Tag: Air Pressure

Asthma Attacks

To healthy individuals, asthma may be a simple health problem but for the sufferers, its really a different thing especially when the attack is slowly setting in.

Asthma attacks happen when the air passages constrict. This may be due to allergens, air impurities, food, exercise or strenuous activities, and many others. Severe attacks are often characterized by wheezing or whistling sounds, dry cough, and breath-shortness. In an asthma attack, the air passage of the individual is clogged by mucus, the air tubes lining is swelling or inflamed. Gasping for breathe is a dreaded situation for asthmatics and so you should try to prevent the attacks as much as possible.

There are several layers in the air tube. A muscle located outside relaxes or tightens and it is responsible for controlling the air tubes opening. It is guided by the nervous system, particularly the portion for the reflexes. The muscle works like that of involuntary blinking.

You cant control how the muscles work. The outside muscle of the air tube reacts to irritants like perfume, dust, allergens, pollution, pollen, or cigarette smoke by tightening or relaxing. In the case of asthma patients, the outside muscle overreacts to the irritants, thereby causing an attack.

Aside from reacting with irritants and allergens, the muscle also reacts to other factors like exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections. When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows.

Asthma attacks are not only limited to the tightening of the muscles of the air tube but it can be caused by the inflammation of the airways lining as well. Have you ever experienced scraping your knee? If youre observant, you will notice that the knee area swells and a fluid oozes out. This fluid is made up of cells which fight the infection but it also contributes to swelling. The same thing happens in the airways. When the airways are inflamed, the lining oozes out fluid which contributes to swelling and at the same time, it obstructs the air passage.

Mucus found in the airways in not all that bad. It normally aids in the smooth flow of air into the lungs but during an asthma attack, the mucus increases and it clogs the air passage. The mucus becomes sticky making it more difficult to breathe. As long as the mucus clogs the air passage, the asthma attack will persist. You need to consult a doctor right away so that you can receive appropriate medical attention.

Keep in mind that if you leave the mucus clogs untreated, it can lead to infections. Only the doctor can give you the proper antibiotic that suits your situation. Attacks can last for a couple of minutes but for severe attacks, it can last for many hours or even days. There are intervals wherein the asthma patient will not feel any of the symptoms but it will soon return if no proper medication is given.

Doctors often conduct a breathing test to determine if the person has asthma and it is called spitometry. During the evaluation, several tests will be conducted to identify what caused the asthma attack. Once the trigger or triggers are identified, you need to stay away from them as much as possible. You have to work closely with your doctor if you want to prevent future asthma attacks. The attacks can be deadly, so dont disregard them.

Sinus Infection Prevention

You dont always have to wait for sinus infection to strike before you take action. In fact, there are steps you can take to prevent this from happening and here are a few.

1. Moisten the air in your home. You can do this by buying a humidifier or an air conditioning unit as this regulates the temperature during hot and cold weather.

2. Aside from humidifiers or air conditioning equipment, you can also install electrostatic filters which are designed to remove allergens in the air.

3. If you live in an area that is polluted, move somewhere else. You have to remember that sinus infections area also caused by strong fumes and chemicals that may irritate your sinus linings.

4. Drinking too much alcohol may also trigger a sinus infection because it swells the nasal and sinus membranes which leave them exposed to irritation. This simply means that you should drink moderately.

5. Smoking also causes sinus infections because it irritates the sinus lining which causes bad drainage of the mucus and the sinus to congest. So, you should quit smoking and stay away from people who smoke.

6. If you travel often, you should cut down the number of times you have to fly from one destination to the next. This is because a bubble of air within the body expands as the air pressure in the plane reduces. When this happens, this could result in the blockage of the Eustachian tubes causing your nose to clog during the planes ascent or descent. If you have to fly, be sure to bring with you a decongestant nose drop or inhaler and use this before the flight.

7. When you have a sinus infection, the best way to fight it is to stay hydrated. The same thing goes to prevent it by drinking lots of water, juice or any other liquid to replenish what was lost from the body.

8. You should also practice good hygiene since most sinus infections are caused by bacterial and viral infections. This means taking a shower twice a day and washing your hands with soap and water each time you go to the bathroom. You should also do this every time you sneeze because when you cover your mouth, the germs go to your hands.

9. For years, we have said that consuming dairy products will keep our bones strong. But studies have shown that too much can thicken your mucus and cause nasal passages to narrow down which results to headache and pain.

10. You should also get a flu shot every year.

11. Drinking liquids should also be followed with eating good food especially fruits and vegetables. After all, these are rich in antioxidants that will boost your immune system and help your body resist infection.

12. Lastly, stress makes us prone to sinusitis and many other infections. So we should get sufficient rest like 8 hours at least every night.

13. You should also take some multivitamins and supplements to add to your daily supplement.

You can prevent sinus infections from happening so that you dont have to call in sick and miss a day at work or school. It takes a little effort to take these safety measures which happen to be much cheaper than going to your doctor and buying over the counter medication.