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?

Frequent headaches can be uncomfortable at best, and debilitating at worst. While a chronic migraine can come with a throbbing pain on one side of the head, headaches due to tension can cause mild to moderate pain on both sides. Also, daily headaches happen in at least 15 days, Hemicrania Continua is a condition that brings about constant pain, and usually happens on one side of the head. Read on to learn more about dealing with these different kinds of headaches.

1. Medical Treatment: Inflammation, infections like meningitis and brain injuries that have been proven to be traumatic should be treated with due medication after a proper consultation with a doctor. In certain cases, headaches can be caused due to brain tumours and they must be treated at once. Also, headaches that come with fever, stiff neck, confusion and constant vomiting must be treated by a doctor immediately.

2. Take an Over the Counter Drug: Taking an over the counter drug for instant pain relief can stop the pain and give temporary or long term relief, depending on the kind of headache you are experiencing. It is advisable to speak with a doctor before taking any kind of drug.

3. Find your Triggers: Find and limit your triggers like certain food types as well as stress and certain seasonal changes. Stepping out in the summer with an umbrella and avoiding caffeine or too much of chocolate and cheese can also help in alleviating the pain. Stress is also a major factor that contributes to headaches and should be avoided in order to prevent or stop the pain.

4. Drink Plenty of Water: Staying hydrated is a good way to treat headaches instantly. The consumption of water is known to soothe the pain effectively.

5. A Soothing Break: Find a quiet place with dim lighting to take a break that should ideally last at least half an hour to one hour, or even more. This will help in diminishing and removing the pain. You can also use a cold compress and get yourself a massage.

5 Ways To Deal With Headaches

Six hours of sleep daily is as important as the food you consume and the amount of exercise you do, in a day. Poor sleep can lead to reduced concentration the next day coupled with low productivity. Thus, it is necessary to get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily.


Here are few benefits of getting the required amount of sleep every night:
Sleeping improves memory: Lack of sleep has negative effect on your brain, which affects your memory and retention. If you sleep more, you are more likely to retain things because in your sleep, your mind goes over everything you ve read when you were awake. This process is called consolidation. Thus, an optimum amount of sleep helps you retain whatever you have learnt during the day better.
Stimulates creativity: Getting sleep for the required number of hours is a necessity as your creativity levels are bound to soar after some good rest. Working relentlessly without a break in between can lead to saturation in your creativity levels. Thus, rest is a requisite for a spur of creativity.
Reduces stress levels: Not sleeping enough adds even more strain on your brain. Sleep deprivation increases stress, which adds to the blood pressure level and cholesterol in the blood, putting you at risks of suffering from coronary diseases. Thus, to keep your heart health intact, it is important to sleep for at least six hours, which is a minimum requirement for your body to rest.
Leads to weight loss: Sleep deprivation can lead to an alteration in your hormone levels, which activates the cortisol (a fat producing hormone), thereby, leading to obesity. It also leads to negative modifications in your diet and a lethargic approach to your regular exercise routine. Thus, the easiest hack to lose weight is to get adequate sleep at night.


Because the benefits you gain out of sleeping for a minimum of six hours are invaluable, you should aspire to give your body the rest it deserves.

Why You Should Sleep for 6 Hours Everyday?

Congestive heart failure is a chronic progressive condition that affects the pumping power of your heart muscles. Simply referred to as heart failure, congestive heart failure can be life-threatening. It does not mean that the heart has stopped working. Rather, it means that the heart pumping power is weaker than normal. As a result, the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body s needs. Over a period of time, the reduced ability of the heart causes the organs to receive less amount of oxygenated blood.

Signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure: In the early stages of congestive heart failure, you most likely won t notice any changes in your health. If your condition progresses, you will experience gradual changes in your body. The hallmark and the most common symptom of congestive heart failure is shortness of breath and it may occur while you are at rest, doing any activity that exerts your body, when you are lying flat or while getting up from sleep. Some of the other most common symptoms of congestive heart failure include a persistent and unexplained cough, swelling in the legs, ankles, abdomen, or hands, tiredness, changes in thinking and memory, nausea, rapid heart rate, and dizziness or light-headedness.

Causes of congestive heart failure: Congestive heart failure is most likely to occur in people who have other conditions that weaken the heart. The risk also increases by several lifestyle factors that are bad for the heart. Risk factors for congestive heart failure include congenital heart defects, high blood pressure or cholesterol, obesity, asthma, chronic pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, heart infection, reduced kidney function, a history of heart attack, irregular heart rhythms, abuse of alcohol and drugs, smoking, and old age. Though there are over a hundred other less common causes of heart failure, the exact cause of congestive heart failure is often idiopathic or unknown. Congestive heart failure might also exacerbate by unhealthy lifestyle habits. Specific habits such as smoking, excessive use of alcohol, obesity, lack of exercise, high salt intake, noncompliance with medications, and other therapies may increase the risk of congestive heart failure.

