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Asthma symptoms from Holistic Medicine point of viewWhat is Asthma? Also find on this Asthma Symptoms page: Asthma symptoms come from a chronic medical condition that affects the airways. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute defines it as a lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. The main characteristics of asthma include - * episodes of wheezing (a whistling sound) while breathing Asthma symptoms can occur anytime, but usually and more frequently they occur at night. They can affect people of all ages. In the United States more than 22 million people have asthma symptoms, including nearly 6 million children. Statistics show that asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It causes students to miss nearly 13 million school days each year. It is estimated that 10 percent of children have asthma. Nearly 500,000 patients are hospitalizedwith asthma symptoms each year. Asthma cases have increased by more than 300% during the past two decades. Any one of us has a 6% chance of developing asthma symptoms, even if neither parent has it. If one parent has asthma, we have a 30% chance of having it. If both parents have asthma, it’s 70%. What happens during Asthma Attacks? The airways that transport air into and out of the lungs are muscular tubes. When the airways become hyper-reactive, theybecome inflamed. This inflammation shrinks the diameter of the tubes and results in a narrowing effect. At the same time, excess mucous is produced. This is considered to be one of the most common causes of asthma symptoms. This thick, sticky fluid is made in the lungs. The combination of excess mucous, inflammation, and narrowing of the lung tubes results in the wheezing sound of air trying to pass through the congested tubes. The end result for the asthmatic patient isshortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. Long-term severe asthma symptoms can lead to changes in the lungs of patients. In some patients, this can manifest as excess mucous secretion and fibrosis. These patients are usually put on a host of medications by their mainstream doctors. Conventional Treatments of Asthma and risks involved The most conventional approaches to asthma revolve primarily around using drug therapies to control the asthma symptoms, like wheezing and shortness of breath. Many conventional medications address allergy induced asthma symptoms. The preventive measures that conventional doctors involve include eliminating exposure to cigarette smoke and other allergens. The conventional approaches can include allergy shots and other allergy medications. However, all these allergy and asthma medications have adverse effects. These allergy induced asthma medications generally work by blocking histamine receptors in the body and when these receptors are activated, they can cause an inflammatory reaction characterized by excess mucous production and difficulty breathing. Commonly used anti-allergy medications include Benadryl and Zyrtec. These medications can cause drowsiness, dryness, and brain fog. Rescue inhalers, such as albuterol inhalers, also can provide an immediate relief from constriction of the breathing tubes. These inhalers are used widely, but overusing them can worsen the condition. For a long-term control of asthma, conventional doctors are often prescribing inhaled steroids use for years. These medications are known to cause yeast infections. Oral steroids are often used as a short-term and long-term asthma symptoms therapy. The use of steroids is associated with many side effects, including increasing the risk of - * osteoporosis However, the short-term use of steroids doesn't carry as large a risk and can be life-saving for patients in an acute asthma crisis. When oral steroids are used, they should be used for the shortest possible time periods. Serevent is a commonly prescribed oral inhaled medication for treating asthma. It works by dilating the airways and can last longer than usual rescue inhalers such as albuterol. Serevent’s use has been associated with an increased risk of death. The FDA has given Serevent a black-box warning that describes its potential lethal effects. Furthermore, the Physicians Drug Reference states that “In patients with asthma, medicines such as Serevent Diskus may increase the chance of death from asthma problems. In a large asthma study, more patients who used salmeterol (Serevent) died from asthma problems compared with patients who did not use salmeterol (Serevent).” Advair is from the same class of asthma symptoms drugs as Serevent. The FDA has a warning on Advair stating that its use can result in an increased “risk of asthma-related deaths.” The FDA issued this warning after a study reported a 437% increase in risk of death in those who took Advair as compared to those that took a placebo - 13 deaths in the treated group versus three deaths in the placebo group. Perhaps these drugs (Advair and Serevent) should be used only as the last resort, or preferably not used at all. As anybody would agree their side effects are too risky. Singulair, another asthma medication, which inhibits inflammationby blocking leukotriene, a chemical the patient’s body releases when it is exposed to an allergen. This chemical can cause inflammation, swelling, and tightening of the muscles around the airways. Possible adverse effects of Singulair include - * fatigue as well as a combination of symptoms, including - * flu-like illness Even more, Singulair’s 4 mg and 5 mg tablets contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener that should be avoided, because it is known as a carcinogen. Having suffered with severe asthma for a long time, patients should look for safe and effective ways to treat it. While with conventionally prescribed medications this is practically impossible, the holistic medicine provides safer and effective ways to do it. While below we inform our visitors about holistic ways to treat asthma symptoms, in no way we recommend anybody to begin these therapies and make any changes to existing conventional treatments without consulting own physician first. Asthma CAN KILL. If you are on asthma medications, do not discontinue them on your own. Discuss all medications changes with your prescribing physician. A Holistic Approach To Asthma Treatment Dehydration and avoiding salt is a well known asthma cause. The best holistic doctors notice that good hydration can have very positive effects for people suffering from asthma symptoms. One of the hallmarks of asthma is an extensive mucous production that clogs the airway. The best currently known mucolytic agent, which breaks down mucous is — water. It is proven by holistic approaches, that at the first