What Is Asthma

Asthma is a long-term disease that has already affected millions of people all around the world. It is generally caused by allergies to certain substances such as dust, gases, smoke, pollens, foods, animal dander, cold weather, environmental changes, etc. Coughing, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, and tightness in chest are some of the major symptoms of this disease.

One must control asthma as it is a life-threatening and serious disease. Although asthma is a chronic disease, it is treatable. Read this article to find the best natural home remedies for asthma. These natural remedies help reduce the severity of the disease and relieve the various symptoms associated with it. These home remedies are very simple and one can easily follow them in the comfort of their home.

Asthma Home Remedies

* The first thing you need to do is to know various allergens that may trigger the symptoms, and try to avoid them.

* Take one teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder two times a day along with warm water. This is an effective home remedies for asthma.

* Prepare a decoction by boiling equal quantities of ginger (adrak), holy basil (tulsi) and black pepper (kali mirch). Take this mixed with half a teaspoon of honey.

* Another useful home remedy for asthma is honey and ginger juice. Take one teaspoon of honey along with few drops of fresh ginger (adrak) juice on an empty stomach in the morning.

* Boil some carom seeds (ajwain) in water. Inhale the fumes produced by this hot solution. This helps relieve chest congestion.

* Carom seeds (ajwain) are also beneficial in reducing the excessive production of phlegm. Take carom seeds in the form of powder twice daily, or prepare a decoction and take it warm. This remedy is taken especially in bronchial asthma, when phlegm remains stuck in the bronchioles.

* The smoke that is obtained by burning asafoetida (hing) can be inhaled to get relief from spasms of bronchial asthma.

* Boil two or three cloves of garlic (lahsun) to a glassful of milk for five minutes. Drink hot to get relief from asthmatic symptoms.

* Another simple home remedy for asthma is mint. It is well known for its property of decreasing phlegm. Crush fresh mint leaves to extract its juice. Add equal amount of ginger (adrak) juice in mint juice. Take 8-10 ml of this mixture two times a day, along with honey.

* Holy basil (tulsi) is a valuable herb known for its anti-asthmatic properties. Crush few fresh leaves of holy basil and extract the juice. Mix basil juice with few drops of ginger (adrak) juice and some honey.

Copyright © Ryan Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

A few types of asthma are special because they are caused due to certain special conditions. There are mainly four such special conditions that are well recognised by doctors. These can be described as:

Exercise Induced Asthma: As the name suggests this is the difficulty in breathing and asthma like situation induced after heavy exercise. The intensity and duration of any exercise depends upon the endurance and the physical conditioning of an individual. Many asthmatics are capable of exercising for longer durations of time as well as even during an attack. But others must stop immediately at the onset of the attack. This would therefore depend completely on individual discretion.

During the normal exercise routine the bronchial tubes open or dilate to improve the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is mainly attributed to release of adrenalin into the system because of the exercise. This is because during exercise a person mainly needs more oxygen, but when a person suffering with asthma exercises exactly the opposite situation manifests.

The bronchial tubes tighten and constrict instead of dilating. So within a very short span of exercising the asthmatic person starts to cough and wheeze. In some cases it is seen the person develops the symptoms of coughing and wheezing only after several hours of exercising. This is called delayed exercise induced asthma. It is seen that most of the exercise induced asthma attacks subside within a few minutes even if they are left untreated. The maximum duration of an attack lasting is generally not more than thirty to sixty minutes.

Several factors influence exercise induced asthma. These may be the type of exercise and also the type of weather conditions that are there. It is seen that the disease troubles people more when they exercise in cold and dry climates. Running may be a more troublesome activity than swimming and bicycling.

Hidden Asthma: Everyone who suffers with asthma may not have more obvious symptoms of coughing and wheezing. Sometimes people only have shortness of breath, tightness of chest or just a nagging cough. Many people suffer with undiagnosed cough and it is seen that one in three of them has undiagnosed asthma.

