Who Is At Risk For Asthma
Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. In the United States, more than 22 million people are known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children.
Young children who often wheeze and have respiratory infectionsas well as certain other risk factorsare at highest risk of developing asthma that continues beyond 6 years of age. The other risk factors include having allergies, eczema , or parents who have asthma.
Among children, more boys have asthma than girls. But among adults, more women have the disease than men. Its not clear whether or how sex and sex hormones play a role in causing asthma.
Most, but not all, people who have asthma have allergies.
Some people develop asthma because of contact with certain chemical irritants or industrial dusts in the workplace. This type of asthma is called occupational asthma.
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Leave The House Clean:
Change the air conditioner and furnace filter every month to prevent recirculation of dust. If you decide to latex pillows rather than feather pillows. In addition, dust-proof covers on mattresses and furniture use. Keep your home neat and clean, with the probability of an asthma attack to minimize.
Help Asthma By Fighting Inflammation
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel, work much like a class of asthma drugs called leukotriene inhibitors. These drugs stop the actions of body compounds that cause inflammation in the airways. Take six 1,000-milligram capsules a day in divided doses.
Evening primrose oil is rich in an essential fatty acid called GLA, which is converted by the body into anti-inflammatory substances. Take two 500-milligram capsules three times a day. Take them with meals to avoid stomach upset.
Bioflavonoids, the compounds that give fruits and vegetables their Technicolor hues, have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties. One of the best-known bioflavonoids, quercetin, inhibits the release of histamine. Take 500 milligrams of quercetin three times a day, 20 minutes before meals.
Turmeric, that yellow cooking spice used to flavor Indian curry dishes, is a first-rate anti-inflammatory. The compounds it contains inhibit the release of COX-2 prostaglandins, hormone-like substances involved in inflammation. Mix one teaspoon of turmeric powder in a cup of warm milk and drink this up to three times a day. Turmeric capsules and tinctures are also available.
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Diagnosis Of Asthma In Children
Diagnosing asthma;in children younger than;5;years can be difficult because;children cough or wheeze;for many different reasons.;Take your child to the doctor if:;
- the wheezing happens more than once with or without an illness;
- constant coughing or bouts of coughing become worse at night;
- you are concerned about any breathing problems in your child.;
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Natural Home Remedies For Asthma Attack Fast In Adults
Asthma is one of the common lung diseases that cause difficulty in breathing. It also leads to inflammation on the lining of your lungs and the airways with many symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing.;asthma There are many ways to relieve the symptoms of asthma at home by using vegetables, fruits, herbs, and more. This article describes 12 natural home remedies for asthma attacks; in adults. There is a lack of; scientific-based evidence for the following homemade recipes. The recipes featured are traditional home remedies, so always consult your doctor and check out your health condition regularly to know if a remedy is best for you.
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Alternative Therapy To Help Manage Asthma
At present, acupuncture is one of the most popular alternative therapies for asthma and is performed by competent practitioners.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin needles into the skin at specified locations to regulate the flow of energy that is believed to control psychophysical function.
Honey For Asthma Attack And Treatment
- Honey is a natural anti- decongestant and can soothe the irritation.
- Take a teaspoon of honey and mix it with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
- Consume this mixture at regular intervals during the day for relief from asthma.
- Another way of consuming honey is by adding a spoonful of honey to a glass of water and sipping it slowly to get rid of the phlegm buildup in the lungs.
- Honey is so effective that merely by smelling it, you can notice a marked difference in your conditions.
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Risks And Side Effects
While most of the supplements and tips described above can provide;natural allergy relief safely, there are some precautions to keep in mind.
When allergies are mild or moderate, they are usually not very threatening and go away with time. However, severe allergic reactions can be dangerous and require medical attention.
Anaphylaxis is the term for;a;severe allergic reaction, which can happen due to contact with;food allergens, drugs/medications or;insect stings. Symptoms usually affect the lungs, blood vessels or heart and can include:
- trouble breathing
- rash
- vomiting
If you or your child experience these symptoms, head to your doctor or the emergency room right away to prevent complications.
What can you do for severe allergies? Your doctor may need to prescribe allergy shots or prescription asthma medications, such as bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids.
Discuss these options with your health care provider, and consider trying the natural allergy relief remedies described above in addition to using medications.
When Home Remedies Arent Enough
Should you call your doctor? Yes, if you develop asthma symptoms for the first time. If youre already being treated for asthma, you probably have medication that you take at the onset of an episode. Even so, Get someone to take you to the emergency room if you cant speak without gasping for breath, develop a bluish cast to your face or lips, find it extremely difficult to breathe, or become confused or exhausted.
