Archive for July, 2007

For many people, asthma is a frustrating condition that prevents them to lead a normal life.

But, asthma prevention is possible when you avoid the symptoms, make possible long-term function functioning of airways, and decrease the risk of severe attacks.

Asthma prevention is possible when you and your family work about the asthma symptoms, identifying the causes for prevention and working for the better treatment.

For asthma prevention, you should take measures in avoiding allergens such as dust mites, mold, pollen, pets and certain foods.

Prevention of dust mites is possible with secure covers for bedding and changing the living accommodation. Smoking at home environment should be avoided.

If dust mites are the main  asthma triggers , you can reduce it by encasing mattresses and pillows in allergen-impermeable covers, removing carpets from bedrooms and vacuuming home regularly. Exposure to dust and mold can be reduced by lowering indoor humidity.

Other factors such as coloring materials and preservatives should be avoided. Once the allergy agents are avoided, you can prevent the disease. You should not allow the pets inside the bedroom.

Asthma inhalers are the main treatment for asthma. Several different types of medicine are taken in the form of inhalers for asthma treatment.

Asthma inhalers deliver variety of asthma medications, some that assist with long term control and others that provide quick relief symptoms.

There are different types of asthma inhalers: metered dose inhaler, dry powder inhaler and nebulizer.

Metered dose inhalers (MDI):

Metered dose asthma inhalers deliver exact dose of medication to the airways when you use it correctly. It is a portable device.

Unfortunately, asthma patients do not use the asthma inhalers correctly and do not receive the correct dosage. If you cannot use the inhaler properly, use a holding chamber.

Using metered dose inhaler:

Remove the cap from the mouthpiece and shake the inhaler. Breathe out to the end of the normal breathe. The mouthpiece end of the inhaler should be positioned 2 to 3 finger widths from your mouth. Open your mouth and tilt your head back slightly.

Start breathing slowly and then depress the container. Breathing should be continued until the lungs are full. Once full breathing is over, hold your breath for ten seconds or as long as you can. If you want to take a second puff, wait for a minute and repeat the steps.

You or your child is sensitive to proteins found in the milk! This sensitivity causes milk allergies.

Millions of people are suffering with milk allergies. It is an immune system’s response to cow’s milk.

Your immune system reacts against the proteins found in milk.

Cow’s milk is one of the most frequent food allergen because of one or more of the proteins. Milk allergies when come to your child they are often confused with lactose intolerance. Casein and whey are the two protein allergens in the milk.

Irrespective of the age all of you can get milk allergies at any point in your life, but they are most common in infants. According to American academy of pediatrics 2-3 percent of the infants have milk allergies. They go away on their own when your child reaches to 3-5 years old.

Symptoms of milk allergies:

There are 3 types of reactions comes from milk allergies.

Intestinal and stomach reaction:

• Abdominal pain and bloating
• Cramps
• Diarrhea
• Gas or wind
• Vomiting

Lung, nose and throat reactions:

• Coughing
• Itchy and watery eyes
• Runny nose
• Shortness of breath
• Sneezing

Thinking about how to cure your allergies? Here are the allergy prescription medicines which help you a lot.

You can choose a specific allergy prescription for your specific condition.

There are three basic strategies which can be used to treat and manage allergic conditions.

They include allergen avoidance, prescriptions, and immunotherapy. Among which allergy prescriptions are important in the treatment for allergic reactions.

Allergy prescription for common allergy symptoms:

Allergy prescription for allergic rhinitis:

The drugs that can relieve the symptoms of allergic rhinitis include antihistamines, nasal corticosteroids, nasal spray called ipratropium, and eye drops containing the drug cromolyn.

Antihistamines help against itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. Three effective allergy prescription antihistamines are available, which are allegra, Claritin and zyrtec.

Prescription antihistamine nasal sprays such as azelastine helps in relieving the symptoms of itchy, runny, stuffy nose, and sneezing.

Corticosteroid nasal sprays such as beclomethasone, budesonide, flunisolide, fluticasone, or Nasacort can work effective for preventing the symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

Allergy prescription such as eye drops called cromolyn can be used to treat and prevent the red and itchy eyes that are caused by allergies.

Allergy prescription for anaphylaxis:

Bronchial asthma is a disease caused by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to various stimuli.

The result is Paroxysmal constriction of the bronchial airways.

Bronchial asthma is a lung disease in which an obstructive ventilation disturbance of the respiratory passages evokes a feeling of shortness of breath.

The reason for shortness of breath is increased resistance to airflow in the airways. The respiratory musculature is unable to provide sufficient gas exchange despite its most strenuous efforts.

Therefore, it results in an asthma attack with spasms of bronchial musculature, edematous swelling of the bronchial wall and increased mucus secretion.

If the disease is in initial stage, you will be symptoms free for long periods of time in the intervals between the attacks.

As the disease advances, mucus secretion is increased between attacks, which in part builds up in the airways and can then lead to secondary bacterial infections. Bronchial asthma is usually intrinsic, but sometimes it is caused by a specific allergy.

