What to Do When Someone Near Has an Asthma Attack

If you've never experienced an asthma attack yourself, or you've never seen someone else have one before then they can be quite scary. There are a few things that absolutely everyone should remember, should they find they're in the presence of a sufferer in distress. But first, you should be able to recognise the symptoms and signs of an asthma attack:

* Severe breathlessness

* Wheezing

* Tight chest

* Getting no relief from medication

* Dizziness

* Distress

Remember that a person does not need to be exhibiting all of these symptoms to be having an asthma attack. Some people are good at hiding their respiratory distress and can feel embarrassed by their condition.

Firstly, always sit the person down and tell them you know they are having an asthma attach and ask them to nod if they want you to help them. Remember you are a stranger to them and no matter how much you want to help, they might be nervous and anxiety can make asthma attacks worse. If they seem uneasy, ask if they would prefer you to call an ambulance and then leave them alone. Don't be offended if this is what they prefer; asthma attacks are terrifying and often only the reassurance of a trained health professional is what can calm you down.

If they agree to you helping, undo any tight collars, take off hats and scarves. Anything that might be preventing their airways from opening fully. If it's a cold, wintery day with dry air, hand them a coat, scarf or jacket to breathe through, as cold air hitting the lungs can trigger an allergic response.

At some point the sufferer might hand you a card or a dog tag with their asthma details on it. Read what it says and take into account what they may be allergic to and what medication they take. The card may say to call an ambulance immediately if you find this person having an asthma attack, so follow the guidelines.

If they haven't got their asthma medication (often a blue inhaler) and they aren't taking it, ask them where it is. They might have simply forgotten to take it out of their bag. If they have it, tell them to take one puff every minute until they're feeling better. If 5 minutes passes and they don't feel an improvement then call an ambulance. Similarly, if they don't have it and they're still having an attack then it's time to dial 999 and inform the paramedics that the person is without their medication. From here you should simply stay with the person until the ambulance arrives, if that's what they want. Well done! You have done your bit and no doubt the person you helped is incredibly grateful for what you did.

Source: Health Guidance

What Causes Asthma?

Someone once said that having an Asthma attack is like being a Goldfish out of water, you can do all the mechanical things to breath like taking in large gulps of air, snatching breath or just breathing very deeply, in fact you are doing those things very actively, but the person suffering an Asthma attack (the state that describes the worst Asthmatic conditions) just cannot get air into his or her lungs and they feel as though they are drowning in air.

So what is Asthma? Simply put Asthma is a condition of varying severity that affects the airways in the body. The ‘airways’ of the body are the small and very small tubes that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs.

The reason why the airways are affected is not particularly well understood in the medical profession but the mechanics are reasonably well understood and it is understood that when someone who suffers from Asthma encounters an "Asthma trigger" the airways react to whatever the Asthma trigger is. This contact them begins a chain reaction, the irritated airways cause the muscles that surround the walls of airways tighten.

When the muscles that surround the airways tighten the airways become very narrow or in some cases close altogether. As they muscles press into the airways they react and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell up. Often a Phlegm or sticky Mucus will begin to build up in the airways, which in turn causes them to narrow even more.

The person suffering from the Asthma attack will be in considerable pain, be wheezing and fighting for breath and movement will become more and more difficult as the level of air in the body and in turn life sustaining Oxygen drops, first in the Lungs, then the blood and then to other major organs and the Brain the patient’s condition deteriorates significantly.

In extreme cases if the Asthma attack proceeds untreated the patient will die, it takes up to an hour for this to occur, but Asthma attacks can last for several hours without being fatal.

Around the world there are over 200 million diagnosed Asthma sufferers and it is thought ten times that number of undiagnosed sufferers, 20% of all sufferers are children.

The most common Asthmatic symptoms are; tightness in the area of the chest, coughing, distressed breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, these symptoms are general and people who have Asthma may exhibit all of them at the same time or just one, shortness of breath in severe Asthma sufferers is the most common symptom.

What causes Asthma? It is easy to ask why something happens but to actually identify what is the cause of something as general as Asthma is almost impossible. There is evidence to suggest that pollution from cars, airplanes and modern life is a common Asthma trigger.

Studies have suggested that Asthma is also hereditary; families with a history of Eczema or Allergies are more likely to have Asthma.

There are also the usual suspects, smoking during pregnancy, smoking in general, viral infections and just modern life, food additives, agricultural practices and so on.

Source: Health Guidance

Can Children Grow Out of Asthma?

Asthma is a condition characterized by narrow and inflamed airways that secrete abnormal amounts of mucus, aggravating further problem. Here is the focus on how children are affected with asthma.

Causes: Major cause for asthma is sensitivity to non-infectious substances termed as allergens. Some of the common allergens that cause asthma include pollen, pet hair, medicines, dust, and certain foods. It may also be caused by viral infection of airways or lungs. Other factors that contribute to childhood asthma include:

• Smoking during pregnancy results in birth of babies with lowered lung functionality.

• Increased exposure to tobacco smoke also poses the risk of asthma in children.

• Hereditary is another cause for asthma. Children with a family history of asthma are more likely to be attacked compared to others.

• Exposure to cold air especially at nights.

• Increased emotional stress like laughing or crying aggravates the symptoms.

• Boys and children who are black are at more risk than girls and white children.

Symptoms: The primary symptom is inability to breath due to blocked airways. Airways secrete more mucus as a protective action to drive away the irritating substances. This will further block the already inflamed airways. Symptoms that are characteristic of asthma include coughing, wheezing, sleeplessness, unable to involve actively in physical works like exercises, disturbed sleep and rigidity of the chest region.

Diagnosis: Asthma can be easily characterized by reducing ability to breathe. However, diagnostic test that helps to estimate the severity of the condition is done by allowing the child to exhale air into a device peak flow meter that records the rate of the air flow. Skin tests are carried out to find if the child is allergic to any substance. Chest x-ray helps to rule out other lung disorders.

Treatment: Any sign of asthma in children has to be given utmost care. It cannot be clearly stated whether a child will grow out of asthma or not. In most of the cases as the child grows, the immune system develops and may stop responding to substances that were allergic in the childhood, but the symptoms may revert back at a later stage of life. If asthma is due to other reasons, 99% of the children will grow out of asthma. If asthma is left untreated in childhood it may result in damage of the airways.

If the symptoms are mild, use of an inhaler which drives medicine when inhaled will relieve the symptoms. In cases where children will be unable to talk due to lack of breathe have to be given an emergency care. The condition will be more critical in cases of toddlers and infants, who cannot express their difficulty. They can be identified by their difficulty in crying due to restricted air paths.

Relievers either with short term or long term effects are used. Short term relievers clear the air ways and enable the child to breathe within a very short period of using them.

Steroids are prescribed to children who are allergic, to prevent the onset of symptoms. If controlling the asthma cannot be gained by a regular use of short term steroid relievers, long term relievers are prescribed.

Preventers which are used to prevent the onset of symptoms have to be taken regularly without fail. Regular use of preventers helps to gain control over asthma, within a period of six weeks eliminating the need of inhaler. Increased use of steroids may cause mild side effects.

Other measures that help to gain control over asthma apart from medicines is identification of the possible allergen and keeping the child away from them. Regular use of a diary to note the symptoms and possible cause will help to identify the allergen very easily.

Source: Health Guidance

Best Treatment for Asthma

If you are characterized with asthma, you may have to learn to live with it as asthma cannot be cured, but can be controlled. Medicines can only relieve the symptoms but not the disease. Before we discuss about the best asthma treatment, let’s see which treatment can be describe as a best treatment method. Following are the criteria to be met by a so-called best treatment.

• Best treatment should relieve the symptoms of asthma within a very short period.

