Apr 26
2007

Managing asthma is not something your doctor can do for you all by himself. Asthma self help is an important part of treating and managing your condition so that it doesn’t take over your entire life. Your doctor may prescribe both daily medication and medication to take in case of an acute asthma episode, but the task of minimizing risk of asthma attack and taking care of yourself on a daily basis is largely up to you and your family. Learning some key asthma self help tricks can help you keep your asthma under control so that it doesn’t interfere with your daily life.

Because asthma can be caused, triggered or worsened by so many things, there are many things that you can do to lessen the frequency and severity of the symptoms. Your doctor will offer important suggestions in addition to medication to help you manage your asthma. Think of those suggestions as a personalized asthma self help plan. A major part of asthma self help involves avoiding asthma triggers. Some ways that you can help yourself if you or someone in your family has asthma include:

1. The first and most important step in asthma self help is to follow your doctor’s orders. Don’t stop taking daily medication just because you feel better. If he’s prescribed daily peak flow measurements, be sure to follow instructions carefully and measure daily to monitor your condition.

2. If you smoke, quit. Whether the asthma sufferer is you or a child in your family, cigarette smoke is one of the most common asthma triggers known.

3. Keep the house dust-free – or as close to dust-free as possible. Dust is another common asthma trigger. Use a cylinder vacuum instead of an upright – preferably one that encloses the vacuum cleaner bag inside a solid canister to minimize pumping dust back into the air.

4. If you can, remove carpets and heavy draperies. They’re dust-catchers that easily breed dust mites. If you can’t remove them, vacuum them frequently using a canister vacuum cleaner.

5. Avoid using down feather pillows and comforters, and use a plastic cover on your mattress. Mattresses and pillows can harbor dust mites. The same goes for stuffed animals and other ‘soft’ decorations.

6. Cover your mouth and nose with a scarf in cold weather. Cold air is another common asthma trigger.

7. If your asthma is triggered by allergens, monitor the outside air quality daily. Avoid open fields and woodsy areas during peak pollen seasons, and take extra care when air quality is in danger ranges.

8. Mold is another common allergen that triggers asthma. Keeping mold down is another important part of asthma self help care. Dry wet laundry immediately, and wash and disinfect bathrooms and showers regularly. Remove houseplants, as mold grows in their soil.

9. Pet dander can also trigger asthma symptoms. If you can’t part with a pet because of emotional ties, at least keep it out of the bedroom to minimize your exposure to dander.

10. Be aware of any food or ingested allergies, and avoid foods, medications and drinks that cause allergic reactions.

About the author:

Visit Medopedia.com for more information on living with asthma and treatments for asthma.

Written By: Isabelle Boulay

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Mar 3
2007

Some professions can actually cause asthma or, trigger it to make it worse, this is called occupational asthma.

Most jobs locations, especially office and factory professions, have some kind of dust, smells and other fumes, with which you have direct contact or, indirectly, as it may be going through the ventilation or air systems (from one office to another), producing occupational asthma.

Usually the levels that you breathe in are so minute (small) that you aren’t troubled by it.

This means that if the job location , or your work environment, is the cause of your occupational asthma, your asthmatic conditions will improve if you leave that job, or that at least change your work environment, assuming that you and your doctor have caught and treated it early enough.

However the longer you continue working in the same conditions which are causing the asthma, the more likely you are to continue having asthmatic conditions even after you leave those working conditions and stay away from the dust, smells or fumes.

Unfortunately, most continue with a job in a damaging environment as they have not realized that there is a relationship between their environment and their health, or because it is seemingly very difficult to leave or change jobs. The cost of either is very high, occupational asthma, or other health issues.

When a job or workplace is causing the asthma, co-workers, are also affected.

However if it is just you it could be another cause such as job-related stress rather than any fumes or pollutants.

Wrongly blaming your job for your asthma can have very bad effects.

Why lose your job if it is harmless and didn’t cause your asthma at all?

