What Is Occupational Asthma

                    

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Asthma is a condition in which a person's airways become constricted to the point where air is unable to pass through easily. This causes a reduction in the amount of air they can take in, which in turn can lead to a number of other problems. Occupational asthma is brought on by environmental conditions in a person's occupation or workplace.

Some of the most common asthma triggers found in the workplace include vapors, fumes, dust and mists. Exposure to these things can cause asthma-like symptoms, which can develop into full-blown asthma if left untreated - even if the person has never had any sort of asthma problem in the past.

For those who already suffer from asthma, workplace conditions can make the problem much more severe and lead to further complications in the long term.

There are steps that can be taken to minimize or avoid occupational asthma entirely. Proper ventilation is one of the most important factors. If the exposure to the potential triggers can be minimized - or avoided altogether - the problem can be avoided in the first place.

Proper protective equipment is also important. This can include breathing equipment and other protective clothing which can help to avoid contact with the triggers, again helping to avoid the problem in the first place.

Because occupational asthma can develop over a period of time, it is often too late to avoid it once the symptoms appear. Being proactive about protecting oneself against the potential allergens and triggers in the workplace, while perhaps requiring a bit more effort, will be well worth the additional work in the long run.

Jackson Sperry writes about various forms of asthma relief and other related topics for the Asthma Explained website. For more helpful information, visit www.asthmaexplained.net

Asthma in Infants

                    

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The person who is learning the Buteyko method takes control of their breathing and by reduction of the use of their deep breathing muscles reduces the depth of their breathing until a desire for a deeper breath is felt. This indicates that a higher level of CO2 is being trapped in, so in a short time avoiding the conditions associated with CO2 deficiency.

For you to apply the Buteyko Method in infants it is necessary to recognize the ways in which your breathing can be affected indirectly. This simply means that you must recognize what makes your breathing deeper,and avoid it where possible. Once you have followed how this applies to adults then you simply apply it to babies.

1. Keeping your mouth closed.

This is the first step for all people learning to apply the method. It is active in the sense that you control the separation of your lips, but the way that this alters your breathing is passive. You simply close your mouth and the increase in CO2 levels happens to you. [Providing that you do not become stressed and increase your breathing depth, still with your mouth closed. This may be a factor if you suffer from panic attacks.] In most cases people who have been used to breathing through the mouth will feel a little suffocated or feel the desire for a deep breath within a minute or two of having their mouth closed.

This feeling is an indication that you have trapped in a little more CO2 than you are used to, and your normal response to this is for your body to believe it should get rid of some of this extra CO2. This is the reason for the desire for a deeper breath. After a time your body becomes used to the higher level of CO2 that keeping your mouth closed causes. Once used to this level the desire for a deeper breath [or feeling of slight suffocation] disappears. At this point keeping your mouth closed feels absolutely normal, and breathing through your mouth will feel a little odd.

The application of this wisdom to infants requires a little lateral thinking as it is unusual for a baby to actually do what you tell it. The simplest approach is the use of a 'dummy' or 'pacifier'. While these do allow a little mouth breathing they reduce it greatly. Try it yourself.

There are lots of discussions about these devices and the problems that people have associated with them. Crooked teeth, thumb-sucking habits, and so on.

If you were to be given the choice of a baby who was A. Miserable with asthma and associated problems, or B. Much healthier but uses a 'dummy' and who may (and this is not proven at all) develop teeth problems.

Which would you choose? It is not a difficult choice at all. The dummy can help!

So, the first step in improving your babies breathing is to encourage nasal breathing. The dummy is part of this, other parts include simply pushing your babies lips together. This can be done at anytime, and done automatically by you even if the child is asleep. Some Native American Indian tribes did this as part of their culture, it was simply a normal part of the mothers job. [I do not know if the father also participated]

2. The other positive aspect of infants is that they will copy you almost exactly Do not under-estimate their ability to absorb information from around them.

