Know

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Cough, Cough, Cough

You know it is not just a bad cough when you keep on coughing to the extent that you are wheezing for air. You might have asthma.

Now, asthma is a disorder that affects the airways or the bronchial tubes in your lungs. The name itself hails from the Greek "to breathe hard". And indeed, for people who have asthma, they know how difficult they have to breathe just to get enough air into them.

To pinpoint asthma causes, one has to look at the different types of asthma: allergic asthma, intrinsic asthma, asthma caused by exercise, nocturnal asthma, work-induced/occupational asthma and steroid-resistant asthma. Let's focus at the more common asthma causes: allergies, exercise and stress.

It's Not Just Itch!

One of the most common asthma causes is triggered by allergies. Allergies frequently affect children and it causes asthma that causes parents to worry (and send their young children immediately to the doctor's or the pediatrician). Allergens are the frequent asthma causes for childhood asthma.

Dust mites, pollen, cat fur and smoke are some allergens that would trigger asthma in sufferers. Normally, the only prevention for asthma sufferer is to avoid these allergens at all causes.

Cat fur is the most common allergen, as it is very fine and extremely potent for people with allergies or sensitivities. It is bad news for people who love cats and might already have one or two felines at home. It is either you give the cat away to another family who are not allergic or that you have to keep the house very clean with constant cleaning.

Dust mites are microscope creatures that feed on dead skin flakes and they thrive on areas like your bed, your bed-sheets, pillows and fabrics. Often as such, asthma sufferers end up wheezing, because of the dust mites present in the very clothes they are wearing or the beds they are sleeping on. To prevent further asthma attacks, change the pillows and fabrics to anti-dust mite ones.

Pollen is given forth by flowers and it is most prevalent during springtime. For some, it might be hay fever. For others, it might just trigger a bout of allergic asthma.

Because these allergens are so minute, it is often difficult to stop these tiny asthma causes, other than removing the sources all together.

Puffing, Puffing

For some, exerciseor even stress can trigger off an asthma attack. Exercise, though positive and even invigorating, can contribute to a loss of heat and loss of moisture in the lungs, causing the individual to cough. Stress also has similar effects on the lungs.

Interestingly enough, a lot of the people suffering from asthma caused by exercise have family histories of allergies and are allergic themselves. You might say that they are already predisposed or more susceptible to asthma causes.

Stress or emotional upheaval can cause an individual to end up having asthma as well. We cannot stop stress and emotional upheavals from happening - the best thing for the sufferer is to be able to remain calm and breathe normally. Breathing quickly would just worsen the symptoms and turn the asthma into a full-blown attack. It is also likely that people who are prone to allergies might also be triggered off by stress or emotional upheaval.

These asthma causes can be maintained by medication and a fair bit of common sense. Know your body well and if your asthma is made worse by cold and dry conditions (when you exercise), it is wise therefore to make the decision not to exercise in such conditions. For stress, remain calm and remember to breathe normally.

Know Your Body

It is important to understand your body and how it works, especially if you are an asthma sufferer or are prone to allergens. If you are unsure about seeking treatment, go and talk to your family doctor. Or, if you are more inclined towards natural or herbal remedies, talk to your herbalist or natural medicine practitioners for helpful tips and pointers.

It is also crucial to do more research and reading-up on asthma. Most importantly, look for asthma support groups who might have just the right blend of help and cures for you.

By: Dr John Anne

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Sunday 11 April 2010

Effects of Asthma Medicine on Pregnancy!

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Women suffering with asthma always have doubts that "will asthma medicine harm my child?" As five percent of pregnant women are asthmatic, this is a common problem. The important news is that asthma medicine is known to be very safe during pregnancy. So, pregnant women can enjoy asthma free pregnancy with asthma medicine.

Your asthma symptoms may get worse or may be better or does not change at all during pregnancy. If your asthma is severe, chances are it can become worse during pregnancy.

If you want a healthy baby, you should be healthy. It is very important to treat asthma in pregnancy because the risks of uncontrolled asthma in pregnancy are greater than the risks of asthma medicine.

There is no information about the safety of new asthma drugs in pregnancy because a woman who is pregnant and who might become pregnant does not take part in the safety tests during the testing of drugs, because of the fear of harming the baby.

Even the drug manufacturers do not take risk with unborn babies. New asthma drug should be avoided during pregnancy if possible.

But the old asthma medicine has been used from years. These old asthma medicines have been used for years during pregnancy and are known to be safe in pregnancy and the drugs which are not safe are not used as long before they are declared as unsafe.

Pregnant women have doubt about the use of inhalers. The doctors believe that the amount of medicine you get from an inhaler is small and goes directly to the lungs and it is not likely to harm your baby.

Effects of asthma in pregnancy:

Especially in the third trimester, asthma improves with pregnancy. Due to the increasing size of uterus, sensation of breathlessness occurs and this is mistaken as worsening of asthma.