Also, if people think that the workplace caused asthma, the expense of improving working conditions may mean there will be fewer jobs or in some cases no jobs at all.

In addition, a diagnosis of occupational asthma may reduce your chances of future employment.

However, if your gets better during the weekends, on an extended break, or when you are on vacation, it likely that something at work is the cause of it.

The dust, fumes or allergens in various trades such as bakeries (flour), working with animals, working with pharmaceuticals, craftsmen (especially wood), electronics (soldering), textile dyes (reactive dyes), polyurethane paints and plastic moulding, etc., can be direct causes of occupational asthma.

Oddly enough, many substances with a nasty smell don’t seem to cause asthma, even though they can cause allergic reactions in the nose.

If you believe you may have asthma, occupational or not, do not hesitate to speak with your doctor immediately.

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Learn More About How You Can Treat and Live with Asthma at Asthma-Explained.com

Written By: Mike Herman

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Feb 4
2007

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system, where the airways get obstructed due to muscle spasm and swelling within the airways which may be with or without secretions. Ayurvedic texts have it that wrong and unsuitable diet and subsequent digestive impurities are a potent cause for respiratory allergy leading to asthma. A combination of other allergic or non-allergic factors, including air pollution, vagaries of the weather, emotional stress and heredity predispositions, can also be responsible for the genesis of asthma in susceptible persons.

In recent years a number of scientific studies have come to the conclusion that certain foods and nutrients exacerbate asthmatic inflammation and bronchial hyperactivity while others reduce such pathology and promote easier breathing. Due to the advanced and effective emergency management of asthma available these days its reasons are often overlooked. But it is a fact that an asthmatic attack in the case of young patients is mostly precipitated by wrong food.

According to ayurveda, asthmatic reactions to food can vary widely as both the whole and the processed foods are known to precipitate such attack. Diet, the chemicals added to food items these days and individual susceptibility supported by seasonal discrepancies and other environmental factors are found to set off allergic reactions in the body. It is widely documented that several commonly used food items like milk, yoghurt, ice-cream and other dairy products cause coughing and wheezing in many asthmatics.

Any unsuitable food can lead to a respiratory spasm, or cause irritation or inflammation that will then overreact with environmental triggers like virus, pollens, smoke and dust. Apart from any ordinary fruit and vegetable, this may include even common foods like cereals such as wheat, rice and maize, poultry products and bakery items or eatables made of yeast.

Many modern foods consumed occasionally or as part of our daily diet have preservatives, flavors and colors which are considered as potential prompters of respiratory or other allergies.

It is seen that in some patients even an attack of hyperacidity sets into motion an episode of asthma. This factor highlights the ayurvedic dictum of maintenance of post- digestive purity also. Asthmatics are advised to choose a food that suits their digestion in perfect order. It is better to scan ones diet and evolve a food plan carefully as many times the reactions occur hours after a particular food has been eaten.

About the Author:

Lucy Nicholas also writes on Acne. More information http://www.natural-acne-treatments-reviews.com/

Written By: Lucy Nicholas

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Oct 25
2006

Children aren’t exempt from having medical conditions, so it is important for those who do have medical problems to wear a child medical alert bracelet. Parents can’t always be there in the event of a medical emergency; and with kids at school all day, it’s integral for peace of mind if they invest in a child medical alert bracelet. These bracelets are an easy way for medical and school personnel to retrieve important medical information when your child cannot relay it. They help avoid allergic reactions and other medical issues, for example.

Kids can be choosy, but with the many sellers online and offline, parents can easily help their children select a stylish piece of jewelry. It may be good to let children help select a child medical alert bracelet to ensure that he or she likes it enough to keep it on when you’re not around — when it’s needed most.

Beads are a popular choice for girls and boys. Girls will like sparkling beads, while boys may go for something more plain. Plates with the medical symbol on them come in everything from stainless steel to silver and gold. Designer bracelets are growing in popularity for many adults, and many medical alert bracelet companies now make bracelets specifically for children. Other popular designs include plates in fun shapes with the medical alert information on them.