This is called cough variant asthma. This kind of cough is different from normal cough. It is usually more irritating. It gets triggered off with cold weather and exertion due to exercise. It is very nagging in nature and can wake a person from deep sleep. Most people with hidden asthma sooner or later develop symptoms of full blown asthma.

Patients of hidden asthma may have difficulty in getting their condition diagnosed and treated properly. Very often they are treated with antihistamines, cough medicines, decongestants and antibiotics. This is mainly because their cough is not accompanied with wheezing. Patients with hidden asthma usually respond quite well to the basic asthma medications. Usually the most important symptom here is coughing during sleep and exercise. Wheezing may not be a symptom at all. So if someone coughs repeatedly during sleep and upon exertion it is best for him to get himself checked for hidden asthma.

Aspirin Sensitive Asthma: Some adult patients of asthma react badly to the most frequently taken drug in the world that is aspirin. They have ten times more possibility of developing an allergic reaction to it. The patients with aspirin sensitive asthma generally have a situation of runny nose at the start of the disease. The nasal discharge is generally very heavy and continues for about one or two years.

Thereafter patients lose the sense of smell or taste and develop grape like growths called the nasal polyps in the nose. In due course of time they develop full blown asthma and most of them experience a very serious attack just after taking aspirin. The patients who are diagnosed with nasal polyps should therefore be very careful and avoid the use of aspirin completely. They should not wait for their body to react before they take measures to avoid aspirin. Aspirin sensitivity is very rare in children.

Drugs that are similar to aspirin in nature or function are also best avoided by such patients. These drugs are generally termed as non steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). These are non steroidal drugs that reduce pain and inflammation. These are widely used to treat musculo-skeletal disorders. If a patient does need them they have to be first desensitized by taking very small monitored doses of aspirin. This has to be done under the supervision of doctors.

Occupational Asthma: Asthma that is caused by substances that are present in one's workplace is called occupational asthma. It is a disease that is a by-product of development of industry and modern sciences. The triggers of occupational asthma are of both allergic and non-allergic types. Some factory workers develop the disease soon after reporting to work on a Monday morning. They may often start coughing and wheezing and may also develop flu like situations. This condition is often termed as Monday morning blues. Some workers may develop symptoms only after a few days of the week pass or towards the end of the week.

Asthma is the disease of the twenty-first century. Typhoid and cholera were once rampant everywhere, and they indeed still are problems in developing or Third World countries. However, it is increasingly true in developed countries, including the United States, that asthma is a new epidemic. It does not make the headlines as dramatically as these two killers once did, but nonetheless, it is a killer in its own right. If not taken care of properly, asthma is just as deadly as typhoid and cholera once were.

What is asthma and how does it affect sufferers' bodies? Simply put, it narrows the tubes present in the lungs during an acute attack, which makes it more difficult for the sufferer to breathe. Three factors affect this spasmodic reaction in the lungs' tubes. In addition, because sufferers are struggling to breathe, muscles in the throat also contract during an attack, and edema may also occur (basically, swelling), which makes it even more difficult to breathe. Mucus may also build up because mucus occurs as a reaction to irritants and tries to act as a buffer or coating to both remove any irritant and to soothe the underlying tissue. This constitutes an attack.

Asthma attacks be relatively benign or very severe. Simply relaxing and breathing through an attack calmly may be enough to thwart it, perhaps with use of an inhaler. Experienced sufferers know that it helps to be calm during an attack, in order to make symptoms less severe and go away more quickly. Inexperienced sufferers, or those prone to nervousness anyway, may experience panic attacks, which would make the asthma attacks even more severe. The harder you try to breathe, the harder it becomes. You may truly feel as though you are drowning.

Why do some people get asthma and others not? No one knows for sure who will get it and who won't, but there are several predisposing factors, including genetic predisposition. Others prone to asthma may include those who smoke and those who are overweight and/or obese, and who do not remain physically active. After all, the lungs are organs that need exercise, too, and if you're not getting sufficient cardiovascular exercise every day, you make yourself more prone to asthma. Whatever your particular predisposition, if you have asthma, it will help to know what you're triggers are. These include pollen, dust, cigarette smoke, animal hair and dander, and others. Those with the most severe asthma may even have to be careful with vigorous exercise or extreme laughter, for example. Fortunately, with the intervention of medications, these types of situations are relatively rare.