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Severity Of An Asthma Attack
Mild asthma is fairly common and usually can be addressed with natural remedies. Its good to know the symptoms of each stage though, so you know when to seek a doctors care.
- Mild slight wheezing and difficulty breathing but adequate air intake. This can be intermittent or persistent .
- Moderate conspicuous wheezing, respiratory distress at rest, use of abdominal muscles to breathe. These flare-ups can make regular activities and sleeping difficulty.
- Severe obvious respiratory distress, blue skin , absent breath sounds.
- Respiratory Failure severe respiratory distress, lethargy, confusion, sweating, low blood pressure.
If you or someone you know is having an asthma attack that resembles severe or respiratory failure, call 911 right away.
How Can Asthma Be Prevented
You cant prevent asthma. However, you can take steps to control the disease and prevent its symptoms. For example:
- Learn about your asthma and ways to control it.
- Follow your written asthma action plan.
- Use medicines as your doctor prescribes.
- Identify and try to avoid things that make your asthma worse . However, one trigger you should not avoid is physical activity. Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Talk with your doctor about medicines that can help you stay active.
- Keep track of your asthma symptoms and level of control.
- Get regular checkups for your asthma.
For more details about how to prevent asthma symptoms and attacks, go to How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?
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Top Home Remedies For Asthma: Do They Actually Work
Living with asthma can be demanding, between recognizing potential asthma attack triggers to managing day-to-day symptoms. Those suffering from asthma are often looking for more tips and solutions beyond their physicians office to manage their condition.
Many online organizations and forums list different herbs, fruits and other natural substances that are supposed to relieve asthma symptoms, but do some of these actually work? In this post, we take a look at the scientific evidence behind some of the internets most popular natural asthma remedies.
Are There Natural Remedies For Asthma Attacks
The typical treatment for an asthma attack is a quick-acting inhaler with medication. Sit upright and take slow, steady breaths. Try to stay calm. Follow the asthma action plan that youâve set up with your doctor. If your breathing doesnât get better or if youâre so short of breath that you canât talk, get medical help right away.
Some breathing exercises can help with symptoms of an asthma attack.
- Pursed-lip breathing. This slows your breathing and helps hold your airways open longer so your lungs work better. With your mouth closed, breathe in slowly through your nose. Then breathe out through your mouth, with your lips pursed like youâre whistling, for twice as long.
- Belly breathing. This technique uses the same steps as pursed-lip breathing. But as you breathe in, focus on the movement of your belly. Picture it filling with air like a balloon. It may help to keep your hands on your belly so you can concentrate on the air going in and out.
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Top Home Remedies For Asthma
Roughly 34 million Americans now have asthma, about 7 million to 8 million of which are;children. Asthma is behind 12.8 million missed school days and 10.1 million missed work days in the U.S every single year.;In addition, asthma costs the U.S. about $14.7 billion a year in medical costs, prescription drugs and lost productivity leading many people to search for home remedies for asthma.
Heres something that might surprise you: Although asthma medications can help control symptoms in the case of an emergency attack, they can actually sometimes make asthma symptomseven worse long term. Most asthma medications also have a host of side effects due to how they affect the endocrine system and the immune system. Research shows some asthma drugs might contribute to problems including mood changes, acne, yeast growth and weight gain plus over time they might hinder normal immune functions that make allergic and asthmatic reactions more frequent.
What are some effective, holistic ways of treating asthma that can help prevent attacks instead? Home remedies for;asthma that dont require taking prescription medications or even using inhalers include limiting irritant exposure, reducing food allergies, improving gut health, supplementing with vitamin D or getting more naturally from the sun, and maintaining a healthy weight.
How Effective Is Prednisone For Asthma
A review article in American Journal of Medicine evaluated six different trials for adults with acute asthma episodes. In these trials, people received corticosteroid treatment within 90 minutes of arriving at the emergency room. Researchers found that these groups had lower hospital admittance rates than people who received a placebo instead.
Additionally, a review on management of acute asthma attacks in American Family Physician found that people sent home with a 5- to 10-day prescription of 50 to 100 milligrams of oral prednisone had a decreased risk of relapse of asthma symptoms. The same review states that in children 2 to 15 years old, three days of prednisone therapy at 1 mg per kilogram of body weight can be as effective as five days of prednisone therapy.
Side effects of prednisone can include:
- fluid retention
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Some Doctors Are Embracing Water Cures
More importantly, we are finding doctors who are using these protocols in their patients. We applaud their bold stand to treat the whole person and not just the symptoms. While this asthma attack home remedy is not a standard of care, it is getting more and mores support.
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We speak to organizations small and large, private and corporate.
