Asthma Attack Blog


Asthma Attack Triggers

Although in asthma the underlying airway inflammation is always there, an asthma attack can be triggered or worsened by a number of factors. There are two types of asthma attack triggers;

Allergens and Irritants

* Common asthma allergens include pollen, animals and house-dust mites.
* Common asthma irritants include cold air, cigarette smoke and chemical fumes.

An allergen is a substance that causes asthma attack symptoms by bringing about an allergic reaction. An irritant is a substance that precipitates an asthma attack by aggravating the airways.

Keeping a diary of the times and circumstances that precipitates your asthma attack or causes your asthma to worsen can help you and your doctor pinpoint exactly what your asthma triggers are. Once you have identified your asthma triggers, you can take steps to deal with them.

Showing posts with label What Is Asthma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What Is Asthma. Show all posts

Saturday, 4 August 2012

Asthma Facts Everybody Ought To Know

Are you aware of the asthma facts that one must take into consideration? One important asthma fact is that it's not only a disease found in children but it is also a respiratory condition in most adults. Some may neglect this asthma fact thinking that one is no longer susceptible to asthma as he gets older. Well, you thought wrong.


As people grow up, they become more open to harmful elements from the environment and the ones with asthma are no exception, they are even more prone to having asthma attacks. The environment is only one factor that people with asthma need to look out for, there are still many and one's lifestyle is one of them. Most people differ on how they live their lives and as one ages, the body's defense decreases which makes it easier for asthma to create more damage to the body. One's lifestyle may be hard to change but if he is trying to get rid of asthma, he must choose a lifestyle that will help relieve his condition and not make it worse. If one does not know how to properly handle asthma, life may be difficult for him and worst, he might not survive at all.


Asthma is common in children, but others get a hold of it at a later stage due to exposure to allergens. Having asthma is not easy so it is essential that people will remember a main asthma fact and that is asthma can develop depending on one's life conditions. Choosing to live life the healthy way may minimize occurrence of asthma attacks. In order to do that, one must be careful in choosing what he eats and drinks. Furthermore, one requires ample rest and sleep. If one refuses to have a healthy lifestyle, then asthma may progress and may cause more negative effects. Most people easily get tired of having to deal with asthma episodes especially when it keeps them from doing things they love to do.


One must also keep in mind that asthma doesn't have a specific treatment. Even though it can be considered as a respiratory disease that one can manage, according to asthma facts, it can be controlled by having the right diet and by making exercise a habit. It will also be wise to have regular visits to the doctor so that the condition will be monitored. One must also take note of foods that may cause allergies. There are times that allergic reactions will further result to serious conditions for those people with asthma so it is necessary for one to be aware of things that he needs to avoid.


A healthy way of life is the perfect solution to asthma attacks. Even with the presence of allergens in the environment, things will be properly dealt with through a healthy lifestyle.


Read more information about asthma health tips. You can find a lot of information about asthma facts on my website. Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.

Saturday, 28 July 2012

Asthma Diet: Is It A Hoax Or Not?

Did you know that an asthma diet can eliminate the risk of having asthma attacks? If you are asthmatic, you must be wondering if it is even possible. But if you study your condition closely, you will realize that asthma attacks only happen when it is triggered. Therefore, it can be avoided if you prevent yourself from the triggers. Asthma is a disease that can't be truly taken out of our body but it can definitely be controlled when you follow the proper methods. Avoiding the triggering factors of asthma may be the most effective means to control it. An asthma diet includes all the systematic means to avoid asthma attacks. A walk through this article will shed light on these methods.


What To Consider In Preparing A Diet?


Having an asthma diet requires a thorough preparation. In needs you to consider all the factors that may trigger asthma attacks and all the remedies that may be used in trying to counter the attack. In the following list are the steps in making a better diet plan:


* Maintain a healthy food and physical diet. One of the things that cause asthma is food. You see, asthma is a respiratory disease that affects the passage ways of air that you breathe. This means that if you are fond of eating fatty foods that lets you gain weight, you will be affecting the space that your respiratory system need. When an asthma attack happens, an obese person may have a hard time retrieving his breaths because his lungs are pressed with excess fats. Exercise and avoiding too much work also help.