This includes you! You are examined regularly ? so what you do with your breathing is very important. If you wander around like a 'complete wally' with your mouth hanging open then your baby is likely to copy you.

An excellent example of this is watching how toddlers learn to sneeze. You already are aware of the wonderful variation we see in different peoples sneezes. Some have a powerful and loud explosions that are preceded by a series of warning noises such as 'AHHHH, AHHHH' or AHHHHH' ending with a violent 'CCHOO!!' Others have something like a mouse shriek which is like a gentle and brief 'zthco' often causing people to turn around to see what that odd noise was.

If you follow a powerful sneezer home and observe how his [more pronounced in the male] toddler sneezes guess what you will find. The child will have learned without being officially told that appropriate way to deal with a nose tickle is loud, violent and irrigating method that dad does, or whichever person the baby has learned from.

Another excellent example of this is how to blow your nose. Study the nose blowing method of a child whose modelled parent is from the 'enraged elephant school'. I have even seen parents coaching toddlers in power blowing or something that almost guarantees continuing demand for handkerchiefs and tissues.

3. The next part of helping your asthmatic child is to look carefully at what and how much you are feeding him or her You will have heard of the impact of dairy food on people in general.

You may have heard that dairy food is 'mucus-forming'. This implies that the food itself causes the formation of mucus, but you now know that the food simply causes a change in the depth of breathing which then causes the production of mucus. [The increased depth of breathing causes you to lose a little more CO2, which causes your 'mucus factories' to increase production!]

Different people have different levels of response to different foods. Some people can eat a whole bucket of double chocolate icecream, and have almost no change. Others can observe mucus after one teaspoon. With others it might be strawberries, or oranges.

Your child is an individual, but has similar genes to you. Look at the sensitivities of both parents and grandparents when looking at your child's diet. Find all of the clues you can about how your entire family handles their food. Quiz your parents by asking what you were fed, and if you had any problems. It is amazing what people remember about their own babies!

Once you have gathered as much information as you can then begin to observe what happens to your baby after meals PAY ATTENTION AND MAKE NOTES!

If you find that coughing is more common after any particular food ? replace it or reduce the quantity. Realize that a huge meal of anything can make your [and your baby's] breathing much worse. [This is apart from any effect of any individual food.] If your meal is too big your breathing will suffer! Try it. Measure your breathing using the Measurement Pause, then stuff yourself until you are past full.

After each 30 minutes measure it again. Look for mucus formation, drowsiness, and irritability. See if your ability to think clearly is reduced. Unless you are breast-feeding your child [which limits the total amount of food he gets], then it is worthwhile reducing the size of each bottle. A childs stomach is quite small ? and too much of any food will soon overfill it. Like you, your child can take a little time to realize it is full and naturally keeps sucking away at the bottle until it is overfull. Just like breast feeding is the best for babies and toddlers in small meals often.

The other challenge here is to not confuse hunger with thirst. Not every bottle has to be milk or formula. We all need water. When you give your baby [or yourself] water it should be filtered. If you do not have a high quality filter, then at least boil the water, and let it sit. This not only ensures it is free of nasty bugs ? but as importantly gets rid of the chlorine. And it will taste much better than tap water.

Apart from experimenting with the size of each meal/snack you give your child, you must also look at the timing of each meal. Think about what happens to adult asthmatics if you have a large meal, followed then by having a good sleep.

Both of these factors increase your breathing depth by themselves.

This impact is much greater when you do both. This is very important so let's go over it again.

A large meal will increase your breathing depth, causing loss of CO2, increase in mucus production and greater likelihood of breathing problems. Similarly, lying down, [especially if you lie on your back] will increase your breathing depth. Test this for yourself right now.

A good slouch will do for demonstration. Right now slouch right back in your chair, just like you were watching TV. Without consciously altering your breathing, note how long each breath takes, how easy or hard it is to breath in and out. Do this for about a minute.