• Should let you have your normal sleep cycle.

• Lung should be able to breathe normally.

• Should enable you to take part actively in your daily chores like exercises.

• Finally, it should not worsen the symptoms.

Asthma treatments vary from person to person basing on the condition. A treatment that works well for one may not work for others. To identify a treatment that best suits your condition, it is essential to have a talk with your doctor and co-operate with him in the diagnostic process. Correct diagnosis of the cause or allergen helps to easily gain control over the disease. Apart from using a best treatment, the patient especially those who are allergic to certain substances, should take appropriate care to prevent them from exposing to allergens.

Medications that are generally used for asthma can be categorized into two groups, the anti-inflammatory drugs and the bronchodilators. Anti-inflammatory drugs work by reducing the inflammation of airways. Corticosteroids belong to this group of drugs and act by reducing the number of inflammatory cells. They are either given through the inhaler or in the form of pills. Corticosteroids that are inhaled through the inhaler include the flunisolide, triamcinolone and beclomethasone. Before using the inhaler the kids should have to be taught on how to use them or a pipe may be attached to the inhaler through which the child will be inhaling. This will regulate the process of breathing and the dosage of medicine that is propelled. Corticosteroids are also administered intravenous to have immediate effects in cases of emergency. These include prednisone and methylprednisone.

For long term use of asthma medicines, corticosteroids pill are preferred. These include zafirlukast, montelukast and zileuton. These drugs not only reduce the symptoms but also prevent the onset of symptoms and are hence preferred for long-term usage.

Individuals who do not respond to treatments are treated by giving allergy shots. This involves giving doses of allergy starting with a very small dose with a gradual increase of the dosage. This helps to develop resistance in the immune system and prevent it from responding to that particular allergen.

Whatever the category your doctor may suggest, you have to use them regularly as per the recommended dosage to prevent acute asthma attacks. Never try to increase the dosage by yourself. Talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of the drugs being taken and if there is any appropriate measures can be taken to avoid them. In cases of allergic asthma, the best treatment is to stay away from the allergen.

Source: Health Guidance

Herbal Remedies for Asthma

Asthma, a health condition that causes inconvenience in breathing can be effectively controlled by use of herbal remedies. Corticosteroids are the most commonly used drugs to control the symptoms of asthma. But long term usage of corticosteroids is associated with side effects like nausea, vomiting, headaches, loss of senses, liver damage and extreme fatigue. Thus, the risky side effects of corticosteroids are forcing most of them to search for medicines with least or zero side effects. If you are an asthma patient in search of such miracle medicines, your search ends here. Here is a list of herbal remedies for treating asthma.

• A flower that is most widely used for treating asthma is roman chamomile. It is the inhalation of the soothing steam of the flower that is generated by boiling of flowers in the water.

• Herb oil that relieves the congestion problem is eucalyptus oil. Inhalation of the oil has profound effect in relieving the symptoms of asthma.

• Herbal remedies that are well known to reduce the problems of allergic infection include the chamomile tea, green tea, mullein oil, nettle and ginger. This generally serves the purpose of antihistamines.

• To relieve nasal congestion, elderberry herb, hyssop herb, ephedra are widely used.

• To those with dry cough, licorice root helps to increase mucus production.

• Lobelia tincture or capsules help to not only relieve the symptoms of asthma by opening the air passages, but also heal the damaged bronchial passages.

Most of the above herbs are directed towards the respiratory system. Other body systems that also needs to be taken care of to gain control over asthma include the nervous system, the adrenal glands and the most important is the immune system.

Allopathic medicines make use of corticosteroids to control the symptoms of asthma. However, these corticosteroids are produced internally by adrenal glands. Hence, by working on these adrenal glands you can prevent the use of corticosteroids. Herbs that have stimulating effect on adrenal glands include Yerba Mate. This not only stimulates the release of corticosteroids but also unblocks the air passages.

Nervous system plays a great role in cause of symptoms of cold, cough and asthma. Ephedra which contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to relieve the symptoms of asthma. But the drug should not be used by patients with high blood pressure and heart related problems.

Herbs that reduce the dependency of inhalers are skunk cabbage rhizome, grindelia and cherry bark. These are antispasmodic and have dilating effect on bronchioles just like the bronchial dilators which are propelled through the inhalers. Regular use of these herbs helps to forget your inhaler episodes in about two to four months.

Apart from the use of the herbal remedies to cure the symptoms of asthma, change in lifestyle like those of the eating habits and cleanliness helps to prevent asthma attacks in allergic patients. If cigarette smoking is the main cause of your asthma problems, you can gain control over smoking by use of the herb lobelia. It is advisable to consume a drug at low doses as it induces vomiting at higher doses.

Source: Health Guidance

Asthma Signs and Symptoms

Asthma is a respiratory disorder that makes breathing a difficult task. Difficulty in breathing is due to the inflamed air passages. Increased mucus secretion by the airways causes further trouble in breathing. It is mainly caused by allergens. This article provides you all the information you should know about asthma.

Cause: Allergens are the primary causative agents for asthma. Other cause includes viral infection. There is no restriction on the age of the patient for susceptibility to asthma. It is even seen in new born and also in adults. Exposure of pregnant women to either cigarette smoke or smoking increases the chance of the newborn to have asthma. If the symptoms of asthma are caused as a result of some viral infection, they disappear as the infection clears. But if the causative agent is an allergen, the symptoms may subside with age but there are chances of reoccurrence at later years of life.

Symptoms: Major symptoms of asthma include wheezing sound, cough, nasal congestion that result in difficulty in breathing, heaviness of the chest region and formation of a very thick mucus.

Diagnosis: General symptoms that are associated with asthma will serve as initial diagnostic tools. Further investigation is carried out by use of specific device called the peak flow meter that gives readings about the extent of lung breathing capacity. To confirm that these symptoms are a result of asthma, chest x-rays are taken to check if there are any underlying lung infections.

Treatment: Asthma symptoms have to be treated at the right time like at the early onset of the symptoms. If neglected it may result in fatal condition. Proper care has to be taken in case of children especially infants and toddlers who cannot express the severity of their condition or symptoms.

Asthma treatment is based mainly on the use of corticosteroids that act as anti-inflammatory agents. Other class of drugs includes the bronchial dilators that expand the bronchial passages. The growing concern of side effects of long-term usage of these drugs in high doses is encouraging people to shift to olden medicines, the herbs. There are a great number of herbs like chamomile tea and others of which some act directly on the adrenal glands to stimulate the secretion of corticosteroids, and therefore showing anti-inflammatory function.

Most of these asthma medicines are given through an inhaler which is said to regulate the dosage of the drug being inhaled. For treating children, they should be taught about the usage of the inhaler. It is suggested to use asthma medications only under the supervision of a physician.

If your child is going to school, talk to teacher about their activity in the school, and give appropriate information about their health condition and primary measures to be taken in case of sudden onset of asthma symptoms.

Take appropriate precautionary measures like maintaining clean surroundings, staying away from allergic foods and environment with high concentration of allergens. Never forget your medication if you are on a long term preventive that prevents the onset of the symptoms.

Source: Health Guidance

Self-Care Strategies for Asthma Relief

Asthma is considered as a highly irritating respiratory problem. But an asthma patient can lead a happy life with very few days or zero days of asthma symptoms. This is by bringing certain resolutions in their lifestyle. Here are some self-care strategies that help to relieve the symptoms of asthma.

Precautions to be taken to prevent the attack of asthma include:

• Avoid exposure to allergens such as pollen and dust.

• Avoid eating foods to which you are allergic. Some of the common foods to which most of them show allergic reactions include fish and yeast.

• It is advised to restrict or even avoid in worst cases fruits with high sugar content like bananas and apples; these will increase the problem of mucus secretion.

