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Does A Steamy Shower Help Asthma

What Is The Best Exercise For Asthma

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What exercises are best for people with asthma? Swimming. Swimming is one of the most recommended exercises for people with asthma. Walking. As a low-intensity activity, walking is another great choice. Hiking. Recreational biking. Short-distance track and field. Sports with short bursts of activity.

Other Sources Of Vocs At Home

According to the EPAs indoor air quality report, some common sources of VOC indoors are:

  • paints, paint strippers and other solvents
  • wood preservatives
  • moth repellents and air fresheners
  • stored fuels and automotive products
  • hobby supplies
  • dry-cleaned clothing
  • pesticide

Sounds like a lot, right? While the levels of VOCs indoors may usually not be very high, asthmatics or people suffering from other respiratory diseases are more sensitive, and are affected easily.

Here are a few things you can do to reduce VOC levels at home:

  • Do not allow new furnishings into the home for a week or so. Let them de-gas in the garage first.
  • Do not sleep in freshly painted rooms. Open windows to allow for ventilation for a few days till the emissions from the paint subside.
  • Buy limited quantities of chemicals like paint- only as much as you need, so that you dont need to store them
  • Added Tip: Latex paints contain lesser VOCs than oil paints
  • Go for alternative pest control methods that dont use pesticides

Continue Learning About Asthma

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

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Water And Salt Are Both Needed

In addition to drinking more water, our natural asthma remedy involves adding a small amount of natural, unrefined salt to your diet.

When water intake is increased, urine production will also increase, at least for a few days or weeks. Increased urine production can lead to a loss of salt, along with other important minerals.

Thus, the intake of a natural, unprocessed salt, such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt is essential. Both of these salts contain over 80 trace minerals.

In addition, when water is abundant in your body, the salt will help to thin out the mucus secretions in the lungs.

According to Batmanghelidj, Water and salt will tell the brain that the missing components in a dehydrated bodyin asthmatics in particularhave entered the system. The brain will immediately instruct the bronchioles to relax, and breathing will become much easier.

However, please note that too much salt without enough water may have the opposite effect and cause the bronchial tubes to constrict.

Thus, do not take the salt if you are not committed to drinking the full recommended amount of water.

To read more details about the importance of water and salt balance in the body, see our article on Water and Salt Balanced Intake Is Essential for Health and Hydration.

Relax In A Hot Steamy Shower Or Bath

This steamy one

If you have no rescue inhaler when wheezing and coughing starts up, relax in a hot, steamy shower or bath immediately. Steam will soothe your airways, relieve chest congestion and loosen thick mucus so you can breathe freely again.

If a hot, steamy shower or bath is not an option, consider gently placing your face over a pot of water and breathing in the steam from it. It will work the same wayjust be careful not to burn yourself.

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How Long For Steam Shower For Relief Of Chest Congestion

Though it may be known as a home remedy, it is hardly a wives tale.A hot steamy shower will indeed relieve symptoms of chest congestion. Whether it’s a steamy shower at home, a sit in the steam room at the gym or putting your head under a towel over a vaporizer, many mothers, doctors and even alternative medicine practitioners agree that steam will help relax your breathing and promote expectoration .

If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.

Heres How Regular Sessions In A Steam Room May Help Ease Respiratory Discomfort

Take a deep breath. Its easy and relaxing to do, right? Not for everybody.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 13 Americans suffer from asthma. Thats about 25 million U.S. residents across all genders, ages, and ethnic groups. Other estimates put the number of asthma sufferers as high as 40 million Americans. And those numbers are increasing every day.

If you ask those who suffer from asthma, those remedies are well worth the price. Asthma attacks are frightening and serious, and there is no cure. Those who have reached for their inhaler in a panicked episode of wheezing and gasping know the feeling. Its why asthma sufferers dont leave their house or do anything physical without their emergency treatment at hand.

In recent years, maintenance drugs and inhalants for asthma have become more popular. Preventing potential catastrophic asthma attacks is a priority, and with multiple triggers to blame for both minor and serious episodes , its imperative that asthma sufferers be vigilant.

When devising your asthma prevention regimen, one option is often overlooked: steam heat. Spending time in a steam room has been found to help ease symptoms of asthma and other respiratory disorders. And theres research to back it up.

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Are Vaccines Available To Prevent Pneumonia

Yes, there are two types of vaccines specifically approved to prevent pneumonia caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Similar to a flu shot, these vaccines wont protect against all types of pneumonia, but if you do come down with pneumonia, its less likely to be as severe or potentially life-threatening especially for people who are at increased risk for pneumonia.