Teens are a sensitive group, as many of them care about their appearance and the opinions of their peers. Ankle bracelets with a dangling charm or a small engraved plate are very acceptable jewelry accessories for teen girls. The beaded bracelets are also fun, decorative and fashionable and will complement any style rather than compete. Boys can discretely wear medical alert jewelry by wearing a sports wristband band or handsome watchband. These pieces can be as simple or elegant as the wearer wants and many manufacturers produce medical jewelry with a keen eye on fashion and style trends.

Parents can regain peace knowing that their child’s medical information can easily be relayed to the paramedics or a school official in the event of an emergency. Children especially should have the proper medical information on them at all times, as many of them may have a drug allergy, asthma allergy, diabetes, or bee sting allergy.

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Written By: Richard Romando

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Oct 10
2006

A healthy home environment means that contaminants that are harmful to your health are removed or neutralized as much as possible. For allergy sufferers, it is vital to try to limit the free distribution of air-borne allergens that can trigger allergic symptoms. That includes airborne contaminants such as:

Dust, pollen, allergens

Pet dander, dust mites

Harmful bacteria, viruses

Pet odor removal: dog, cat, etc.

Mold / mildew removal

Cigar / cigarette smoke

Home air purifiers help rid the air of these particles that can cause allergic reactions and even trigger asthma attacks. If you can’t change the way that your body treats what it perceives as a threat by allergic reaction, then you can work on changing the environment that you live in so that your body doesn’t sense the presence of these allergy causing compounds.

Most home air purifiers are made to specifically clean and scrub the air within a predefined area or size of room. There is no need to buy a home air purifier that is made for large spaces when you only need it for one small room. Likewise, under buying for the area you need to have clean air is a waste of money and will not achieve the results that you want.

Home air purifiers can also be used in conjunction with other air cleaning devices like air duct filters to provide an even higher level of air quality than is possible with one method alone.

One of the great benefits of home air purifiers is that they are so easy to set up and maintain. Just find a spot in the room(s) that you plan to clean and plug the air purifier in. Most are made to run very quietly and will not be a disturbance to anyone in the room. When the recommended time for has elapsed for the filter use, just remove the current filter and pop in the replacement.

Home air purifiers are an inexpensive, simple, and easy way to help control the living environment indoors for anyone who requires high quality air filtration, especially allergy sufferers.

About the Author

Duane Johnson – All About Home Air Purifiers is a site that provides free information, tips, and resources for finding the best home air purifiers, commercial air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers to help improve your health.

Written By: Duane Johnson

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Aug 26
2006

Allergies are one of the leading causes of diseases in USA. The annual amount spent on allergies in USA is $18 billion. Allergies could get complicated and even ruin a person’s life. Allergies generally mean over reaction or hyper sensitivity to a certain substance or product. The substance could make a person sneeze, wheeze or create rashes etc.

Allergies have also been linked to many respiratory diseases. Sinus, Asthma, Bronchitis are some diseases that are caused by allergies. Allergies can be managed by taking precautionary measures. Some allergic reactions can be very bad. Allergies can also be inherited like balding. Some people are allergic to specific allergens, some to soy, milk, fish etc. Like adults, children and infants are also allergic to certain substances. Cows milk allergy is very common in children. If a child is allergic to cows milk, as a substitute they are provided soymilk. More than 50% of children develop allergies to soya milk.

Allergies due to dust and pollution are very common nowadays. The dust particles enter the nose and make a person sneeze. It could also lead to other diseases like bronchitis and asthma. Allergies due to pollution, candle smoke, incense stick etc could create various upper respiratory problems. People with upper respiratory problems have itching in the throat and ear also. Breathing difficulty could also exist. At home, dust particles in the mattress, pillows etc could also lead to allergies. Even domestic cats and dogs hair could lead to allergies. Consult your physician if you are allergic to any substance immediately.

About the author:

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn612.html

Written By: Paul

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