• Avoid fried foods and foods that are hard to digest.

• It is suggested to drink plenty of water. This will not only ease the digestion but also helps to reduce the formation of highly thick mucus.

• Keep your surroundings free of dust. Do not forget to cover your mouth and nose while cleaning. If you are allergic to dust, you will have to face an asthma attack every time you clean the house. It is recommended to use vacuum cleaner to dust your house rather than sweeping with a broom.

• Keep the air-conditioner filters free of dust.

• Never use perfumes, cleaning sprays, or air fresheners as the mist from these sprays poses serious risk of bronchial asthma.

• Keep yourself away from smoking.

• Regular use of ginger as a part of diet will reduce the chance of allergic infections.

• Never neglect the symptoms of asthma. Take immediate care. You can consider use of certain simple home remedies like chewing basil leaves, pepper or having a spoon of lemon juice mixed with honey in the morning will help to throw your asthma symptoms far away from you.

• Have an inhaler ready with you to take care of emergency conditions.

• It is suggested to lead an active lifestyle with regular physical activity for a limited period of time. Make sure that you are not too tired. In some people fatigue is one reason for asthma. Rather than performing body building workouts, prefer breathing exercises. They will help to fill the lungs with fresh air and exhale all the air out of the lungs. This will help to eliminate a great degree of toxic elements from the body.

• Consider fasting at least once in a week. This will give the body an opportunity to burn that extra fat and clean the body of wastes. This will be highly helpful for asthma patients who are obese to gain control over their weight.

• Prefer the use of herbal medicines

if you are highly sensitive to drugs. Herbal medicines have zero or very low side effects and are highly safe.

Thus, by putting the above suggestions or precautions into practice, you will surely forget that you are an asthma patient in no time and can lead a normal life without carrying those inhalers all the time with you.

Source: Health Guidance

How to Treat Extrinsic Asthma

In treating diseases, most people would always hear the wise saying that prevention is better than cure. This is true in most cases of ailments most especially in treating asthma. It is a common disease among children and adults as well. There are two classifications of asthma depending on different types of stimuli that causes the asthma attack. First one is intrinsic asthma, also known as non-allergic asthma which is mainly caused by factors like chemical inhalations and the like. Another one is extrinsic asthma, also known as allergic asthma. This asthma is caused by inhaling allergens like pollen, dusts and the like. A lot of people with extrinsic asthma have allergy-related issues like rashes, hives, rhinitis and hay fever. But hope is not to be given up as there is a lot of way to treat extrinsic asthma.

One of the most popular ways to treat extrinsic asthma is by inhaling steroids. It is a proven fact that extrinsic asthma responds very well by suppressing the lungs from reacting in these allergens. It is very important to remember that a simple case of extrinsic asthma if left untreated may develop into chronic asthma which is considered to be more complicated problem. If you are a smoker and you have allergic asthma, you might as well quit that habit. Since most extrinsic asthma develops as early as childhood, it also develops in adulthood. So it is best to do a way and prevent all possible lung irritants. It is best to see a doctor since asthma, no matter what type it might be, is a reversible condition. The simple prognosis is perfect in cases of allergic asthma that is diagnosed earlier and is treated early as well. It is also suggested that one needs to identify the allergens that may cause the problem. Common allergens causing extrinsic asthma are molds, feathers, animal dander, pollens as well as food additives based on sulfite.

Keep in mind that the best way to treat allergic asthma is to prevent an outbreak. So it is best to avoid contact with allergens that triggers your asthmatic reaction. Once you consult a doctor, they can also help you in pointing out ways, in order for you to be able to reduce amount of allergens in your place as this is a good way of managing this condition. Most doctors prescribe bronchodilators which acts fast. These bronchodilators are taken so that bronchial tubes in your lungs will open up. Most of these bronchodilators are administered by the use of inhalers. Be aware that prevention medication is the best way of treating extrinsic asthma. This type of medication will help in neutralizing a lot of onset symptoms so that if you may find yourself in a situation where you face and encounter lung irritants. Discussing these issues with a doctor will give you a lot of options. But these options depend mostly on the seriousness and severity of your extrinsic asthma.

Asthma maybe as rampant and common worldwide, but the solution to this medical condition is also simple and available as well. There are thousands ways, one just needs to keep in mind that prevention is indeed better than cure.

Source: Health Guidance

Treating Extrinsic Asthma

The type of asthma in which the symptoms develop as a result of exposure to allergens is termed as extrinsic asthma. Individuals who are sensitive to certain allergens develop asthma symptoms immediately after exposure to the allergen. Extrinsic asthma has to be treated without negligence to prevent it from developing into a chronic asthma that develops irrelevant to the presence of allergens. Here are some ways on how to treat extrinsic asthma.

Rather than searching for ways to treat asthma it is better to take appropriate measures to prevent it from developing. Take care not to expose yourself to allergens like pollen, dust, mold, animal dander and other allergens that you are allergic to. Adults should quit smoking.

As with other diseases, yoga can be used to treat asthma. Yoga treatment for asthma concentrates on developing resistance to the allergens. In this process of developing resistance, the first step is to practice jala neti which is washing of nostrils with lukewarm water. Another process is the practice of sutra neti which involves insertion of thin threads into the nostrils. This act stimulates the nerves of the nostrils and initiates a whole set of reactions such as wheezing, coughing and nasal block that are seen in asthma. Repeated practice of these yoga techniques, the jala neti and the sutra neti teach the patients on how to gain control over the reactions that are normally induced by allergens.

Another yoga practice that helps to gain control over the nervous system is shavasanam. Yoga is found to have influence on immune system. Hence, regular practice of yoga helps to gain control over the asthma caused by viral infections.

If you love to gain control over asthma without the help of medicines then the first step you need to do is identify the allergens that are triggering the symptoms in you. If the allergy tests turn out to be of no use, you can start to concentrate on your diet. You can start to avoid foods with chemicals like food sprays and food additives. Not only asthma, to gain control over any disease it is essential to consume a well balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Next essential step to gain control over asthma is to learn controlling the emotional feelings that stimulate the nervous system. Yoga exercises come in handy to gain control over emotional feelings.

When you observe the symptoms of asthma it is essential to take measures to prevent them from worsening. Natural herbs like ginger, garlic and mustard are good at controlling cough and other symptoms of allergic asthma. Apart from natural herbs drugs like corticosteroids, antihistamines and bronchodilators are used to gain control over the symptoms. In more severe cases where the above drugs cannot answer the condition, prednisone and immunotherapy are recommended.

Last suggestion that can help you in gaining control over your asthma is to drink plenty of water. By drinking plenty of water you can loosen the mucus secretion from air passages that generally accompanies with asthma.

By following all the above measures you can definitely gain control over extrinsic asthma very easily.

Source: Health Guidance

Extrinsic Asthma VS Intrinsic Asthma

Initially asthma is categorized into two: the extrinsic asthma and the intrinsic asthma.

But this classification is elaborated; the extrinsic asthma is renamed as the allergic asthma while the intrinsic asthma is divided further into exercise induced asthma and the chemical induced asthma. Following is the discussion on each of these categories of asthma and the measures to be taken to treat them.

Extrinsic asthma

This is triggered by allergens. Hence, it is also termed as allergic asthma. In extrinsic asthma, immune system which exerts a protective mechanism reacts to simple harmless substances such as pollen and produces antibodies. This results in symptoms like hay fever, rhinitis and asthma. In case of asthma, the allergic reaction is observed in lungs which results in production of huge amounts of mucus that obstructs the air passage. Steroids which are generally used to control the symptoms of asthma restrict the immune systems reaction to allergens. Restricting the contact of allergens reduces the severity of asthma.

