Asthma In Kids: An Increasing Epidemic

                    

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Many believe that the majority of asthma cases are confined to adults, but this is definitely an incorrect assumption. because asthma in kids has become increasingly common in the last 20 years. We are uncertain as to why this is so, but it is an undoubted fact that in the United States alone there are 5,000,000+ children beneath the age of 18 who suffer from asthmic symptoms.

In a recent study (2004) it was discovered that the #1 cause of absenteeism in school is asthma, accounting for a whopping 14,000,000 lost days in school. According to the American Lung Association, four million kids below the age of 18 had an asthma attack during this year.

Anyone, at any age, can manifest asthmatic symptoms - even infants - but most often symptoms manifest themselves around the young age of five.

Who Is Most Vulnerable To An Asthma Attack?

1. Boys are more likely than girls to be sick in earlier childhood

2. Children of African American descent are more vulnerable than Caucasians, Hispanics or Asians

3. And, not surprisingly, children in our increasingly polluted cities are more vulnerable than kids in the less-crowded suburbs and rural areas

Symptoms Of Childhood Asthma

Childhood asthma is like adult asthma in that the symptoms are generally the same:

* Inflammation in the airways
* Coughing
* Difficulty in breathing
* Wheezing
* Rapid breathing
* Shortness of breath
* Symptoms that worsen at night
* Tightness in the chest

There is a special problem with childhood asthma that doesn't apply to adults and that is that children are much less inclined to take care of themselves and thus the parental role is critical. Some kids are simply too young to assume this responsibility while those who are older may have various reasons for neglecting the necessary treatment. For instance, they may dislike being seen as "different" from their classmates or they may be too busy with sports and other activities to monitor their breathing. Thus, an asthma attack that could have been avoided, or at least reduced in severity, is allowed to emerge.

Parents must ensure that:

1. Their child understands and is educated about their asthmatic condition

2. Medications are ingested on a medical schedule

3. And mom and dad can do much to reassure the child so that he doesn't become panicked and afraid, thus worsening his condition.

Without monitoring, childhood asthma may seriously affect a child's general health in a very negative way, possibly even resulting in hospitalization. Asthma in kids must be taken seriously!

To learn more about asthma in kids and how you can best protect your little ones, check out AsthmaAnswersOnline.com which offers helpful asthma facts.

Asthma: Your Lungs Are Like The Carburetor On A Car

                    

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Learning to calculate how much your lungs are over breathing is not that difficult. In fact, it is a simple calculation to work out by what factor you are overbreathing. Divide 60 by your pause and multiply by 100%.

For example a pause of 30 gives 200%. This means you breathing enough for two people. If your pause is 60, your factor is 100%, which is just right. If your pause is 5 seconds, your factor is 60/5 x 100% equals 1200% or deeply enough for 12 people. [Note that as the time gets really smaller 'this estimation gets less accurate. Just be aware that whether it is 5 or 10 times too much' it is far too much!]

If your pause is that low then you are very unwell, and if you are not suffering symptoms of asthma, then you need to look into other Effects Of Chronic Low CO2.

As a general comparison, if you were to eat two or four or twelve times as much as you physically need, what would happen to you? Would you be healthy? The truth is that if you ate that much, then it would not take long for you to be morbidly obese.

Yet another way to look at this is using the analogy that compares your breathing to a carburetor on a motor. A carburetor is the device which controls the mixture of gases for a motor. You will know that when the mixture is wrong, the motor will run poorly or not at all. If it does run with a non-ideal mixture, the power will be reduced, the economy reduced, backfiring will occur, and the life of the engine will be reduced. The only thing that can improve this is to correct the mixtures by adjusting the carburetor.

It is the same with your lungs. If you have the wrong mixture of gases in your lungs, your body will have low power, use too much fuel, will backfire, and will wear out much sooner. All you have to do is tune your carburetor. That is what Buteyko is going to teach you to do. Your respiratory centre or breathostat is the carburetor for your lungs.

If you would like more information on Asthma then access our Buteyko Breathing Method training manual. To help you with your asthma then check out our Meditation Music for your meditation sessions.

Dealing with Asthma In Adults

                    

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Asthma is a chronic lung disorder caused when the airways react to certain allergens or stimuli. If it isn't treated and managed effectively, it can ultimately become a life-threatening disease.

People can develop asthma during adulthood, even if they've never had any problems earlier in life - even during middle age or even older. This is known as Adult Onset Asthma.

Proper diagnosis is important because asthma symptoms are often similar to other illnesses that can develop in adults, including chest problems, cough and even heart disease.

The most common asthma symptoms in adults include the following:

• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Persistent cough
• Excess mucus production
• Pain or tightness in the chest

There are number of things that can trigger asthma in adulthood. One of the most common - and severe - triggers is smoking. Cigarette smoke can cause acute asthma episodes as well as increased sensitivity to other allergens.