If you do have asthma, the good news is the that you can control it, both by limiting your exposure to your triggers and knowing what they are, and using proper medication as prescribed by your doctor. You should also get sufficient exercise geared to your particular situation, since strengthening your lungs will also help thwart attacks.

One little-known theory as to why asthma occurs is that it's a defense mechanism asthma sufferers' bodies use to keep the right balance of different gases in their lungs. By retraining themselves in their breathing (meaning slowly and carefully) they found that their asthma went away. Whether or not this is true, certainly, calm and relaxed breathing does, indeed, help keep asthma at bay, as does strengthening the lungs, as previously stated.

Children and adults who suffer from Asthma are becoming more and more common. Children are smaller and are more prone to many different types of diseases. The most prominent one for small children is asthma. As they grow older the symptoms of Asthma seems to lesson but it never goes away fully. Treatment and a good diagnoses from your doctor can help you determine if your child or you suffer from asthma. Out of 20 million people suffering from Asthma, 9 million of those are children. The scary part is that this number keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. It is something that should be watched for mostly in children and diagnosed early if possible.

Treatments can vary depending on the age of the person. We are all so different that the treatments have to be made specific to your needs. Allergy induced Asthma is the most common among adults, so if you or your child has bad allergies you may want to watch the pollen counts closely. You or your child could end up developing Asthma symptoms due to pollen. Since there is no good explanation of why Asthma continues to rise so fast, the best thing you can do is be aware of your surroundings. It is best to be watchful and alert to possible asthma triggers in your areas. Children are more likely to get Asthma than adults because of their small bodies and how vulnerable they are to pollens, air pollution and even insect bites. Adults have a larger body that gives them an advantage to help overcome many things. By having a bigger body mass, our bodies can absorb more pollutants that unfortunately our children cannot.

Between 70% and 80% of adults and children suffer from seasonal allergies. That number continues to rise every year due to many different factors. One factor is our world's air pollution. Take diesel exhaust for example. Many of the particle emissions from diesel exhaust have been found to cause cancer. When the drugs were made for inhalers, scientists tested many particulate sizes to find out what would be the best size for the inhalers to use, so the medications could reach into the deepest parts of your lungs. The size they found to be the most effective was 2.5 microns. The size of particulates that come from diesel engine exhaust as you can guess is exactly 2.5 microns. What this means is the particles from diesel exhaust is going to the deepest parts of your lungs. With so many toxins and chemicals on our planet, our bodies are in a constant state of battle to clean up and get rid of these toxins. The bad part is that our bodies are losing this battle.

We are bombarded daily with many different types of chemicals and toxins. These toxins play a large role in the contributing factors surrounding who gets Asthma. If there was a way to remove these toxins and metals from our bodies would you take it? I believe with the removal of these toxins, the problems of asthma affecting more and more young children could start to lower, instead of the constant rising asthma statistic problem we have today. The problems we face today are only going to get worse because we continue to manufacture products and chemicals that pollute the air we breath and the water we drink. There are ways we can fight this growing problem and that is to take something natural that can take out all the bad that we take in each day. Then and only then can our bodies heal themselves.

Cardiac asthma is wheezing due to congestive heart failure and in the true sense it is not asthma. Clinically it is a condition caused by severe reflexive blocking and or by edema of the lungs. It is an asthmatic-type breathing caused by sudden blockage of the pulmonary circulation. The bronchial spasm in cardiac asthma is caused by back pressure from the left side of the heart to the lungs. Symptomatically cardiac asthma is quite similar to lung asthma.