Extrinsic asthma is commonly seen in children. About ninety percent of childhood asthma cases are due to allergens. Individuals with a family history of allergens are at more risk for extrinsic asthma.

Symptoms of extrinsic asthma include coughing, wheezing, chest pain due to pressure and heaviness.

There is no permanent cure for extrinsic asthma but the symptoms can be controlled by avoiding exposure to allergens. Use of bronchodilators and antihistamines helps to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Prednisone and immunotherapy are recommended in severe cases.

Intrinsic asthma

It is very hard to treat intrinsic asthma as the causative agent is unknown, unlike the extrinsic asthma where the restriction of allergen improves the situation. It is generally caused by extremes of emotional feelings like laughing, crying, or contact with chemicals like cigarette smoke, aspirin, cleaning agents or chest infection or exercises. These agents act by stimulating the response of the nerves in the air passage.

Exercise induced asthma is a subtype of intrinsic asthma. It is generally seen immediately after exercising.

A subtype of asthma called the nocturnal asthma is observed in the early hours of the night in between 2 to 4. It is common with both extrinsic and intrinsic asthma patients. It is essential to treat this type of asthma to prevent deaths due to asthma in sleep.

Before you start to treat asthma, it is essential to know the type of asthma to have effective results within a very short period. Most of them have a mixed type of asthma that is triggered by allergens as well as conditions like extreme cold and by chemicals. A regular practice of yoga helps to gain control over the symptoms naturally without the use of drugs. There are a great number of herbal remedies for asthma. They include ephedra, lobelia, licorice and grindelia. Each of them shows specific effects as well as side effects. They have to be used carefully if you have a history of heart disease or high blood pressure. However, the best practice is to take the advice of a physician and use the medications as recommended and to take precautions like restricting the exposure to allergens, drinking plenty of fluids and regular yoga practice.

Source: Health Guidance

Cough Variant Asthma

Cough variant asthma is the one which shows the symptoms of dry cough without any sputum that lasts for more than six to eight weeks. This type of asthma does not show other symptoms that are common to any kind of asthma like wheezing and shortness of breath. Cough can be frequent either in the day time or at nights. If the coughing is very recurrent at nights you cannot have enough sleep, making you feel sleepy in the day time and also reduces your work output.

Cause

The root cause for cough variant asthma is unknown, but is found to increase with exercises or by exposure to allergens like cold air or dust. It is most commonly develops after having beta blockers that play a role in controlling heart diseases, palpitation or migraines. This type of asthma is predominant in childhood and may result in development of the regular asthma type with all symptoms of coughing, excess mucus secretion and wheezing.

Diagnosis

Cough being the only symptom is hard to diagnose as having cough variant asthma. It can be mistaken for lung diseases like bronchitis or post nasal drip syndrome which is caused by allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and nasal polyps. Regular examination by your doctor may not reveal this type of asthma. Even the spirometry test which measures the amount of exhaled air after a deep breath and chest x-rays will be normal. The methacholine challenge test is the one that exactly reveals the presence of cough variant asthma. In this test you will asked to inhale large amounts of methacholine mist. If you have asthma your airways will narrow down and this will be revealed through a spirometry test where you exhale reduced amounts of air. If you do not have cough variant asthma, airways will remain normal.

Treatment

The treatment for cough variant asthma will be the same as in other asthma types. This involves the use of bronchodilators to free the air passages and steroids to reduce the inflammatory reactions of the air ways caused due to allergens. Inhalers loaded with albuterol, ipratropium and other steroids that are used with classical type of asthma are used to treat cough variant asthma. If the cough still persists by the use of above drugs, more potent drugs like oral predisone will be recommended by your doctor. Zafirlukast is the drug generally recommended for patients with high blood count of eosinophils. This will reduce the cough very effectively.

In most of the patients, the cough variant asthma soon develops into the regular asthma with symptoms of wheezing and sputum. In such cases, the normal asthma medications are used.

Intake of balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps to gain control over the symptoms as in the regular asthma type. Regular yoga practice especially, breathing exercises helps to regulate the cough. If the cough variant asthma has transformed in to the regular type you can try the herbal medicines such as licorice, lobelia and ephedra.

Whatever the asthma type is, it is essential to take immediate measures to prevent it from worsening which can even lead to death in more severe cases.

Source: Health Guidance

Asthma and Humidity

Any factor that exerts pressure on lungs triggers asthma symptoms in asthma patients. There are many different causative agents for asthma. Basing on the causative agents, asthma is generally classified as the extrinsic asthma and the intrinsic asthma. Humidity is the culprit for intrinsic asthma. Let’s see how humidity exerts its influence over asthma symptoms.

The main enemies for people with asthma are heat and humidity. The combined action of these two reduces the amount of air intake into the lungs of asthma patients. Increase in heat promotes the growth of molds that in turn act as allergens initiating the symptoms of asthma.

Another fact is that increase in external temperature automatically increases body temperature, and that in turn increases the body metabolism which demands more oxygen. In asthma patients, meeting increased demands of oxygen is a nightmare. On the other hand, the humidity reduces the body temperature which even makes body to work hard to increase the temperature. Whatever the case, increased rate of metabolism increases the oxygen demand. As can be seen from the above discussion, heat and humidity increase the demand for oxygen and the change in environmental conditions like the increased mold growth, altogether trigger the asthma attack. Humid air with more water content is heavier making it hard for the asthma patients to breathe.

It has been observed that people who remain in air-conditioned rooms for long time cannot cope up with external temperatures, and can become easily susceptible to asthma when exposed to extremes of temperatures. However, if the asthma symptoms are worse and cannot be controlled it is recommended to stay in air-conditioned rooms to gain control over the condition. Make sure to maintain a humidity level of 30-50 percent. It is highly dangerous for the asthmatic patients to remain in environments where the humidity levels are above 80 percent. The increasing environment pollution that increases the temperature is increasing the number of asthma cases.

Another theory that confirms the worse effect of humid air in asthma patients is that humid air reduces the amount of negative ions in the air that generally ease the process of breathing. Hence, it is recommended that asthmatic patients should purchase a humidifier that does not generate negative ions as they attach to the water molecules and generate positive ions that toughen the task of breathing.

Most of asthmatic patient consider moving away from worse climatic conditions, like moving from hot to humid climates and vice-versa helps to obtain relief from asthma symptoms. But the worst part is that even the hot air with increased mold growth irritates the air passages. Hence, the only solution to combat the effects of heat and humidity by asthmatic patients should be in strict medications. Under scheduled usage of medicines, the asthma patients can enjoy the sunny days playing outdoor games like football.

Apart from regular medications it is recommended to practice regular exercise to fight with asthma symptoms. However, the level of exercises should be kept to moderate to prevent exercise induced asthma. Regular practice of controlled physical activity trains your lungs to breathe appropriately. You can cope with asthma symptoms even in adverse conditions to some extent compared to those who do not practice regular exercise.

Source: Health Guidance

How Asthma Affects Fitness?

People with asthma normally have difficulty in breathing. During an asthma attack, the person breaths heavily giving out some wheeze sounds. There is also a combination of coughing and tightness in the chest. This condition prevents asthmatic persons to engage in strenuous activities like sports and health activities like exercise.

Asthma may be triggered by allergens, food, air pollution, weather and other irritants. Those with asthma tend to gain weight due to lack of enough exercise. However, medical studies show that asthma can also be triggered due to lack of physical activity. They just need the right kind of exercise that would be good for them. Their physical activity or exercise does not need to be as strenuous as the regular exercise that a fit person does. This would be good to expand their lungs more and make their body fit as well.

