The Rise of Allergies and Asthma

                    

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It is estimated that over half of Americans between the ages of 6 and 59 would test positive to one or more allergens. It is believed about one quarter of these people would be allergic to dust mites, ragweed or cockroaches. Surveys have shown that about ten million Americans are allergic to cats. Two million are allergic to insect stings. According to The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic (i.e. long-term) disease.

The problem is not confined to the U.S. It is estimated that between forty and fifty per cent of children in North America, Western Europe and Australia have some form of allergy. Why is this a problem if you have asthma? The World Health Organization believes 90 per cent of asthma attacks are triggered by allergic reactions.

An allergy starts with the body?s increased sensitivity to something it perceives as a threat. The immune system overreacts to an allergen that for others is an innocent, harmless substance. We don?t know why some people become sensitized to an allergen and others do not, but it is believed that people inherit a tendency for allergies, although not to a specific substance.

Some experts believe the sensitivity is related to a child?s environment and lifestyle. They point to the increasing sales of antibacterial sprays and other cleaning agents. Today?s homes are generally cleaner. Children spend more time in the home and less time playing outside in the dirt. Consequently they are less exposed to potential allergens and denied the chance to develop immunity. This is believed to lead to allergic sensitization.

Studies have shown that children in a large family or who attend a daycare center are less likely to develop allergies. It has also been found that children who share their home with dogs and cats have less allergic reactions than those raised in a pet free household.

Pollen is a common allergy and asthma trigger. When these tiny particles enter the airways of someone sensitive to their presence proteins on the surface of the pollen and an enzyme also carried by the pollen cause an overreaction. The protein triggers the immune system and the enzyme interacts with the cells of the airways. This inflames the respiratory passages and leads to breathing difficulties.

Understanding this process may lead to new, more effective medications, but what can you do in the meantime? Firstly know the pollen count for your area. However be aware that the pollen count is usually taken the day before it is broadcast. It can be reduced by rain or cool weather, and increased by hot weather or short thunderstorms.

There are some easy preventative actions you can take for each type of allergy. If you have an allergic reaction during yard work and in damp places dispose of anything that smells moldy; if pets start a reaction regularly wash pets and their bedding; many allergies will improve if you do not smoke, especially at home and around your children.

If you find you have a food allergy vigilance is the best prescription. Today you can encounter food substances in the most unexpected places. There was a classic school experiment that involved burning a peanut and measuring how much energy it gave out. Now pupils burn another type of food. Some pupils discovered they were allergic to peanuts the hard way as the oils in the nut gave off fumes.

Now there is another food to treat with caution. Sesame seed allergy is one of the fastest growing allergies in the world. And don?t think you will only find the seed resting atop a bun. They are used in salad dressings, ethnic foods, baked goods and even soap.

So what can you do if you suspect you have an allergy or you may be asthmatic? First, become educated about the condition. Experts agree that knowledge is the best prescription.

Do some research. Consult your doctor. They may recommend tests to determine any allergies you have. If an allergy or asthma is identified there are medications, precautions and complementary therapies you can use to control your condition.

Above all do not believe that a diagnosis of allergy or asthma means you have to live a less active, enjoyable life. Our understanding of these conditions is incomplete, but we know enough to allow sufferers to take control.

David Kane is the author of ?Stop Asthma Now? and is giving away copies of his ?Guide to Allergy and Asthma Relief?. To get your copy visit the Stop Asthma Now - Asthma Relief eBook site while the offer lasts.

What Every Parent Should Know - Simple Ways New Parents Can Significantly Reduce Their Baby's Risk of Developing Asthma and Allergies

                    

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Childhood asthma and allergies have been on a steady increase worldwide, in the US alone there are more than 6 million children with asthma under the age of 18. Asthma drugs have potentially serious side effects and are not the optimal solution to asthma, particularly for children. During the last 15 years, there has been an alarming 160% increase in the rate of asthma in children under 5, sadly many of these children could have been prevented from ever developing asthma. The good news is you can do something to safeguard your child's health by taking a few simple measures in your own home.

