Nov 25
2007

It is estimated that 17 million people in America have asthma, with 5 million being under the age of 18. Asthma, which is Greek for to pant, is a chronic lung disease that triggers episodes of coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath which is caused by an inflammation of the lungs that result in the airways to narrow. It can take place at any age, and appears to have a genetic link. Although its symptoms are controllable, it is not thought to be curable.

Triggers for asthma can vary from one person to the other and may include allergens (dust, smoke, molds, pollens, and animal dander), chemical agents (cleaning products, perfumes, etc.), emotional stress and exercise. The best way to halt asthma attacks is to prevent them in the first place. Simple steps include controlling and managing house dust mites, animal related allergens, tobacco smoke, cockroach allergen, mold and other fungal spores and pollens, smoke from wood burning stoves, colds and viral respiratory infection, and physical activity or exercise induced asthma (EIA).

It was once thought that physical activity should be discouraged if you had asthma, but today this is not the case. With the appropriate precautions, exercise is not only considered safe, but it is frequently promoted as part of a sound respiratory therapeutic program. There are many ways to help avoid exercise induced asthma. If you have asthma, check with your doctor before you begin an exercise program and get a complete physical with a review of your current medicine therapy.

Some guidelines:

Warm up with 10 minutes or so of low intensity walking and gentle stretching and before your workout.

Avoid exercising in cold, dry air or in areas where air pollution or allergens are high. If you must exercise in a cold environment use a scarf or face mask to trap the warm moist air and prevent cold dry air from penetrating deep into your lungs.

After exercise, be sure to include a 10 to 15 minute cool down period.

Asthma attacks place significant stress on the body. Fatigue is common, making it even more difficult to breath. This is why a gradual progression with exercise is important. Developing cardiorespiratory fitness will make you feel less fatigued and will help lung function.

Different types of exercise may effect symptoms of asthma. For example, outdoor running is often worse than indoor running on a treadmill. To improve cardiorespiratory fitness, begin with 20 (or less) of low intensity aerobic activity 3 times per week, eventually building to five. Exercise in 10 minute intervals with a short rest in between. Use a cross training method applying different exercise modalities (i.e. treadmill, bike, rower). Swimming rarely causes EIA due to the warm moist air (however swimming in chlorinated pools may be a trigger for some).

Exercise intensity is also related to EIA and should be kept at a moderate level. You should be able to talk in short sentences throughout your workout.

Long duration exercise causes more exercise induced asthma then shorter bouts. Sports that promote stop and go activities such as tennis, volleyball & resistance training may cause less EIA in some individuals.

Keep your exercise up beat by making the most of your workouts, and avoid becoming bored or stressed, pick activities that you enjoy and can do.

If a medication is prescribed you can use it before exercise and monitor peak air flow with a peak flow meter. Your inhaler can be used during exercise also if symptoms arise. Talk to your doctor about how to use your inhaler with exercise. If notwithstanding your efforts, symptoms develop and persist, stop the activity and inform your doctor. Your doctor may recommend simple changes in medication that make the difference.

Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise. Dehydration causes airways in the lungs to constrict, and makes breathing more difficult. Studies have shown that this is true even if the individual is not exercising. Thirst is a poor indicator of when to rehydrate, by the time you sense thirst your body is already lacking essential fluids.

Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or sodas; these are diuretics, which dehydrate you even further.

Exercise-related breathing problems also occur in individuals who have not been diagnosed with asthma. People with allergies may experience many of the same symptoms, as exercise causes increased oxygen demand, breathing rate, and cooling and drying of the airways.

Although right now there is no cure for asthma, it can be managed with proper treatment and lifestyle management. Controlling symptoms may include using an inhaler or other medicine, as well as identifying and avoiding factors that may trigger an episode. Educating yourself as much as you can about asthma and your response to exercise gives you improved control and a greater chance of living an active life.