Patients with heart failure or heart valves that do not open properly experience shortness of breath not necessarily accompanied by wheezing, coughing, increased rapid and superficial breathing, increased blood pressure and heart beat rate and a feeling of uneasiness. Symptoms usually occur with exercise or at night after going to bed. Cardiac asthma is usually due to a major mechanical fault of the heart. The reduced pumping efficacy of the heart leads to a build up of fluid in the lungs. This build up of the fluid causes the air passages to narrow up and eventually cause wheezing and other related symptoms. It is a life-threatening condition and one must seek medical advice immediately on experiencing any symptoms.

The key to effective management of cardiac asthma is right diagnosis, which includes differentiation between patients who wheeze only due to acute heart failure and those who wheeze from other disorders, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Treatment is directed at improving the pump function of the heart along with medications.

Treatments mainly focus on controlling the night coughs, control of the edema, control of inflow load and the amount of residual blood in the left ventricle. Diuretics (water pills) free the lungs of excess fluid and other medications such as morphines, nitrates help the heart muscles pump more effectively. The wheezing gradually stops when the heart failure has been well controlled.

In some patients who suffer from asthma and heart failure simultaneously, treatment is required for both conditions. A combination of bronchodilators, supplementary oxygen is generally effective in controlling the asthmatic symptoms in addition to treating heart failure in such patients. Corticosteroids are prescribed only when the patient with acute cardiac asthma has not responded well to initial therapy. Corticosteroids usually take long hours to give peak effect. If the asthma is caused by a heart valve that is not working properly or a hole between the heart chambers, surgery or other procedures may be suggested.

Asthma inhalers are the most common medicine prescribed by doctors to treat asthma. Asthma inhalers are small, hand held delivers asthma medication directly into a person's airway. While asthma medication can be administered orally or intravenously, inhalers have the least amount of side effects while being the most effective.

When you think asthma inhaler, you probably think the small aerosol container that you press down on to deliver puffs of medicine directly into your mouth. Those are called metered dose inhalers. There's also dry powder inhalers, which require you to breath the medicine into your airways. Asthma inhalers are also broken down into two other categories: rescue inhalers and prevention inhalers.

The rescue or relief inhalers are used during an asthma attack or can be used prior to coming into a contact with a trigger. They don't actually treat the causes of the attack, instead they focus on the symptoms and making it easier to breathe. During an asthma attack, the muscle around the airway tightens. The rescue inhalers work by relaxing the muscle, opening up an airway. It doesn't affect the inflamed airways, but it will give short term relief.

The most common form of relief inhalers, works almost immediately and last for up to four hours. There's also rescue inhalers that take about 30 to 45 minutes to take effect, but last for six to twelve hours. The prevention inhalers works on the inflammation or swelling of the airways. Over a period of seven days to four weeks (depending on the kind of medicine), you'll notice a gradual change and decrease in symptoms. Steroid prevention inhalers are the must successful. Non-steroid ones are generally less effective and also take longer to take effect.

You should use the prevention inhaler as prescribed by your doctor. Even if you feel fine, you shouldn't stop taking your prevention inhaler. If you do that, the symptoms can quickly return. While there is no cure for asthma, the right medicines can help bring your asthma under control.

We have all turned on the TV and watched the scenes of a character portrayed with classic asthmatic wheezing. It is called a "device" in the movie biz that is not nearly the truth for most asthma sufferers. Because of this literary device, wheezing has become one of the most emphasized signs of asthma so that most of us actually expect all asthma victims to have that tell tale wheeze when they breathe. These sounds, dubbed into movies and TV shows, like the wheeze and the raspy throat, have actually become scary to non-asthma sufferers. It is the worst side effect of the disease that is quite dramatic and used for that purpose. Because this device has become a standard in film and TV, the general public has come to believe that all asthmatics can be identified by these sounds.

Hollywood fiction is certainly not the whole truth in this instance. Actually, it is far from the truth for a large number of asthma sufferers. In fact, about half of all asthmatics do not wheeze or make raspy sounds at all, especially when following a proper treatment program. The majority, nearly 60%, have a nagging cough when suffering an episode. Wheezing actually occurs only in the most extreme cases which is why movie makers use that device when depicting asthmatics to over-dramatize the scene. But, such depictions create a false picture and may cause some borderline asthmatics to ignore real symptoms.

