It is no longer so surprising to read about alarming air pollution levels in our cities. On more than one occasion, these levels have risen above the danger levels. For some people, this may simply create an annoying fog that makes it difficult to see. For others, it can cause serious health issues. Air pollution is one of the most common reasons for the growing instances of asthma and allergies. Children are most susceptible to such diseases caused by air pollution.

Asthma and Allergies
Asthma can affect children even before their fifth birthday and the condition is characterized by breathlessness caused by a constriction of the airways. While the root cause of asthma is unknown, it is usually seen that asthmatic patients are more sensitive to others to particles in the air such as pollutants, dander, dust, smoke etc. Thus, the airways construct as a reaction to these allergens. Changes in the weather, a sudden cold draft or the flu can also aggravate asthma.

Can you Protect Your Children from Asthma?
Wheezing, panting, finding it difficult to breathe and a persistent cough are some of the signs of asthma. If you notice these symptoms, you must consult a doctor immediately. At home, here are a few things you could do.

Avoid exposing your children to smoke: Do not smoke around your children or allow others to smoke around them. If you cannot give up the habit, wear a smoking jacket when you smoke and take this off before you play with your children. When you ll go out, drive with the windows up so that your child does not inhale exhaust smoke. Set your air conditioner to circulate air within the car itself.
Dust often: Try and keep your home as dust free as possible. Use a wet cloth to clean so that the dust does not fly in the air. Wash all your bed linen once a week. Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed regularly or dusted outside. It may also be a good idea to invest in dust mite impermeable covers for your child s mattress and pillows.
Keep your Pets clean: If you share your home with pets, bathe them once a week and brush them daily. Do not let them climb on to the furniture or your beds. Also, avoid having their toys lie on your beds.
Wear a face mask: Try and time your child s outdoor activities when the pollution levels are low. Buy yourself and your child a face mask that will filter the air they breathe in. These should be worn whenever they play outdoors.
These simple steps could help your child be healthier and can prevent asthma and other such allergic reactions.

Increasing Asthma & Allergy In Children - What Should You Do?

If you have been diagnosed with asthma, it is important for you to know about the most common triggers of asthma. Asthma is a medical condition, which is characterised by paroxysmal wheezing respiration dyspnoea. It causes breathing difficulties, tightened chest and coughing. By identifying and reducing your exposure to several asthma triggers, you will be able to manage or control your asthma symptoms and the frequency of your asthma attacks. Here are the most common triggers of asthma you should know about:

Allergies that trigger asthma
Allergies, are common problems and over 80% of people are suffering from asthma and are allergic towards substances like weed pollens, animal dander, dust mites, mould and cockroach particles. Children having large amounts of cockroach droppings in their homes are more likely to develop childhood asthma. Dust exposure may lead to dust mite allergy in asthmatic patients.

Food which triggers asthma
Certain food allergies may lead to isolated asthma, where other symptoms are absent. Patients with food allergies can exhibit asthma as a part of anaphylaxis, which are food induced. The common food items which are associated with allergies include eggs, peanuts, cow milk, soy, fish, wheat, shrimps, salads and fresh fruits. Several food preservatives also trigger asthma. They may include sulfite additives such as potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfate and many others. These are commonly used in food processing and trigger asthma in sensitive people.

Asthma induced by exercise
Strenuous exercise may lead to the narrowing of the airways in maximum people having asthma. Exercise acts as a primary trigger for asthma symptoms in many people. Patients having exercise induced asthma are likely to feel chest tightness accompanied by coughing and breathing difficulties after completing an aerobic workout session. Although the symptoms subside, they may reoccur within some hours. You should warm up properly and slowly before a rigorous workout session to prevent an asthma attack.

Smoking
People who smoke are more likely to have asthma. If you have asthma and still smoke, the symptoms of wheezing and coughing worsen. Pregnant women who smoke increase the chance of wheezing in their to-be-born babies. You should absolutely quit smoking if you have asthma.

Infections which trigger asthma
Several infections such as cold, bronchitis, flu and sinus may cause asthma attacks. The respiratory infections, which are viral or bacterial, are a common cause and trigger asthma, especially in children. Asthma is also associated with severe heartburn. According to studies, more than 85% people with asthma also suffer from heartburn. This is a condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

Asthma - Common Triggers Behind it?

