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?

Asthma is something which affects quite a large number of people. As a matter of fact, up to 20 percent of the population is affected by it. Isn t it surprising that the ways to treat it are not so well known, taking into account how many people it affects? So, wouldn t it be a great idea to learn more about it and learn to treat it in a pretty unique way?

When a person has asthma, the airways of the respiratory system become narrower than they usually are and this, in turn, leads to a shortage of breath. While many people would normally go to a conventional doctor in order to treat asthma, it may come as a rude shock to know that asthma is often triggered by reactions to conventional medicines such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are also known as NSAIDs. Things are not that straightforward, are they?

Ayurveda is a body of medicine which looks not at just patching up and fixing medical problems, but rather to maintain a high level of overall health. Considering this, it should not be much of a surprise to come to know that when it comes to the treatment of asthma, Ayurveda is not superficial like a lot of other methods of treatment. As a matter of fact, it not only looks at the respiratory system but also at the gastrointestinal system in order to provide a comprehensive solution for a patient who is affected by asthma.

According to Ayurveda, the body is divided into three doshas and in the case of asthma, it is the kappa dosha which is culpable. If the asthma is detected before too long, a fully effective treatment can be undertaken and the patient can be restored to his or her pre-asthma level. However, if there is a significant delay between the time that asthma sets in and its detection, only management is possible.

Foods which trigger asthma are to be avoided like the plague! Examples of these foods happen to be animal products and dairy products such as curd. In addition to this, bananas and sugary foods or sweets, including sugar, in itself, are to be avoided.

A paste of rock salt, mustard oil or clarified butter can help if it is rubbed on the chest. Medicines such as Sitopalaadi choorna are to be taken, with this specific medicine ingested with honey. Kapha kartari addresses the issues with the Kapha and with it, asthma should be on its way to becoming a minor problem pretty soon!

Asthma - Know How Ayurveda Can Help You!

With the increase in pollution, there has been a significant increase in allergies and asthma patients off late. The reason is that apart from genetic problems, allergens or pollutants play a significant role. Homeopathy is the best way to treat these with less or no side effects!

Allergens

These are types of antigens responsible for drastic immune responses. Here, the immune system acts against these to protect the body and the reactions are called allergies. Allergy can be expressed via sneezing or rashes, itching, redness in eyes, vomiting and so on.

Types of allergens

1. One could have food allergies from foods such as peanuts (a legume), nuts, seafood and shellfish.

2. Other allergens could be, but not limited to dust mite excretion, pollen, pet dander and royal jelly.

3. Some drugs, dander or even dye can also cause allergy.

Homeopathic treatment for allergies

1. Ailanthus: for those allergic to smell of flowers

2. Apis mel: for those allergic to heat

3. Argentum nit: for those allergic to sugar

4. Arsenic album: helps patients allergic to cold drinks; fruits; rotten foods, iodine

5. Bryonia: for those allergic to castor oil

6. Carbo veg: helps those allergic to aspirin; bad liquors, salt butter, bad eggs, poultry items

7. Dulcamara: act against dampness allergy

8. Histamine: act against dust and strong perfumes allergies

9. Justicia adhatoda: for those allergic to dust

10. Petroleum: helps those allergic to cabbage

11. Natrum mur: helps those allergic to bread and acidic food

12. Nitri-spiritus dulcis: acts against cheese allergy

13. Nux vom: for those allergic to coffee

14. Sepia: for those allergic to warm boiled milk

15. Sulphur: act against antibiotic allergy

16. Tellurium: for those allergic to rice

17. Thuja: for those allergic to sweets; fatty meats, onion

Know about asthma before you treat it

In case of asthma, lungs are affected causing inflammation of lungs thereby narrowing airways. Asthma can start by allergies.

Symptoms

1. Tightening of chest

2. Difficulty in breathing

3. Persistent cough, particularly at night.

Homeopathic remedies

1. Natrum sulphuricum cures children: in case of hereditary cases, this is effective. Important symptom to have the remedy is wheezing.

2. Arsenic album for all: it is effective in acute phase as well as chronic state.

3. Sambucus for children: it is given if the attack is sudden at night.

Asthma is a form of allergy. However, it can co-exist with other nasal and skin allergy symptoms. Arsenic, allium cepa and histaminum are homeopathic remedies for asthma along with nasal allergy.

Now you know what is to be given and when. It is advisable to call up a doctor in case of severity.

Allergy or Asthma Cure in Homoeopathy

Asthma is the most common chronic condition for women in pregnancy. While Asthma control can affect pregnancy, pregnancy too can affect Asthma. Yet while pregnancy does not beget Asthma, neither does it abate.

Nevertheless, Asthma management during pregnancy is very important. Improper Asthma management, especially in difficult Asthma, during pregnancy may imperil both the mother and the child.

Along with taking the right medications, Asthma patients also need to avoid exposure to Asthma triggers.

Avoiding Asthma Triggers

Asthma triggers may be different for different people. In general, one or a few of the following act as Asthma triggers:

Allergens like pollen, dust mite etc.

Smoking

Certain exercises

Certain occupational exposure

Pollution

Certain drugs like  blockers, aspirin etc.

Alcohol, dairy products, orange juice, peanuts etc.

Additives like tartrazine, monosodium glutamate etc.

Certain medical conditions like gastric reflux, rhinitis etc.

Apart from avoiding these Asthma triggers, she would also need to follow the instructions of her gynecologists. She should always be concerned that if the treatment is not working or if she is experiencing any trouble, she must consult with the gynecologists. She can also do some exercises to stay active and healthy.

However, she should always consult a doctor before doing any exercise, especially for those who have experienced Asthma attacks in the past.