Periodic attacks of wheezing alternating with periods of normal breathing occurs in bronchial asthma patients. In some people, bronchial asthma alternate between chronic shortness of breath and episodes of even worse shortness of breath. Bronchial asthma is closely related to regular asthma.

Frankly speaking there is no cure for allergy. You can find tons of allergy medicines.

Allergy medicines can only help with the problem but they won’t cure your allergy.

You can find both over-the-counter and prescription allergy medicine to relieve from the symptoms.

Both these medications include antihistamines, decongestants, corticosteroids, combination medicines and many others [Long-term allergy medications].

The allergy medicine that won’t works for you will work better for some others.

But most of you will get a question that how to choose an allergy medicine among such huge amount of collection. So in order to get proper knowledge to choose which type of medicine works better, you should know the below information.

The main type of allergy medicine used to treat allergies is antihistamine. It is drug that helps in blocking the release of histamines from your body. Histamine is a chemical in the body that when reacts with some allergens such as mold, pollen dust and so on produces allergy symptoms.

The symptoms may be itching, sneezing, sniffling, and nasal stuffiness. Antihistamine is an allergy medicine which helps you greatly in relieving those symptoms.

Acute asthma is defined as an acute exacerbation of wheezing, showing lack of responsiveness to effective therapy and necessitating emergency care.

Acute asthma is characterized as airway narrowing and inflammation, hyperinflation, impairment of pulmonary function, alveolar ventilation alterations and hypoxaemia.

In acute asthma, your diaphragm and chest walls become exhausted and the ability to adequately ventilate the air sacs in the lungs fall.

Enough oxygen does not get into the blood and therefore excess carbon dioxide cannot be removed.

Acute asthma symptoms:

Symptoms are similar to usual attack like wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. In acute asthma, symptoms persist and can even change in nature. Acute asthma attack can be frightening to you and the persons around you.

You become quiet and calm and focus on the struggle to breathe. Breathing becomes labored. Wheeze becomes louder, expiration is longer and inspiration is a short harsh gulp. The symptoms continue after using reliever medications or returns quickly after using it.

You may not be able to use peak flow and trying it under these circumstances can often make asthma worse. When situation worsens, your airways become clogged and air movement lessens.

You might have observed that in each spring, summer, and fall some tiny particles are released from trees, weeds, and grasses.

These particles are called as pollen. The main aim of pollen is to fertilize the parts of other plants but they never do that.

Instead they enter into the human noses and throats resulting in a type of allergic reaction called as pollen allergies.

Pollen allergies can also be referred as allergic rhinitis, hay fever or rose fever. If you have pollen allergies then you may also experience trouble with the particles that are present all year, such as dust mites.

The types of pollen that most commonly cause allergic reactions are produced by the plain looking plants that do not have showy flowers. Pollen can be able to travel many miles in the wind. So, the trees, grass, and weeds in your general area can cause allergy and asthma symptoms.

Pollen allergies are often referred to as seasonal ones. When the amount of pollen count is high in the atmosphere, allergy and asthma will occur. In the spring season pollen from trees is highest.

Most of you believe that you are allergic to chocolate.

But this is not the fact, you are not allergic to chocolate, instead you are allergic to the ingredients of cocoa that is used in chocolates.

Cause of chocolate allergy:

Chocolate allergy is mainly caused by an intolerance or allergy to one or more of the other ingredients or food additives in chocolate.

The ingredients of cocoa include milk, nuts, caffeine, corn syrup, soy lecithin, Phenyl-ethylamine, Theo-bromine, dyes, and gluten.

Some unclean facilities where chocolate is packed may also contain some unintentional additives including mouse droppings, some insect parts, or trace amount of rats, when consumed may cause an allergic reaction.

In the countries other than United States often chocolates have less stringent regulations for listing trace ingredients in foods. There is variety of different symptoms of chocolate allergy.

Symptoms of chocolate allergy:

• Acne
• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Confusion
• Coronary problems
• Depression
• Eczema
• Feeling of anger
• Headaches
• Hay fever
• Heartburn
• Hives
• Irritability
• Rectal itching
• Skin irritation

Sometimes chocolate allergy may also cause asthma if you are sensitive to more than one ingredient of the chocolate. In severely allergic people, chocolate allergy may trigger anaphylaxis.

There are many things that can trigger asthma attack including cold air, exhaustion, smoke, dust, lung infection and stress [Asthma Triggers].

Sometimes, you can have side effects from asthma medications.

Right herbs for asthma help to catch your breath and also reduce attacks by strengthening your lungs and immune system.[Herbs for common ailments]

Here are some of the common and most effective herbs for asthma.

Common herbs for asthma:

Garlic: Garlic cloves contain chemicals that can improve your blood circulation and decrease inflammation. Garlic can be taken in capsule or liquid form. The strong odor of garlic helps you to take deeper breaths. It is one of the most effective herbs for asthma.

Ephedra: Ephedra has been used successfully to prevent allergies of hay fever as well as asthma. But, when it is taken over a long period, its benefits may decrease. You can get this herb from food store and as it has stimulating effect, you have to avoid this herb at night. Misuse of this drug can cause deaths.