Then compare your breathing when you sit up straight. A good model is the following. Sit forward on the edge of your chair, as if it were a bench edge. Imagine that your spine is like a broomstick, and that your body is like a jacket. Your shoulders [the shoulders of the jacket] will drop down towards the floor, not forward or back ? but down. The lapels of the jacket [your chest] will also just hang, not pushed in or out. The belly of the jacket will also just hang. Now check to see that your spine is still a little like a broomstick again. And relax.

Now observe your breathing again. Note to see how long each breath takes, how easy or hard it is to breathe, whether your breathing is nice and regular or erratic. Do this for a minute or two.

You could see the difference. Slouching made your breathing become much deeper. This effect is even further enhanced when you lie down completely. If you lie on your back your breathing can become massive ? unless you are awake to control it. Lying on your side or front simply makes it physically more difficult to take as deep a breath. It is interesting that sitting or standing up straight results in your breathing become less deep. For all of these years we have been told to stand up straight and breathe more deeply!

If you allow yourself to go from the nice straight sitting position to the slouched position ? what is the first thing that happens to your breathing? You find yourself taking a nice lovely big deep breath! Ahh. Let's apply this to your baby. Large meals increase their breathing depth. Sleeping [worse on back] increases breathing depth. You want your child to cough then give a large meal then put them down for their big sleep!

This is traditionally done because the big meal makes them drowsy, [the huge dose of insulin released does it], and therefore easier to put to sleep. If your child is getting asthma ? then you have to forego this shortcut.

Give the larger meal well before bedtime, and then a smaller snack before bed. If you are using milk or formula, then use a small bottle at bedtime or give water or [unsweetened] juice at that time.

In effect this usually means breaking the larger before bed feeding into two smaller feedings. Just like when breastfeeding. This same rule also applies to adults that have either a very small meal before going to bed or nothing at all.

What food is best for your baby? Breast milk is best. Sometimes this is not possible or always available so mostly you will use or supplement with milk [cows] or some kind of 'formula'. If you are having problems or at least your baby is with coughing or wheezing, then you need to experiment.

Many children are lactose intolerant which means that cows milk will not allow them to thrive, and will adversely affect their breathing.

As a general rule if your child has problems go off cow's milk and other dairy. Substitute non-dairy formula or soy or goats milk. Experiment! Try different things for a week or so, making notes of coughing, wheezing and runny noses.

For more information on the Butekyo Method. If you are looking for music to help you meditate and control your asthma Meditation Music

10 Steps to helping you with your Asthma

                    

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If you, or a family member, suffer from asthma, you are always looking for ways to managing asthma it as it is not something your doctor can do for you all by himself. Asthma self help is an important part of treating and managing your condition so that it doesn't take over your entire life. Your doctor may prescribe both daily medication and medication to take in case of an acute asthma episode, but the task of minimizing the risk of an asthma attack and taking care of yourself on a daily basis is largely up to you and your family. Learning some key asthma self help tricks can help you keep your asthma under control so that it doesn't interfere with your daily life.

We all know that asthma can be caused, triggered or worsened by so many things, there are many things that you can do to lessen the frequency and severity of the symptoms. Your doctor will offer important suggestions in addition to medication to help you manage your asthma. Think of those suggestions as a personalized asthma self help plan. A major part of asthma self help involves avoiding asthma triggers. Some ways that you can help yourself if you or someone in your family has asthma include:

1. The first and most important step in asthma self help is to follow your doctor's orders. Don't stop taking daily medication just because you feel better. If he's prescribed daily peak flow measurements, be sure to follow instructions carefully and measure daily to monitor your condition.

2. If you smoke, quit. Whether the asthma sufferer is you or a child in your family, cigarette smoke is one of the most common asthma triggers known.

3. Keep the house dust-free - or as close to dust-free as possible. Dust is another common asthma trigger. Use a cylinder vacuum instead of an upright - preferably one that encloses the vacuum cleaner bag inside a solid canister to minimize pumping dust back into the air.

