Asthma can be triggered by a variety of things and recognizing an asthma symptom before it escalates into a more serious situation is all part of the management process.

It’s all very well to avoid known triggers however, just because you may do this effectively, it doesn’t mean you’re immune from asthma attack. So what are some of the symptoms associated with asthma?

Asthma Symptom Warning Signs

Let’s take a look at five symptoms which can signal an attack is imminent. Using the term attack may sound like warfare but in actual reality, it is. You need to put yourself in command of the situation and in a position to repel possible attacks when they occur. Again, it’s part of the management process.

An asthma symptom could be any one of the following:

1. Having shortness of breath. This is one of the most obvious symptoms and in many cases, a person doesn’t have a lot of time to act. Other symptoms include coughing and wheezing.

2. If your a sufferer and suddenly feel chest pain don’t ignore it. The pain can be accompanied by a general tightness of the chest.

3. Sleep can be affected by asthma symptoms. If you’re having trouble maintaining long periods of sleep due to breathing difficulties, coughing and wheezing then rather than hope it will go away, you need to seek professional medical advice.

4. Inhalers have been a tremendous innovation for sufferers and in many cases have prevented life threatening attacks. However, if you’re using your rescue inhaler in an increased fashion; more than you normally do, take this as another asthma symptom.

5. Having your breathing capacity tested is vital as a sufferer. If your peak flow rate is decreased and your breathing is becoming difficult, then it’s time again to get checked by your doctor.

Winning the asthma fight starts with prevention and recognizing the causes and triggers of asthma is a great start.

Astma prevention is easier said than done though and the main problem is a lot of the triggers we need to avoid are the exact same ones we come into contact with everyday. In other words, avoiding them on occasions is nearly impossible.

Triggers such as animal fur, pollens, dust mites, chemicals, general pollution and even food, yes food, are things we come into contact everyday not because we want to but because they are part and parcel of modern day living.

So what can you do? Do you build yourself a nuclear style shelter and simply hide away from society. That thought sometimes is appealing for some strange reason but the best plan of attack for asthma prevention is just to be aware and not become complacent.

5 Asthma Prevention Tips

1.Dust mites are a “bug bear” of human existence but avoiding them from an early age can get your asthma prevention plan off to a solid start. Researches have shown that eliminating these factors, which cause the allergic inflammation at the first place, can help reduce coughs and other dust-related health problems as well.

Simple home maintenance such as regular cleaning will help while proper ventilation and maintaining a suitable temperature within the home can also helpful.

2. While cats and dogs are part and parcel of family life sometimes tough decisions such as not having them need to be made. It’s personal choice however, but it depends on how serious you are about asthma prevention.

Moulds, tobacco, or cigarette smoke are other asthma triggers which should be avoided. Smoke is another big factor which brings about asthma due to the contents of the tobacco smoke which can cause inflammation in the lungs and other respiratory parts such as the bronchus.

3. Chemical use should be regulated. For instance, chemicals such as benzyl benzoate, phenyl salicylate, common household disinfectants and other insect growth regulators may help to fight the good fight against dust mites and other pests but when used out of control and exposed to air too long they can trigger asthma too.

4. Sometimes external preventative measures are hit and miss but internal measures can be controlled from a young age. A child, from birth, should be given sufficient breast milk and other nutritious food such as Omega-3 fatty acids, and oily fishes for asthma prevention as well.

5. This could be asking the impossible because working to make ends meet is a necessity today but work areas likely to contain wood dust, perfumes, chemicals, smoke, gases… the list could go on and on, are unsuitable environments for asthma sufferers.

Despite this, measures can be taken such as wearing a mask if triggers exist and working in a properly ventilated area can cut down the incidence of attack.

I had an interesting discussion recently on asthma management in fact, the discussion became quite heated. Why? Because the point was made to me that perhaps we are going over the top with awareness programs relating to the effects and dangers of asthma.

My question was “how can you be over the top when it comes to making people continually aware about such a prevalent disease?”

Asthma management can be a chore for many sufferers but the simple fact is by ignoring good management practices a sufferer only increases the risk of having a life threatening attack. Let’s examine some basic asthma management tips and techniques.

Monitor Your Breathing

Be aware of your breathing. Simple I know but devices such as peak flow meters are a terrific aid in checking breathing abnormalities. This is a device that is used to measure your best airflow for that day. Simply blow as hard as you can into the tube, and the tick mark will land on the maximum pressure. If it is below 50 percent, that is usually a sign that your breathing is abnormal and you need to better control it.

Don’t Ignore Your Medication

Asthma medication was developed for a good reason; to keep attacks at bay. It’s folly to ignore taking it. The medicine you take for your asthma depends on how mild or severe your asthma is.

Some doctors prescribe a simple bronchodilator to use before or during physical activity, to open your lungs. If your asthma teeters towards severe, you will have to take both a bronchodilator as well as a steroid inhaler, to help keep your lungs open once they are. Pill forms of asthma medicine are sometimes recommended to supplement the usage of inhalers.

Stay Healthy

Asthma management means living a healthy lifestyle. It’s a broad statement I know but just doing some simple things may be all that’s required to keep asthma attack at bay. It is important to not smoke or be around someone who does smoke, as this could be a trigger for an asthma attack. Alcohol and other drugs could also be very unhealthy for someone living with asthma. Diet, exercise and refraining as much as you can from cigarettes and alcohol can help you better manage your asthma.

