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