According to experts, the major causes are home air pollutants with house dust mites being the worst, next to cockroaches and secondhand tobacco smoke. Although dust mites and the feces they produce are found in vast numbers in every home, don't despair: drastically reducing the population of these microscopic, spider-like insects is easily done by washing bedding in hot water weekly. Next, using zippered, plastic covers on pillows and mattresses will keep them from coming back. Since dust mites thrive in moist or humid conditions, it's important to lower your home's humidity level to less than 50% with a dehumidifier. Carpets, upholstered furniture, all dust and dust collecting objects should be removed from your baby's bedroom. It's also a good idea to keep pets out of your baby's bedroom, as pet dander is also a very common allergy and asthma trigger.

Cockroaches thrive in moist environments, so to discourage them from invading your home, be sure to fix all leaky pipes and plug up any holes in walls or near plumping. Since they love to feed off crumbs, food droppings or open food containers, keeping food in sealed containers and maintaining a clean kitchen will discourage them from taking up residence. Beware of using pesticides as they can trigger an asthma attack.

Secondhand smoke during pregnancy and after pregnancy should be avoided completely. If family members smoke, have them do it outside and don't let visitors smoke in your home. For women smokers who are planning a pregnancy, making an effort to quit smoking for the sake of their future baby's health is a wise choice. If your town or city has poor air quality, then you should invest in a HEPA air purifier to keep air born pollution to a minimum inside your home.

Food allergies in infants and children can be life threatening and are also known to contribute to the development of asthma. Delaying the introduction of potentially allergenic foods to your baby is a good preventative strategy. Mothers who breastfed for at least 4 to 6 months can benefit their babies with stronger immune systems too. If breastfeeding is not possible, then avoid feeding your child milk or soy based formulas, instead use partially pre-digested protein hydrolysate formulas.

It's best to feed your baby solid foods only after they are six months old, then vegetables, rice, meat, and fruit can be introduced to their diets. Trying each food one at a time makes it easier to identify and eliminate any foods that cause a reaction. When your baby reaches one year old, milk, wheat, corn, citrus and soy may be added. Wait until they are two years of age to serve them eggs. Next, when your child is 3 years old you can introduce fish and peanuts.

Taking these preventative measures will help ensure your baby a healthy childhood free from allergies and asthma. For more asthma prevention information visit: http://www.dramatic-asthma-relief.com/asthma-prevention.htmSusan Millar is a former asthma and allergy sufferer. She is a researcher and the author of "The Dramatic Asthma Relief Report", based on extensive research from internationally respected medical publications about genuinely effective alternative treatment for asthma & allergies, which helped her to eliminate her asthma and allergies. http://www.dramatic-asthma-relief.com/

Is Exercise Safe for Asthmatics?

                    

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An asthma patient generally has sensitive air passages, or airways, resulting in difficult breathing for the patient when these air passages are irritated from an atmospheric change.

As mentioned earlier, it is crucial to note that some sports will have a higher probability of inducing attacks in an asthmatic. However this does not mean that an asthmatic cannot exercise safely.

If an asthmatic is looking for a safe sport, researchers point to swimming as the best possible sport for asthmatics ??" as the breathing required rarely if ever causes chest tightness among swimmers. Although, participating in another form of exercise that would require exactly the same about of oxygen to circulate might not cause the same reaction in the participant. Your guide to asthma, symptoms, causes, treatment and more.

Of course, some asthmatics will experience acute attacks when they enter the swimming pool. Researchers needed to find an explanation, and it did not prove difficult to explain the reason. Some asthmatics are very sensitive to chlorine, as an irritant. Thus, it is not possible to state that swimmers who are asthmatic do not have attacks.

