Posts Tagged 'asthma symptoms'

The Truth About Asthma

Friday, October 22nd, 2010 No Commented
Under: Asthma

Bee Pollen & Royal Jelly has earned a reputation as being foods which are extremely dangerous to all asthmatics. Their reputation has some substance, however I think it has been blown way out of proportion.
Mexican pharmacy – cheap medications online without a prescription.
There is no doubt that these foods do present a serious risk to a small percentage of the population. Those who are allergic to bees, those who have a history of food hyper-sensitivity or those who have experienced anaphylactic reactions in the past should be very cautious when considering including Bee Pollen or Royal Jelly into the daily diet.

In terms of their nutritional value, they are unrivaled by pretty much every other food on the planet for its nutritional value. They contain almost every vitamin, mineral, amino acid and enzyme in existence. It is said that Bee Pollen is arguably the most complete foods that one can eat. You could pretty much sustain a healthy and long life eating nothing else.

I personally have been taking these foods for many years. I believe they are the best supplements that you can take. Unlike other supplements or multi-vitamins, Bee Pollen and Royal Jelly are 100% natural and not manufactured in a lab.

If you are worried about an adverse reaction to either Bee Pollen or Royal Jelly, my advice would be to see a doctor about having an allergy test done. Find out if you are allergic to bees or bee products. If you decide to include these supplements into your diet, start off with a small dose and note any side effects or reactions. Build up the dosage accordingly, once you have established that it is safe to do so.

Known side effects of both Bee Pollen & Royal Jelly include: Stomach pain, diarrhea, irritation of the mouth and throat, fatigue, asthmatic symptoms and in some rare extreme cases, life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

If you are not prone to food allergies and have no history of anaphylactic shock, I do recommend Bee Pollen and Royal Jelly. They are considered Super-foods by many nutritional experts and can actually help a majority of asthma sufferers by boosting the immune system considering asthma is an auto-immune condition.

Asthma Symptoms, Complications and Treatment

Monday, May 17th, 2010 No Commented
Under: Asthma

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a lung disease. It causes problems to the breathing passage of our lungs also known as bronchioles. It is caused due to chronic, long term and ongoing inflammation of the lung passage. The lung passage also called airways of the affected person become very sensitive to the triggers.

The inflammation is caused or triggered due to various internal and external factors that fills the passage with mucus and also swells it. The muscles contract and narrow the passage making it difficult to breathe. This resistance of exhaling finally leads to symptoms of a typical asthma attack.

Since the disease causes obstruction to the air being exhaled, it is known as an obstructive lung disease. The medical term for this is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also known as COPD. COPD includes other diseases as well.

Asthma is a disease that you shall have to live with during your everyday life and there is possibility of being exposed to the triggers. Asthma is a reversible disease unlike the other chronic lung diseases. Asthma cannot be ever totally cured but you may always keep it under control.

If the disease is diagnosed at the right time and the treatment is started right away then there is a better chance of controlling the disease. If there is a proper treatment then the attacks shall be lesser and not even very severe. If there is no treatment then the attacks will be so severe that it may even lead to death.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms include cough which may be accompanied with phlegm production, pulling in of the skin while breathing and shortness of breath which worsens with activity or exercise. Wheezing also is possible that begins suddenly, happens in episodes and gets worse with breathing and exercise.

What is the treatment?

Asthma is a chronic disease and the treatment shall go on for a long time. For some it may extend forever and the best way is to live to take proper care with the help of right consultation. The goal of the treatment is to prevent the syndrome and to avoid the attacks.

In the treatment the medications used are inhalants instead of oral medications like liquid or tablet. Inhaled medications work directly on the surface and muscles of the airway where the problem initiates. The side effects are very few as the absorption in the rest of the body is minimal.

The medicines are beta-2, agonists, anticholinergics and corticosteroids. Oral medications are aminophyline, beta-2 agonists and antagonists. Adrenaline is one of the medications used for the medication of asthma but it has side-effects.

Is there a cure?

Asthma has no cure but symptoms can improve over time. With the right medical treatment and self management people suffering from asthma can lead a perfectly normal life.