Smoking will always make asthma more severe and can also lead to other problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Smoking doesn't only effect the smoker who is asthmatic, either. Second hand smoke will aggravate asthma for anyone exposed to it, and fetal exposure to maternal smoking can also lead to early onset asthma.

Some of the other common asthma triggers in adults include:

• Pollen, mold and other allergens
• Strong odors
• Infections
• Certain medications such as beta-blockers and anti-inflammatory drugs
• Dust
• Exercise

Asthma is a permanent condition - not something that is treated then gone. Even when the symptoms are not apparent, the condition still exists.

As people get older, the lungs become less and less capable, resulting in more pronounced effects from asthma. For this reason, adult onset asthma must be managed properly because if the lungs deteriorate, they may never recover.

Jackson Sperry writes about asthma-related topics such as asthma treatments and asthma respirators for the Asthma Explained website. Visit http://www.asthmaexplained.net for more helpful information.

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/

Zoey asthma: teaching kids to care for themselves. Is it a good asthma treatment control?

                    

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This article is about the advantages of the Zoey asthma kit - Is it a good asthma treatment control?

It is most unpleasant to have to watch your child develop and then try to cope with asthma. They are just too little to understand what it means and why they have problems breathing. The feeling of being useless in helping a child understand their illness better is common in all patients whose children suffer from asthma. This is precisely why Zoey asthma has been developed, it is

The Zoey asthma kit is literally packed with good ideas to help both child and parent understand asthma. First of all there is a parent's workbook. This 112 page guide explains how they should manage their son or daughter's asthma, minimizing the complexity involved.

The child's workbook follows the same format and is full of activities to keep the kids interested and informed. Children are taught what triggers to look out for and how to minimize them. This is also great for parents who wouldn't normally have a clue as to what a trigger is. The two books also cover the correct use of the peak flow meter, the spacer, and inhalers.

What would you do if your child had an asthma attack? How would you avoid him or her (or yourself for that matter) from panicking? With the Zoey asthma parent's workbook you are shown in a clear, easy to follow manner which will really put your mind at ease.

Zoey asthma makes your child learn about their condition in a colorful, easy to follow and fun educational trip. Also included in the kit is a coloring book for your child to complete and a peak flow meter, which monitors how well your child's lungs are working to give an indication of when the next asthma attack will take place.

All in all, this Zoey asthma kit provides valuable information for all the family, and takes some of the unpleasantness out of an unpleasant illness.

Eddy's website is about asthma & its treatment. Please visit the site for more information on asthma treatment control

Ways To Prevent Asthma

                    

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If you know that you or your family member has asthma you should know what sets the asthma off. Sometimes avoiding these things can prevent asthma attacks for starting. Just by following these few steps can cut back on your asthma from flaring up.

1. Place dust free covers on pillows and mattresses to cut back on allergies kicking in while sleeping.

2. Purchase vent filters for each vent in your home. It will cut back on air borne particles that can get asthma irritated. If you can?t get the whole home at least get the room the asthma patient sleeps in.

3. If you have carpet in your home it will help tremendously if you replace it with hard wood floors or vinyl flooring. Again if it is not possible to do the whole house at least do the asthma patients room.

4. It is a good idea to have a nebulizer at home with steroid medication and having an inhaler with the asthma patient at all times

5. Talk to your doctor about putting you on an everyday asthma prevention medication. Some popular brands that are out there are: Singular, Allegra, and Zyrtec. These are just a few that you can ask your doctor about.

6. Most important is having an Asthma Action Plan just in case the asthma was to get out of hand by something that you are not aware of. A plan of action allows you to know exactly what to do. It will cut back on panic modes.

These are just a few things that you can do to help prevent your asthma from getting out of hand. These few steps have saved my family a few emergency room visits. These are from my experience only. You should contact your doctor for the right plan for you and your family.

Shannon Miller is the mom of 5 children. Stop by her sites and share in some of her experiences as a mom. http://www.parentingfroma-z.com and http://www.asthmainfosite.com

ting Asthma - Part 2

                    

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ting Asthma - Part 2

One week my wife had severe asthma and it would not go away. In fact, we had visited our doctor numerous times for adrenalin shots. These helped in the short term (for a day or so) but the asthma just returned again later. Both of us wanted to resolve this condition on a more permanent basis, as it was becoming very difficult to deal with.

We talked to our doctor, a wonderful man named Dr. Frischer, and he directed us to a specialist. Someone who was familiar with the disease and could help us come up with a permanent handling.

I must admit that my wife did not want to go to this specialist. She didn't say why, she just was not comfortable with him. However, I convinced her, and before long we had pulled up to the doctors office, which was in a little hospital in Paramount, California.