Asthma is a distressing condition during which people find it difficult to breathe as the bronchi or tubes carrying air to lungs swell up. This happens when mucus inside bronchi comes into contact with an allergen like a pollutant or dirt causing symptoms like wheezing, coughing, more mucus production and difficulty breathing. There is no cure for asthma. As of now, it can only be managed. But managing asthma becomes really difficult during low air quality days, especially during winters when it s cold and dry.

The most common air pollutants are gases like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, vehicle smoke, and suspended particles. Each one of them can trigger an asthma attack by itself because of its deleterious effect on the lungs. The smaller the particulate matter is, the more dangerous it becomes as these particles get lodged in the air sacs inside lungs, causing not just asthma from worsening but also fatal diseases like lung cancer.

So, most asthma patients suffer from frequent attacks due to air pollution. How can these attacks be prevented? Here are some tips:

According to research, asthma can be managed by making modifications in everyday life. On high air pollution days due to ozone, for example, asthmatics tend to experience more lung inflammation. If you are an asthmatic, you should reduce time spent outdoors, especially doing strenuous activity in the mornings and evenings. Keeping medications on hand and using those at the very start of an asthma attack also helps. There should always be a plan in place to lessen the chance of an asthma attack on poor air quality days starting from a rescue inhaler to preventive medication if your doctor feels you need it.
Stay hydrated and breathe through the nose. Dehydration is dangerous for asthmatics especially when air quality is bad. In this case, lungs can become badly affected because they need right temperature and levels of water to work properly. It s crucial to breathe through the nose only and not the mouth as the air breathed in from the mouth can be very cold and dry and can cause even more inflammation of the lungs.
Know your asthma triggers and change lifestyle. Avoiding your triggers is key to managing asthma. If traffic fumes are a trigger, it s best to change the route you take to work to manage your asthma. If you don t know your triggers look back at your last asthma attack and remember what you were doing. Did you pet your dog? Write a diary and discuss with your doctor on how to avoid your triggers. Use a face mask when outdoors to limit exposure to allergens. 
Track your asthma to recognise early signs of asthma. If you know that it s getting worse, you should have a fool-proof plan in place.

Air Pollution - Tips to Prevent Asthma From Worsening!

Asthma is a severe respiratory disease, which occurs due to the inflammation of the airways of lungs. The airways of the lungs get swollen due to the inflammation, which cause production of mucus. Due to the effect of excessive mucus and swelling, the air path gets hindered. In such a condition, breathing becomes difficult and a wheezing sound appears at the time of breathing. Usually, the patient coughs very often.

These are the common symptoms of asthma:

Breathlessness
Whistling sound while breathing
Wheezing in chest
Mucus-producing cough
Tightness and heaviness in breathing
Heaviness in chest while running, walking or performing any activity
Recommended homeopathic medicines
Homeopathy is the holistic way of treating asthma. It not only cuts down the inflammation, but also cures the cause of the inflammation. So, treating asthma with homeopathy is safe because the remedies are all natural. Homeopathic medicines do not produce any side effects. There are several homeopathic medicines which are used to treat mild or severe asthma. Here are the five best homeopathic remedies for asthma:

Arsenic album: Arsenic Album is one of the effective homeopathic medicines for the patients who have asthma with anxiety. The patient might encounter symptoms such as intense feeling of restlessness, intense wheezing and coughing, feeling of suffocation while lying down, sudden increase of thirst etc. Usually, patients get relief after consuming warm drinks.
Ipecac: This is one of the wonderful homeopathic medicines for treating asthma with intense vomiting and nausea. The patient might encounter symptoms such as vomiting along with asthma attacks, persistent nausea, intense feeling of mucus in the chest, persistent cough, persistent salivation etc. This medicine is generally prescribed to patients who are a little heavy in weight.
Antim tart: This is the best homeopathic remedy for asthma patients who have a rattling cough. The symptoms also include a feeling of mucus in the chest, sleepiness, tiredness etc. Also, there is usually a burning sensation in the chest and throat, intense cough after eating anything, breathlessness, and hoarseness of the voice. This is more common in older people.
Nux vomica: This is one of the best homeopathic remedies for patients who have asthma with the gastronomic disorder. Symptoms include feeling of fullness around the stomach with asthma attacks, dry cough, sensation in the throat, mood swings etc.
Carbo veg: This is one of the best homeopathic remedies for treating asthma patients with blueness on face. Symptoms include numbness in hands and feet, stomach problem, breathlessness while lying down etc.

