Children who are overweight or obese at ages six and seven have a heightened risk of developing asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath by the time they reach age eight according to recent study results in the Netherlands have shown.

Those who are able to reach a normal weight by ages six or seven do not have the increased risk by age eight even if they were overweight previously.

National Institute for Public health and the Environment in Bilthoven Dr. Salome Scholtens said in a statement that the study results show that overweight children are at high risk to develop asthma symptoms versus their thinner and generally healthier counterparts.

The study included 3756 parents all of whom had children under the age of eight. The researchers requested parents report their child’s regular weight and any breathing difficulties or wheezing they noticed.

The children were tested at the end of the study for sensitivity of their airways to inhaled allergies.

The findings were that children who are overweight at age six or seven had a 68% higher risk of developing breathing difficulties and were 66% more likely to be diagnosed with ‘twitchy’ airways. Those with a normal rate were not placed at any additional risk.

- Be Where It’s Safer For Your Asthma Or Allergy Attacks:

Are you the type of person who dreads the arrival of spring season because you are allergic to pollens? When you were a kid or now as an adult, do you usually suffer from asthma or allergic attacks?

If you belong to any of these two categories, then it is a must for you to know that there are states or cities in the country which are more allergy-prone than others.

Every year, the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA) publishes a list of the areas in the country which have the greatest risk for allergy prone individuals, as well as those who frequently suffer from asthma attacks.

Their basis is whether a city or state has a longer pollinating season; the level of traffic and factory smog; the possibility of mold growth in the air; the spore levels and the number of Board Certified Allergists per patient in the area.

Cats can be so much fun. They love to play. Put a string on a stick and they will bat it for a very long time.

They like their fur petted and their bodies rubbed. Rubbing up against your leg is their way of saying hello.

Your cat likes to stay close to you. You are his best friend. It is too bad that now you are starting to sneeze when he jumps into your lap.

The allergy symptoms you are starting to have such as teary eyes and a runny nose are beginning to make you wonder, “Am I allergic to my cat?” The sad truth is that you probably are.

Purifiers

When you have a cat, there will be a lot of dander flying around in the air. You will want to buy a home air purifier to help with this problem.

You can buy purifiers that reduce airborne triggers by almost 100 %. Room humidifiers will zap awful dust mites, pet dander, and of course, mold spores. These machines are usually quiet in your home.

Vacuum

A good vacuum is necessary if you are allergic to your cat. You need to vacuum carpets and any surfaces that your cat has touched frequently.

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has recently called for the manufactures of asthma drugs that fall into the category of leukotriene receptors to be labeled with a warning to consumers that the drug use may heighten or cause neuropsychiatric events.

A few of the more common drugs that fall under this umbrella include Singulair, Zyflo, and Accolate.

The FDA warned in a statement on its website that use of the drug has been connected with postmarket cases of hallucinations, depression, aggression, anxiousness, suicidal thinking, insomnia, and tremors among other related psychological concerns.

The FDA also formally warned that if you or a family member experience any of these symptoms while taking one of the asthma medicines you should immediately talk to your doctor who can help decide if you need to discontinue the drug in lieu of an alternative treatment.

Back in March 2008 the FDA announced that it was investigating asthma drugs for a link to suicidal behavior but reported they had not yet identified one in January of 2009 until the present announcement was released on Friday.

There are more than 35 million people in America who dread the approach of spring and the pollen it brings.

If you suffer from pollen allergies, your child is more likely to have seasonal allergies also known as hayfever.

In fact, your child is 75 to 80 percent likely to develop allergies if both parents have allergies.

Many children develop allergies around age 5 or 6, although allergies can develop at any time from infancy to adult hood.

How can you spot a possible pollen allergy in your child? Look for these clues:

• Frequent sneezing
• Watering eyes
• Symptoms of a cold that do not include fever but last for more than 10 days
• Recurrent ear or sinus infections
• Frequent coughing, clearing of the throat, or talking with a hoarse voice

Here are some ways to limit your child’s exposure to pollen, which can trigger allergies and allergy symptoms:

• Avoid being outside on days when pollen levels are high. Pollen counts are typically lower after a heavy rain, or in the late afternoon.
• Use air conditioning rather than opening windows.
• Choose plants for your yard that have lower levels of pollen.