Effects of Asthma on Pregnancy

Poor Asthma management and difficult Asthma before pregnancy are associated with increased risk of hypertension during pregnancy, which can beget Preeclampsia. Studies have also shown that women with Asthma tend to undergo Caesarean sections more than others. It has also been observed that Asthma may restrict the growth of the fetus leading to low birth weight.

However, this is more due to poor Asthma control such as persistent breathing difficulty or poor lung function etc., than Asthma per se.

Effects of Pregnancy on Asthma

Certain physiological factors during pregnancy do affect Asthma. In difficult Asthma, control usually deteriorates between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, mainly due to poor adherence to corticosteroids. This is why pregnant women with Asthma should be monitored closely irrespective of the severity of Asthma.

Breathlessness in Pregnancy

Breathlessness during pregnancy is common. In fact, even pregnant women with no Asthma symptoms may feel breathless at times. It reflects some normal physiological and anatomical changes during pregnancy. Even anxiety may precipitate breathlessness. This indicates that pregnant women with difficult Asthma may feel breathless, not just because of Asthma, but also because of normal changes during this period. However, new incidents of Asthma can also be a cause of breathlessness.

Respiratory Distress in Pregnant Women

Respiratory distress in pregnant women may not always be due to asthma. There may be a whole host of reasons that include Anxiety, Hyperventilation, chest infection, dysfunctional breathing, pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, thromboembolic disease, amniotic fluid embolism, pneumothorax, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and a variety of endocrine, hematological and renal disorders.

Preventing Respiratory Distress During Pregnancy

Apart from avoiding Asthma triggers, pregnant women with Asthma or difficult Asthma need to strictly adhere to Asthma control. This indicates that they need to adhere to their corticosteroids religiously. However, before that, they also need to make sure that the corticosteroid is safe to be taken during pregnancy.

Asthma may or may not affect pregnancy. However, it is always a great idea to go for Asthma management. This will help women deal with complications related to Asthma during pregnancy.

Apart from that, always consult a doctor before going for any medication related to Asthma control, or actual treatment of Asthma.

Difficult Asthma - All You Should Know!

Asthma is a respiratory disorder, which is characterized by the narrowing down and inflammation of the inner lining of the airways of the lung, resulting in excessive secretion of mucous. The airways are responsible for the passage of air from and to the lungs. Asthma can affect any person of any age group; however, the symptoms of the condition can vary. The symptoms of asthma include severe pain in the chest, coughing and problems in breathing, interruption in sleep due to breathing problems and a croaking sound during exhalation. Asthma, in most cases, tends to be chronic and can exist throughout your life with eventual changes in the nature of attack.

The most common causes of asthma are:

    Common cold and allergies from dust particles, smoke and minute insects might be catalysts for asthma.
    Suffering from severe anxiety might also cause asthma.
    Asthma might occur as a result of physical exercise and as a side effect of some medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin.

As of now, asthma is incurable. But medications can control the symptoms. Homeopathic preparations can also be useful for the treatment of asthma. Some common homeopathic remedies are as follows:
1. Arsenic album: If the symptoms include severe episodes of stress and nervousness, immense thirst but the inability to drink much water, severe attacks at night and intense pain in the upper right portion of the chest, Arsenic Album might be very useful to cure the problem.
2. Nux Vomica: If the attack is primarily caused because of gastric disorders or sudden outbursts of anger along with symptoms of dry cough, headaches and stomach aches, Nux Vomica might be used as a remedial medicine.
3. Carbo Veg: Carbo veg can be recommended if the symptoms include a pale face at the time of attack along with cold feet and hands and an itchy sensation in the larynx.
4. Kali bichromicum and Moschus: If the attacks become worse in the morning accompanied by yellow mucus discharge, the above mentioned homeopathic preparations are recommended.

Asthma: Breathing Made Easy with Homeopathy

Asthma is a chronic lung condition wherein the air passage gets blocked or constricted due to the production of extra mucus. It is an age old condition which has been creating problems for people since a long time. Despite the seriousness of the condition, there are various myths people tend to believe about asthma.

Here are a few myths about asthma and the usage of inhalers:

Regular Usage of Inhalers is Addictive: This is a total myth. Using inhalers is not at all addictive, it is a necessity. Just because you use your inhaler regularly does not mean you are addicted to it.  Just like brushing your teeth every day isn't an addiction, taking your daily medicine from an inhaler isn't an addiction as well. Using an inhaler will just help you with your asthma condition.
Oral Medicine Gets Better Results than Inhalers: Absolutely not. In fact, it is proven that inhalers give better results than oral medications. Oral medication takes longer to act during a sudden asthma attack while inhalers deliver the drug directly to the lungs.
Inhalers Are Meant For Severe Asthma Cases: Well, this again is not true. Inhalers are used for treating asthma. Period. Asthma is a condition where your lungs inflame which is best cured with steroids, and the easiest way to have steroids administered to you is through the inhalation method. When you use the inhalers, the steroids are delivered directly to your lungs. They also have a minimum number of side effects when administered through inhalers.
Asthma is Curable: You might tend to think that asthma can be cured with the help of proper medications. You might think that asthma is not a constant condition. But it is not what you think. The symptoms of asthma might not be present all the time but that doesn't mean you do not have asthma. Asthma is a long-term condition where the airways swell up causing you to suffer from breathlessness. If you suddenly stop taking your daily medicines because the symptoms have not surfaced, then it will take you a long time before you will be able to totally recover from the next attack you suffer from.
If you have asthma, remember to take your medicines daily and timely. 

Debunking Asthma Myths

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