So asthma management basically consists of monitoring your breathing, taking your medication and living a healthy lifestyle. Once you get into the habit of performing these management techniques it becomes instinctive.

Asthma & Allergies

Helping Asthma and Allergies Naturally

With proper diagnosis, prevention and treatments, there are no restrictions on what people with asthma and allergies can do in life. With proper management and education, people dealing with Asthma and Allergies can control the diseases and can live healthy, productive and normal active lives!

Asthma is a disease of the lungs where the airways become blocked or narrowed causing difficulties in breathing. These effects are usually temporary, but they cause shortness of breath, breathing trouble, and other symptoms. Asthma is a chronic disease affecting nearly 20 million Americans. Worldwide, asthma prevalence ranges from 1.9 percent to 36.7 percent in various countries, according to the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children.

Asthma is commonly divided into two types: allergic or extrinsic asthma and non-allergic or intrinsic asthma. Although asthma can cause severe health problems, treatment can control it and allow a person to live a normal and active life.

Allergic and non-allergic asthma are mainly chronic inflammatory diseases of the airways. This means that people with asthma have inflamed airways which causes two secondary symptoms: (1) The bronchi, the airway branches leading to the lungs, become overly reactive and more sensitive to all kinds of asthma triggers such as allergens, cold and dry air, smoke and viruses. Also, (2) the lungs have difficulty moving air in and out, which is called airflow obstruction. Together, these symptoms cause the tertiary symptoms the coughing, wheezing, tight chest and worse.

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Asthma occurs when airways become temporarily blocked or narrowed due to exposure to allergens (“allergic asthma”), irritants, strenuous exercise, anxiety or other triggers. Symptoms include:

* Sudden shortness of breath
* Difficulty breathing
* Tight chest
* Wheezing or coughing

People with asthma have inflamed airways which are super-sensitive to things which do not bother other people and are called “triggers.” Asthma triggers vary from person to person based on whether one has allergic asthma or non-allergic asthma, but some of the most common triggers include:

* Allergens
* Irritants in the air
* Respiratory Infections
* Exercise
* Weather
* Strong Emotions such as fear, anger or excitement
* Certain medications

Asthma episodes do not always occur right after a person is exposed to a trigger. Depending on the type of trigger and how sensitive a person is to it, asthma episodes may be delayed. Each case of asthma is unique just like you.

Asthma doesn’t have to impose any big limits on quality of life. An asthma management plan is important and something developed by you and your physician to help you control your asthma, instead of your asthma controlling you.

There are many things that can be done, including natural treatments, to take control of asthma and its symptoms to minimize any impact on life and activities. Asthma medications may be either inhaled or in pill form and are divided into two types—quick-relief and long-term control such as Native Remedies’ BioVent (long-term control) and BronchoSoothe (quick-relief) which are 100% natural, safe and effective remedies for natural asthma relief and to assist with the management, control and prevention of asthma and can be a part of your asthma management plan.

Many, and in fact most, cases of asthma, particularly among children, have allergies as a major component.

ALLERGIES

Allergies are diseases of the immune system and are characterized by an overreaction of the human immune system to certain substances that usually cause no reaction in most individuals. “Antigens,” or protein particles like pollen, food or dander enter our bodies through a variety of ways. If the antigen causes an allergic reaction, that particle is considered an “allergen” – and antigen that triggers an allergic reaction. These are substances (or “allergens”) that are eaten (peanuts, shellfish, etc.), breathed into the lungs or inhaled (pollen, dust mites, etc.), injected (bee stings, certain medicines, etc.) or touched (poison ivy, latex, etc.). The immune system overreaction can result in symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, skin rashes or hives, itching and itchy and scratchy nose and throat. In severe cases it can also result in rashes, hives, lower blood pressure, difficulty breathing, asthma attacks, and even death.

Allergies are grouped by the kind of trigger, time of year or where symptoms appear on the body: indoor and outdoor allergies (also called “hay fever,” “seasonal,” “perennial” or “nasal” allergies), food and drug allergies, latex allergies, insect allergies, skin allergies and eye allergies.

More Americans than ever before say they are suffering from allergies. It is among the country’s most common, yet often overlooked, diseases. Allergies are not only bothersome, but many have been linked to a variety of common and serious chronic respiratory illnesses (such as sinusitis and asthma). Additionally, allergic reactions can be severe and even fatal. Allergies have a genetic component. If only one parent has allergies of any type, chances are 1 in 3 that each child will have an allergy. If both parents have allergies, it is much more likely (7 in 10) that their children will have allergies.

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There are no cures for allergies. Allergies can be managed with proper prevention and treatment. Good allergy treatment is based on the results of allergy tests, medical history, and severity of symptoms. It can include three different treatment strategies: avoidance of allergens, medication options and/or immunotherapy (allergy shots).

Some people don’t take allergy medicines because they don’t take their symptoms seriously and say “Oh, it’s only my allergies.”. The result may be painful and worse complications such as sinus or ear infections. Don’t take the risk because there are other options available to treat allergy symptoms rather than the traditional allergy medications, allergy shots, or consulting an allergist.

There are many safe non-prescription medicines available to relieve allergy symptoms such as Native Remedies’ AllergiClear and SOS HistaDrops which are 100% natural, safe and effective herbal and homeopathic remedies to naturally clear allergies and protect against all Airborne and Seasonal Allergies, Allergic Rhinitis and Hayfever!

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Parts of this article provided by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) 2005 and 4 freshAAIR — Spring 2005 edition.