Asthma Treatment & Information

According to the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) report, over 3oo million individuals have asthma worldwide. The study also reports that asthma is responsible for approximately 255,000 deaths per year. These numbers are increasing at an alarming rate and some countries are reporting a 20-30% incidence of asthma in some areas. Although asthma is a chronic disease, in most individuals it can be controlled with proper diagnosis and management.

In December 2007, the Global Initiative for Asthma Organization (ginasthma.org) published an update to their Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention publication to help health care providers and asthmatic individuals classify whether or not their asthma is under control. Asthma control can be divided into three different categories: controlled, partially controlled and uncontrolled.

*Controlled asthma-less than 2 episodes per week of daytime symptoms, no limitations on activity, no nighttime symptoms, no exacerbations of symptoms (increased shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, or chest tightness), 2 or less uses of rescue medications (albuterol or other short-acting bronchodilators), and a peak expiratory flow that is normal for that individual

*Partially controlled asthma–more than 2 episodes per week of daytime symptoms, any limitations on activity as a result of asthma symptoms, any nighttime symptoms,using rescue medications more than twice per week, or a peak expiratory flow rate which is less than 80% of predicted or personal best

*Uncontrolled asthma–3 or more events of any of the above

Unfortunately, many asthmatics are so accustomed to not being able to breathe normally that they have difficulty being able to tell when their asthma is getting worse. Because of this, they often delay seeking treatment until their symptoms become extremely severe and therefore are much more difficult to get back under control. All asthmatics should obtain a peak flowmeter from their physician’s office or from their pharmacy to more accurately measure their lung status. Readings should be obtained at least once a day, possibly more often in those whose asthma tends to fluctuate in severity. They also need to obtain an asthma action plan from their physician so treatment can be attuned on a daily basis based on changes in their symptoms and peak flow readings. With proper daily monitoring and adjustments in treatment, complete control of asthma should be an achievable goal for most individuals.

Early Onset Asthma or Atopic or Extrinsic Asthma: Its onset is in early childhood and generally occurs in atopic individuals who form IgE antibodies to commonly encountered allergens. These allergens can be easily identified by skin hypersensitivity tests which produce positive reactions to a wide range of common allergens. Other allergic diseases, like allergic rhinitis and eczema, are generally present. There is also a family history of asthma.

In this type of atopic asthma allergens are inhaled (inspired) through air and are derived from animal dander, feathers, house dust, mites and fungal spores etc. These allergens provoke bronchial constriction and an inflammatory reaction of allergic type in the bronchial wall. If a patient is already allergic to such allergens, his asthmatic symptoms will aggravate as soon as he again comes into contact with them. Similar effects may be created by ingested allergens derived from food items like eggs, fish, wheat, milk, yeast which are said to enter the bronchi by means of blood stream.

Late Onset of Asthma : Majority of asthma patients develop asthma in later years of life and they are called, Non-atopic individuals. There is not much evidence to prove that this type of asthma is triggered by extrinsic factors, hence it is rightly called ‘intrinsic’ asthma.

Chronic Asthma: Wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, along with spontaneous cough, labored breathing or breathlessness on exertion are symptoms of chronic asthma. Recurrent episodes of frank respiratory infection is common in this variety of asthma.

Episodic Asthma : Here the patient has no respiratory symptoms between two episodes of asthma but paroxysms of wheeze and dyspnoea (shortness of breath) may occur at any time and may be of sudden onset. Episodes of asthma can be caused by exercise, viral infections, allergens, common cold or else may be apparently spontaneous. Attack could be either severe or mild and may last for hours, days, or even weeks/months.

Episodes of asthma can be triggered in atopic patients but asthma is often aggravated by non-specific factors such as respiratory viral infection, emotional stress, acrid fumes, dust, cold air, tobacco smoke. Drugs, such as aspirin, NSAIDS (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), beta-antagonists, may also cause asthma.

Few things can lay you low like an asthma attack. If you suffer from asthma then probably the first thing you do when you feel an attack coming on is to reach for your inhaler. But with the side effects of all drug based remedies becoming more apparent, many people are looking for alternative treatments and ways of avoiding an attack altogether.

This article will examine a few options you have for avoiding asthma attacks and introduce a simple exercise that can bring fast relief when an attack comes. Your doctor will surely have told you about pollens, dust mites and cigarette smoke being likely causes of your asthma, so this article will not go further into that aspect. We’ll look instead at a couple of lesser known causes and what you can do to avoid them.

1. If you’re in a room with a wood fire then try and establish if the fire draws the air into it well and the room itself is well ventilated. A wood stove is not so bad as long as it is airtight.

2. Very cold weather can also sometimes set off an attack. If you have to venture out in such conditions then make sure you are wearing a scarf wrapped around your neck and face, covering your nose and mouth, so the air you breathe in is warm and moist.