  • Bacterial pneumonia: Two pneumonia vaccines, Pneumovax23® and Prevnar13®, protect against the most common causes of bacterial pneumonia.
  • Pneumovax23® protects against 23 different types of pneumococcal bacteria. It is recommended for all adults 65 years of age and older and children over 2 years of age who are at increased risk for pneumonia.
  • Prevnar13® protects against 13 types of pneumonia bacteria. It is recommended for all adults 65 years of age and older and children under 2 years of age. Ask your healthcare provider about these vaccines.
  • Viral pneumonia: Get a flu vaccine once every year. Flu vaccines are prepared to protect against that years virus strain. Having the flu can make it easier to get bacterial pneumonia.
  • If you have children, ask their doctor about other vaccines they should get. Several childhood vaccines help prevent infections caused by the bacteria and viruses that can lead to pneumonia.

    Side Effects Or Risks Of Steam Inhalation

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    If done right, steam inhalation can be a safe and efficient activity. It can help you fight a cold, a cough, and inflammation. However, if youre not careful, you might end up hurting yourself.

    Its possible to accidentally knock over the hot water vessel or scald yourself by coming into contact with hot water. You can get severely injured if you dont take precautions. Heres how you can avoid burning yourself:

    • Always keep the hot water vessel on a level surface. Make sure the surface is sturdy so that you avoid any accidental spills.
    • Never lean on the vessel or try to shake it.
    • Keep the hot water steam away from pets and children.
    • Dont allow the steam to come into contact with your eyes. Try to direct your eyes away from the steam while keeping them closed.

    As per a study, the majority of individuals who get burns from steam inhalation are children. If your child needs to steam, you must supervise them and instruct them to do so safely. That being said, it is safe to keep your child in a steamy bathroom while running a hot water shower.

    While it is safe to use a vessel at home, opting for a steam inhalation system can be beneficial, as long as you exercise caution.

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    Considerations For Showering With Asthma

    If you have struggled to breathe while taking a hot shower and a bath, hopefully, this has helped you see why that is occurring. The best advice I was given was to leave the bathroom door open and if your bathroom has a vent fan, turn it on. As always, keep your inhaler close by. And don\’t forget to discuss this with your doctor.

    Do you ever lose your breath in a hot shower or bath?

    Inhalation Of Steam Does Not Reach The Lower Airways

    Contrary to generally accepted knowledge, inhaling hot steam is not effective. Because during evaporation the substances dissolved in the water do not vaporise and instead they stay in the pan. Evaporation results only in the distillate providing moisture. The moisture only reaches the upper airways, like the nose and throat, but not the bronchi and lungs. But the mucus that triggers coughing and needs to be dislodged through inhalation is found in the bronchi and lungs. As Dr Rohland the paediatrician also repeatedly explains to parents and his patients: Inhaling steam is considered a home remedy for colds and coughs. But I recommend using a nebuliser for inhalation because this is the only effective method of inhalation. Using an inhalation device with a jet or membrane nebuliser is the only way to ensure that the fluid being inhaled is vaporised into tiny particles. Only very fine nebulised particles can get into the bronchi and bronchioles and have an effect. This is not a given when inhaling hot water vapour.

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    How Steam Therapy May Help Relieve Asthma Like Symptoms

    An interesting statistic is that the U.S. region with the lowest rate of asthma is the South. This despite the fact that many Southern states, such as Mississippi and Alabama, have the highest rates of other chronic health conditions, such as type-2 diabetes and obesity.

    Now think about the climate in the South: hot and humid. Contrast that to other hot-weather regions like the Southwest that are hot but dry. Having the countrys lowest asthma rates located in the South is probably more than a coincidence.

    This association of hot, humid air with respiratory relief is consistent with research by German scientists at the University of Munich. Between the years 1983-86, these researchers did a series of experiments at the Institute of Medical Balneology and Climatology that found that steam baths helped relieve upper respiratory problems and improved asthma symptoms. In addition, steam therapy helped those suffering from bronchitis by loosening mucus and phlegm while reducing coughing.

    This benefit was clear in a dramatic study by researchers in India who applied steam therapy to subjects with severe acute lower respiratory tract infection. Those suffering from bronchiolitis received steam therapy in a cloth tent. Within 24 hours, patients receiving steam therapy showed a significant decrease in respiratory distress

    Try Deep Belly Breathing

    What Is a Steam Shower?

    Best for: Wheezing because of anxiety

    Deep belly breathing can help you train your diaphragm, the muscle that sits below your lungs, to take on more of the work of breathing. This can help take some of the pressure off of constricted bronchial tubes that cause wheezing.

    You can try deep belly breathing by following these steps:

  • Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the ground.
  • Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest so you can feel them rising and falling.
  • Breathe in through your nose, feeling the hand on your stomach rise and trying to keep your chest still.
  • Purse your lips and breathe out, pulling your stomach muscles inward and keeping your chest still.
  • Repeat until your breathing slows and becomes easier. With time, you may be able to try this exercise in a sitting position.
  • Breathing exercises can help control shortness of breath and normalize your breathing pattern when you are wheezing, says Ryan Thomas, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist and professor at Michigan State University.