The person with asthma must do his exercise in an environment that won’t trigger the asthma. The cold weather is not conducive to his health. An asthmatic person may do some light jogging and running in a clean environment. Neither should it be too hot nor too cold, just a good cool environment that he can easily breath through while doing the exercises.

Diet is an important factor for a person with asthma. Spicy foods such as chili, garlic, onions and hot mustard are foods that affect the nerves and release some kind of watery fluids in the lungs, mouth and throat. This may help asthmatic people breathe freely. But as always, moderation is the key so these kinds of food must be taken with some good caution.

Cod liver oil and foods like fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids help relieve asthma symptoms. Other important vitamins such as vitamins E, C, and B12 are also good. Sources of these vitamins are green leafy vegetables. There are nutrients such as zinc, selenium, magnesium

and beta-carotene should be included in the diet. Sources of these foods are sunflower seeds, dried figs and broccoli.

As part of their fitness program, persons with asthma must stay away from smoke. That is why most of them don’t smoke because this can trigger a bad asthma attack. Dust mites must be avoided as well because they can become part of the air that this person can inhale and trigger his asthma. Pets can trigger asthma especially when the hair or fur, feces, urine and pet saliva are inhaled by the person. Cockroach droppings around the house can also trigger asthma. Pollens from plants are allergens in the air which can also trigger asthma. It would be advisable to wear protection around the nose and mouth areas like masks or a wide handkerchief to avoid inhaling these allergens.

There is no clear cure for asthma. This condition can be controlled; monitored and temporary relief methods are applied. It is important for the person with asthma to have a good amount of exercise regulated by a health practitioner or doctor to help his body become fit and to manage his asthma attacks well. A clean environment and a well balanced diet are also important to help this person live a healthy normal life.

Source: Health Guidance

Foods to Avoid When You Have Asthma

Some people who do not suffer from asthma may think that it is not a very serious problem. But for people who are suffering from asthma, it is a very serious condition that needs to be treated and give special care to avoid asthma attack. There is a lot of information today about asthma that can help a lot of people to decrease their ordeal of having asthma.

One of this useful information is about foods that should be avoided by people who have asthma. Nutritious foods are needed by the body to function well, but there are certain kinds of foods that are harmful to people with asthma. Here are some of the foods that should be avoided or eliminated to your diet if you have asthma:

• Eating dairy products everyday can cause sudden asthma attack to people who are already suffering from asthma. Dairy foods that should be avoided that includes dairy are ice cream, milk, yogurt and many more foods that contains milk may have the same result for people who are suffering from asthma. Actually, dairy products when eaten by asthmatic person can cause coughing and wheezing.

• Culprit foods such as eggs, wheat, citrus foods and soy products can increase occurrence of asthma. Eggs are the most common foods that are eliminated to the diet of person with asthma. Maybe you are wondering citrus fruits, although, it is very nutritious some citrus are hairy and might cease sudden irritation to people with asthma. Soy products and wheat can also be a triggering device for asthma to attack.

• Processed foods are advice to take away from the diet of every patient with asthma. Although, some patients suffering from asthma are still eating those foods but it is important not eat this kinds of foods frequently. Processed foods are rich in additives and artificial flavoring that might increase allergic reaction for patients suffering from frequent asthma attacks.

• If you are a nut lover and you are asthmatic, you have to eliminate intake of this food. Frequent intake of nuts can trigger asthma attacks. It can also make your asthma attack worse.

• Eating from fast food chains can also trigger the occurrence of asthma attacks. There is a research conducted by a famous epidemiologist which concluded that intake of fast food can twice probably to trigger asthma attacks most especially to children with asthma.

It is considered as a silent killer because asthma can take away your life without noticing it. You may think that asthma is not a very serious problem but statistics shows that there are an increase number of people dying because of asthma and other respiratory infection brought about by asthma.

These foods must be avoided with consideration for people with asthma. Asthma attack may transform from slight attacks to serious attack that can be life threatening. Do not risk your life and comfort by trying your luck by eating this type of food because the remorse is always in the end.

Source: Health Guidance

How to Cure Asthma Without Drugs

A great number of people suffering with asthma use drugs. But, most of these drugs cause serious side effects such as mood swings, depression, angry, insomnia and many other side effects. Most of the ill effects are mainly due to the corticosteroids that are the components of many asthma inhalers. An attempt has been made in this article to introduce you certain simple ways to cure asthma without using medications.

• Individuals suffering with asthma should increase their lung capacity like the ability to breathe in and breathe out. This can be very easily improved by regular practice of exercises such as running, jogging and swimming. This will ease the person to breathe more conveniently and reduce the extent of asthma attacks. Even in cases of asthma attacks, the person will have the ability to control the extent of breathing compared to others. However, care should be taken not to exercise in cold weather. In addition to the physical exercises, it is essential to practice breathing exercises to increase the lung capacity.

• To cope up with the stress associated with the asthma attacks, it is essential to maintain the fitness of the body. This can be done by increased consumption of flavonoids, which are the essential components present in a wide variety of fruits such as apples, berries and other enzymes. By maintaining a fit body, you can very easily combat asthma attacks with controlled breathing eliminating the need of medications.

• The major cause of asthma in many people is contact with allergens. An easy way to cure asthma is to identify the causative agent and stay away from it. This is very simple way to avoid asthma attacks. Some of the common irritants include the dust, pollen grains, cold weather and molds. If you are dusting the house, there is a great chance of having asthma attacks. Hence, take care by covering the nose and mouth with a clean cloth or any other mask to filter the dust particles and molds.

• Sufficient care has to be taken regarding the dietary habits. Certain foods are very active in initiating the asthma symptoms. However, certain foods such as the fish varieties such as tuna, mackerel and salmon play a great role in reducing the symptoms of asthma attacks and should be included in the diet of an asthma patient. Their action is due to the production of anti-inflammatory compounds that reduce the extent of constriction that is blocking the air passage. Other foods that reduce the asthma symptoms include spinach, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and also fruits that are rich in vitamin C and B.

• Chlorine which is generally found in drinking water serves as an activator for receptors within the lungs and throat. To avoid these adverse effects of chlorine, it is essential to consume chlorine free water.

• Certain oils such as the lavender oil, rose oil and chamomile help to reduce the asthma attacks. They act by increasing the lung capacity to breathe deep. They even help to reduce the extent of muscle spasms. However, before using these oils do not forget to check them for allergens.

By regular practice of all the above measures, it is possible for every asthma patient to lead a drug free life.

Source: Health Guidance

How to Get Rid of Asthma

The belief that you can cure or get rid of asthma is, unfortunately for sufferers, a fallacy with no basis in truth. There are some other inaccurate beliefs surrounding the condition too – for example the belief that you can ‘outgrow’ asthma is incorrect and while 50% (roughly) of young children with asthma will find their symptoms deteriorate and become ‘inactive’ in their teenage years, the condition will not completely disappear and can reoccur in adulthood at anytime. Another fallacy held by a few individuals is that asthma is a psychosomatic disease or ‘all in the head’. This belief is fairly destructive as it encourages attempts to ignore the symptoms which can of course be fatal if it leads you to inadvertently trigger an attack or to fail to deal with an attack once it occurs.

So if you have asthma then you are stuck with it for life. However there are many ways you can control the condition and a lot of things you can do to make sure it is not as bad as it could be and that it can be managed.

For those with more serious cases of asthma the treatments are of course inhalers which should be taken regularly, and in other cases during context specific attacks. These are called ‘preventer’ and ‘reliever’ inhalers respectively and include steroids to prevent or bronchodilator drugs as relievers which relaxes the muscles in the airways. They are inhaled so that they reach the airways directly, which also means a smaller dosage should be used to.

