Asthma

Asthma, according to the World Health Organization, is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. It varies in severity and frequency from person to person.

During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs.

WHO estimates that 235 million people currently suffer from asthma.

The causes of asthma are not completely understood. However, risk factors for developing asthma include inhaling asthma “triggers.”

According to Dr. Don Powell’s book 365 Health Hints, some of asthma triggers are:

• Breathing an allergen such as pollen, mold, animal dander, or particles of dust or smoke
• Eating certain foods or taking certain drugs
• Emotional distress
• Exercising too hard
• Having bronchitis or an upper respiratory tract infection

Asthma cannot be cured, but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy a good quality of life. Below are some of the things that asthmatics can do to help themselves, continues Dr. Powell:

• Drink plenty of liquids (2 to 3 quarts a day) to keep secretions loose.
• Figure out what triggers your asthma, and eliminate allergens or irritants at home and at work.
• Keep your bedroom allergen-free.
• Sleep with a synthetic pillow, not a feather one.
• Don’t smoke, and avoid exposure to air pollutants.
• Wear a scarf around your mouth and nose when walking or exercising in cold air to warm the air before it can reach sensitive airways.
• Discontinue vigorous exercise immediately if you start to wheeze.
• Avoid foods and medications that contain sulfites, used as preservatives and found chiefly in shellfish and wine. (Sulfites may trigger asthma attacks in as many as 10 percent of asthmatics.)
• Sit up during an asthma attack; don’t lie down.
• Always keep your asthma medication close by to abort an attack as early as possible.
• Be cautious about using aspirin – some asthmatics are allergic to it.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com