Living Well Despite Asthma

Living with asthma can be a physical and emotional drain if not properly controlled. And let's face it, your condition impacts your entire family with day and night time flare ups, and trips to the emergency room. Gain better control of your asthma by taking these 5 steps to effect a change in your lifestyle.

Develop An Asthma Action Plan - This is a plan that your doctor will develop based on the severity of your condition. It will probably include a peak flow meter, a rescue inhaler, and various medications that suppress your body's reaction and those that can deal with the symptoms once they start to occur.

Committing to this regimen will lessen the peaks and valleys of this condition making it easier to live a more normal life with less fear and anxiety.

Keep Weight Controlled - Studies have shown that people who are overweight are much more likely to become asthmatic. And being overweight can not only exacerbate the condition but can greatly increase the likelihood of developing other related breathing problems such as sleep apnea.

A well balanced diet of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meat, fish, and grains will keep your body fit; lessen chances of other diseases that often result with obesity such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Eating well will also strengthen your immune system and increase lung function, both of which can result in a better quality of life.

Clean House - Clutter exponentially increases the amount of surface where asthma triggers can collect. Get rid of the piles - books, magazines, mail, clothing, and toys. These are places that are hard to clean or may never get cleaned.

Typical household triggers such as dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, pet dander and seasonal pollen can collect and lie in wait. The result is that the least bit of air current can send them airborne for you to inhale and possibly trigger an attack. Get someone else to de-clutter for the same reason.

Give Attention To The Bedroom - This space more than any other in your home should be one of relaxation, rejuvenation, and sleep. However, dust mites often make this impossible. These tiny bugs are most prolific in the bedroom, and mores specifically your bed.

The warm, dark, and moist conditions that your mattress and pillow offer are ideal. And since they feed on dead skin cells (dander) that are constantly being shed, they are literally happy campers. The feces from these critters are one of the most potent asthma triggers, so it's important to get this problem under control.

Encasing your mattress and pillows with dust mite covers can greatly reduce their population and make sleeping through the night a reality. Wash your linens weekly in water that is 160 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer to kill them. Sunlight kills the mites, so letting your bed air out frequently will also reduce the population.

Filter Your Air - Irritants that cause debilitating symptoms and flare ups come in both particulate and gaseous forms. Being able to continually trap and eliminate these irritants in one of the most proactive ways to live stronger. By removing the triggers you are following the first and best rule of thumb for asthma - eliminate the triggers.


Most asthma treatments include the use of short and long-term medications as well as some environmental monitoring and modifications. As with all types of medical treatments, not all patients will respond in the same way to each type of environment or possible problem. The asthma patient can achieve a full life and experience all that they can, despite the fact that they suffer from a debilitating and non-curable disease. Asthma can really take a toll on a patient. Asthma is the condition of inflammation and constriction of airways in the bronchial tubes and respiratory system. With recent discoveries underway, many patients have found that herbs have found their way into a possible treatment plan for people with asthma.

There is a wide variety of asthma treatment methods on the market today; the first one we will examine is called the Asthma Control Test. The Asthma Control Test a method that determines the severity of your asthmatic condition. Once the evaluation is performed, the results will allow you and your physician to work towards a resolution on a proper asthma treatment. One of the best and most effective natural asthma treatments is to avoid triggers that can induce an asthma attack. Depending on the severity of the asthma, triggers may be different areas and things that you should avoid.

Yes, this particular natural asthma treatment is, of course, based on trial and error of the sufferers personal experiences with attacks and asthma symptoms, but, overall, is the best natural asthma treatment. Asthma treatment is the most important part, so get good treatment that works for you, study about the effects of these treatments and you are sure to have no trouble with the medicines and inhalers prescribed by your doctor for your health and safety. Also remember not to panic because this will only cause further damage, practicing calm and steady breathing methods can also help with asthma attacks. In the cultural climate of Chinese Herbalists, many experiments have been done to investigate the effects of herbs for asthma treatment. One of the herbs that they have done testing with is called Ephedra Sinica. In modern day tests, this herb for asthma has been highly valued because of its ability to treat the disease.

Another herb, called Ma Huang, had the substance, Ephedrine, extracted from it in order to create a pharmaceutical for the treatment. Experts believe that this particular herb for asthma helps to alleviate the breathing difficulty in the asthma sufferer. Licorice Root has also been proven as an effective herb for asthma treatment. Licorice Root has been evaluated in the treatment of asthma and scientists have discovered that it assists in defeating the inflammation that constricts the airways in the asthma patient. This is the most highly rated herb for asthma today as a result of its healing properties. Many other herbs for asthma treatment have been evaluated for properties that help the asthma sufferer. Some of these herbs for asthma treatment include; seed of lobelia, marshmallow root, garlics and onions and other remedies on the holistic front.



Facts About Asthma Attacks
Asthma Natural Treatment And Remedies That You Ought to Know
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Facts About Asthma Attacks

Asthma Natural Treatment And Remedies That You Ought to Know
A Natural Acne Treatment Can Cure Your Acne Forever
Is Your Current Acne Treatment Working?
Dental Care Center-quality Services And Treatment

Asthma is a recurring condition in which certain antigen-based triggers (such as pollens, dust or cold air) cause the airways to constrict, become inflamed, and are lined with excessive amounts of mucous, resulting in restricted breathing. These triggers also cause certain immune cells in the airway to release chemical signals that lead to inflammation (see Figure 1). It is estimated that as many as 300 million people of all ages, and all ethnic backgrounds, suffer from asthma world wide. It is estimated that there are 22.5 million people living with asthma in the U.S. Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting an estimated 4.8 million US children (GINA 2004; Adams and Marano 1995; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1995).