So inhalers can act as a ‘cure’ of sorts by permanently controlling the situation and if you have only mild asthma then a preventer inhaler might be enough for a while. Furthermore by using a reliever you can ‘cure’ your instances of an asthma attack. This is called an asthma management plan, and will be provided to you by your doctor.

Another way to help manage your asthma is to move locations. Simply moving to another location can sometimes be enough to help lessen the symptoms too, especially if you move somewhere warm that has fresh unpolluted air (and no allergens) and that does not have lots of smokers, traffic or steep hills to climb. This way you can will have far few triggers for the condition and will suffer less as a result. Again, not a cure, but something that will make a significant difference.

Other ways to lessen the impacts of asthma are to learn relaxation methods and breathing techniques that can help you regain control of your breathing and relax the muscles in your neck more (just as the reliever inhaler would do). Exercise is also a good way to improve your bodies ability to use the oxygen in the air and to pump it around your body (your ‘VO2’ max) and so can make you less susceptible to attack. Swimming is a particularly effective (or ‘optimal’) exercise for asthma sufferers.

So with dedication and hard work you can manage and lessen cases of asthma. However do not be taken in by promises of ‘cures’, naturalistic or otherwise. This is something that unfortunately you are stuck with for life or at least until they manage to discover a new technique or medication. Do not waste your money, but do look into good ways to improve your management of what can be a dangerous and damaging condition.

Source: Health Guidance

Natural Remedy for Asthma

It is an unfortunate truth that there is currently no cure for asthma that modern medicine can provide, leaving many people stuck to deal with the condition on their own and suffer in silence using a range of ‘management’ techniques and medications such as breathing techniques or inhalers containing steroids.

Obviously this leaves many people dissatisfied who would rather get rid of the problem permanently and not have to worry about it ever again, or about taking medication for the rest of their lives. These people may then well turn to the much-promoted-online natural remedies that promise to ‘cure’ asthma and not involve anything quite as powerful as steroids at the same time. If you thought that sounded a bit too good to be true however, then you just might be on to something.

You see natural remedies for asthma are feeding off of people’s desperation and are simply a scam to get people to part with their cash with no reward in return. You need to bear in mind that there is no known cure for asthma and anything that claims otherwise is a scam. Sure, it may be a well-intentioned scam (a lot of these pushers actually believe their own sales pitches) but unfortunately that will not make it any more likely to work. Let’s look at some of the natural cures with a critical eye.

Vitamin B12: Many ‘cures’ for asthma consist of B12, while many websites will tell you that this is one of the best things to take for the condition. The good news is that vitamin B12 is good for you, but you probably have it in your diet anyway. Furthermore what it is good for is not even relevant to asthma with it helping the nerves and synthesis of red blood cells. Eating more will not ‘fix’ your asthma any more than vitamin C will fix your broken leg. They do entirely different things and do not cure illness.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Again – if there was a cheaply available house hold item like this that would cure asthma then people would have discovered it by now and no one would have asthma. No one’s trying to ‘keep this under the radar’ – if this cured your asthma you’d tell everyone right. Notice how no one is telling you to take it (other than the online pushers)? Here is a quote from another website: ‘[apple cider vinegar] is one of the most popular and effective natural cures for asthma. Just one tablespoon diluted in water after your meal, or at bed-time (or both) will start getting rid of the asthma.’ – you decide if that sounds likely.

Cold Showers: The claim is that it will help blood circulation and immunity while ‘shocking’ the body. Actually this is probably one of the best ways to cause an asthma attack causing your muscles to seize up and you to hyperventilate.

Homeopathic Remedies: These include antimonium tartaricum, arsenicum alb., blatta orientalis, drosera, kali carbonicum, pothos foetida and phosphorus. The exact one you’ll be told to take will depend on your age, your personality, and the sound of your cough… which pretty much should already raise alarm bells.

Again from another website here is a description of who would best benefit from phosphorous: ‘This is one of the best remedy for noisy wheezy breathing, cough in a tall, thin, narrow chest person who are always anxious, and need a lot of reassurance and attention.’ The bad grammar does not help inspire confidence either, but more to the point someone who needs attention is going to benefit from the exact same medication as someone who does not: steroids. More worryingly there is absolutely no evidence for any of the various ingredients in homeopathic remedies and they are selected on the basis that they cause ‘similar’ symptoms when ingested as the illness. However a homeopath then removes the ingredient from the solution again so that it is made of 100% water when taken. It is said that you benefit from the ‘vital force’ of the ingredient or ‘water memory’. These are still sold in mainstream stores and recommended by doctors which has recently lead to a lot of criticism (rightly so) in the media and demonstrations. In one recent protest individuals purposefully overdosed on homeopathic remedies in order to prove that they were simply 100% water. If this sounds unfairly biased against homeopathy, it is because most homeopathy articles gladly dismiss modern medicine with no basis for doing so which can be seriously dangerous.

The best ‘natural’ cures for asthma then are simply those that will make you healthy anyway. Learn to control your breathing and to spot the early signs of an attack and then try to calm yourself down again and fight it off that way (you are still likely to need inhalers for the worse attacks as asthma is not a psychosomatic condition). Meanwhile help keep your body in good shape, stay thin so as not to put any extra pressure on your airways around your neck, and do lots of exercise to improve your body’s ability to use oxygen. Finally, try moving somewhere where you will encounter warmer weather and less smoke and fewer allergens.

Source: Health Guidance

Best Places to Live With Asthma

Asthma is a difficult problem to live with. Highly common though it is there is still no cure and it has a bad habit of rearing its head at just the wrong moment. For those with serious asthma this can be enough to cause a lot of difficulties – perhaps forcing you to use steroids that will prevent you from drinking and enjoying yourself, or posing the threat of an attack that can be a serious health risk. In such cases it is important to consider your asthma in every activity and decision. Not to let it run your life – but to be aware of it so that it never becomes a problem. One place this is particularly important is when choosing a place to live.

There are several considerations here. Firstly in terms of the country you live in you should choose somewhere warm if possible. Asthma is always worse in the winter as the cold weather means there is less oxygen available in the air which can cause gasping. At the same time cold weather is more likely to leave your immune system vulnerable to an attack from a flu or cold virus which will then greatly exacerbate the problems inherent with asthma and put you at more danger (especially if you get a full-blown chest infection).

So you should live somewhere warm if work and other commitments will allow. At the same time though you should not live too central in a city. The reason for this is that cities create a lot of smoke and pollution which can get inside your trachea and your lungs and make it more difficult to breath. This then again makes you more susceptible to asthma attacks etc. Similarly however, if you move somewhere too rural with too much countryside you can find that your asthma becomes irritated by pollens and other irritants local to these areas (though this will not be a problem for everyone). Avoid really large cities for certain then (unless you need to live in them for work) and try instead smaller towns with lower populations, coastal towns which have very fresh air, and rural areas that do not have too many flowers and plants in the area.

When you choose your actual home you then need to consider other factors again. First of the commute – does your home require a long walk to the train station or bus stop in order to get to work? Is it a flat at the top of a large flight of stairs? In either scenario you should look elsewhere as you will find this quickly wears you out and can leave you susceptible to an asthma attack, especially if combined with other elements such as the cold or an illness. Similarly obviously avoid homes that are on the top or bottom of steep hills.

Furthermore, if you are living in a large block of flats or shared accommodation then you need to think about the rules there and the nature of the other tenants. In particularly you need to avoid being near smokers if it is allowed on the premises as this will really exacerbate your symptoms again. Also try to keep the air dry in your home. Moisture in the air can trigger a lot of breathing difficulties even if you are completely healthy and can end up getting on your lungs.

In short then, where possible look for somewhere warm with fresh clear air to live, and then make sure when choosing your actual home that you go somewhere that avoids hiking up stairs, up hills or to the train station. Finally ensure that the place is well kept and free from smoke.