The specialist took one look at Claudia and knew that her asthma was terrible. He had Claudia breath into a tube, then tisked to himself when he saw the result. It appeared that Claudia was not getting anywhere near the amount of oxygen that a normal person received. In fact, her lungs were drawing in about a forth of the normal amount of air - it was pretty bad that day. Which meant, of course, it was the perfect day to see the specialist.

The guy did some more tests, then recommended an allergy panel to determine exactly which substance was causing Claudia's condition. He explained that asthma is usually triggered by something, some particle in the air. It could be dust, pollen, cockroach droppings, cat dandruff or any other small particle.

We agreed and the panel was done. The doctor swabbed her arm with about twenty different substances, explaining that they would swell up into little bumps if anything registered. One substance registered strongly - simple dust. It seemed that Claudia's asthma was caused by dust.

While we were there, the specialist increased her Prednisone dosage to 60 milligrams. This is an incredibly high dosage of this drug, but based upon Claudia's poor breathing, the doctor felt it was necessary. If you remember from the previous article (part 1), prednisone has the side effect of making Claudia extremely hostile to our poor cat Baby. Well, during the next few weeks that cat had to be guarded night and day by Al and myself to keep Claudia from killing it.

The result of this trip? We finally realized the link between the environment and Claudia's asthma. We decided to be a little more proactive, and purchased some air filters for the living room and bedroom. These helped control the asthma to a certain extent. The other result? Now Claudia was feeling the other major short term side effect of Prednisone - it's very difficult to stop taking..

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

Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm

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

Twelve ways to avoid asthma while loving your pet.

                    

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Any asthma sufferer allergic to their pet would improve their condition if they found another home for the animal. Yet many cannot face going through with this and decide to keep the pet and suffer. However, you can take steps to make living with your pet easier.

Any asthma sufferer allergic to their pet would improve their condition if they found another home for the animal. Yet many cannot face going through with this and decide to keep the pet and suffer. However, you can take steps to make living with your pet easier.

Firstly, understand that a shorthaired animal can trigger asthma as easily as a longhaired animal. The problem is not hair. Animal saliva, sweat, urine and dander (flakes of dead skin) can act as powerful allergens. Petting, grooming or vacuuming can stir the allergen into the air leaving it to float through the air for hours.

If you cannot bear to part from your pet try these measures:

1. Decide which areas of the house will become your exclusion zones. I recommend you never allow your pet into at least two rooms, the bedroom and lounge. You may want to add other rooms to the list. If your pet once slept in those rooms, wash as much of the bedding or upholstery as possible and consider buying a new mattress and duvet. Keep the animals bed in another room, perhaps a utility room or lobby. For a cat, sprinkle some catnip there to make the area seem more attractive.

2. Make sure anyone handling your pet washes their hands before touching the asthmatic person or entering the pet-free rooms.

3. Keep the pet outdoors as much as possible. You could build it a shed or out-house and make it as warm and comfortable as you can. Feed the pet there sometimes so that it feels at home.

4. If you allow your pet into the house consider replacing allergen friendly surfaces. Furniture should be made of wood or have leather or vinyl covers. Carpets should be replaced with cork tiles, vinyl flooring or linoleum. Another option is to polish the floorboards.

5. Regularly air the house and keep some windows ajar when the cat or allergic person is in the home. You could get an HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrester) air filter to keep the air throughout your home as pure as possible, but it will only remove airborne allergens, not those left on furniture and carpets.

6. If your home uses forced-air heating seal up the air ducts and use portable room heaters instead. This will prevent the allergen entering the pet-free rooms.

7. Do not use fans or fan heaters. These will blow allergens that settle on carpets and furniture up into the air. Research has shown that some pet allergens can take up to six hours to settle once they are disturbed.

8. When you clean the house use an anti-allergy vacuum cleaner that filters and keeps allergens. If you need to purchase one check that the vacuum cleaner can filter out the allergens.

9. Frequently wash dogs with lukewarm water and shampoo. Ideally get a non-asthmatic to do this. For cats gently wipe the fur with a damp cloth or use a shower. Unfortunately, while these methods will take a lot of allergen off the cat they will not remove all of it. Some research has found that totally immersing the cat in water will remove most allergens, so you could try that if you dont mind all the scratches it will probably earn you!

10. A non-asthma sufferer should also brush the pet regularly outside the house.

11. Clean out pet cages and litter boxes outside the home. If possible get a non-asthmatic to do this job too.

12. If your pet is a tomcat get him neutered. The male of the species produces most allergen, but the amount declines after neutering. Cats vary greatly in the amount of allergen they produce. If you have more than one, keep each cat in the house for a while to find out which one is least allergenic.

If your asthma is severe and triggered by pet allergens the best advice is to find a new home for the animal. However if your asthma is fairly mild and you cannot bear to be parted from this member of your family, try some of the above measures and you may be able to avoid asthma while loving your pet.

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