sign of wheezing, patients need to drink an eight-ounce glass of water mixed with ¼ teaspoon of unrefined salt. This combination of water and salt helps break down mucous and relax the airways. Water helps break down and thin the mucous of the airways. Salt (and only unrefined salt) contains minerals such as magnesium that are very effective to relax and smooth muscles of the airways. It was proven by holistic practice that if at a start of wheezing the first thing sufferers do is reaching for the water/salt combination, they usually overcome the wheezing. It is also very important, to be hydrated before participating in sporting events or physical activities. Most people with asthma symptoms experience wheezing with exertion, and they have success drinking the salt/water mixture before beginning an exercise regimen. Those who have to use an inhaler before exercise often find they don’t need to use their inhaler for as long as they maintain good hydration. The best results for adults and children are achieved when they drink an amount of water per day, equal to their body weight in pounds divided by two - in ounces. A ¼ teaspoon of unrefined salt (the usual one from a supermarket will not do it) mixed with the above amount of water helps avoiding wheezing, chest pain and other asthma symptoms. A need of a rescue inhaler becomes less frequent or disappears. Please don’t forget to discuss it with your doctor, if you see no need for the inhaler and want to stop using it. Children are notoriously dehydrated. They often drink too much soda and juices and not enough water. Soda and juices dehydrate the body even further, and drinking them can promote asthma symptoms in those predisposed to it. A usually recommended source for mineral-rich, unrefined salt is the Celtic Sea Salt brand. For more on their products, use this www.celticseasalt.com/ link. We are not connected with them by any means. Iodine - supplementing with it can further help break up mucus plugs and clear the airways. Generally, doses of iodine vary between 6-50 mg/day. More may be necessary in times of an asthma attack. We are preparing a page on health benefits of Iodine – very important nutrient for various health issues or their prevention - we shouldn’t ignore. You can visit our Dehydration Symptoms page for more information on this subject. If you want to make sure you or/and your children use the cleanest water you should visit our Drinking Water page. Using so popular these days bottled water is very far from being the best choice. Pasteurized milk stimulates asthma symptoms. It is known that Pasteurized milk products stimulate mucous production in many people. Increased mucous production leads to most asthmatic episodes. Milk allergy is prevalent in many asthmatic patients. Conventional milk products should be minimized or even better avoided and water should be the beverage of choice for all asthmatic patients. There is very little good nutrition inconventional dairy products any way – it is all removed by the pasteurization and homogenizing processes. Specifically, most minerals are removed from milk during pasteurization. Magnesium is the most important for asthma patients mineral and our food supply is significantly deficient in it. Most people with asthmatic symptoms are noticeably magnesium deficient. Magnesium is known as nature’s muscle-relaxing agent. In asthma patients, the smooth muscles around the airways can become hyper-reactive. The described above prescription medications - Singulair, Advair, and Serevent all work by dilating the smooth muscles around the airways. However, all of these medications have many serious side effects. Magnesium, however, can result in the dilation of the smooth muscles around the airways with no serious adverse effects and much less cost. The most serious known adverse effect of magnesium is diarrhea. If you get diarrhea or loose stools with magnesium, just lower the dose. Magnesium deficiency is relatively common in our (USA) country. It is estimated that less than a third of the citizens of the United States ingest the recommended daily allowance for magnesium. This is one possible explanation of Asthma symptoms being so “popular” here. The RDA for magnesium (or RDI, Recommended Daily Intake) isapproximately 300 to 400 mg/day. Why are our magnesium levels so low? Eating refined or processed foods results in low levels of most nutrients, including magnesium. Good sources of magnesium include - * pumpkin seeds If you have asthma symptoms and decide to supplement with magnesium, a need varies from patient to patient, but generally 100 to 400 mg/day is adequate for most asthmatic patients. Magnesium is a very calming and is best taken around bedtime. Vitamin D3 deficiency is another asthma cause. Researchers have reported that at least 15 minutes a day of sun exposure during pregnancy reduces the risk of developing asthma in kids. They looked at the supplemental vitamin D3 intake by 2,000 pregnant women in Scotland and the development of asthma in their children. Those in the highest group of vitamin D intake were compared with the group of the lowest intake had a greater than 50 percent lowered risk of wheezing in their children at 5 years of age. Furthermore, those mothers with the lowest vitamin D intake in pregnancy were associated with a decreased response to asthma medication in their children. Vitamin D supplementation can be an effective part of nearly any holistic regimen, including the treatment of asthma. Adults generally require 2,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day and children - smaller amounts. Any lab can test our level of deficiency with a simple blood test. Out of balance Hormonal System can be a cause of asthma symptoms Every asthma sufferer should be concerned with balancing his/her hormonal system, paying special attention to thyroid and adrenal parts of their endocrine system. Balancing our endocrine system helps with nearly any health issues, including asthma symptoms. Our thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormone (T4), which must be converted to its active thyroid hormone (T3) in the periphery of the body. If there is inadequate production of adrenal hormones, this conversion will not take place at its optimal levels. Hypothyroidism is best treated with a holistic approach that emphasizes treating the underlying cause of a hypothyroidism. This includes the use of vital thyroid nutrients such as - * iodine You can follow the above links to learn many aspects of this reason for asthma symptoms. You should also visit our Hydrogen Peroxide Theropy page for a very effective way to prevent or heal yourself from asthma symptoms. Endocrine System Page Loading
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