* Allergy-causing food must be avoided. Foods often trigger allergies which are one of the most commonly known causes of asthma. Make list of these allergy-causing foods and try to avoid them every time you eat. This is also a good way of reminding you what to eat and what not to eat. Make the list handy so you can remind yourself.


* Visit your Doctor. Make a professional diagnosis about what type of asthma are you having. This is helpful in pointing out the proper actions and things that you must avoid. This also gives you a clear idea as to what kind of asthma diet that you should follow.


* Make your medications handy. One of the things why asthma diet is important is you get to make a list of the medications that you need. An asthma attack can happen anytime. So, making your medications handy is necessary. You don't want to be caught off-guard when having an attack. Asthma inhalers, for instance, should always be available whether in your pocket or in your bag. These medications prevent the damage that asthma posses.


* Observe your asthma. Asthma often develops as time goes. A mild asthma may evolve to a more serious one and vice versa. A change can affect even the type of asthma inhaler that you are using. It is important to keep track of its development so that you can adjust your asthma diet and medications.


It Is Your Best Defense


Your asthma diet is your best defense to the risk of asthma-caused damages. They are truly possible if prepared well. If you are asthmatic, there is no better way of trying to counter the ill effects of asthma to you than having a diet that both counters and prevents asthma. Start by knowing yourself well and by visiting your doctor today!


Asthma Diet can be achieved if you have the proper Asthma Inhaler that your doctor have prescribed. You can visit the author's website for more information about asthma. Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.

Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Healthy Diet for Asthma Patients

Asthma patients should be very careful about their diet. They should have an asthma diet plan in order to prevent unhealthy lifestyle. A healthy, nutritional, no-fat diet will help them stay away from the adverse affects of asthma. They may also prone to food allergies due to improper diet.


Turmeric:


Turmeric acts as a preventive and curative for asthma. It can be taken in any form. 1 tsp of turmeric everyday helps you prevent or cure asthma. It can be taken either with honey or warm milk. Take 1 tsp of turmeric mixed in 2 tsp honey on empty stomach. (Or) Take 1 tsp of turmeric mixed in a small glass of warm milk two times a day.


Helpful Diet for Asthma Patients:


• Coffee helps to control the severity of the attack. This is because of the caffeine present in it. Caffeine makes breathing easy for asthma patients.


• Onions helps in controlling the inflammation of the airways. This is because onions have anti-inflammatory components.


• Spices like garlic, cumin seeds, long pepper, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are taken regularly for being healthy.


• Coming to the type of milk, goat's milk is very useful. Buffalo's and cow's milk should be avoided.


• Vitamin B supplements like green leafy vegetables and pulses should be taken in large amounts.


• Dried figs, which are rich in magnesium helps in improving the health of asthma patients.


• Whole meal bread, maize, jawar and millets which are also very useful for asthma patients.


• Vegetables such as spinach, bitter gourd, pumpkin and green banana and fruits like grapes, raisins and papaya are preferred.


• Hot foods like chilli, hot mustard helps in dilating the air passages by opening the mucus and thus helps in easy breathing.


Avoidable Foods for Asthma Patients:


• Buffalo's milk and cow's milk should be completely avoided.


• Fatty food products like cheese should be avoided.


• Food products that contain preservatives and added colour should be avoided, as these may cause irritation and allergy.


• Should be completely away from wine and beer.


• Legumes and roots should be kept away.


• Eggs, fish and nuts should not be taken.


• Cool drinks, citrus fruits and sour fruits should be avoided.


• Dairy products, chocolates, cakes, muffins, bread and white sugar should be avoided.


• Salt intake should be reduced. This can be substituted with spices which add more flavour and taste to the food.


• Fish that contain omega 3 fatty acids can be consumed in small amounts but should not be taken in large quantities.


Diet that should be taken at night:


Asthma patients should take proper care of their diet at night. They should take a very light diet at night and follow their asthma diet plan. This is because of the inactivity of the metabolic rate. The digestive system is inactive and the metabolic rate is very low at night. Because of this, heavy food may cause irritation. Black pepper should be taken, as it has digestive stimulants, which helps in easy digestion of food.


It is even better to skip food at night. Instead of food, it is advised to take coffee or tea with ginger added to it.