Diagnosis of congestive heart failure: A doctor or cardiologist will perform a physical exam. This may involve listening to the heart for abnormal heart rhythm. Some common tests that are done to help with the diagnosis of congestive heart failure include an electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, series of blood tests, echocardiography, stress test, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cardiac catheterization.

Treatment of congestive heart failure: The goal of treatment for congestive heart failure is to have the heart beat more efficiently so that it can meet the energy needs of the body. Specific treatment depends upon the underlying cause of heart failure. You and your doctor may consider different treatment, depending on your overall health and how far your condition has progressed. There are several medications that can be used to treat congestive heart failure. ACE inhibitors open up narrowed blood vessels to improve blood flow. Vasodilators are another option if you cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors. Beta blockers can reduce blood pressure and slow a rapid heart rhythm. Diuretics reduce your body s fluid content. A surgery such as angioplasty is recommended if medications are not effective on their own.

Congestive Heart Failure - Signs & Symptoms You Must Not Ignore!

Wounds and bruises are both injuries. However, they differ widely in terms of the causing factors, the nature of the injury, the pain they cause and the kind of treatment they require. The following are a few of the myriad ways in which the two injuries differ from each other:

1. A wound causes quick damage - the skin tissue is cut or punctured while a bruise (also called a closed wound) is where the skin is not torn. 

2. A wound is usually caused by a sharp object but bruises are the results of blunt force or trauma.

3. A wound almost certainly bleeds due to ruptured tissue and blood vessels. Blunt injury also damages the blood capillaries of the skin and causes blood to accumulate under the skin tissue, creating a dark patch of skin. Blood vessels can also break due to lifting of heavy objects or overexertion of muscles.

4. A wound carries the risk of infection because the skin is open but a bruise does not get infected.

5. A wound has a burning or stinging sensation but a bruise is characterized by swelling and a blunt throbbing pain.

6. A wound can be healed by antiseptic and antibiotic medication. Large wounds need to be closed by stitching them up to avoid severe infection. On the other hand, a bruise usually heals by itself. A cold compress and pain killers may be used to ease discomfort. Heat can be applied to the injured spot to normalize the blood flow and dissolve the blood clot.

7. A wound can lead to complications like bacterial infections or the healing might be delayed by chronic diseases like diabetes. In case of a bruise, it usually does not cause complications but if there's a blunt injury to sensitive areas like the head, the tailbone or the eyes, medical attention is advised.

8. Wounds and bruises can also be differentiated on the basis of their subtypes. The different types of wounds are:

a. Incision (sharp objects cutting the dermis layer of skin)
b. Abrasion (the epithelial tissue is scraped off)
c. Avulsion (a body structure is torn off)
d. Penetration (a sharp object causes an entry and an exit wound)
e. Puncture (only an entry wound caused by a sharp object)

The different types of bruises are:
a. Hematoma (blood pools under the skin)
b. Purpura (tiny spots of blood on the inside of the mouth)
c. Contusion (similar to hematoma and caused by external trauma)
d. Crush injury (caused due to a large amount of force on the body part for a long time)

Wounds VS Bruises

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when the menstruation ceases, bringing an end to a woman's childbearing years. There are a number of symptoms that mark this stage, including hot flashes, which are very commonly experienced in such cases. Hot flashes are like a feeling of a red hot flush that may wash over the body and lead to excessive sweating. It occurs in the blood vessels that are closest to the surface of the skin. Yet, menopause is not the only reason why one may experience these hot flashes.

Here are some of the reasons that may trigger these hot flashes:

1. Carcinoid syndrome: This is a disease that may cause hot flashes as a symptom. In this condition, a tumour will usually release varied chemicals into the body, which can create varied symptoms that seem like hot flashes.

2. Hyperthyroidism: Overheating of the body and the system from within is something that many patients suffering from hyperthyroidism may experience. This usually happens when the thyroid glands end up producing too much of the thyroid hormone that brings about many symptoms ranging from depression to weight loss and even hot flashes. In hyperthyroidism, the body goes into a hyper mode, which usually leads to overheating of the same. This gives rise to frequent and often severe hot flashes.

3. Hormonal changes: There are many hormonal changes that may affect various men and women from time to time. A drop in the level of the estrogen hormone is something that many women go through on a regular basis. This may happen due to pregnancy as well. Also, this condition usually brings about symptoms like hot flashes.

4. Eating disorders: The way we eat and nurture our body is the way the body reacts. When there is a case of an eating disorder like dyslexia or bulimia, it may lead to varied symptoms, including hot flashes. This is due to the fact that the body's hormonal levels as well as the nutritional level plunge to an all-time low. In many such cases, hot flashes are the body's way of demanding better nutrition. These disorders can also give rise to related conditions like the hypothalamus disorder.

5. Hypothalamus disorder: Hypothalamus disorder may also cause hot flashes. This is a condition that is caused due to poor eating habits. This disorder is characterised by a major drop in one's nutrition levels and also leads to many hormonal changes. These changes often lead to symptoms like hot flashes and other related complications.

Hot Flashes: Is it Due to Menopause or Something Else

Don't wait any longer, manage your Home Remedies For UTI online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Home Remedies For UTI - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES