The chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder is a highly prevalent lung disease. People affected by COPD suffer from difficulty in breathing which can hamper regular life to a considerable extent. Though there is no particular cure available for this condition so far, it can be essentially managed with lifestyle changes and proper treatments. This first step in the process is to quit smoking.

Which medicines are available for treating COPD?
Doctors use various medications for treating the symptoms and complications of this disease. Drugs that fall under any of the categories mentioned below, coupled with therapy sessions would be recommended.

Bronchodilators: These medicines which tend to come in the form of an inhaler help in relaxing the muscles around the airways. It can assist in relieving coughing and shortness of breath making it easier to breathe. You may need a short-acting bronchodilator to provide quick relief and a long-acting bronchodilator to use on a regular basis.
Combination inhalers: For those patients whose condition is severe and experience frequent flare-ups, combination inhalers are used. As the name implies, it is a combination of steroids and beta-agonist employed in the short or long acting bronchodilator. Your doctor might recommend this depending on your condition.
Theophylline: This class of medicine is quite inexpensive which is commonly used in the treatment of COPD and asthma. It can improve breathing while preventing flare-ups. But the side effects of this medicine are many and may include fast heartbeat, headache, nausea, and even tremor. Hence, your doctor might advise this medication only if it suits you.
Can lung therapies help in treating COPD?
Doctors often use additional therapies for the treatment of moderate to severe COPD:

Pulmonary rehabilitation program: These programs include exercise training, education, nutrition therapies and counseling. The affected person needs to work with the professionals who can tailor the rehabilitation program for meeting their specific needs. This treatment can shorten the duration of hospitalization and increase one s ability to take part in daily activities.
Oxygen therapy: If there is a lack of oxygen in the blood, you would need additional oxygen to supplement it. There are several types of equipment available in the market that can deliver oxygen to the lungs. Some of these are lightweight and portable which you may carry with you while running errands.
Is there any surgery available in the treatment of COPD?
Surgery may be the only option for people who have a severe form of COPD and emphysema. Some of the most common surgical interventions include bullectomy, lung transplant, and lung volume reduction surgery. There are individual risks and complications in each of these cases, and therefore, it is very important to manage the symptoms to avoid the need for surgical operations.

Thus, with caution and care, COPD can be managed effectively, and you may lead a normal life.


COPD- How Can It Be Treated?

Sinusitis is an irritation or swelling of the tissue covering the sinuses. Healthy sinuses are loaded with air. But there are times when they get blocked and loaded with fluid. In such cases, germs can develop and cause an infection. Due to this infection, your nose gets heavily blocked along with you sinuses and might make it difficult for you to breathe.
Conditions that can bring about sinus blockage include the following:
Common cold
Allergic rhinitis (swelling of the lining around the nose)
Little developments or growths in the covering of the nose called nasal polyps
A deviated septum (a shift in the nasal cavity)
Here are some of the ways you can get rid of sinusitis naturally:
Stay Hydrated: Drink a lot of water, soup or broth, along with juices with no added sugar and hot tea. These liquids will disperse bodily fluids and drain it from the disturbed sinuses.
Salt Water Rinse: In case you suffer from sinus infections often, invest in a neti pot. This helpful container makes it simple to hydrate your nasal tract, getting out undesirable bodily fluids and any contaminants you may have breathed, an which may have been caught in the nasal cavity.
Turmeric/Ginger Root: Turmeric root is an excellent fragrant spice found in most Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. Turmeric not only contains the regular calming and anti-inflammatory curcumin, it is also an antioxidant. When it is mixed with hot ginger ale and blended with hot tea, this mixture can remove excess fluid from the clogged nasal sections, ease sinus pressure and make you feel better.
Spicy Food: Spicy ingredients such as mustard, hot peppers, curry, horseradish, and masala in one s food may help in clearing sinuses. In case you like spices, think about including some hot flavours to your food to open your nasal entries.
Apply Warm Packs: You can use a warm pack to keep the nasal tissues damp. Also, fill a round bowl or pot with steaming water and place your face over it with a towel around your head to inhale the steam in. This will open up your sinuses and make an easy path for fluid drainage.
Take a Steam: High temperature water vapour can saturate the sinuses. Sprinkle a couple drops of eucalyptus or menthol in the shower or bath and steam up your bathroom. A hot shower can also relax the bodily fluid as well as the mucus and debris that are stuck inside your nose.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is not only powerful in disposing off sinus issues; it can also be used for different skin and hair issues. What it does essentially for sinus infection is that it clears up the nose so that the bodily fluid can be removed quickly.

How To Cure Sinusitis Naturally?

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

Tonsillitis is an affliction that plagues a fair share of people. Located at the back of your throat, tonsils are essentially two small glands, which contain white blood cells to defend your body against infection. However, on account of germ attacks, sometimes the tonsils get infected and this results in the swelling of the tonsil glands, which in turn causes sore throat and aligned maladies. 