To know more about facts and information about asthma, visit my blog to read more about asthma health tips. Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

How to Stop an Asthma Attack Without an Inhaler

You can learn some amazing tools to stop an asthma attack without an inhaler--as long as you have your inhaler filled and ready as your back-up. Your body can stop the attack with these suggestions. I'll teach you how right now!


As a sufferer of adult-onset asthma I know what it's like to be faced with the terrifying moment of not being able to breath. I nearly "checked out" six separate times. I'm going to teach you 5 powerful ways to stop an asthma attack without an inhaler--but be 100% certain you have an inhaler available and that it is full. Inhalers are not the enemy; they are life-saving tools that you should always use if or when these tools don't bring immediate & satisfactory relief. Remember, your inhaler can save your life. Use it if you need it!


Tip #1: Sit down. Too simple? No. It's crucial. It's much easier to breathe sitting than any other position. Sit down and stay seated until your breath is fully back under your control. The dishes will wait. Your schedule will wait. Your "to-do list" will wait. Think about it. If you're not around to do your dishes, your schedule or your "to-do list" then there's no point. Sit and stay seated. Breathing is much easier.


Tip #2: Drink some more clean, un-carbonated water. Your lungs run on water to pump air. That's right. Not enough water means not enough pumping of air. The water needs to be clean, flat (un-carbonated) with nothing else in it. Tea doesn't count, nor coffee, nor soup. Just water. Part of the reason you have asthma is due to a shortage of clean water in your system. Time to fill up!


Tip #3: Put a small pinch of salt on your tongue after two glasses of water and let it dissolve on your tongue. This strange recipe can be miraculous. The order is crucial. First drink two full (tall) glasses of water and then follow that with a small pinch of salt on the tongue. Think of it as salty candy and just let it dissolve. The ideal is good quality sea salt--but any salt will work. It can be a life-saving recipe for you.


Tip #4: Hold your middle finger while you're sitting down. Take your hand and wrap all the fingers around the middle (longest) finger of the other hand. No, it's not a "pull my finger" joke (though it may look like it!). It's a powerful energetic Mudra (secret hand-clasping technique for healing) that is thousands of years old and quite amazing. It doesn't matter whether you hold onto your left or right middle finger, just wrap all the fingers of one hand around the opposite middle finger and hold gently. No pulling, rubbing, squeezing or massaging is required. Just hold. Hold it until your breath FULLY normalizes. Sometimes that's 30 seconds, sometimes 4 to 6 minutes and sometimes (for folks like myself who managed to never use an inhaler - NOT something I recommend!) it's hours. Find out for yourself how reliable and powerful this is.


Tip #5: Do something SIMPLE with your terrified mind to pull down your anxiety. Not so easy. However, it's possible to use something so simple that your anxiety WILL drop. The simplest is to put your attention on objects in the room or place you find yourself in and trace curved lines with your eyes. What? Look for objects in your environment that have curved edges (not straight lines) and trace those curves with your eyes. Good objects like lamps, vases and rounded table corners are everywhere. If that's too stressful to find, just imagine circles, spheres and curved lines in the air in front of you and trace those with your eyes. You'll be amazed at how this neurological "trick" pulls down anxious thoughts.


All 5 tips can (and should) be done together for best results. Sit. Drink 2 tall glasses of water. Pinch of salt dissolving on the tongue. Then hold your middle finger and trace curved lines with your eyes. Wait until your FULL breath is FULLY under your control before you slowly return to your life. With these simple steps you CAN return to your life, instead of checking out. We need you here!


You'll find all kinds of healing and anti-stress tools that are completely FREE on my website: http://www.HuntersHealingCalls.com. They are available to you 24/7 every day of the year. That means you can access them at 3 a.m. when your chest feels tight and you need some help. The audio tools were designed for exactly this purpose; to let me lead you through energetic processes to help you. Please be sure (as this article stresses) you have your inhaler nearby, you are seated, you've had your water + salt and you're holding your middle finger. You'll make tremendous progress not only when you're in trouble, but if you use these tools frequently (when you're not in the midst of an attack) you'll see remarkable progress with your breathing.


Warmest wishes and here's to your easy, gentle and un-encumbered breath! Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.