About The Author

Scott is an exercise physiologist and has worked in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation for many years. He has also managed large fitness centers and is past director of the Flushing YMCA in New York City. He is currently a Wellness Consultant with American LifeWay Wellness. Website: http://www.americanlifeway.org/ slarson@americanlifeway.org

Written By: Scott Larson

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Nov 19
2007

Are you tired of vigorous and regular dusting of your home? Are you allergic to dust particles or do you or your loved ones suffer with asthma? Do you want a clean home environment free from microbes? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, it’s time to buy an air purifier.

What are air purifiers?

Air purifiers are electronic devices aimed at cleaning the air surrounding you from contaminators and microbe particles. There are various types of air purifiers available in the market according to your diverse needs.

So, why do you need an air purifier?

It is ‘ok’ to think that you should have an air purifier at home. But that thought alone is not enough. You should know why exactly you need an air purifier.

In fact there could be several reasons why you need an air purifier. The prominent one is cleaning the surrounding air from microbes. The majority of people buy air purifiers because they want a germ-free environment at home. These microbes include bacteria, germs, viruses and mold spores. You can buy an air purifier to cleanse your air and maintain a germ-free environment at home.

Allergens can be another reason why you would need an air purifier. People who are prone to allergic reactions like asthmatics want to stay free from certain allergens. These people specifically want a dust-free, a pollen-free and a dander-free environment at home.

You can buy an air purifier to clean the air from unpleasant odors. Domestic odors generally include stale cigarette smoke, cooking smells, litter boxes and body sprays. Even your pets sometimes produce unwanted smells. You might want to get rid of these odors at once.

Air purifiers will also clean the air leaving it free from gases and chemical fumes. These include formaldehyde, benzene, nail treatment products, cigarette smoke and much more.

Which Air Purifier?

There are different types of air purifiers available in the market. Each type works in its own unique way and is used for the different purposes. Let us take a look at what are the different types of air purifiers available on the market.

HEPA Filter Air Purifiers

HEPA Filters are capable of trapping 99.9% of particles, of at least 0.3 micron in size, from the air around you. These filters use a cloth type filter and are highly effective in clearing almost 100 percent of the harmful particles found in the room air. These purifiers come with an added benefit of replaceable filters.

HEPA Filters last a long time, depending upon the severity of air contamination in your home. These purifiers, however, have one basic flaw. They make some noise and most people prefer silent air purifiers. However, these filters are highly effective and efficient in freeing the air around you of allergens. There are certain advantages to buying this air purifier. It is very effective in trapping allergens. Once trapped, the allergens cannot be released back in the air again.

HEPA Filters do have certain disadvantages; they are not useful for removing chemical fumes, gases or odors from the air at all.

Ozone Air Purifiers

Ozone Air Purifiers make use of ozone gas. Ozone is a highly reactive oxidant. It is capable of destroying certain bacteria and chemicals from the air.

The ozone gas works in a highly controversial way. The ozone gas reacts with air to break the substances present in the air into further pollutants. This can be ascertained as one disadvantage of using these air purifiers. Nevertheless, Ozone Purifiers remains highly effective in ridding the air of unpleasant odors.

Carbon Air Purifiers

Carbon Air Purifiers are used mainly for removing from the air chemicals, smoke and gases. They consist of a system of pores which are tiny in size. These pores readily absorb the chemicals and gases from the air, as they are made up of carbon. They react with carbon and bond with it and get trapped.

Ionic Air Purifiers

Ionic Purifiers work in a unique way. They come with two plates, each having an opposite charge of the other. The air particles with either of the charge get attracted to the plates and they are led out of the house. This process is known as ionizing the air. These purifiers are highly effective in removing fine particles from anywhere in the room.

Ultraviolet Light Air Purifiers

Ultraviolet Light Purifiers are highly effective against the microbes present in the air surrounding you. These consist of ultraviolet lamps which sterilize the micro-organisms such as bacteria and virus. As a result, the microbes are not able to grow and reproduce any longer in the air. These air purifiers are highly effective against disease-causing microbes.