Asthma - 5 Homeopathic Remedies That Can Really Do Wonders!

Asthma, the long term inflammatory disease, affects the airways of lungs. A number of symptoms, including obstruction of air flow into the lungs, which can cause breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, allergic reactions and swelling of the tubes, points to it. The causes include genes as well as pollution in the environment which is resulting in an increasing number of cases. The diagnosis is usually done with a spirometry and the treatment is a long term process. 

Women who suffer from asthma have to be especially vigilant during pregnancy as it can lead to a number of complications including less air passage to the foetus. This can result in a slow rate of development and certain anomalies in extreme cases. So how can a pregnant lady manage asthma? here are a few tips:

 Involve pulmologist: to begin with, the obstetrician and the pulmonologist must both be well aware of the situation. The pulmonologist must be given detailed information with regards to allergies as well as past treatment and medical history so that the treatment is done systematically to prevent an asthmatic attack and any complications to the foetus. 
 Lung function: during pregnancy, the doctor must monitor lung function carefully with monthly check ups to ensure that the right amount of oxygen is reaching the foetus. This is done because the severity of asthma changes in most women during pregnancy. A spriometry or peak flow metre can be used to measure the lung function. Also, the foetal movements must be monitored on a monthly basis, or rather, once every 28 days, to be more specific. 
 Influenza: flu is a common outcome of asthma, especially when it becomes severe during pregnancy. The onset of flu or influenza must be prevented at all costs with the help of a flu vaccine that will be effective at least for a season at a time. It is a pregnancy safe injection. 
 Triggers: there are many things that may trigger an asthmatic attack or an allergic reaction that can lead to the same. Ensure that you do not suffer from these triggers by avoiding dust, pollen, tobacco smoke and varied other substances that can lead to choking and wheezing. 
 Medication: one must ask the doctor about pregnancy safe inhaled corticosteroids that one can take during pregnancy if and when the need arises.

 It is recommended to take medication for asthma during pregnancy only after a consultation with the doctor. Also, do not reduce the dose of the medicine unless your doctor has recommended a change.

How to Deal With Asthma During Pregnancy

Pulmonary Function Tests or PFTs are a set of tests that are used to determine, measure or observe the functioning of the lungs. The most common pulmonary function tests used are spirometry, gas diffusion, and lung plethysmography. 

Highlights of pulmonary function tests

A spirometry test is used to measure the amount of air inhaled and exhaled. It also measures the amount of time taken to complete a respiration cycle.
A lung plethysmography measures the amount of air in the lungs after the patient has taken a deep breath. It also measures the amount of air that remains in the lungs after the patient has exhaled as much air as possible.
What does a Pulmonary Function Test measure?
Pulmonary function tests would not only check how well the person is breathing but also how effectively the lungs are able to conduct oxygen to the rest of the body. In addition to air flow, these tests would measure the size and volume of the lung and lung diffusion.

These tests can also be used to measure

Total Lung Capacity   the amount of air present in the lungs after breathing in deeply
Forced Vital Capacity   the amount of air that can be exhaled after breathing in deeply
Minute Volume   the amount of air exhaled per minute
Vital Capacity   the total volume of air that can be breathed out after inhaling as much as possible
Tidal Volume   the amount of air inhaled or exhaled when breathing normally
Maximum voluntary ventilation   the amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled in one minute
Functional Residual Capacity   the amount of air that remains in the lungs when breathing normally
Forced Expiratory Flow   the flow or volume of air during an exhalation
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate   the rate at which a person can exhale
When are Pulmonary Function Tests recommended?
A physician might recommend a patient undergo a PFT as part of a routine physical check-up. This test would be advised if the patient is experiencing any symptoms associated with lung problems or disorders such as asthma, respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. A doctor would also use these tests to monitor and check whether a certain treatment prescribed for a lung disease or condition is working effectively.

Pulmonary function tests are safe as they are non-invasive but it is important to follow the instructions of the doctor or technician before, after and during the test. It is important to make your doctor aware of any surgeries, respiratory infections, chest pains or heart attacks that you might have experienced before the test. If you are taking any medications you might need to follow the advice of the doctor as to whether you can take them before the test.

Your doctor would also advice you on how to prepare for the test such as not eating a large meal, avoiding caffeine and wearing loose-fitting clothes. If you have any doubts, concerns or queries discuss them with your doctor.

Pulmonary Function Tests - Why Is It Required?

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