Saturday, 7 July 2012

5 Healthy Tips for Bronchial Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

With the holiday season fast approaching and with added travel and holiday stress, a change in sleeping behavior may affect your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here are some helpful tips this holiday season that may help prevent exacerbation of asthma or COPD. The common symptoms of bronchial asthma are nighttime cough, wheezing and shortness of breath. The common exacerbation cause of bronchial asthma is respiratory tract infection, postnasal drip, gastroesophagel reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn.


1. Sleep adequately. You will want to sleep a little longer and go to bed earlier by the start of the holiday season if you feel there will be sleep deprivation on the weekend if you are planning to stay up late. Maybe, if this is the case, you will want to start going to bed a half an hour to an hour earlier from now on so that it helps the immunity and prevents infection.


2. Avoid junk food. Needless to say, it is very tempting but it may be a good idea to replace junk food snacks with good and healthy foods, thereby preventing bronchospasm, mucus formation, and nighttime symptoms of bronchial asthma. Cookies, pasties, etc., have refined sugar, which cause mucus formation and bronchospasm. Making sure a high-fiber diet is continued during the holiday season so there are normal bowel movements every day in the morning helps to prevent bronchospasm. If one is not getting a high-fiber diet regularly, he/she may help with starting one. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps. Apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, carrots, cabbage, and spinach to name a few, are good sources of healthy fiber. Understanding the basics of the diet and what needs to be avoided on a regular basis may help prevent exacerbation of asthma. Avoid dairy products such as cold food, ice cream (produces bronchospasm and mucus), bananas (increases sputum production and chest congestion), cold water or ice water or ice drinks also increase bronchospasm and replace them with room temperature water or drinks. Just like cold weather makes asthma worse, so do cold liquids and drinks which create winter inside the body. It slows stomach digestion, producing bronchospasm. We have seen in our practice that stopping this has decreased the need of a rescue inhaler by more than 50% in about 6 weeks in many asthma patients and in many after only a few months. It may help if one is looking for ideas that help to decrease the need for rescue inhaler use.


3. Compliance with the treatment of bronchial asthma. Continue the regular inhalers, nebulizers and other medication as prescribed by your health care professional. Understand the correct technique of the inhaler or nebulizer. Get familiar with the medication and its normal dose, the maximum dose that is allowed and its common side effects. If you feel that you are getting any of the side effects, let your doctor know about it. Make sure you rinse your mouth after the use of the inhaler or nebulizer to prevent oral thrush.


Use the peak flow meter to check the asthma symptoms and keep a log of it. If one is a smoker than smoking cessation is the key to improve health, otherwise bronchial asthma or COPD will not get better and with time it will get worse. Inhalers or medication will not work with ongoing smoking. A person can end up with respiratory failure and be on a ventilator with ongoing smoking if asthma or COPD exacerbation cannot be controlled with nebulizers, steroids and antibiotics. Smoking cessation is key.


4. Exercise. Regular exercise helps to prevent the bronchospasm and chest congestion. In patients with exercise-induced bronchospasm, they may need to take the inhaler prior to work out. This is equally true for the patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as bronchial asthma patients.


5. Yoga and Pranayama. Pranayama are the breathing exercises of yoga. One may learn Pranayama and many other exercises of yoga to reduce stress from a local yoga instructor, which may help prevent bronchospasm, chest congestion, and nighttime wheezing. Yoga exercise is very different from a regular work out or aerobic exercise. After yoga, one may feel more relaxed and calm. Both exercises have their own merits and limitations and based on one's personality one may favor one over the other. The goal is to do one or both than none at all.


In our practice, we have patients with severe persistent bronchial asthma symptoms on round-the-clock inhalers and nebulizers with multiple modalities of treatment and exercise. Yoga has shown such improvement in some patients that they do not need a need of inhalers or nebulizers. The point here is to say that yoga exercise and/or other regular or aerobic exercises do help if one does them regularly and helps the asthma symptoms as well as overall health when done regularly along with medical treatment. Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.

Friday, 22 June 2012

Yoga in Your Asthma Action Plan

An asthma action plan is often a written program that lets you know how to reply to bronchial asthma signs. The aim would be to avoid flare-ups with good every day control and recognizing signs and symptoms of the flare-up earlier. Additionally it is essential to accept proper medication on the proper time. You do not need to discontinue for the medication you've been using but should you choose some all-natural stuff you can enhance your bronchial asthma and you might not need to take those medications.