Tonsillitis may be cured through surgical procedures. However, an isolated case of the inflammation of the tonsils need not warrant a surgery. Tonsillectomy or the surgical method of curing tonsillitis is only recommended for extreme cases of tonsillitis. Only the frequent sufferers of tonsillitis take recourse to tonsillectomy for a durable and effective solution. Surgeries are only done on those who have had at least seven bouts of strep throats within a span of a year. 

Tonsillectomies essentially involve surgical removal of the tonsils either using a scalpel or burning the tissues in the tonsils with the use of ultrasound vibrations. Usually performed under anesthesia, it is a fairly painless and a non-hazardous procedure. Tonsillectomies generally last for about an hour. However, the recovery period sometimes entail a few physical discomforts. Sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, pain in the jaws and ears are common symptoms of post tonsillectomy conditions. While there are palliative medicines available in the markets, adequate rest and proper diet speeds up the recovery. 

Tonsillectomy generally leaves no side effects and the success rate of this surgery is quite heartening. Tonsillectomy has also known to cure several other associated health problems in the likes of breathing troubles, sleep apnea, bleeding of the tonsil glands or cancerous developments in the tonsil glands. That aside, tonsillectomy is only performed on acute cases of tonsillitis and often regarded as the lender of last resort when medicines stop according any relief to the patient.

When to go for a Tonsil Surgery?

Acute sinusitis is a type of infection of the sinus. It involves an infection or inflammation of your sinus membranes. The most common symptom of sinusitis is that you have trouble draining mucus from your nose. The sinus is the cavity around the nasal passage and it may swell up when this condition occurs. Usually, the symptoms are temporary. However, sometimes, especially if you suffer from chronic sinusitis,medical intervention is required.

Saline Nasal Spray: This is a spray you put into your nose several times a day to clean your nasal passages.
Nasal Corticosteroids: There are many types of nasal corticosteroids. They include fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, beclomethsone. These nasal sprays not only help to treat inflammation, they help prevent to prevent inflammation as well.
Aspirin: This is a type of OTC pain relievers and they help relieve the pain of acute sinusitis. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are two other OTC pain relievers which can be used instead of aspirin.
Antibiotics: Antibiotics are usually not required and should never be taken without the doctor's prescription. However, sometimes the doctor may recommend it if he thinks there is a bacterial infection or if the symptoms progress rapidly.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is given when allergies are the reason you are having acute sinusitis. It is rarely needed, however.
Surgery: For sinusitis symptoms which are chronic or occur frequently, nasal surgery may be the best option for permanent relief. A number of different surgical procedures can be used to treat acute sinusitis such as balloon sinuplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery etc.

Treatment of Acute Sinusitis

Tuberculosis or TB as it is commonly known in medical circles is a bacterial infection commonly affecting the lungs. While there are some countries in the world, where TB is more common, anybody can develop TB if they are not very healthy. The TB bacteria spreads through the air. While some people's immune system would be able to fight the disease back; some people who have risk factors, the disease may continue to develop and present with symptoms. 

So, a person can develop TB in two circumstances:

Exposure to TB
Visited a country where TB is very common
Spent time with a person who is infected with TB
Exposure to crowded places like a market or a healthcare facility where TB virus is present
Weakened immune system
Be HIV infected
Weak immune system due to long-term use of steroids
Chronic diseases like diabetes, malnutrition, end-stage kidney or liver disease, cancer, etc.
Extremes of age (children whose immune system is not fully developed, elderly whose immunity is weakened)
Chronic smoker, IV drug abuse, and/or alcohol user
Repeatedly exposed to TB bacteria in the last two years
Had TB bacteria, but not identified or treated
Drug therapy like chemotherapy, long-term use of steroids, auto-immune disease treatments, etc.
Signs and symptoms of TB: 

If you are at risk, it is also suggested that you know the early warning signs and symptoms of TB. TB most commonly affects the lungs and is known as pulmonary tuberculosis. Watching out for these helps in early diagnosis which can both help arrest the condition in the early stages and improve prognosis.

A persistent cough which lasts for more than 3 weeks
Pain in the chest worsened with coughing
Presence of blood in the sputum
Generalized and extreme weakness or fatigue
Unexplained weight loss
Loss of appetite
Fever and chills
Profuse sweating at night
If a person has TB bacteria in the system but does not feel sick and does not have the above systems, then it means that the person is not actively infected. This person also cannot spread the disease to another person. However, when immunity is weak, this can develop into an infection. In a country like India where tuberculosis is quite prevalent, it is best to get yourself screened for active tuberculosis infection if you display any such symptoms.

Tuberculosis (TB) - When A Person Can Develop It?

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