Source: Health Guidance

Asthma and Swine Flu Combined

Swine flu was the most recent epidemic to cause mass media panic. A strain of the flu virus, it is thought that the illness would cause many deaths and infect vast proportions of the population. While that threat has mostly not come to pass, and the epidemic is largely over, the condition did, and still does, pose a more serious threat to those parties who are already vulnerable. The deaths that did occur were mostly the elderly, young children and those with existing conditions. For this reasons asthma sufferers are wise to be cautious.

Any cold or flu is a trigger for roughly 90% of asthma cases, making the condition much worse resulting in prolonged illness and even hospital admissions. As you will already be struggling with your breathing an infection of swine flu like many others will greatly increase you chances of an attack.

Unlike other flu and cold viruses however we also know relatively little about swine flu and have not been able to build up a resistance to it through exposure due to its relative newness. The symptoms are generally more severe than those of the ‘regular’ fllu, and also include other complications such as diarrhoea. It is also thought that swine flu infects the cells deeper in the lungs whereas seasonal flu affects the upper respiratory tract. This again could put asthma sufferers at greater risk and potentially lead to pneumonia. Those suffering with swine flu and asthma should look out for this and report any sudden worsening of their condition to their GP. It may also be the case that asthma patients are more susceptible to becoming infected with the swine flu virus initially, though it is currently uncertain whether this is the case.

People with asthma are for these reasons categorised as an at-risk group which gives them priority to receive the vaccine. This could be the pandemrix vaccine or the tamiflu vaccine. Ensure that you discuss your options with your doctor and the pros and cons of each vaccine. These vaccines have been known to cause unpleasant side effects and in one patient recently reported on the news in the UK tamiflu lead to blindness.

Otherwise asthma patients are advised to use their usual infection control precautions to help keep their asthma at bay (that means regular use of your maintainer). Try to avoid swine flu infection as you would another infection – flu is spread by droplets of saliva spread while talking, coughing or sneezing so avoid those and ensure you was your hands thoroughly with hot water. Finally attempt to avoid exposure to public transport, medical practices and small offices.

Source: Health Guidance

Using Essential Fatty Acids for Reducing Arthritis Joint Pain

Essential fatty acids provide protection for the whole body. In particular it is effective in reducing inflammation as experienced in joint pain or arthritis.

Most people will have to deal with arthritis especially as they get older. One way to eliminate or minimize this pain is to supplement with the essential fatty acids.

Osteoarthritis, the most common arthritis, is not the only arthritis that affects so many people:

* rheumatoid arthritis

* arthritis from lupus

* gout

* psoriatic arthritis

* reiter’s disease

* infective arthritis

As you age, the constant movement of the joints creates wear and tear. Toxic wastes that circulate in the blood, dead cells, and liquid can accumulate in the various joints and cause inflammation and pain. Continual inflammation can cause damage to the joints. In some cases the cartilage that coats the bone ends, wears down and joints then rub bone to bone causing extreme pain.

Using the essential fatty acids provides lubrication for the joints as the move against each other. This reduces the wear that can occur at these joints and this results in less inflammation.

There are several conditions and lifestyles that contribute to arthritis,

* Obesity

* Diabetes

* Heredity

* Poor nutrition

* Poor digestion

* Lack of water

* Allergies

* Repetitive use of fingers, hands, legs or arms

* Body injuries – sports or accidents

Arthritis is a difficult disease to treat because there is usually more than one cause. Just working on one cause may not help enough to give pain relief. But it always helps to know the many things that contribute to arthritis so that different nutritional and lifestyles changes can be made.

The use of flax seed oil, omega-3, is known to provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Omega-3 breaks down into prostaglandins. It is the prostaglandins that provide the anti-inflammatory results.

So by using the omega-3, GLA, and EPA/DHA supplements, you can get some relief from arthritis. These oils reduce inflammation and pain and provide lubrication, thereby preventing some damage from occurring in your joints.

It is recommended that you use a good dose of,

* Borage oil

* Primrose oil

* NKO oil

Using these oil spread across the day, provides the benefit of feeling reduce joint stiffness and pain in the morning. Use the different oils one bottle at a time. This gives you the health benefits that these different oil provide.

One additional benefit to using these oils is the coating protection that GLA has in the stomach lining.

The standard treatment for arthritis is the use of NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors. These, however, have undesirable side effects such as attacking the stomach lining. Thousands of deaths and visits to the emergency are associated with the use of NSAIDs.

You can benefit greatly if you use NSAIDs by adding GLA oils to your diet and help to prevent the serious side effects of the NSAIDs.

There you have it. Eat the essential fatty acids and provide your body with what it needs to build strong and healthy joints.

Source: Health Guidance

Arthritis Symptoms You Should Know About

Many people have arthritis symptoms and don't realize it. It takes a while to get full blown arthritis. It's something that gradually builds up and before you know it, you have arthritis and are seeing your doctor for medication. Any medication you take does not address the cause of arthritis and will not improve your condition.

If you show any arthritis symptoms, then expect to have arthritis 4-10 year down the road. Typically when people have symptoms, they just ignore them and actual don't recognize them as arthritis symptoms.

Here is a list of arthritis symptoms that you need to look out for. Each person will show different symptom because of the nutritional make up will be different.

· Dry scalp with dandruff

· Dry skin which shows a whitish in different parts of the body

· Ear has no ear wax

· Fingernails that are brittle or splitting

· Premature color change to gray

· Skin wrinkles in the neck area

· Ringing in the ears

· Complexion color is pale

· Stretch mark which appear after losing weight

· Rectum itching

· Accumulation of dried flakes at the corners of the eyes

· Nose is constantly itching

· Feeling stiffness when getting up in the morning

· Hands and legs get cold and clammy

· Bleeding gums

· Teeth have etch lines

· Varicose veins in the legs

· Being sterile

From this list of arthritis symptoms, you can see that many symptoms relate to your body being dry. One of the causes of arthritis is the lack of essential oils. If you lack oil in your body, you will have dryness throughout your body. You will lack the oil that provides the lubrication to the body joints.

You can have one or many of these arthritis symptoms. If you do, you can start at any age using the oils good for preventing arthritis. You can start eliminating those foods that are detrimental to your joints and health. Some times it takes awhile to eliminate specific foods from you eating habits. So the sooner you start the better.

Without the proper oil reaching your joints, your joints will slowly degrade. The cartilage of your joints will be dry and this causes friction. This friction causes heat that will help in the slow degradation of your joints. Because the cartilage has no blood vessels, nutritional oils cannot be directly delivered its cells. Oils have to be absorbed into the cartilage by osmosis.

Look over this list of arthritis symptoms and decide if you have one or more. Remember, arthritis takes many years to appear after the symptom does.

Source: Health Guidance

Do You Have Arthritis?

Do you have arthritis? If so you are not alone. 66,000,000 people do almost 1 in 3 adults.

Arthritis is second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability. Besides limiting daily activities arthritis can cause many lifestyle problems. You may assume there's nothing you can do that will help. Don't believe that. There are steps including supplements and lifestyle changes you can make to significantly improve your life.

Your doctor may ask a few of these questions:

• Where is your pain

• When does it hurt

• How long have you had it

• Any swelling or redness

• Family history of arthritis

He may wish to perform a movement test and have some x-rays taken.

Inflammation from your arthritis is a significant source of pain. Your physician may recommend OTC medicines or a prescription.

You should be aware of alternatives such as natural supplements and physical exercise.

Nettle Leaf Extract This supplement appears to suppress TNF-alpha and IL-1-beta. Nettle leaf may inhibit inflammatory cascade in rheumatoid arthritis. Also joint protection is assisted with nettle leaf.

