Breathing Easier With Asthma
Asthma is a very common disease. It is a respiratory disease thought to be associated with air pollution. Children are usually the most high profile sufferers of asthma. It is a disorder of the reactive airway. The airways are known as the bronchioles and/or bronchi. They are made smaller or blocked when they are in a reactive mode towards certain stimuli. Bronchial tubes spasm, too much mucous can be released, or the mucous membrane lining of the air tubes may swell. Any one of the above can block the airway and make breathing difficult to impossible.
Mild asthma can include coughing, shortness of breath, or brief wheezing after exercise or physical exertion or by suffering these symptoms a couple of times a week without them being caused by such exertion. Moderate asthma includes shortness of breath, resting breathing being troublesome, increased breathing rate in order to compensate for not absorbing enough air with normal breaths. Severe asthma is betrayed by heavy wheezing and obvious respiratory problems, as well as low blood oxygen levels also known as hypoxemia.
Medications that reduce the airway restriction and inflammation as well as those to treat any allergic reactions that cause them are taken by asthma sufferers. A very severe asthma attack might require a mechanical respirator to get someone over the attack, and in that case time is of the essence in getting the patient to a facility that can quickly attach them to such a device.
There are two main types of asthma, extrinsic and intrinsic. As you may have guessed, extrinsic is due to factors outside, or external to, the body, while intrinsic asthma refers to allergens inside the body. External negative stimuli can include things like pollen, pets (especially cat dander), dust, mold spores, air pollution, and indoor air particles from things like smoking and fireplace ash and soot. Internal negative stimuli triggers that can bring about an asthma attack are changes in hormone levels, heat and humidity levels, high stress, tiredness, and chemical fumes.
From the information provided, one can easily come to the conclusion that while medication can and must be used to prevent asthma attacks, there are other lifestyle choices that can be made to reduce the incidence of asthma attacks, especially in children. While most people would be hard pressed to move from a geographical area high in air pollution to one with cleaner air, the indoor environment is much more easily controlled. Steps can be taken to avoid chemical fumes, or eradicate mold spores. In order to control the condition, perhaps the choice must be made to not have a pet that has fur. Smoking should be avoided at all costs and those with asthma should not be stressed out. For children, this also means very reasonable bed times in order to keep their body well rested.
With some work and the miracle of modern pharmaceuticals, asthma can be turned into a treatable and livable condition.