There is ample evidence that
asthma is largely an illness that attacks children largely due to the fact that
they are weaker targets of those things that cause inflammation of their tiny
lungs. Adults are easily misled because nearly 90% of asthma victims are in
their teens or younger. If you are a parent with a child that suffers from
asthma, you know the symptoms full well so they are easily identified should
you begin to wonder if you are suffering the same disease.
You can be in adulthood without a hint of
asthma, then, suddenly in your midlife find yourself with asthmatic symptoms.
However, one can get some idea as to the symptoms by thinking a bit about past
history. Prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals or other allergens usually
through work or hobbies can give a clue. Even the use of some seemingly mild
household cleaners can do damage over a long period of use.
Such exposure may take years, easily stretching
into adulthood, before you feel the effects of the damage. Suddenly you are
having ill health effects that come as a total surprise. But, like aging, it is
a gradual process that literally sneaks up on us, except with asthma, it cannot
be seen or felt until it creates problems with day-to-day living.
Before you panic, however, you need to be sure
that you, in fact, have asthma. The first thing to do is to check your work, home,
and recreational environments. I spend a lot of time around race cars and
classic cars so I am exposed to paints, cleaners, fuel mixtures, and lots of
fumes. All these contribute to the danger of becoming asthmatic but I have long
been aware of the danger and have taken all the precautions available. As
technology improves I follow along with taking the appropriate safeguards.
In your daily environment, look for any type of
fumes, odors, dust, or particles that you are exposed to and eliminate them if
possible. If you cannot eliminate them, wear masks and goggles, and install
better ventilation. If the allergens are in the workplace, demand that your
employer install safety equipment. If that fails, go to the government. OSHA,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will come in and investigate.
If you cannot eliminate allergens in your
personal space, replace the allergens with less harmful versions of the
products. Look for products with natural or non-toxic ingredients that will do
the same job. Once you do all you can to minimize exposure and still have
symptoms, it is time to visit your doctor for a professional opinion and
diagnosis.
One of the first things your doctor will do is
listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. Asthma damage can be heard in your
breathing because it causes a restriction in your lungs. Basically, your lungs are
damaged by whatever has caused the irritation. Your physician can hear this
clearly if you are asthmatic.
If you appear to be asthmatic, your physician
may move to test you with a meter that measures the power and volume of your
breathing. Asthmatics cannot exhale with any amount of normal volume which is
easily seen by the float in the meter. It's a simple and painless test that
tells volumes about the condition of your lungs. You will blow through a
mouthpiece into a tube with a flow mechanism inside that will rise based on
your power to exhale air in one burst. This takes but a few seconds and will
give your doctor a good idea of your lung health and whether you are asthmatic.
If your doctor determines you have asthma he or
she may move you into preliminary treatment that may include mild inhalers. The
degree of your lung impairment will determine the type and number of inhalers
and the frequency of use. This prescription will be temporary and you will
return to the doctor with a few weeks for another flow meter test to gauge the
effectiveness of the treatment. If your next breath test shows improvement,
this means you have asthma and your doctor will prescribe a more permanent
course of maintenance.
Hypnosis Therapy Can Be A Great Technique For
Overcoming Asthma Attacks:
Allergic reactions are one
of the most common medical disorders affecting every human body in the present
day. An allergic reaction is an immune system reaction to an environmental
stimulus. The body mistakenly sees the stimulus as injurious and attempts to
attack it, causing the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The most common
symptoms are a running or itching nose, irritated eyes, coughing, and wheezing.
One very common type of allergy is asthma. It is
a chronic allergy that directly affects the lungs and air passages in the body.
The air passages are easily aggravated by allergens and a thick lining of mucus
builds up. Allergens and other stimuli can produce an asthma attack, including
temperature changes, humidity variations, smoke and pollen. Typically, an
asthma attack has a number of respiratory symptoms, including coughing,
wheezing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing. Another symptom of an attack
is shortness of breath.
Symptoms: The symptoms of an asthma attack are caused by the air
passageways reacting to the allergen or trigger. When exposed to a trigger, the
air passages become irritated and constrict, resulting in the respiratory
symptoms. These symptoms can range from moderate to ominous, depending on the
severity of the allergy. Any asthma symptom can be upsetting and should be
taken seriously.
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Asthma is usually diagnosed
in childhood, as symptoms tend to manifest by the age of 5.
·
Presently, it affects around
10% - 12% of all children, and has been steadily growing.
·
There is no explicit known
reason for the increase, but risk factors include exposure to cigarette smoke,
other allergies, and a history of other respiratory infections. Also, the odds
of being diagnosed are raised in males and African Americans.
At present, there are
several different types of asthma medications and methods of treatment that can
efficiently reduce symptoms.
Two major types of asthma
medication are fast-acting medicine to treat symptoms during an asthma attack,
and preventing medicine, which is taken on a regular basis to shrink the risk
of having an attack.
Short-acting Beta-2
Antagonists (SABAs) are bronchodilators, which is a type of fast acting
medicine that assists in opening air passages and easing the symptoms of an
asthma attack, and are commonly administered through asthma inhalers. This type
of medicine doesn't treat the inflammation that causes an attack, but is
efficient when taken during an asthma attack, and will last for three to six
hours after it is given.
Controlling asthma medication is taken regularly
and treats the underlying causes of asthma attacks. The most common types
of this medicine are asthma inhalers containing a steroid that reduces
inflammation in the air passageways and lungs and Long-Acting Beta-2
Antagonists (LABAs). The results of long-acting asthma inhalers commonly last
for twelve hours and can lower the number of attacks that take place during
sleep. A lot of medications have very harsh side effects for some people.
Treatment: Various types of asthma treatment alternative
therapies are currently getting more popular. Some alternative
approaches concentrate just on preventative care, such as not smoking during
pregnancy or around babies, incorporating a selenium-rich diet or removing
sources of allergens in the home.
Some other modalities
include taking off weight, increasing Omega-3 intake, decreasing Omega-6
intake, acupuncture, relaxation techniques and hypnotherapy. It is important to
note that any type of alternative therapy is designated to be used along with
medical advice, because fast-acting medications are often required for an acute
asthma attack.
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One treatment program that
is getting more popular is self-hypnosis or hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy for
asthma has the goal of triggering the relaxation response, which can serve to
prevent or reduce your symptoms when having an asthma attack. Some other
alternative types of asthma treatment also employ relaxation as a tool to
eliminate symptoms, such as with meditation programs.
Using hypnotherapy, one can
treat the emotional elements of an asthma attack, which have the capacity to
make it much more intense. It is only human nature to get frightened or feel
threatened when we sense our air supply being cut off. This instinctual
reaction actually can and will intensify the strength of an asthma attack.
Similar feelings of fearfulness and trepidation about having an asthma attack
can actually bring on an attack. These emotional causes and responses are
managed with the asthma treatment method of hypnosis.
Hypnosis has been proven to be a highly effective asthma treatment. With a
trained hypnotist, or using one of the several recorded programs on hand, you
can easily glide into a relaxed hypnotic state, and begin to take charge of over-breathing and bodily functions. One of the most effective techniques is to
learn how to use hypnosis to actually abort a looming asthma attack. The
self-hypnosis method of asthma treatment is tremendously successful and can
work well for those who cannot take or do not want to take prescription
medicines regularly. Which asthma treatment you choose depends both on the
severity of your symptoms and what type of treatment that works well for your
symptoms.