Tag: Asthma Patients

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.

Asthma And The Yoga Diet

One of the most effective ways to treat asthma attacks is through the Yoga diet. Dietary errors are quite common these days because many people live unhealthy lifestyles. The ideal Yoga diet for asthmatic individuals are the pure or Sattvic foods. These foods are easily digested and not only that, they are also very nourishing.

Most asthma patients are lacto-vegetarians. According to major researches, a predominant veggie diet is the best way to treat and control asthma attacks. The proteins contained in meat products are very difficult to digest and so it burdens your metabolic system. If youre not ready to become a predominant vegetarian, you can simply cut down your consumption of red meat. After some time, you will get used to it and little by little, you can remove red meat from your diet. Being a predominant vegetarian has its advantage and it benefits asthma patients greatly. You also need to cut down on poultry, fish, and even eggs. If youre going to eat sea foods, dont fry them.

You must remember that asthmatics should limit their consumption of fats, carbohydrates, proteins but you can also help yourself with moderate germinated grains, green veggies, pulses, and fresh fruits. Try to eat more dried fruits such as berries or oranges, black raisins, and prunes. Have adequate servings of tomatoes, beets, cucumber, lettuce, and carrots. It would be best to serve green vegetables slightly cooked or sauted together with white bread.

Asthmatics are also advised to eat less to avoid discomfort. If you eat too much, you will feel like youve overeaten or that youre over-full. You must take your time while eating. Try to chew the food well and drink plenty of water. When youre eating, try to avoid liquids as much as possible and drink after youve finished eating.

Like any other healthy individual, asthma patients needs adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A is very effective in treating asthma. You can find this vitamin in cantaloupe, squashes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, apricots, pink grapefruit, spinach, and broccoli. Fruits with intense colors contain high beta-carotene, so choose your fruits well.

For hemoglobin formation and enhanced autoimmune function, take an adequate amount of vitamin B6. You can find it in whole grains, fortified cereals and breads, fish, meat, eggs, legumes, nuts, and beans.

Have servings of apples, avocadoes, apricot, blackberries, blackcurrants, kiwi fruits, blueberries, pears, and peaches because these fruits are rich in vitamin C.

In order to improve blood circulation, get enough vitamin E. Try to eat spinach, olives, seeds, nuts, corn, wheat germ, asparagus, and leafy green vegetables. Vegetable oil is also very important in your diet.

Roasted peanuts, walnuts, almonds, unsalted peanuts, mixed nuts, oatmeal, peas, raisin bran, baked beans, and dried peas are rich in zinc which supports your adrenal glands. Selenium, essential fatty acids, and holy basil or tulsi are also very important.

Oftentimes, these foods cause asthma fish, eggs, shellfish, chocolate, milk, food preservatives, citrus fruits, and coloring. To reduce the inflammation of the airways and get enough antioxidants, eat apples everyday. Dairy products can also lead to excess mucus, to try to limit your consumption of these products. Phlegm is doubly produced if you eat plenty of sugar-rich foods, rice, pickles, iced drinks, ice, chutneys, and fried foods. Avoid them so that you can aid the digestion process.

Follow the right asthma diet to prevent asthma attacks.

Asthma And Hypnotherapy

People who have asthma tend to live a suffocating and dreadful life especially if the attacks occur frequently. There are different causes of asthma symptoms or attacks. Some asthma symptoms are induced by exercise, dust, stress, cigarette smoke, pollen, pollution, and many others. These things are external factors which aggravate the condition of the asthma patient. It doesnt really matter if youre young or old because asthma can definitely debilitate you when youre having frequent and severe attacks.

Asthma patients must learn to calm themselves when symptoms begin to exhibit. However, very few individuals can remain calm when the airways are already constricting and there is insufficient oxygen in the body. Once youre diagnosed with asthma, the doctor will examine you thoroughly to identify the asthma triggers. If youre already aware of these triggers, you can stay away from them. Somehow you can already tell when an asthma attack will happen.

Today, asthma and hypnotherapy go hand in hand in controlling this dreadful health condition. Here is a very good example.

You were exposed to one of your asthma triggers and so youre already expecting an asthma attack soon. Hypnosis is a very good way to prevent the attack. With the help of an experienced hypnotherapist, you will be able to remain calm through the suggestions given. The hypnotherapist will tell you to visualize your air passage as wide and relaxed. Focus on the air passage and try to disassociate yourself from the actual situation. If you visualize your lungs that way, you can prevent the attacks since normal lung functioning is encouraged.