4. If you can, remove carpets and heavy draperies. They're dust-catchers that easily breed dust mites. If you can't remove them, vacuum them frequently using a canister vacuum cleaner.

5. Avoid using down feather pillows and comforters, and use a plastic cover on your mattress. Mattresses and pillows can harbor dust mites. The same goes for stuffed animals and other 'soft' decorations.

6. Cover your mouth and nose with a scarf in cold weather. Cold air is another common asthma trigger.

7. If your asthma is triggered by allergens, monitor the outside air quality daily. Avoid open fields and woodsy areas during peak pollen seasons, and take extra care when air quality is in danger ranges.

8. Mold is another common allergen that triggers asthma. Keeping mold down is another important part of asthma self help care. Dry wet laundry immediately, and wash and disinfect bathrooms and showers regularly. Remove houseplants, as mold grows in their soil.

9. Pet dander can also trigger asthma symptoms. If you can't part with a pet because of emotional ties, at least keep it out of the bedroom to minimize your exposure to dander.

10. Be aware of any food or ingested allergies, and avoid foods, medications and drinks that cause allergic reactions.

In conclusion then we acknowledge that Asthma self help is a very important component of treating and managing the condition and learning some key asthma self help tricks can help you keep your asthma under control in order to attempt to lessen the frequency and severity of the symptoms. Good luck in your endeavors, by reading this article you are well on the way.Jenny Gill is an international author with vast experience in a diverse range of subjects, for more information visit www.besthealthsyte.com

Jenny Gill is an international author with an immense range of knowledge and skills in a wide range of areas. Jenny is a mother and a grandmother and devotes a lot of her time supporting the aged in her community.

Asthma in Adults

                    

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The following article presents the very latest information on Asthma. If you have a particular interest in Asthma, then this informative article is required reading.?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease, which is caused by an increased reaction from the airways to various stimuli. It is a persistent inflammatory condition with acute specific exacerbations. If asthma is not properly managed or treated, it can become a life-threatening disease.

A person in middle age or older can at times develop asthma and this is called adult onset asthma. A careful diagnosis of asthma is very significant, because very often the symptoms can be confused with other very similar illnesses of middle age such as specific types of heart disease chest ailments or cough.?

It's been discovered that Asthma in adults is often a recurrence of childhood asthma. Sometimes a child's asthma persists into adulthood, or very often childhood asthma disappears only to recur later in life as adult onset asthma. Therefore an appropriate diagnosis is essential.?

Asthma symptoms:

The usual asthma symptoms in adults are as follows,?

* Wheezing
* Breathlessness
* Cough
* Tightness of the chest
* Production of mucus.

Asthma triggers in adults:

Cigarette Smoking: -?
Bronchial asthma is a very common disease and is an important cause of morbidity amongst both children and adults. Tobacco smoking, which is both active and passive, can have dire effects on asthma.?

Bronchial irritation is often caused by exposure to cigarette smoking and can precipitate acute episodes of Asthma. It also increases bronchial receptiveness and causes airway sensitization to some occupational allergens.?

For any asthmatic, smoking will always increase their disease severity and is the probable cause of irreversible Airway's obstruction and also the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (COPD)?

You can see that there's practical value in learning more about Asthma. Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far??

* Smoking is frequently associated with?
* Increased asthma symptoms,?
* Respiratory infections,?
* Acute episodes?
* And the frequent hospitalization of children.?
* It also increases bronchial responsiveness and any specific airway sensitization.?

Similarly, uteri exposure to maternal smoking is often independently responsible for early onset of asthma. Exposure in adult asthmatics to cigarette smoking by their spouses, siblings or colleagues is equally worrying.?

Similar triggers

A person with adult onset asthma is also sensitive to the same types of triggers, which precipitate symptoms in younger people suffering with asthma. Therefore it stands to reason that adult onset asthma can be managed by limiting the amount of exposure to specific particular triggers, which include: -

* Cigarette smoke
* Allergens such as pollen or mould
* Infections
* Fumes and strong odors
* Dust mite allergen
* Specific Exercise
* Medications such as beta-blockers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Asthma in adults is a permanent condition. If you suffer from Asthma as an adult, you will probably need constant medication to keep your symptoms under control for the rest of your life!