About the author:

Mike writes articles on a number of different topics. For more Air Purifier resources please visit http://www.air-purifier-guide.org/airpurifier/ and for additional air purifier articles please click on http://www.air-purifier-guide.org/airpurifier-articles/

Written By: Mike

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Nov 13
2007

There are two types of treatments to reduce the symptoms and effects of an asthma attack using drugs that resemble two of our natural hormones.

These are adrenaline (epinephrine in the USA) and the steroid hydrocortisone and they form the basis for relievers that provide quick relief of symptoms and preventers for longer term care.

Most asthmatics use both preventers and relievers to form a medical regime to control the asthma.

These medicines are usually taken as inhalers so that they can be breathed in through the nose or mouth. Inhalers have advantages over other forms of medication because…

*The medicine is delivered where it is required in the lungs and so less of the medicine is needed.

*The medicine can be made to be biodegradable inside the body. After it has done its work in the lungs it can be broken down in the liver so there is little chance of harmful side effects.

*The medicine works more quickly.

Quick Relief Medicines

Drugs that resemble adrenaline (epinephrine) are known as ‘relievers’ and give rapid, short-term treatment and are used for when the asthmatic has worsening symptoms that if left untreated could lead to an asthma attack. The patient will feel the effects of these medicines within minutes but they only last a short time.

They are short-acting inhaled bronchodilators that work by relaxing the muscles that have tightened around the airways. They help open up the airways quickly and ease the patient’s breathing and are used only when needed. They are sometimes called ” rescue ” or ” relief ” medicines because they can stop an asthma attack very quickly and anyone who has asthma should always carry one of these inhalers in case of an attack.

Long-Term Medicines

These are called preventers and are taken every day, usually over long periods of time, to control chronic symptoms and to prevent asthma episodes or attacks. Medicines which resemble hydrocortisone slowly reduce the sensitivity the patient has towards irritants and allergens that would normally trigger an attack. It will take a few weeks to for them to show any improvement and once an attack starts they do nothing to alleviate it. Patients with persistent asthma need long-term control medicines.

Long-term medication includes:

* The most effective and long-term medication for asthma is an inhaled corticosteroid (or steroids for short) because his reduces the swelling of the airways that makes attacks more likely. This is the preferred treatment for controlling mild, moderate, and severe asthma and are safe when taken as prescribed by your doctor. There are many kinds of inhalers that require different techniques, and it is important to know how to use a inhaler in the correct way. In some cases, steroidal tablets or liquid are used for short periods of times in order to bring asthma under control.

* Long-acting beta-agonists are bronchodilators: these are not anti-inflammatory drugs but are used to help control moderate and severe asthma and to prevent night-time symptoms. Long-acting beta-agonists are taken together with inhaled corticosteroid medicine.

* Leukotriene modifiers (i.e., montelukast, zafirlukast, and zileuton) are long-term control medicines that used either on there own to treat mild cases asthma or used in tandem with inhaled corticosteroids for moderate or even severe asthma.

* Cromolyn and nedocromil are also long-term medicines used only to treat mild asthma.

* Theophylline is a long-termmedication used either on it’s own to treat mild asthma or along with inhaled corticosteroids to treat moderate asthma. People who take theophylline should have their blood levels checked to be sure the dose is correct.

Most asthmatics will need both a short-acting bronchodilator to use when symptoms worsen and long-term daily asthma medication to control the ongoing inflammation. Over time, a doctor needs to make changes to the asthma medication, increasing or decreasing doses and changing medication where required. The desire should bd to use the least amount of medicine necessary to control the asthma effectively.

Asthma Treatments with Relievers and Preventers

There two main types of medicines for the treatment of asthma:

*Quick Relief Medicines – also called relievers , and,

*Long-Term Medicines – also called preventers .

Quick Relief Medicines are fast acting, providing short-term treatment within minutes and are taken when the patient feels worsening asthma symptoms that can lead to an asthma attack.

Long-Term Control Medicines are taken daily, over long periods of time, to control the disease.