Hypnosis is a vey effective way to achieve a relaxed state naturally. You dont have to force yourself to do it. If you simply focus on what the hypnotherapist is telling you, you will be able to relax in no time. When youre in a relaxed state, the hypnotherapist can easily give you suggestions and your mind will automatically follow. Did you know that hypnotherapy can also be used to ease stress and anxiety? This only means that hypnotherapy will also work for asthma patients. If you want to prevent the asthma attack, use auto suggestion or hypnosis.

There are already lots of hypnotherapists and you can find them online as well. You can do a simple research online and find a local hypnotherapist. You can also check their backgrounds and see if their past customers were satisfied with the services. You can also look into their personal profile so that you can at least determine if you will be comfortable working with the individual. This is very important since you will also be paying a certain amount of money for their services. Next time you encounter any asthma trigger, contact your hypnotherapist so that you can start with the hypnosis. Dont panic because this can only aggravate your condition and encourage the asthma attack even more.

Asthma and hypnotherapy is gaining a lot of popularity in the recent years. People are more open to hypnosis today as compared to long ago. Many studies have already proven the effectiveness of hypnosis in preventing the attacks and in treating other health conditions. Consult a licensed and experienced hypnotherapist now. You can learn many things and ways to control your asthma before it controls your life. There is a way to control the attacks; so why not try hypnotherapy?

Asthma And Fish Oil

There was a study conducted in Indiana University which revealed that fish oil is a very effective remedy for asthma symptoms, especially that caused by over activity or too much exercise.

Emergency medication is often needed by people who have severe asthma symptoms. The study involved 16 asthma patients suffering mild symptoms to severe ones. These individuals need daily asthma medications in order to control the attacks. The asthma patients were given high doses of fish oil which contain EPA or Eicosapentaenoic acid (3.2 gm) and DHA or Docosahexaenoic acid (2gm) for about three weeks.

Before fish oil administration, the lungs of the asthma patients were first examined through efficiency tests. Sputum samples were also taken and analyzed. The tests took note of the inflammatory cells and some markers. The same tests were conducted after the end of the study. After the 3-week period of fish oil administration, the patients showed 64% improvement in terms of lung efficiency and the need for asthma medications also reduced by about 31%. Fish oil contains fatty acids (Omega 3) which has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Asthma patients often have second thoughts about exercising because they fear that it can cause asthma symptoms. This is true especially in some asthmatics. However, the body needs adequate exercise and this is the reason why some asthma patients still engage in some forms of exercise. In some case, the air passage swells or become inflamed when the asthma patient engages in strenuous exercises. When this happens, the doctor will tell you that the asthma attack was exercise-induced. How can you tell if youre exhibiting asthma symptoms? Its quite simple; once you experience wheezing, breath shortness, chest tightness, and coughing, youre already having an asthma attack. Dont worry because the asthma symptoms will just ease off after 1 hours.

If you exercise during dry and cool conditions, youre more likely to experience asthma symptoms because there is cooling and drying out of the air passages. This will result to the release of inflammatory chemicals which narrows the airways. Some doctors encourage swimming as a form of exercise because the air is usually warmer and moist and so asthma attacks seldom happens.

When the asthma attack is exercise-induced, the individual will not be able to get enough exercise. In the case of youngsters who like sports and other physical activities, their health condition will serve as a barrier and so they cant enjoy their life to the fullest.

Omega 3 is different from Omega 6. Large percentage of Omega 3 is found in fish oil and this is very beneficial to asthma patients because of its anti-inflammatory properties. The latter is pro-inflammatory which means that it can trigger the release of inflammatory chemicals, thereby resulting to asthma attacks. Medical experts advise asthma patients to increase their consumption of Omega 3 or fish oil instead of consuming more vegetable oils, processed foods, dairy products, and meats which contain Omega 6. So where can you get fish oil? You can get it from oily fishes or in fish oil that came from plant sources.

You have to include fish oil in your everyday supplements because of its therapeutic benefits. You can use it to prevent future asthma attacks which are exercise-induced. Beware of fish oils with lesser grade because it has harmful toxins. Try to purchase only the pharmaceutical grade or best quality supplements of fish oil.