3. Although it’s usually thought of as helping asthmatics, sometimes your car’s air conditioning can bring on asthma. Avoid setting it to bring in outside air and cooling it.

4. Sometimes certain kinds of food can set it off. The principal culprits are milk, eggs, nuts, seafood, and especially table salt. Try and establish if any of them have been to blame for an attack, so you know what to avoid. Just being in the kitchen when the food is being prepared is often enough to trigger an attack. And realise, too, that food additives can often have just as big an effect as the food itself.

5. Finally on this point, and perhaps most importantly, be aware of how you breathe. If you breathe through your nose, as you should, you will give yourself the best chance of avoiding an attack. The microscopic hairs lining the inside of your nose and its cavities catch nearly all the millions of tiny particles that enter with each breath and start a process of rendering them harmless.

Finally, a deep breathing exercise to bring relief

This is a powerful exercise that helps increase your resistance to many allergies and it is particularly potent against asthma. It is very health giving and helps you regain your strength and energy after illness or an accident.

1. Lie flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent slightly and your feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath through the nose and slowly reach upwards with both arms towards the ceiling. Hold your breath and clench your fists, tensing all the muscles in your arms.

2. Exhale slowly through the nose and slowly draw your fists down towards your chest. Keep your arms tensed and your fists clenched throughout. Your elbows will go out to your sides.

3. When your fists touch your chest relax them, together with your arms. You should by now have fully exhaled.

4. Repeat several times, remembering always to inhale and exhale through your nose and making use of your diaphragm movements rather than consciously breathing in and out. Emphasise the tension and tightness of your arm muscles when pulling them down towards your chest, as if pulling healing energy into your lungs. Conversely, when you are reaching up your arms should be relaxed and you should stretch right up as far as you can without straining.

5. Stop the exercise when you’ve done it a few times, but continue lying on the floor for a few minutes until you feel you’re ready to rise. Relax your arms at the side of your body palms up. Breathe deeply through the nose and visualise healing energy being directed to where in your body it’s required.

I hope that, by carrying out this exercise from time to time as you think best, and following the advice on how to avoid asthma attacks as far as possible, you can start to regain control of your life and feel less vulnerable. source

Are you facing problems like coughing, wheezing, and rapid breathing, then it is right time to have proper medical check up as all these symptoms are related to disease called Asthma. Asthma is unceasing diseases that affects your airways, where airways are important tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. Now during asthma attacks inner walls of your airways turn out to be more sore and this makes them very sensitive, and they may react to different things that are sensitive to you. When your airway reacts, they get narrower and as a result your lungs get a lesser amount of air and this cause coughing, and trouble breathing.

The term ‘asthma’ has been originated from an old Greek word which means ‘to pant’. It is fundamentally a chronic state which influences the air passage when they are stirred by environmental features that act as triggers. It is important to understand that an asthma attacks are not all same some may be worse than others. In case of stern asthma attack, the airways get so close that sufficient oxygen does not get to vital organs and this lead to a medical emergency. So, if you have asthma problems, you should visit your doctor frequently.

However there are some vital steps and effective ways to prevent yourself from asthma attacks:

1. The first and most vital step to prevent attacks involves recognizing and keeping away from substances that acts as trigger like: dust, cigarette smoke, shag rugs and cause asthma attack.

2. Have proper medication for asthma prevention. Medicines can be broadly categorized as :

(a) Quick-Relief Medicines: As the name suggests, it is taken at the initial signs of asthma indication for instant relief. After having these medicines you can easily feel the effects of medicines within few minutes. In simple terms they perform rapidly to calm down tightened muscles around airways and allow sufficient air to flow through.

(b) Long-term Control Medicines: In this case you take medicine everyday for long periods to prevent from asthma attacks. Moreover in these types of medicines, you feel the full effects after few weeks. People with constant attack need to have long-term control medicines.

3. Monitor your asthma very closely so that you can easily distinguish your asthma attack symptoms and react fast to prevent an asthma attack. Make the best use of Peak Flow Meter device to monitor how well your lungs are working. An effective Peak Flow Meter can warn you of a probable attack. If Peak Flow Meter shows that your breathing is getting poorer, you should tag on your emergency asthma action plan.

Moreover as per recent studies, it has been revealed that the immune system of children and adults who have asthma responds quite differently. Sometimes, immune system could react excessively to bacteria and thus increase the chances of severe asthmatic attack. Children with asthma will require help from their parents. It is important for parents to be more alert for possible signs of asthma in children that can be coughing at night, wheezing, or other signs of breathing problems. In case you guess that your child has asthma, take your child to a doctor for proper testing. Whereas in adults, they may require to adjust their treatment because of other diseases that they might have.

Certainly taking care of your asthma is key part of your life. By calculating and controlling your asthma, you can avoid severe symptoms and take part in all activities. source