MSM: Msm contain Sulfur and anti-inflammatory properties

Glucosamine Sulfate/Chondroitin: Reduces joint pain and may substantially rebuild cartilage. This may take a while to see results.

Fish Oil: DHA, EPA and Omega 3 found in quality fish oil. Reduces painful inflammation and may promote joint lubrication. Look for a high quality, low mercury supplements like Carlson's fish oils. Flax seed is another practical choice.

Try high quality multivitamins such as Purity's Perfect Multi Super Greens.

Vitamin E: Use a natural product like Vitamin E-8 daily.

Cherries: Recent research has shown that tart cherries contain powerful antioxidants that may help relieve the pain of arthritis and gout and also protect the body against cardiovascular disease and inhibit cancer tumors.

There is also a cherry capsule that is very good named Fruit Advantage.

Exercise: Exercise is important not only for arthritis but your overall health.

Weight Control: Even modest weight loss will bring healthy results. Start slow if you need to, and then try to reach your target weight.

Stress: Ah Stress. This one unnecessarily causes us so many health concerns. It practically seems to be the source of most health problems.

There are many options to help deal with excess stress. Exercise is one of these. Even if you begin by walking to the corner and back, then around the block pretty soon you will be walking a mile or more.

Other things you may consider are Yoga, Meditation, Music and a new hobby.

There is a rather unique procedure I came across a while back called Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT for short. This works on the principles of Acupressure and Acupuncture.

Wait! Don't let that intimidate you. Even though EFT is a remarkable tool it is actually easy to grasp. I personally have seen significant results. You won't have to poke yourself at all. It just basically requires limited number of words and some tapping on certain key points.

So don't give up. There are many options for you to vastly improve your health.

Copyright 2005 Lambert Klein

Source: Health Guidance

What Do You Need To Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis

What is meant by Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a very commonly found form of arthritis. It is a disease that gets worsened over a period of time and leads to painful swelling and permanent damage in the joints of the body particularly the fingers, wrists, feet and ankle. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease i.e. a disease in which the body’s immune system damages its own tissues. The injured tissues cause reddening, swelling and pain in the particular area. Apart from inflammatory joints, this disease can even hit one’s internal organs such as lungs, eyes and heart. It is therefore a systemic ailment that often produces excruciating intolerable pain.

People prone to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Women especially between 20 to 60 years of age are more susceptible to develop Rheumatoid arthritis due to the innumerable hormonal alterations in their body because of various reasons. However, young and the old, anyone can be afflicted by this autoimmune systemic disease.

Symptoms and Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Pain, irritation, stiffness, extreme weariness after doing day’s work and even swelling of joints, mark the onset of arthritis. If the situation deteriorates gradually, it is definitely Rheumatoid arthritis.

Contrary to gradual development, in some cases the disease might just hit within few seconds with inflammation and fever.

The stiffness of joints and tiredness because of Rheumatoid arthritis is extreme and hampers the individual’s daily activities. The problem may trouble more during winter season.

A burning pain in the joints (left or right hand, cartilage and bone etc.) that prolongs for six weeks or more at a stretch indicates Rheumatoid Arthritis. But if the pain travels to individual’s sacroiliac joints of lower back or to the upper spine, the disease is other than this one.

Factors that invoke the disease

No strict causes for Rheumatoid Arthritis have been discovered as yet. But investigations and experience have revealed many some constantly occurring or usual factors that have led to its development.

The individual with a family history of Rheumatoid Arthritis is greatly liable to be afflicted by it. But particularly what infested thing gets passed on from affected ancestors to the patient still needs to be explored.

Acute stress is supposed to be another reason behind Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Different viruses such as mononucleosis can cause Rheumatoid Arthritis. Other than this, infections like strep throat lead to the ailment.

Prevention and Cures

Diagnosis commences with some crucial tests. These tests determine the severity or the stage of rheumatoid arthritis for the individual. Once rheumatoid arthritis is confirmed, anti-rheumatic drugs are prescribed. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen etc. are prescribed initially and more often to those who are suffering from mild form of the disease. But when the case gets worse, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or DMARDs are given. Corticosteroids like prednisone, narcotics; chemotherapy drugs for instance Cytoxan; anti-organ rejection medicines such as cyclosporine are examples of DMARDs. Arava, Enbrel or Etanercept and Methotrexate are by and large recommended medicines to patients of Rheumatoid arthritis. But as many other antibiotics, these drugs too have numerous side-effects which should be borne in mind before advising them.

Besides medicines patients even find therapies like acupressure and acupuncture quite relieving. In many cases of Rheumatoid arthritis, patients also desire to go for a surgery.

Source: Health Guidance

Natural Arthritis Remedy To Reduce Inflammation

Arthritis, whether it is osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout, have the common symptoms of inflammation of one or more joints. This is accompanied by pain, swelling and sometimes joint deformity. Traditionally, with herbal medicine, anti-inflammatory herbs such as black cohosh, feverfew, yucca and wild yam were recommended. And a naturopath might prescribe vitamins like vitamin A, the B complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Plus a host of minerals like chelated zinc, chelated calcium and magnesium, copper salicylate, selenium and bromelain. And supplements like evening primrose and fish oils, glucosmaine, and superoxide dismutase, which is found in good quality dehydrated (but not juiced) green barley powder.

But scientists have found some very effective anti-inflammatory agents in our own kitchen. Some of them, like ginger, can be bought as a supplement. And due to ginger's strong taste, this might be a preferable way of taking it to get the quantities you need for a significant anti-inflammatory effect. But others, like olive oil, can easily be integrated into the daily diet. Cinnamon is not commonly used as a supplement here, but in India it has a rich traditional use and may be available as part of an Ayurvedic supplement.

Ginger

One of the active constituents in ginger is a phenolic compound known as gingerols. These have been found to have a strong anti-inflammatory effect. In a study reported in the Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Journal, the participants who took the ginger compound had significantly less pain during movement than those who took the placebo. This study followed 29 people over 12 months, and also found that swelling in the knees was also reduced.

However, if you are taking blood thinning medication like warfarin, you may need to be careful about the amount of ginger you take, as ginger can thin the blood also. (Australian Healthy Food)

Cinnamon

This rather delicious spice has a number of health benefits. Specific to inflammation and arthritis, cinnamon can help inhibit the release of inflammatory fatty acids. (Australian Healthy Food)

Yellow and Orange Fruits and Vegetables

Some of the carotenoids in yellow and orange fruit and vegetables help reduce inflammation. Carotenoids are what gives these vegetables and fruit their color. (Australian Healthy Food)

Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil acts similar to the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, though it doesn't have the immediate pain relieving effects that ibuprofen does. But a compund found in extra virgin olive oil, called oleocanthal has been found to inhibit the COX enzymes like ibuprofen, in what researchers describe as a 'dose dependant' manner. This research was originally reported in the September, 2005 issue of Nature magazine by Paul Breslin and his associates from Monell Chemical Senses Center. He describes oleocanthal as a natural anti-inflammatory compound that is potentially as strong as ibuprofen. He suggests that taken over the long term, it will have the same potential benefits that long term use of ibuprofen does. Their results found that taking 50 grams of extra virgin olive oil is equal to approximately 10% of the dosage of ibuprofen recommended for pain relief for adults. Olive oil also has a host of other benefits, including a heart protective effect.

Interestingly, scientists have also found that a diet high in refined grains, sugary soft drinks, processed meat and even diet soft drinks can encourage both inflammation and type 2 diabetes.

Resources:

1. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=62217

2. Australian Healthy Food Magazine, November 2005 Issue

3. Australian Healthy Food Magazine, January 2006 Issue

4, P Bedson, The Complete Family Guide To Natural Healing (Hinkler Books)

Source: Health Guidance