Many women experience worsening asthma symptoms as they stop using asthma medicine due to the fear of side effects on the unborn child. Women who stop their asthma medicine have worsened asthma symptoms and are more at risk of early labor and poor growth of baby.
Asthma medicine and pregnancy:

Visit your doctor soon after realizing that you are pregnant to discuss about the best way to manage the symptoms of asthma with asthma medicine. The doctor will prescribe effective asthma medicine during pregnancy and continue to workout throughout your pregnancy to ensure the treatment is effective without side effects.

Taking asthma medicine during pregnancy:

Controlling your asthma in pregnancy:

By: Neelima Reddy

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Wednesday 7 April 2010

Asthma Treatments - Relievers and Preventers

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Asthma is a chronic lung condition that is characterized by difficulty in breathing. People with asthma have extra sensitive or hyper-responsive airways.

During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by narrowing and constructing, causing increased resistance to airflow, and obstructing the
flow of the air passages to and from the lungs.

There are two main types of medicines for the treatment of asthma:

1. Quick Relief Medicines: also called relievers, give rapid, short-term treatment and are taken when you have worsening asthma symptoms that can lead to
asthma episodes or attacks. You will feel the effects of these medicines within minutes.

2. Long-Term Control Medicines: also called preventers, are taken every day, usually over long periods of time, to control chronic symptoms and to prevent asthma episodes or attacks. You will feel the full effects of these medicines after taking them for a few weeks. People with persistent asthma need
long-term control medicines.

Drugs, such as those resembling two of our hormones, can help treat asthma. These two hormones are adrenaline (epinephrine in the USA) and hydrocortisone (a steroid).

There are also other drugs which help treat asthma. Whilst drugs can remove all your symptoms if you have mild asthma, people with more severe or long-standing asthma don't get nearly such good results, so alternate medications are required.

Adrenaline (epinephrine) is pumped into our bloodstream when we have a sudden fright or emergency. It is the quick-acting hormone from the middle of the adrenal glands near our kidneys. It makes your pulse race, makes your heart thump, and readies your body for emergency action. In asthma, the medicines which resemble adrenaline quickly relieve asthma for a short time, and are called relievers.

Hydrocortisone comes from the outer part of our adrenal glands, called the 'cortex'. It is also partly an "emergency hormone" but it works much more slowly, for much longer, and in a completely different way to adrenaline. Medicines which resemble hydrocortisone slowly allow the lining of air tubes in an asthma sufferer to become normal. As a result, your asthma becomes less severe and you are less likely to get asthma attacks. So these steroid medicines are called preventers. There are other asthma 'preventers', but the steroids are the most powerful.

Most people who have asthma should have both of these kinds of medicine - preventers and relievers.

Usually the best way to take these medicines is to breathe them in. That is, you inhale them, through your nose or mouth. The reasons you inhale them are :

* because you need less of the medicine,
* you won't suffer as many side effects, and,
* the medicine works more quickly,

The final point is particularly important with the adrenaline-like, fast-acting relievers.

Another advantage is that the hydrocortisone-like steroid preventers you breathe in can be chosen to be biodegradable inside the body. As a result, then can
do their work in the lung, but don't get much of a chance to produce any side effects in the rest of your body, because your liver breaks them down.

Quick relief medicines are used only when needed. A type of quick relief medicine is a short-acting inhaled bronchodilator. Bronchodilators work by
relaxing the muscles that have tightened around the airways. They help open up airways quickly and ease breathing.

They are sometimes called "rescue" or "relief" medicines because they can stop an asthma attack very quickly. These medicines act quickly but their effects only last for a short period of time. You should take quick relief medicines when you first begin to feel asthma symptoms like coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath.

Anyone who has asthma should always have one of these inhalers in case of an attack. For severe attacks, your doctor may use steroids to treat the inflammation.

Long-term control medication include:

* The most effective, long-term control medication for asthma is an inhaled corticosteroid because this medicine reduces the swelling of airways that makes asthma attacks more likely. Inhaled corticosteroids (or steroids for short) are the preferred treatment for controlling mild, moderate, and severe persistent asthma. They are safe when taken as directed by your doctor. Inhaled medicines go directly into your lungs where they are needed. There are many kinds of inhalers that require different techniques, and it is important to know how to use your inhaler correctly. In some cases, steroid tablets or liquid are used for short times to bring asthma under control. The tablet or liquid form may also be used to control severe asthma.

* Long-acting beta-agonists are another kind of long-term control medication. They are bronchodilators, not anti-inflammatory drugs. These medicines are used to help control moderate and severe asthma and to prevent night-time symptoms. Long-acting beta-agonists are taken together with inhaled corticosteroid medicine.

* Leukotriene modifiers (such as montelukast, zafirlukast, and zileuton) are long-term control medicines used either alone to treat mild persistent asthma or together with inhaled corticosteroids to treat moderate persistent asthma or severe persistent asthma.