Running of any type is often a terrible idea for asthmatic patients as it will, in some people, trigger an almost immediate attack. However, recent treatment advances have enabled some athletes who were previously unable to run for more than a few seconds to adapt their exercise routines to include running.

If an asthma patient is in a situation where they are breathing heavily, it may trigger the start of an asthma attack. Common instances of heavy breathing include not only exercising, but also the breathing tests required for the diagnosis of asthma.

Yes, if you are an asthmatic you should exercise. There remain many choices for type of exercises and sports. Asthma-afflicted athletes should get an appointment with a sports medicine specialist who will be able to address athletic medical issues with the patient. The specialist may also be able to provide useful tips and innovative treatment methods to the asthmatic that other physicians might not have considered trying.

Sports which involve short bursts of activity interspersed with short periods of rest make great activities for the asthmatic. Some examples include; swimming, team sports like football or softball, volleyball and yoga or Pilates. Generally, the time required for exercise induced acute attacks to occur is six minutes of constant heavy breathing.

As inspiration to continue exercising and participating in sports, it is key to notice that many past Olympians have also been asthma sufferers who managed their condition carefully, with the input and treatment plan of their physician.

These steps, if followed in combination with a personalized asthma treatment plan, will help the patient to have a successful and healthy exercise routine: * Warm up properly, and do not forget to cool down. * Avoid exercising in dry, cold air. If it cannot be avoided, be sure to cover both mouth and nose. * Stay in good physical shape - Staying healthy will increase an athlete's ability to successfully avoid asthma attacks during exercise periods.

Many patients will require not just a preventative or reactive medication, but a tailored combination of both types of medications in order to provide them with maximum relief from their illness. Most physicians agree that the desired outcome it to get the maximum relief from the minimum amount of medication.

Diana for www.health-care-information.org Complete guide to asthma and asthma treatment.

Thoughts on Asthma Medication and Pregnancy

                    

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An asthma patient has particularly sensitive air passages, or airways, resulting in difficult breathing for the patient when these air passages are irritated from an introduced substance or atmospheric change.

Asthma medications frequently need to be reviewed by a patient's physician in order to ensure that the medication continues to be effective for the patient in controlling and preventing the onset of asthma attacks. Your guide to asthma, symptoms, causes, treatment and more.

Many patients will require not just a preventative or reactive medication, but a tailored combination of both types of medications in order to provide them with maximum relief from their illness. Most physicians agree that the desired outcome it to get the maximum relief from the minimum amount of medication.

There is currently no cure available for asthma, however new discoveries in the medical research field are increasing the medications and techniques used to monitor and treat asthma in patients with the disease.

Among both children and adults, asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in countries including the United States and much of Europe. Because asthma is considered a chronic illness, treatment regimens for patients must be followed accordingly in order to reduce the affects and ongoing health problems that can result from mismanagement of the condition.

Pregnant women who suffer from asthma need to monitor and treat their asthma correctly, not only for their own health but for that of their unborn child. It is perhaps never more important for a woman asthmatic to stay in touch with their treating physician than when they are pregnant.

Although there is much concern of the safety of medications taken during pregnancy, most of the commonly used asthma medications have been proven to be both safe and effective. Although no new asthma medications (or other medications, for that matter) will ever undergo direct testing on pregnant women due to the serious risks and implications facing the developing company.

Some asthma medications have proven through repeated usage over many years, that they are not only effective in treating asthma and safe for the unborn child, but also that they provide protection of the unborn child from afflictions like oxygen deprivation that might occur as a result of the mother's asthma condition.

Physicians and researchers agree that it is imperative for pregnant women to continue their treatment plan for their asthma. There is no risk associated with treatment medications that is large enough to counteract the benefits to the unborn baby as a result of keeping its mother healthy.

Diana for www.health-care-information.org Complete guide to asthma and asthma treatment.

Triggers vs. Causes of Asthma

                    

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For asthma patients the day-to-day management of the disease becomes an important part of everyday life. Controlling asthma means paying careful attention to the causes and triggers of the asthma.