Our scientifically proven training works to improve performance and decrease lost days due to illness.
We are currently speaking to hospitals to train staff in ways to decrease the readmission rates in several disease processes that pose high risk of <30 day readmission.
We can cut the rates by up to 70%. Ask us how.
Nurse Jon for more information on hydrating to improve performance.
The Great Salt DebateHere is the Science
We are not promoting increased salt intake. We are suggesting taking salt in amounts appropriate to your bodies needs, based on water needs. Our needs are not one size fits all.
Note: Do you have CHF or Kidney Disease? Then….. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.
Does Salt Raise Blood Pressure?
Record Your Peak Flow Rates
A peak flow meter is a piece of medical equipment used to measure the speed of inhaled or exhaled air and thus helps in monitoring asthma. The peak flow number lowers when the airways narrow, such as during an attack.
The device can detect these contraction hours or days before the symptoms and thus enables you to take preventive measures and medications.
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Asthma Attack Home Remedies
Caffeine
Caffeine in tea and coffee can very well help a person during an asthma attack. The caffeine in these drinks can help the lungs open up its airways, similar to the usual asthma medication theophylline. Caffeine could improve the patient suffering from asthma attack breathe easily for up to four hours at maximum. So the next time you forget your inhaler, its good to know that you can substitute tea or coffee; furthermore, the drink should be warm for quicker relief. But still, always remember to bring your inhaler.
Eucalyptus essential oil
If youve heard of eucalyptus essential oil, where Im betting you have at least heard of it once, you can also use it during an asthma attack. This type of treatment has been around for a very long time and is still used to cure a lot of illnesses.;;
To use eucalyptus oil properly, you need to inhale its vapor. To do this, you need to put a few drops into an oil diffuser and let the person having an asthma attack sit near it for him/her to inhale the vapors from the oil. However, when you dont have an oil diffuser, one thing that you can do is to boil a pot of water. Put a few drops of eucalyptus into the hot water and let the person inhale its vapor. What the gas from the oil does is it relaxes your airways, reducing the inflammation that is happening in your lungs. Once the swelling is over, you can now breathe properly.
Takeaway
Can Home Remedies Help With Asthma
Asthma is a serious illness, affecting over 25 million Americans. It can range in severity from mildly inconvenient to completely disabling and, rarely, can end in death.
Even moderate asthma can have a big impact on your life, limiting your ability to work, take care of your family, or enjoy your hobbies.
It makes sense that people are looking for any way to help manage their asthma, including using home remedies.
There is no cure for asthma so when we talk about home remedies, were really talking about lifestyle changes you can make to prevent triggering an attack and to manage asthma symptoms when it does flare up, says Anthony Gerber, MD, a pulmonologist and professor of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at National Jewish Health and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Denver.
Before you make any changes, however, you should have a talk with your doctor about your medical treatment plan. Most asthma is managed with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes, and either one alone isnt as effective, Dr. Gerber says.
Medications, including oral and inhaled steroids, are an important and life-saving part of treating asthma. There are no home substitutes for your asthma medications, and you should follow your doctors instructions for how and when to take them.
The goal is to get your asthma under daily control, Dr. Gerber says, adding that you should always carry your rescue inhaler in case of an acute attack.
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Yoga And Practising Mindfulness
The benefits of yoga are manifold. If you want to get relief from your asthma symptoms, make sure you do yoga every single day. Yoga incorporates breathing and stretching exercises. It will help to increase your flexibility and also boost your overall fitness. Some yoga poses that can help open your throat and chest are the bound angle pose, bow pose, bridge pose, camel pose, cat pose, cobra pose, cow pose, and cat pose among many others. Meditate every day and increase focus on your mind and body. The focus on breath and stress control from yoga and meditation will help you a lot in breathing easily.
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Can You Use Alternative Medicine For Your Childs Asthma
Alternative treatments have been in use for managing symptoms of asthma for a long time. However, proper evidence on such treatment is lacking. While some of them like the non-drug therapies are usually harmless, you can ask your childs pediatrician about the right one for your child.
Breathing exercises are forms of non-drug treatment that has been routinely used in the treatment of people with asthma. These include structured breathing programs, such as the Buteyko breathing technique, the Papworth method, yoga, and pranayama that manipulate the breathing pattern and help in asthma.
Emotionally stressed children suffer from more attacks of asthma. Try teaching them relaxation techniques, such as meditation, hypnosis, and progressive muscle relaxation.
If you do not know any of these non-drug approaches, learn from complementary and alternative practitioners, doctors, psychologists, social workers, or nurses who may be able to teach you all these.
A few home remedies have been tried for asthma, including
- Black seed
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