Regular medication for Adult Asthma.

As people get older, their lungs become much less capable which makes the efficiency of the other organs of the body that much harder. Adult onset asthma in someone middle-aged or older can accelerate any worsening lung function they may be suffering from.

Adult onset asthma should be managed correctly because once the lung functioning has deteriorated it never recovers. It is very important preventive medication is prescribed and taken on a regular basis to protect lung function at all times.

Things to remember

a) Adult onset asthma is often a recurrence of childhood asthma,?
b) Symptoms can often be confused with other illnesses of middle age, such as heart disease or other chest conditions.
c) People with adult onset asthma usually need to take preventive medication to protect their lung function on a regular basis.


Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about Asthma.

Please visit MyHealth-Info.com for more information on asthma in adults.

ting Asthma - Part 1

                    

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ting Asthma - Part 1

My wife has asthma. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for anyone else to understand what that means and implies. If you have not had to care for someone with asthma, you cannot even begin to comprehend what it is like to deal with this condition. When I mention it to someone and they start telling me what they think, I have to control my feelings ... they do not and cannot understand. I restrain myself because they think they are being helpful. It's the same kind of thing when a single person gives a married couple advice on their union, or someone without kids thinks he knows how to raise them.

So what does it mean when I say my wife has asthma? It means her life is in constant danger. Every single day that she's breathing is a good day - because she survived the night. A week without gasping is a luxury, and a full month without an asthma attack is almost unheard of. What today really means is another day of breathing - it may be a difficult day or a good day, but there is always the knowledge that breathing is the most important thing.

You see, breathing is something that most of us take for granted. We never think about it, never need to be concerned about taking that next breath. Personally, the worst trouble I have had with my own breathing is a bad cold - my nose was stuffed and I had to use my mouth.

My wife, on the other hand, has to think about breathing all of the time. Some days she breaths fine, others are difficult. Breathing problems are in a special class all of their own - it's not like, say, having problems going to the bathroom, a cold or throwing up. These things all are minor compared to not breathing. You see, with breathing problems there is no time to think. You've got just minutes or even seconds to make a decision and get into action.

I discovered my wife had asthma soon after we were married. It was news to her also - she had never had asthma before, although her child had attacks when he was younger. So one day, out of the blue, Claudia came home because she had difficulty breathing ... and I didn't have a clue what to do.

This is a very unusual circumstance for me ... not knowing what to do. I am very intelligent by any measure and I make a strong point at knowing how to handle just about anything in my life. Before this time, no matter what the emergency was, I could and did handle it. Yet here I was with my wife having difficulty breathing. Over the next few days I learned a little bit. One thing I learned real fast is not al doctors are created equal. You see, even though our doctor visits were covered under insurance, our doctor would not accept any insurance. She ran a strictly cash operation. So on top of having a medical crisis we had a financial one - we had to pay the doctor then wait for the insurance company to pay us back. This severely limited our options at a time when we really needed options.

So when Claudia had breathing troubles we rushed over to the doctors office and asked for help. The doctor gave her a shot of adrenalin to correct her breathing. I watched in awe as my wife trembled from an injection of the same stuff they use to start a person's heart if it has stopped. I wondered for a moment if the "cure" was worse than the disease. The wonder soon stopped as Claudia's breathing settled down and she could take a breath without gasping. Her color returned to her normal pink - she had been slightly purple in hue., and the doctor prescribed something called Prednisone.

The next few weeks were not good weeks. You see, I didn't know it at the time, but Prednisone has some side effects. The most important one being that large doses tend to make a person a little bit psychotic. What I'm saying is my normally calm and collected wife became the "She Devil From Hell" ... but not so much to me or my son. No, her frustration was taken out on the cat (Baby).