Wheezing is certainly a sign of severe asthma but other, less dramatic, symptoms should not be ignored. Where there is a nagging cough, breathing problems when under even mild exertion, wheezing only when sleeping or at rest, or any shortness of breath, are all possible signs that a visit to a doctor may be indicated. Remember, only the most severe asthmatics fall into the wheezing category. The majority of asthmatics do not wheeze.

Even if you are not asthmatic, it is good to know what to do if someone has an attack in your presence. The key is to be calm if you are to help that person. An attack can be frightening, especially if you do not have asthma, so it may be up to you to be calm so you can help the asthmatic get through an attack. There is nothing worse than not knowing what to do when a friend or loved one is having an attack so here are some steps that will help you to help the person having an attack.

Keeping a cool head is the main way you can help. The asthmatic may be in a panic mode so they will need you to talk to them to calm them and slow down their breathing. I am reminded of Mel Gibson in the movie "Signs" where he talks to his son who is having an attack. He has his son breathe with him in a relaxed and steady manner. For once Hollywood had it right!

Asthmatics, who are under the care of a doctor, will likely have an inhaler handy or within easy reach. If you are going to be out and about with an asthmatic, find out where their inhaler is located and be sure it can be easily reached should an attack occur. Most asthmatics will likely have their medication with them at all times but you should ask just the same. After all, it will be you who will be called upon to help should an attack occur.

Do not hesitate to call an ambulance to get the asthmatic to the nearest hospital emergency room if the attack is not mitigated by an inhaler or other measures. In most cases, you should be able to handle the situation. However, in extreme cases, the victim may pass out and emergency medical help is then warranted.

If you, yourself, are diagnosed with asthma, you likely already have a plan prescribed by your doctor as to what you need to do when an attack strikes unexpectedly. Your main goal is to first calm yourself so you can take the medical steps needed, such as using an inhaler immediately. If you allow the stress of the attack to overtake you, your breathing will worsen and you will panic even more. So, staying calm is your best first step to overcoming an attack.

And, if you need more information or have questions, scroll down for the blog.

Acute severe asthma (status asthmaticus) is a life-threatening emergency. Patients are severely dyspneic, cyanosed, and often moribund. At this stage, many of them are unresponsive to the ordinary bonchiodilators. Dehydration may be evident.

Laboratory findings
These are often non-specific and they help in identifying the coexisting disease. Some cases show moderate esosinophilia (10-15%). Examination of feces may reveal helminthes which may also contribute to the allergic reaction and increase in eosinophils. Sputum may reveal numerous eosinophils, mucus plugs and Curschmann's spirals (casts of distal airways). Purulent sputum is indicative of respiratory infection. Culture revels the infecting organisms.

Identification of the allergen
Several tests have been introduced to identify the precipitating allergen. Intradermal tests are performed using a battery of antigens prepared from the common allergens prevalent in the area. In many instances the causative agent can be detected by the positive skin tests. Respiratory function tests reveal marked airway obstruction, which is relieved by the administration of bronchodilators.

Skiagram taken during the acute attack may show hypertranslucency due to emphysema but there may be an abnormality in between the attacks. It should be remembered that the radiological appearances and clinical severity show wide disparity in bronchial asthma.

Complications
Mortality is uncommon in asthma but severe attack may result in respiratory failure and death. This is more so in status asthmaticus. Other complications include frequent respiratory infections, pulmonary collapse due to obstruction by viscid secretions, penumothorax, mediastinal emphyseama and cough fractures (fractures of ribs due to violent coughing). Children with asthma may show retardation of growth, especially if treated with corticosteroids on a long-term basis. Long standing bronchial asthma, punctuated with frequent respiratory infections may lead on to emphysema and chronic cor pulmonale.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of bronchial asthma is clinical. The history of sudden attack of paroxysmal dyspnea, cough, and the auscultatory hallmark of expiratory wheeze heard all over the chest are diagnostic. Long duration of complaints, history of allergy, and positive family history are other helpful clinical points.