Yoga is probably the most beneficial healing methods theoretically as well as in practice and it needs to be included in your Asthma Action Plan. It generally includes several unique breathing routines with meditation. Yoga has been practiced more than 5000 years. What exactly is special about these yoga exercises is they could be used by anybody, no matter creed, age, color or religion. Yoga promotes enhanced breathing. The breathing exercise in yoga shows you proper breathing together with your complete inhaling and exhaling mechanism. Your energy is increased through the improved breathing.


The main element to deep breathing exercises is by using the abdomen, not mainly your chest. Breathe in a deep breath using your nose (to the count to 4) and after that push the stomach out. Doing that in effect pulls the diaphragm all the way down. Your diaphragm is really a powerful body muscle, which has the effect of pulling down the lung area, which allows air traveling deep-down to the lung area. Whenever you breathe out using your mouth (to the count of four again), you have to do the reverse by sucking inside your abdomen, with your abdominal. The effects of puling your abdomen in forces your diaphragm to move up and efficiently forces the strongly exhale the lung area.


Within the ancient training of yoga there's a method of inhaling and exhaling exercises which is called pranayama. The term pranayama comes from the word 'prana', which means vital oxygen. In wider terms the word prana suggests for the life which is obvious in all of the vital activities of the living being. Prana is the life force that stays in action up until the time a living being is alive.


The goal of breathing exercises would be to relax the chest area muscles which are overworked and to teach a person to leave the routine of utilizing the chest area muscles for breathing and begin utilizing the stomach muscles and also the diaphragm. For understanding the appropriate utilization of diaphragm and lower chest the asthma sufferer should begin focusing on breathing out instead of breathing in. If you wish to increase your asthma and breathing use this inhaling and exhaling exercise. Include it within your Asthma Action Plan and practice it on regular base. Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Easy Tips For Effective Asthma Monitoring

There are several easy to use strategies that can increase the effectiveness of any asthma treatment plan. Although your symptoms may be well managed by medications, it is important to remember that the more pro-active you are in managing your asthma, the more you will find that your symptoms are under control. Following these guidelines will give you the tools you need to live a healthier and more active life.


Developing an asthma action plan is one of the most important things you can do to live a happy healthy life even though you have asthma. An action plan should include all your important medical information that would be needed in case of a severe attack requiring emergency intervention. It should include a list of asthma triggers, the name a dosage of daily medications and the name and dosage of rescue medication, as well as emergency telephone numbers. Your plan will include a description of your asthma zones and the action to be taken for each zone. Gathering this information together and making sure it is readily available is much easier if you make it a part of a daily asthma diary.


An asthma diary is used to record all of your daily observations, possible triggers, PEF readings and a description of your asthma zones. Total honesty in recording your symptoms, no matter how small, is very important.


There are many sample asthma diary forms available online or you can design a chart that works for you. These forms can be organized neatly in an attractive folder system or in a loose leaf binder. Include a copy of your action plan at the beginning of your diary. The most important thing is to make sure to use this diary every day to get a more complete picture of how effective your treatment plan really is for your needs. Try to choose a format that is easily carried, so that you can take your diary with you. Another option is to have a portable diary and then transfer any information to your main one at the end of the day.


A record of peak expiratory flow, or PEF, readings in a key component your asthma diary. Measure your PEFs before you take any asthma medication. Compare your reading with your asthma zones. When you find that your reading is less than 80% of your recorded best reading, be prepared to take the appropriate action in your action plan.


Once you have been keeping your asthma diary for a while, it is important to evaluate the information you have gathered. Ask yourself about any changes in symptoms or increase in attacks and try to pinpoint the reasons.


Always take your asthma diary to your doctor visits and discuss any changes or problems that you have observed. Your doctor can review your medications and make necessary adjustment with the help of the valuable information you have gathered.


Being an active part of your asthma treatment is the best way to make sure that your asthma is well controlled, leaving you with as many symptom free days as possible. Trying some of the sensible tips in the article above is a good way to get started today. Providing quality reviews, articles and writings on asthma online.