That poor cat went through hell for those weeks. I had to protect him several times from the wrath of my wife for some new offense ... it appeared to her that the cat was trying to annoy her and make her miserable. I do believe that Baby used up at least two lives during those weeks ... and he only survived because my son and I protected him.

There were several trips to our local doctor during this first year with asthma. We noticed that the disease was not getting better, and our doctors did not really appear to know what they were doing. Their answer was more Prednisone and more adrenaline ... so we decided to see a specialist.

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net

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Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com

How to survive seasonal allergies and ensure continued asthma relief

                    

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Spring is in the air and so are the allergens. Over the next few months grasses, trees and weeds will release huge quantities of pollen into the air as part of their reproductive cycle. For those suffering from allergic asthma or seasonal allergies it is a time when symptoms worsen, eyes water and noses run.

The most common advice given to those allergic to pollen is to remain indoors when pollen release occurs. However this happens at different times for different plants. On warm and sunny days most grasses release pollen from early morning onwards. On damp mornings the release will be delayed until the ground moisture evaporates. Some species of grass release their pollen in the afternoon, so if you are allergic to several types you may not get a window of avoidance at any time of day.

Even with an allergy to only one type of pollen, it can affect you despite your efforts to avoid the time and area where pollen release occurs. As the day draws to a close cooling pollen-carrying air falls towards the ground. This can lead to sufferers experiencing problems during the night. Wind-blown pollen can travel great distances. Ragweed can spread so far that it has even been detected 400 miles out to sea.

If you can identify the pollen that triggers your symptoms you can try to plan your day accordingly. You can get a clue from the time of year that you experience problems. Tree pollen is usually released in the spring, grass pollen in late spring and early summer, and weed pollens in late summer into autumn. A doctor can organise tests to further narrow down the culprit. Having identified the offending pollen try to remain indoors when it is being released.

Try to keep track of the pollen count in your area. Remember the pollen count is usually taken the day before it is broadcast. Rain or cool weather can reduce the count. Hot weather or short thunderstorms can increase it. Plants tend to retain their pollen on cloudy days, so expect a higher than average release on the next sunny day.

The National Allergy Bureau pollen report gives information on conditions in the US and Canada at
www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm?p=pollen

Polleninfo gives pollen forecasts for across Europe at www.polleninfo.org

You can use over the counter (OTC) medication to relieve symptoms if it does not interfere with other medications. Consult your doctor to make sure there will be no adverse affects.

Although pollen is probably the most difficult allergen to avoid there are steps you can take to minimize your exposure.

1. If possible only work outside at times when the pollen count is low. The mornings of cooler, less sunny days are best.

2. Introduce more insect-pollinated plants (usually the more attractive, colorful ones) into your garden, as their heavier pollen is less likely to become airborne. If you can identify the plant that affects you, exclude that plant from your garden. If grass pollen affects you but do not want to lose your lawn, get someone else to keep the grass short.

3. Keep windows shut tight at times of pollen release, during high pollen counts, and in the early hours of the night when airborne pollen returns to ground level.

4. Dry all washing indoors to prevent pollen gathering on clothes and bedding. Ideally dry clothes in a tumble-dryer.

5. If you spend a prolonged period outside when the pollen count is high, you should ideally take a shower and wash your hair when you get in, especially if it is thick or long. At least try to rinse your hair to get rid of any pollen.

6. Keep a set of clothes that you only wear indoors. Clothes worn outside could be full of pollen. Avoid taking your outdoor clothes into the bedroom.

Perhaps the most effective solution is to leave the area. If circumstances permit, move nearer the equator for a while. The plants that affect you will have finished pollinating. Alternatively move to a high mountainous area or a windy seacoast.

David Kane is the author of 101 Top Tips for Asthma Relief. He has produced a number of resources to help asthma sufferers monitor and control their condition.Find these at his web site http://www.asthma-relieftips.com