The primary goals of asthma therapy are to prevent chronically recurring and troublesome symptoms (coughing, breathlessness), maintain near normal pulmonary function and activity level, and reduce the severity and frequency of recurrent exacerbations. Asthma medications are categorized in two general classes: long-term control medications taken daily to achieve and maintain control of persistent asthma and quick-relief rescue medications taken to provide prompt reversal of acute airflow obstruction and relief of bronchoconstriction. The pharmacologic agents most commonly used to treat chronic asthma and exacerbations include inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), short-acting and long-acting ß2 agonists (SABA and LABA, respectively), combination ICS/LABAs, antileukotrienes, anticholinergics and anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies. Beta2-agonists are typically used to relax smooth muscle cells of the airway for acute relief of airway constriction and inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of underlying inflammation.

Although the use of ICS and LABA have dramatically improved asthma care, a significant percentage of patients, approximately one out of four, are not well-controlled, and continue to experience asthma exacerbations despite ongoing therapy. More specifically, 20% of patients are not well controlled (as defined by GINA [Global Initiative for Asthma]) on ICS/LABA combinations and 35% of patients are not well controlled on ICS therapy alone. The 2003 introduction of an injectable monoclonal antibody targeting IgE, has provided a defined group of poorly-controlled asthma patients a new treatment option with a differentiated mechanism of action; however, new therapies are needed for patients living with asthma who are not well-controlled with existing pharmacologic treatments.

Asthma results from a dysregulated, hyperresponsive immune system. Some immune cells in allergic asthmatics respond agressively to foreign allergens with the release of interleukins 4 and 13, two key mediators that initiate a cycle of inflammation in the lung. AEROVANT™ is an IL4Ra receptor antagonist that blocks the inflammatory effects of interleukins-4 and -13 (IL-4 and IL-13), thereby promoting a more balanced immune response.

Exercise Induced Asthma is a common form of asthma that is triggered when a person engages in 20 minutes of exercise or more.  People who struggle with this may not have other triggers for their asthma.  They may wonder why they have a feeling of a tight chest while they exercise.  They may have a tight chest and wheeze despite their continuous efforts at exercise.

Some of the triggers of Exercised Induced Asthma include dry, cold air.  According to the American Academy  of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, “Air is usually warmed and humidified by the nose, but during demanding activity people breathe more through their mouths. This allows cold, dry air to reach your lower airways and your lungs without passing through your nose, triggering asthma symptoms.”  That’s cool to know, isn’t it?

Exercise Induced Asthma also occurs commonly in elite athletes.  So if you have this condition know you are not alone, and are with the elite.   In her blog “Well” Gretchen Reynolds discussed how common it is for winter athletes to experience Exercise Induced Asthma.   She discusses how researchers used to think that the cold air was what caused exercise induced asthma, but they now think it may more be of an issue of dry air wearing on the lungs.  The Exercise Induced Asthma may be a symptom of over use in dry air.

Some strategies for overcoming Exercise Induced Asthma, besides consulting with your doctor, is to try to breath through your nose.  This will moisten the air.  Though this may be difficult during periods of particularly taxing exercise, taking a few moments to breath through your nose may  make all the difference.

As a child I had asthma but I grew out of it. Several months ago, I asked my mom if by some stroke of luck she had kept the inhaler device I depended on for a while. Too bad she had thrown it out or else I might have an opportunity to write about a medical device that has quite literary allowed generations of asthma sufferers to breath and live better. These once propeller-driven ”puffer” have been replaced by the metered dose inhalers that you see below. For asthma sufferers, Ventolin, Becotide and Flexotide are household names we’ve had to grow up with including the purple coloured Seretide that reminds me of the time when Barney the Dinosaur were my kids’ favourite.

Below is the Volumatic™ Spacer Device that my daughter uses for easier administration of Ventolin and Becotide metered dose inhaler. In cases where her wheezing coughs have progressively worsened, one or more Nebuliser treatments at the clinic becomes necessary.

Like any concerned parent, I worry about her depedency on the Ventolin™ Evohaler (Salbutamol). As it turns out, Salbutamol is a non-steroidal bronchodilator which from experience is extremely effective in opening the otherwise blocked or constricted airways that makes breathing difficult. In fact, Ventolin’s effectiveness is so widely used and proven that a Chinese medical supplies stockist recommends it for immediate or emergency relief.

The link between asthma and allergies. Allergy-induced asthma is the most common type of asthma in the United States and I suspect this is also true in most countries. Ever since we moved to our present residence in Kg Sg Bera in Seria, Jewel has had on and off complications. It does help that we live in a semi-industrialised location where two ready-mixed cement factories operate. Then one day, I discovered that they’ve been visiting a neighbour who has a number of dogs and Jewel had been regularly playing with their new puppies. I found out from our physician that the protein in dogs saliva (or cats and rodents for that matter) is a known allergen that triggers asthma. If you Google this you’ll find the common triggers being pollen, mold, dust mites and animal dander (skin flakes in an animal’s fur).