Medical News

Asthma is a chronic ailment which affects the respiratory system. Not only is this condition inconvenient and unpredictable when neglected it can also become deadly. In actuality, according to surveys, asthma accounts for about 20% of the hospital admittance made each year, 3-5% of which is fatal. There are many factors that can cause the disease, allergies, exercise, stress, cold weather, and even viruses. Taking a deeper look at the role viruses play in bringing about the symptoms, here are a few facts about viral induced asthma along with the avoidance tips that you might want to keep in mind:

• Viral induced asthma is what happens when viruses cause or worsen asthma symptoms. When faced with a viral infection the body counteracts by triggering and inflammatory response to attack the viruses and defend itself. While for non asthmatics this response can help hasten recovery for those who are afflicted by the condition, this response can cause swelling and increased sensitivity of airway cells as well as the excessive production of mucus, thereby worsening the problem.
• Simple viruses like influenza A or rhinovirus can be anything but common or simple for asthmatics as it can further irritate the already sensitive air passages, triggering flare-ups and even worsening attacks. Research has also found that another virus namely; the Respiratory Syncytial Virus have been known to bring about symptoms similar to asthma when contracted and is already linked to death of small children in rare occasions.
• In adults RSV can also cause wheezing even for individuals who have no history of asthma and induce symptoms to those who are already afflicted. What’s good about viral induced asthma (although there may be nothing really good about it) is that, viral induced asthma cases tend to wax and wane along with the seasons. Rhinovirus for example has a peak season in late fall, and influenza A usually peaks in late winter. RSV on the other hand is most common during the winter months, peaking from January to February in the northern hemisphere.
• The bad news is that at this moment there are no medications that can permanently rid the mentioned viruses as well as prevent the attacks associated with asthma. Your primary weapon would be precaution and avoidance. Getting your flu-shot, frequent hand washing and temporarily limiting contact with people who have upper respiratory symptoms are some of the good tips that you should be keeping in mind as well.

If you want to know more about viral induced asthma as well as the additional steps you can take in order to avoid it, ask your health care provider or check out medical sites on the internet as both will surely be able to provide you with the information that you need.

As infants, all of us have already been practicing proper breathing; that’s a fact. Try observing small children, when they breathe it is not the upper chest that does most of the work, this is because smaller children and infants use their lower respiratory organs to breathe. For most part this breathing method utilizes the lower respiratory organs, meaning; diaphragm and abdomen. This in turn balances pressure within the three major respiratory organs and assures full oxygen circulation all throughout the body.

As we grow older sadly we either tend to forget this method or we are taught differently. Most of us have been informed that the proper way of breathing would be chest breathing, for so long most have been fed with this idea that breathing using the abdomen and diaphragm is not only improper but also unnecessary.

Now science has proven this otherwise as breathing using the chest muscles alone weakens the other breathing organs and puts entire pressure on the upper respiratory organ which is the chest. This can lead to shortness of breath, inefficient lung usage and for asthmatics, can even trigger or worsen their condition. But this method of incorrect breathing can be reversed through the use of breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques like Pranayama, Buteyko, and Papworth have been known to help a lot of asthmatics deal and successfully manage their condition by correcting erroneous methods of breathing. While these three may differ in core principles and base techniques, each of them provides common sense methods along with rational explanations as to why some asthma causes and breathing are in a sense, highly related.

Take Buteyko for example. The particular formulation of this technique was based on the premise that asthmatics tend to over-breathe during flare-ups and attacks thereby worsening the condition. It has also further concluded and proven that hyperventilation caused by over-breathing highly diminishes the affectivity of carbon dioxide within the body to ease inflamed respiratory muscles. Papworth although slightly similar in terms of techniques, revolves around its core principle, which is the importance of nasal and diaphragmatic breathing as well as the individual development of breathing patterns within each individual to suit every activity, which also minimizes, if not, eliminates the chances of EIA or exercise induced asthma.

Pranayama on the other hand have long been used in India and is, in one way or another basis for the development and eventually creation of the Buteyko breathing method. This yogic method has been known to teach individuals the achievement of greater well-being through the use of breathing alone. Even from a simple standpoint asthma causes and breathing are in a way, have been, and always related. If you would like to know more about any of the methods mentioned above, check the internet for medical journals or articles, you never know, you might actually find the alternative that you have so long been looking for as well.

The chemicals in cigarette smoke irritate the lungs, which in someone with asthma are already inflamed. If you have asthma, smoking is about the most dangerous thing you can do and the best thing to do is stop. Many smokers fear that is they quit they will put on weight. Some people do indeed gain weight, but usually only a few kilograms which are lost in a matter of months.

Smoking reduces the appetite so when you give up cigarettes, food tastes better and you eat more. Moreover, many smokers enjoy a cigarette after a meal. When you give up that may be replaced by a second helping or a dessert. If you are hungry, snack on fresh fruit and vegetables. If you feel you need hypnotherapy, acupuncture, nicotine patches or chewing gum to help you, by all means use them, but sometimes all they do is put off the day when you throw away the cigarettes, ashtray and lighter.

You will have a tough couple of weeks and you will need the support and tolerance of friends and family, but it will be worth the effort. You may experience withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability and sleeping problems. Be proud that you have given up smoking, take it one day at a time and congratulate yourself at the end of the day.

Do not be tempted to have just one cigarette. It will probably lead to another and another. Acid air is caused when gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide react with water vapor. Not much is known about its effects. Power stations, cars, lorries and heavy industry are among the main contributors to atmospheric pollution.

A lot of physician can agree that asthma is indeed one of the most unbearable types of an illness that a person can have. This can hit almost anyone, from new born to teens and even adults. To get rid of asthma, most doctors say that this needs team work. Both the patient and the doctor must work hard together for it to be cured or controlled easily.

Today, with the advancement in the medical science, there are tons of ways and modernized techniques that can be used to minimize or totally overcome the effect of asthma. There are also a lot of medical companies that are doing their best to introduce newly found cures for it. Truth be told, it is hard to get rid of this completely.

Before, the tag price for said cures was too high for the common people to even afford it. However, things are a bit different now. With time and the help of the government, said cures are now easily obtainable for all of us. Asthma can also be cured by means of natural remedies like acupuncture, herbs and a lot more. Said cures pose no harmful side effects as well.

Before one is treated or given a medication for asthma, a sufferer is monitored completely and needs to be under tight observation. This is in order for the doctor to know whether the patient is having an attack or not.
A treatment for asthma will enable both the patient and their family to fully understand and minimize this illness properly. The patient must be aware of the signs of an asthma attack. This in hand will make the patient to keep the sufferer in total control when they start to feel its symptoms.

For every patient, they have different form of attacks. They also have different types of triggers; let’s say for some inhaling cold air can trigger an attack, there are others that will get an attack by simply inhaling dust. The more you know about the type of triggers that will give you an attack the better it is for you. Avoiding said triggers will truly make your life less miserable when under an asthma attack.

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.