* Cromolyn and nedocromil are also long-term control medicines used to treat mild persistent asthma.

* Theophylline is a long-term control medication used either alone to treat mild persistent asthma or together with inhaled corticosteroids to treat moderate persistent asthma. People who take theophylline should have their blood levels checked to be sure the dose is appropriate.

If you stop taking long-term control medicines, your asthma will likely worsen again.

Many people with asthma need both a short-acting bronchodilator to use when symptoms worsen and long-term daily asthma control medication to treat the
ongoing inflammation. Over time, your doctor may need to make changes in your asthma medication. You may need to increase your dose, lower your dose, or
try a combination of medications. Be sure to work with your doctor to find the best treatment for your asthma. The goal is to use the least amount of
medicine necessary to control your asthma.

Treatments - Relievers and Preventers

* Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by difficulty in breathing.

* There two main types of medicines for the treatment of asthma:
* Quick Relief Medicines give rapid, short-term treatment and are taken when you have worsening asthma symptoms that can lead to asthma episodes or attacks.

You will feel the effects of these medicines within minutes.

* Long-Term Control Medicines are taken every day, usually over long periods of time, to control chronic symptoms and to prevent.

By: Bjorn Gutter

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Saturday 3 April 2010

What Are The 3 Average Causes and Symptoms of Asthma

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In the world today, there are numerous people suffering from asthma, they do not have a choice or every single day. Asthma affects millions of Americans, numerous of them children. Asthma is a serious condition that restricts airways and causes breathing difficulties which result in nearly 5,000 deaths every year.

So, how can asthma sufferers do the things they love without torture? Knowing the causes and symptoms of asthma and how to control them are the first steps to a fuller, happier life.

This chronic has become a very extensive chronic sickness these days. However, there are lots of different perceptions and misnomer surrounding it. It is significant to gain numerous time to clear up some of the erroneous information that is circulating out there and help us all initiate our study of asthma on the same page.

One question to ask.

There is one such question that frequently arises.

What does an asthma attack feel like? After carrying out a lot research and discovery explanation after explanation I eventually heard the complete description. Asthma feels like a fish out of water. Now use your ingenuity a little and you'll be capable to classify with both the terror and bodily aching associated with asthma attacks.

One other truth that I have run into a lot while researching this topic is that no matter how long you have had asthma or how numerous asthma attacks you possess had you never get used to the attacks. That is also a big issue to understand. Usually when you experience something above and over again you may not be capable to stop it however you do become better at dealing with it.

Due to it's size you probably know one or more people who possess asthma nowadays. In spite of the new treatments that are out -- the rate of asthma is evolving. Yet there are still beliefs and misnomers round this lingering sickness. Let's start by getting to the real information.

Asthma is now the uttermost common chronic sickness in young as it affects 1 in 15 of them right now. A sum of 10% of adults in the most countries possess asthma as well. That works out to around 1 million in Canada, 15 million in the United States and perhaps 20 million in most developing countries.

An asthma fact worth noting is there are around 5,000 deaths regularly in the Unified States from asthma and around 500 deaths annually in Canada. On top of the last 20 years the rate of new asthma sufferers has risen by 30%. Even with the new advances in care the deaths of young people from asthma has doubled.

What is really asthma?

Asthma affects breathing by narrowing the airways which interferes with the typical flow of air in and out of the lungs. Asthma only involves the bronchial tubes and not the air sacs or the lung tissue itself. The narrowing that is caused by asthma is caused by three factors: swelling, bronchospasm and hyper-reactivity. The combination of these three things is what causes the difficulty in exhaling.

As a result the individual with asthma has to forcefully push the air out of their lungs which then causes the wheezing tone. Various men and women with asthma start to cough trying to displace the thick mucus plugs within the body.

Asthma may be caused by numerous different triggers and each individual can be triggered by a different substance. Some time ago a person who is suffering with asthma discovers their own triggers they are better able to rule their condition and soothe some of their attacks.

Auxiliary vital asthma truth is that 80% of young and 50% of adults who possess asthma also keep allergies.

Bear in mind today asthma is treatable especially if the individual can recognize their own physical triggers. With this information you can help those you understand with asthma to live a better life with less attacks.

Now alongside the most current information you can know how this chronic condition can be really be managed. From this point on you will possess a superior understanding of just what relatives you understand or meet that have asthma are truly going through.

Even though you may now understand the most common causes and symptoms of asthma, it is significant to comprehend that there are credible asthma cure. With all the information available of no use, action is power when applying knowledge which will a while ago free yourself the anguish of having asthma again. You should never add to, or change any component of your ongoing asthma management without first consulting your doctor.

Come what may, many asthmatics occasionally favor to forget that even though there may be numerous strategies and techniques around to asthma cure around in order to possess an asthma free life. Without a proper asthma guidance system, there will not be much asthma free of lifestyle to dream for.

By: anonymous

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