A new discovery about how asthma develops is hoped to help scientists find new treatment options that work better according to the National Academy of Sciences.

The study reported that people who suffer from asthma have airways that become more muscular as the disease progresses making the airways more susceptible to allergens.

An area of the muscle growth called the SCA2 is thought to be instrumental in the growth rate, thus scientists hope that if drugs could be administered that slow the muscle growth then lung damage can be reduced or prevented altogether.

Research leader Professor Tak Lee commented that while there are other factors involved in the changes that occur in airways, the SERCA2 levels are thought to be the most important factor which is why it is the focus in reducing the chronic nature that asthma is thought to have currently.

The connection was found by studying people who suffered from moderate asthma where muscle cells were still reduced.

Further research proved that if SERCA2 was removed from people without asthma normal muscle cells started to respond in the same manner of asthma which means preserving SERCA2 may be the answer to curing asthma.

Corn is a vegetable that can come in numerous forms. It has been around for thousands of years.

Corn originally came from teosinte, which is a wild grass, in Mexico. The Indians once ate a lot of corn as a staple to their diets.

People say that corn was there on the first Thanksgiving.

There is nothing like a hot piece of corn, with fresh country butter on it, as a side dish.

Corn may be the one vegetable that you really love, but you are allergic to it. Living a life with a corn allergy is no fun, but it can be manageable with the right information.

Allergic Reactions

If you are allergic to corn then you may suffer from one or more symptoms. You may have an asthma attack if you are allergic to corn. This will surface in shortness of breath when you eat something that has corn present in it.

Other symptoms that will occur are a headache that you feel coming on, and a rash starting to form on your body. Swelling in your throat, anaphylaxis, and a drop in your blood pressure are also signs that you are allergic to corn.

According to a report in the latest edition of the Journal of Allergy and ClinicalImmunology, obesity may cause a patient to become unresponsive to certain asthma medications.

The study revealed that the effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids was reduced by more than 50% in overweight individuals.

The team of researchers, headed by Dr. Sutherland, studied over 1,200 patients with persistent asthma of varying degrees of severity. 53% of the patients had a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 kg/m2.

The research concentrated on the forced expiratory volume (FEV) of the overweight patients as compared to that of the leaner patients.

Although there were some differences between the two BMI groups in terms of FEV, Dr. Sutherland concludes that they are negligible when considered alongside the lack of difference in other important measures of asthma such as exhaled nitric acid level, morning peak expiratory flow rate, number of skin allergies and hyperresponsiveness of the airway to methacholine.

However, obesity did have an effect on the response of the patients to medication. Such patients exhibited reduced improvement in lung function in response to asthma treatments involving inhaled glucocorticoid and beta agonist.

If you have severe asthma, then this is something you may battle everyday of your life.

Asthma robs your lungs of the very air you breathe and will make you feel miserable.

Anything within reason, without jeopardizing your health, is worth trying in the fight against asthma.

You may use an inhaler now or a breathing machine several times a day, and this may give you some relief.

Even though there is no known cure for asthma, you can still use natural techniques that can help you in your fight. You should speak with your doctor before trying products that promise they will cure your asthma.

Sweet Honey

When you have asthma, mucus can build up in your respiratory system. This mucus can prevent air from flowing freely. Mucus can make an asthma attack worse.

If you drink one teaspoon of honey in eight ounces of water every day, it can help thin out this mucus and make you feel better. Honey mixed with other herbs will help with different aspects of asthma also.

A Spanish woman, who has been selling lottery tickets in Madrid for over 20 years has developed Asthma since changing her system of checking winning/losing ticket with a point-of-sale terminal.

Researchers believe that the chemicals used in the production of the terminal and the paper used in these terminals has a covering of N-Propyl-acrylamide and acrylate tints.

Point-of-sale terminals are used all over the world, when you pay with your credit card you are using a point-of-sale terminal.

The woman noticed that soon after arriving at work she would start coughing; feel short of breath and wheezy. But she did not consult a Doctor until two years after noticing the symptoms of asthma although she sought emergency asthma treatment on three occasions.

After tests were completed it was discovered that the woman was allergic to the acrylate tints in the paper. Other employees at printing companies have contracted the occupational asthma after working in the printing business.

On her first examination, bronchial and other breathing tests were performed and the results showed no asthma illness.