    “But it does not usually treat the underlying cause, unless anxiety is a trigger for asthma,” Thomas says. For some people, feeling anxious can cause rapid breathing called hyperventilating, which can worsen symptoms of asthma. Deep belly breathing may be especially helpful for people with anxiety-triggered asthma to slow their breathing.

    Read Also: How To Improve Your Lungs With Asthma

    Tips For When You Dont Have An Inhaler

    Mild to moderate asthma attacks can occur at inopportune times. You may be able to manage your asthma more effectively with these tips. If these dont work CALL AN AMBULANCE.

  • Sit upright. This opens your airway. Dont bend over or lie down, as doing this constricts your airway even more.
  • Slow down your breathing by taking long, deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. You want to prevent hyperventilation.
  • Stay calm. Anxiety tightens your chest and back muscles, which makes it more difficult to breathe.
  • Get away from the trigger. If you can get away from your trigger, do so. Move into clean air, preferably an air-conditioned environment, and try to take slow, deep breaths once youre in a safe place.
  • Drink a warm, caffeinated beverage, such as coffee or tea. Caffeine has similar properties to some asthma medications and can help temporarily improve airway functions.
  • Get medical help. If you cant get the wheezing, coughing or breathing difficulties under control, its important to get help.
  • How Do I Get Rid Of Wheezing

    If you are wheezing, its important to see a doctor, who can determine the cause. This will help to decide the course of treatment.

    If your doctor diagnoses you with asthma, a medication will likely be prescribed to help ease inflammation, open your airways and prevent symptoms.

    For bronchitis, your doctor may recommend medication to help open your airways as well as an antibiotic to cure the bacterial infection thats present.

    You may also want to use a humidifier to keep the air moist. A steamy shower can also do the trick.

    Warm liquids, such as hot tea, can work wonders by relaxing your airways and loosening up sticky mucus.

    To help minimize the allergens in your home that may trigger an asthma attack, consider purchasing an air cleaner with a HEPA filter.

    Once your doctor has prescribed you medication to help with the wheezing, its important that you take the medicine to completion in order to reap the benefits.

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    What Are The Complications Of Pneumonia

    Anyone can experience complications from pneumonia. However, people in high-risk groups are more likely to develop complications, including:

    • Breathing difficulties: Pneumonia can make breathing difficult. Pneumonia plus an existing lung disorder can make breathing even more difficult. Breathing difficulties may require a hospital stay to receive oxygen therapy or breathing and healing assistance with the use of a breathing machine .
    • Fluid buildup in the lungs : Pneumonia can cause a buildup in the fluid between the membranes that line the lungs and the inside of the chest cavity. It is a serious condition that makes breathing difficult. Pleural effusion can be treated by draining excess fluid with a catheter, chest tube or by surgery.
    • Bacteria in the bloodstream : The bacteria that cause pneumonia can leave your lungs and enter your bloodstream, spreading the infection to other organs. This condition is treated with antibiotics.
    • Lung abscess. A lung abscess is a pus-filled cavity in the lung that is caused by a bacterial infection. It can be treated by draining the pus with a long needle or removing it by surgery.

    Natural Remedies Lacking Evidence To Show They Help With Asthma

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    There are many other natural remedies that some people with asthma swear by, but which science doesnt support. Some include:

    Herbal medicines A number of herbs or herbal supplements have been touted as natural remedies for asthma, but according to Hill, theres no strong evidence of their benefit for people with asthma. I, as a provider, would not be telling my patients to try any specific herbal supplements, Hill says.

    Vitamin C No solid evidence supports using vitamin C for asthma, says Hill. Wright agrees, noting that more studies are needed before doctors should recommend this approach.

    Warm steam baths While warm steam baths have often been used to help alleviate nasal congestion and airway irritation associated with asthma, Peters points out theres never been a study that proves steam treatments help asthma symptoms. She also cautions that steam can be dangerously hot. In some asthmatics, it can exacerbate symptoms, she says.

    Chiropractic work According to the Mayo Clinic, the most thorough research rejects the idea that chiropractic work can be an effective asthma treatment.

    Essential oils Human-based studies in support of essential oils are lacking, and essential oils may even be trigger allergic reactions. I would be careful with taking essential oils, as these can often be irritating rather than soothing, says Cassidy Gundersen, PhD, a nutrition consultant and health coach based in Salt Lake City.

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    How To Reduce Your Risk Of Complications

    In general, working with your doctor can help you find the appropriate treatment to control your asthma symptoms and reduce your risk for these complications. And once you find a treatment that works for you, its important to stick with it.

    Most people with asthma know the importance of staying on prescribed treatment, Rosenstreich says. Because if they dont, they know theyll see an increase in their symptoms. But your doctor will remind you that symptoms are only the start. These complications are, in most cases, rare and totally avoidable simply by staying with your treatment.

    If you have trouble controlling your symptoms despite following your treatment plan, you may have a more severe form of asthma. Let your doctor know about your struggles so he or she can help find a more appropriate treatment.

    With additional reporting by Markham Heid.

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