What are the possible complications?

The complications attached with asthma are of a severe nature. They may include persistent cough, breathing troubles that may require assistance in the form of ventilators, lack of sleep because of nighttime symptoms, decrease in the ability to take part in activities like exercises and permanent alterations in lung functions. In severe cases it may also result in death.

What is Asthma?

Thursday, April 15th, 2010 No Commented
Under: Asthma

Asthma is a clinical condition in which there occurs reversible airway obstruction due to airway hyper-sensitivity and is characterized by cough, difficulty in breathing, chest tightness and presence of a whistle like sound while breathing. Airway hyper-sensitivity is triggered by various factors which lead to acute obstruction of the airway.

What causes Asthma?

The causes of asthma is poorly defined and mainly due to combination of environmental and genetic factors.

Some theories suggest that asthma in early childhood is caused by decreased infections in early life which prevent the formation of proper immunity and lead to development of airway hyper-sensitivity.

Warm, humid, centrally heated homes favor multiplication of house dust mites and this may contribute to childhood asthma. Having a pet at home may also lead to development of asthma.

Deficiency of dietary components like Vitamin A, C, E, milk fat, and selenium may lead to development of asthma. Obesity may also act as a factor in it’s development.

What happens in Asthma?

When an allergen is inhaled two responses occur in airway track. First one occur immediately leading to obstruction of the track. This allergen rapidly interacts with mucosal mast cells by an IgE-dependent mechanism, resulting in the release of mediators such as histamine and the cysteinyl leukotrienes with resulting constriction of the track. This is followed by a late response in which inflammation occurs in the track. This late response occurs about 5-6 hours later to the initial attack.

With the progression of the disease, remodelling of the airway occurs, leading to fibrosis of the airway wall, fixed narrowing of the airway and a reduced response to airway dilator medication.

Symptoms of Asthma?

  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Chest tightness
  • Whistling sound on breathing
  • Cough

These symptoms are worst in the early morning but sometimes in poorly controlled asthma, the symptoms tend to wake the person up from sleep at night making it all worse. Sometimes cough is the only symptom of asthma.

Occupational asthma is now the most common form of occupational respiratory disorder.

Viral Induced Asthma

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 No Commented
Under: Asthma

When viruses from common ailments such as the cold or the flu start causing asthma symptoms that is then called viral induced asthma. According to research there are two ways that viruses can set up the whole stage for triggering asthma attacks. There are actually two categories which can be considered when looking at viral induced asthma.

The first type affects people who literally have had no experience or history of asthma but begins to develop symptoms such as coughing and wheezing which begins after a viral illness like a cold or flu for example. The second type or viral-induced asthma has been known to affect children and adults who already have persistent asthma thereby worsening the already present symptoms associated with the condition. Survey shows that about 40% of asthma attacks in adults are caused by viral illness.

Several viruses can be blamed for triggering viral induced asthma but the two most common causes would be the Rhinovirus which causes colds and Influenza A which causes the flu. Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV is a virus that causes respiratory has also been found to cause respiratory infections in adults as well as children and infants. While RSV can pose great risks to adults it has been found to have a more significant impact on infants as getting this type of respiratory infection at a younger age would be likely to cause asthma and the symptoms associated with it until the age of 6.

There also seems to be a correlation between the severity of the respiratory infections, allergies in the child or parent, and the chance of having airway sensitivity that is very similar to asthma. The main reason as to why viruses cause asthma it seems lie within our own body’s defence mechanism. Under normal circumstances, when faced with a viral infection, our body triggers and inflammatory response to attack the virus and defend our body. During this phase, our body has increased sensitivity or airway cells, excessive mucus production and can cause swelling.

The problem starts when the virus starts to progress to the lower airway directly because our body start defending it from there causing asthma symptoms to occur or worsen in return. Inflammation can make it difficult for air to pass in and out freely, mucus can also add to the problem by blocking the already inflamed passages.

As of the moment there is no effective means being offered which can directly deal with the condition. The best advice that can be given would be prevention by getting flu shots yearly. Along with practice of proper hygiene and limited contact with those who have flu or colds can help.