About the author:

Do you, a spouse or a child, have asthma? Learn more, including the treatments available at Asthma-Explained.com

Written By: Mike Herman

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Nov 7
2007

Whether you suffer from asthma, allergies or simply want to ensure the air in your bedroom is as clear as possible, there are several easy measures you can take to limit the amount of dust that collects in one of the most used rooms of your house. We spend more time breathing air in our bedroom than any other room, and shed more skin there too (unpleasant sounding, but true!) as we get changed in and out of work, casual clothes and pyjamas. The amount of dust in your bedroom can irritate existing allergies and asthma, or even just create an irritation without any prior allergy having existed. Opening the windows to let in the breeze can only clear your room for a short time, so setting up your room to be dust-free from the outset is the best way to go about cutting out that stuffy nose and horrible heavy-headed feeling in the morning.

There are many ways you can reduce the amount of dust in your bedroom, and you can of course use any or all of these methods, depending on how much work you are willing to do. Incidentally, when carrying out any amount of cleaning work in a dusty room, you may find it beneficial to wear a filter mask. They’re very cheap from any DIY or hardware store, and can save you a stuffed nose.

Carpets – The first major storage area of dust mites and their droppings is the carpet. If you can, replace carpeting with wooden floors (hardwood, tile or linoleum flooring can be obtained fairly cheaply at DIY stores for easy home-fitting). If this is not an option, you could consider treating your carpets with Tannic Acid, which kills the mites. It’s not as effective as removing the carpet however, can irritate some people’s allergies, and needs constant reapplication.

Furniture & Furnishings – Any flat surface in the bedroom is a perfect place for dust to gather. Try to limit such surfaces (floor to ceiling wardrobes is a good way to get round clothes storage) and get rid of all upholstery. Upholstered furniture simply adds another layer of fabric for mites to make their home, so ensure all surfaces and chairs are metal or wood, which can be scrubbed every now and then, and don’t store dust and mites. If you have any clothes that cannot as yet be stored in a closed drawer or wardrobe, store them in zippered plastic bags, and make sure shoes are off the floor. Avoid heavy curtains or Venetian blinds, use light fabrics or, ideally, window shades. The thicker the material the more space for dust mites to live and breed, and for dust to collect. Venetian blinds, obviously, provide multiple flat surfaces for dust to settle, so are not ideal either. When washing bedding, wash the curtains too.

Beds – One of the worst storage areas for dust mites and collected skin cells, mattresses are impossible to clean completely. If possible replace your regular bed with a waterbed, which is easily cleaned and provides no chance for dust mites to hide. Many stores will sell allergy-safe bedding covers and pillowcases, so use those or bedding with a Dacron content. When washing bedding, ensure you are washing at temperatures above 130 Degrees Fahrenheit. It goes without saying that it’s a good idea to avoid wool-blankets or other such comforters on the bed.

Pets – Of course if you already have animals you are not going to want to get rid of them, but just making sure they don’t get into the bedroom can make a world of difference. As mentioned before, you spend more hours in your bedroom than in any other room, so it’s worth excluding any fur-covered pets.

Cleaning – Try to clean the room completely and thoroughly every week, using a damp cloth on all smooth surfaces (including window sills and the tops of any high cupboards) to pick up dust rather than just kicking it into the air. Open windows to air the room while you wash bedding and furnishings, and vacuum any carpeting and upholstery you may have in the room.

Air Purifying – Using dehumidifier and air conditioners can help regulate high temperatures and moisture that can increase mite breeding. Only use air conditioners when absolutely necessary however, as they can dry the air so much as to be harsh on nasal passages.

When already firmly settled in a home, you can’t really move, but if you have a choice then it’s a good idea to avoid basement living. You can translate all these practices to the rest of the house too, with the living room being perhaps the next most important room to target.

For mild allergies, just putting some of these measures into practice can lead to quite some relief, and for serious asthma and allergy sufferers you can create a virtually dust-free room by doing everything talked about in this article, leading to better quality of life and often a reduced need for medications.