The " trigger factors ", or " triggers ", of asthma are used to describe the things that can cause an attack in someone who already has asthma.

It is something that sets off an attack, but which does not make a patient asthmatic in the first place.

A " cause" is something without which an effect (such as asthma) will not happen.

That is, a cause is something without which the patient would not be asthmatic. There may be more than one cause for an asthma attack.

However, there is a lot of confusion surrounding these terms.

If a patient has an allergy to cats, dogs, pollen, mould in wallpaper or house dust mites that cause asthma many describe them as "triggering an attack".

By demoting causes, by calling them triggers, makes people think they are not so important, and that maybe they should just keep using their inhalers instead of making efforts to root out the causes of their asthma and remove these from their environment.

For example, if you don't have asthma, or your asthma is well controlled, then a cold will not give you any of the symptoms of asthma.

So in this sense, it is fair to call the cold a " trigger factor " for asthmatics.

But if an asthmatic has an attack whenever they go near dogs, when dogs have been the cause of asthma (for instance; the reason they have asthma is because of dogs) , going near a dog can trigger an attack.

In other words, a dog can be a cause of asthma 'and' also a trigger of an attack.

Concentrating only on the triggering of the attacks misses the really important point that contact with dogs was a cause of the asthma in the first place.

Asthma sufferers will want to avoid both causes and triggers of asthma, but the causes are more serious nature. If there was no cause and the asthma didn't exist, the triggers would do absolutely no harm.

Asthma - triggers vs causes ...

*?When talking about diseases, it is important to distinguish between causes and triggers.

*?A trigger for asthma is something which sets off an attack, but which does not make you asthmatic in the first place.

*?A cause is something without which an effect (such as asthma) would not be happening. That is, a cause is something without which you would not be asthmatic.

Learn More About Symptoms and How You Can Treat and Live with Asthma at Asthma-Explained.com/asthma-symptoms.html

Why Are So Many Children Getting Asthma?

                    

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Why Are So Many Children Getting Asthma?
By Deborah Mumm

Go to any grade school or high school sporting event! Take a peek at the sideline bench and note how many inhalers you see. Did you know that the number one reason children miss school is asthma? Why the explosion of asthma and respiratory problems in children?
4 Reasons Respiratory Problems are on the Rise!

1) Couch Potato Generation kids weigh more, exercise less and spend more time indoors.
2) Too much antibiotic use - Immune systems never get much opportunity to fight infections, and then react abnormally to airborne contaminants.
3) Air Pollution Pollution does not cause asthma but can be a trigger for an attack. Cars and factories now have stricter controls on emissions but the problem is still there.
4) Indoor Air Pollution 20 years ago no one ever heard of Indoor Pollution! Since the Energy Crisis in the 70s, buildings became more energy efficient. This meant all pollutants became trapped inside. Many of the items we furnish our home and school with are outgassing contaminants continually. Carpeting, curtains, cleaning products, particleboard furniture and more! With people spending 90-% of their days indoors, this becomes a problem!

7 Things You Can Do To Protect Your Kids from Allergy & Asthma Reactions!

1) Watch for days when pollen counts are high and restrict vigorous exercise on hot days.
2) Avoid Wood Stoves and fireplaces in the home and NEVER allow smoking in the home of an asthmatic.
3) Keep pets out of the bedrooms.
4) Make sure kitchen, bathrooms, and basement are well ventilated to cut down on mold in humidity.
5) Put pillows and mattresses in allergen-impermeable covers to cut down exposure to dust mites.
6) Use non-toxic cleaning products and avoid perfumes and scented products.
7) A filter-less air purifier is highly recommended since a filter can only capture a small portion of allergens.
To learn more about products for a healthier indoor environment, please visit my website at www.myhealthysolutions.com or register here for my monthly issue of
My Healthy Solutionsan online newsletter to help you and your family with allergies and asthma at subscribe@myhealthysolutions.com .