Differential diagnosis
Bronchial asthma has to be differentiated from other causes of paroxysmal dyspnea. These include chronic bronchitis emphysema syndrome (CBES), acute left-sided heart failure, acute bronchitis, tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, metabolic acidosis, and tracheal obstruction by foreign bodies. It is important to distinguish left-sided heart failure (cardiac asthma) from bronchial asthma. Left-sided heart failure complicates valvular heart disease, systemic hypertension or ischemic heart disease. It causes paroxysmal dyspnea in the first half of the night whereas bronchial asthma is more common in the early hours of the morning. In bronchial asthma, there is generalized wheeze all over the chest, whereas in cardiac failure, basal crepitations are more prominent, though generalized bronchospams may also be evident at times. In heart failure, gallop rhythm may be evident. Careful search for the underlying disease may reveal the etiology.

Asthma is a condition in which the small airways in the lungs or the bronchioles narrow to such a point that normal breathing becomes difficult. This constriction or narrowing stops when treatment is given and the airways go back to their normal size when the asthma attack is over.

It is the sound of the air squeezing through the narrowed tubes that makes the wheezing sound commonly associated with asthma.

What makes the airways narrow? Three main actions cause the airways to narrow and allow less air to pass through. In the first, the walls of the airways, which are made from muscle, contract and restrict the available space for the air to flow through.

Secondly, the mucous lining of the airways becomes inflamed, further reducing the space within the airways.

Thirdly, the mucus secretions that are always present in the lungs increase in volume during some attacks, and the sufferer from a cold or other respiratory infection, this can often trigger an attack.

So, why are children so affected? Children's lungs are smaller and the airways are narrower than those of an adult, making the effects of the three actions more pronounced. This partly explains why many asthmatic children are completely free of the condition by the time they reach adulthood.

What causes an asthma attack? In the normal course of events, asthma is a chronic ongoing though invisible condition, an asthmatic child will be equally able to enjoy life and take part in activities alongside her non asthmatic friends, until something triggers her asthma symptoms.

There are many asthma triggers. Some individuals are affected by just a few, others by a wide range. The most common include those that are inhaled during normal breathing, such as pollen, dust, pollution, perfumes, extremely cold air and cigarette smokes.

In some cases, certain foods can provoke an allergic reaction. Attacks can be caused by emotions, some asthmatics react to stress or fears in themselves or those close to them, and some will even suffer an onset of wheezing from a prolonged bout of laughter.

In some cases, an attack follows an infection and inflammation of the lungs. Exercise is another common trigger of an asthma attack.

One of the most common and deadliest food allergies are the ones to peanuts and nuts. Many times allergies are misunderstood. People only focus on the symptoms, such as sever swelling, difficulties breathing and heart failure. However it's important to not confuse these symptoms for asthma. Since asthma has many of the same symptoms, many times this is the case. The real danger is when asthma medication is used to treat a peanut allergy.

What is Advair?

Advair is a medication that's used to treat asthma. This inhaled medicine is also called fluticasone. It's a long acting form of the steroid Serevent (salmeterol). In combination they work well in controlling asthma.

Why should Adviar not be used to treat peanut allergies?

It's important to understand that asthma and allergies have two very different root causes. Food allergies are when the body treats a type of food as and something dangerous, therefore attacking the substance. This is not the case with asthma.

It's also important to understand Adviar is designed to be used over time. It builds up in the system and prevents asthma attacks from happening. Peanut allergies on the other hand need to be address right away. If left untreated severe food allergies can be deadly.

Conclusion

Both allergies and asthma need to be taken seriously. However it's important to know them apart. A doctor will be able to properly diagnose you. After receiving the proper allergy tests you'll know for sure the best possible treatment options to fit your situation.