About the author:

The British Waterbed Association aims to support both their members and the buying public to ensure waterbeds are promoted in a manner that accurately reflects the significant benefits that a well-made waterbed provides. You can find more information, and a list of BWA members on their website: http://www.waterbed.org

Written By: Mike Hand

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Nov 1
2007

When we hear of allergy and asthma studies, we often find them lumpted together. Is there really a connection between allergies and asthma? To get to the answer to this, we must first learn what allergies and asthma actually are.

Allergies are immune system reactions to things that others would find harmless. Certain foods, pollen, even dust are all considered allergens that can trigger an allergic reaction. The immune system produces antibodies that release chemicals

Asthma is a chronic lung condition, characterized by difficulty in breathing due to extra sensitive or hyper-responsive airways. During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by narrowing and constructing, causing increased resistance to airflow, and obstructing the flow of air to and from the lungs. Common early warning signs of asthma include fatigue, coughing (especially at night), wheezing, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, runny nose, and itchy throat.

Allergies, on the other hand, are immune system reactions to things that most people would experience as harmless. Certain foods, dust, pollen … these are allergens that can trigger an allergy attack. When they’re encountered, the body’s immune system produces IgE antibodies to fight the allergen. These antibodies create the release of chemicals into the bloodstream, one of which (histamine) affects the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, and skin, causing the allergy’s symptoms.

So now that we have a better picture of how these two health conditions work, the question becomes … is there a relationship between allergies and asthma?

It’s true that those with certain allergies (usually allergies that affect the nose and eyes, such as dust mites, animal dander, mold or pollen) are more likely to develop asthma than say … those without allergies or those with allergies in other classifications, such as food allergies. But it’s also true that many of those with allergies never develop asthma at all.

In addition, there are other factors that can contribute to a person’s asthma. Unmonitored exercise, for example. Or other illnesses, such as colds or the flu.

Scientists aren’t sure what lies at the root cause of asthma. Various studies are looking at a variety of factors, including air pollution, obesity, and as strange as it might sound, even the lack of exposure to viruses and bacteria in childhood (which may prevent he immune system from growing stronger).

What we do know is that exposure to indoor allergens, pollen, animal dander, grass … in other words, allergy-related factors, are often found in asthmatics. Often, but not always. And it also appears that asthma tends to run in families. If both parents have asthma, there’s actually a 40% probability their children will develop the disease as well.

Current research efforts have been exploring the influence of environmental factors, genetics (as mentioned above), and even stress on asthma. This creates the potential to dramatically reduce a person’s asthma severity levels by altering his or her exposure to the aggravating factors. This can be particularly successful when the culprit is something that’s relatively easy to control. Dust, for instance. Or something only encountered in a work environment. Or, though it’s certainly much more difficult because of the emotional component, a family pet.

Unfortunately, the most common allergy that appears to have a direct influence on asthma is an allergy to dust mites. Eliminating these mites to the extent that it might make a difference in the severity of your asthma requires a major change in lifestyle and can often be quite expensive. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done, only that it’s not as easy as simply staying indoors during the pollen season or switching to a less stressful job.

Of course, new treatments are coming along all the time, and considerable research is currently dedicated to finding ways to modify, abolish or diminish the affect allergies have on the body. It’s believed that with the successful control of allergies can come the successful control of asthma, particularly in younger sufferers.

In the meantime, here’s what we know … asthma can be triggered by allergic reactions, but it can also be triggered by nonallergic reactions. Most asthma attacks result from exposure to allergens such as pollen, household dust, and mold. These attacks can be influenced by indoor or outdoor environments. Because a majority of asthma sufferers are affected by some form of allergies, it’s worth the effor to work closely with your doctor to try to identify and control all potential allergens within your influence.

About the author:

Amanda Baker writes for http://tobeinformed.com – a website for health, fitness and wellness information.

Written By: Amanda Baker

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