Deborah Mumm has been helping families and business with Indoor Air, Water and Nutrition issues since 1996. Her website is http://www.myhealthysolutions.com

HIV/Aids: Womens Vulnerability and Risk.Osoro P.J. Nyawangah

How women are at risk!
Despite intensive HIV/Aids prevention methods, more public awareness of the killer disease, AIDS is not losing momentum. By the turn of the century, the epidemic worldwide will have left behind 11.2 million orphans- with both parents having died of AIDS and many of the children having the disease themselves.The number of women living with HIV/AIDS has been steadily increasing over the past decade. 95% of people with HIV/Aids reside in developing countries; a proportion that is likely to grow as infection rates continue to rise in countries where poverty, poor health system and limited resources fuel the spread of the virus.AIDS now ranks as one of the leading causes of death for women between the ages of 20 and 40 in parts of Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and North America. In Sub-Saharan Africa, rates among women have now surpassed those among men: women now account for 55% of all infections, and rates of infection among pregnant women are extremely high in many countries. According to the recent UNAIDS report, Sub- Sahara Africa continues to be worst hit with close to 70% of the global total of those with HIV:AFRICA58%.NORTH ASIA/MIDDLE EAST55%,SOUTH/SOUTH-EAST ASIA36%,EAST ASIA/PACIFIC24%,LATIN AMERICA30%, CARRIBEAN50% EAST EUROPE/CENTRAL ASIA27%, WESTERN EUROPE25% NORTH AMERICA20% and AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND7%.Women are vulnerable to infection for biological, social, and economic reasons. Biologically, the risk for transmission from male to female is greater than from female to male for several reasons. These include: There is a greater exposed surface area in the female genital tract than in the male genital tract. There are higher concentrations of HIV in semen than in vaginal fluids. There is a larger amount of semen exchanged during intercourse than vaginal fluids. Coercive or forced sex might lead to micro lesions in the genital tract that facilitate entry of the virus. Traditional practices, such as female genital cutting, can expose women to risk if the cutting instruments are not properly cleaned. Women often have STIs that are left untreated, which increases vulnerability to HIV. All over the world, social factors stemming from gender inequalities also make women particularly vulnerable to HIV infection caused not by their own behavior, but by that of their partner. These factors include: Women are often expected to remain monogamous; yet being married often places them at high risk for infection (because men are not often expected to be monogamous, and in some cases, are even encouraged to have multiple partners). Women lack the social power to reduce their risk for infection. The threat of physical violence, the fear of abandonment, or the loss of economic support can act as significant barriers for women to negotiating condom use, discussing fidelity with their partners, or leaving relationships they perceive to be risky. Cultural norms often deny women knowledge of sexual health. When women possess knowledge of sexual health, it is often considered inappropriate for them to reveal this knowledge, which makes partner communication about risk and safety impossible. Women often have little control over their bodies and little decision making power; men make most decisions about when, where, and how to have sex. Social pressure to bear children may also affect womens choice concerning the relative importance of pregnancy versus protection from disease. Women are at greater risk than men for rape, sexual coercion, or being forced into sex work or sexual slavery. Lack of economic power can also lead to vulnerability for several reasons, including: 1. Some women are forced to enter into sex work and/or multiple or temporary partnerships in hopes of bartering sex for economic gain or survival, including food, shelter, and safety. 2. Many women are at risk simply because they are economically dependent on their husbands for survival and support, which limits their decision-making and negotiating power. 3. Sex workers in general are at an extremely high risk for infection, particularly when they do not have the ability to negotiate with clients who refuse to wear a condom or when they are in settings where commercial sex work is illegal. However, lack of public awareness still top as a major problem.80% of young women between 15-24 years mostly in Africa do not know enough how to protect themselves against the disease. As I have said they are prone to injection and their cervix is susceptible to lesions.

freelance journalist, district political party secretary and african cultural advocate.