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Asthma
Does anyone in your family suffer from Asthma? Asthma normally develops in children, but our exposure to smoke and other irritants can lead to Asthma at any age. Doctors define asthma as a "chronic inflammatory disease of the airway" that causes the following symptoms:
Shortness of breath
Tightness in the chest
Coughing
Wheezing
This information comes from the Asthma Society of Canada
Toronto, May 3, 2005
Thousands of Canadians live with poorly managed asthma because they underestimate how they are actually controlling their illness. Results from a new survey commissioned by the Asthma Society show that the majority of Canadians are comfortable discussing various aspects of their asthma care with their physician. Yet two-thirds of survey respondents have symptoms weekly and a third suffer daily. Several survey respondents noted that symptoms are often so severe they are woken up at night, a sign of poorly controlled asthma.
Asthma affects 3 million Canadians and the prevalence has been increasing over the last 20 years. Although medical guidelines are available for the treatment of asthma, only 17% of respondents reported having had a conversation about their ongoing asthma management with any healthcare professional.
According to the Asthma Society, there is a treatment gap in asthma, one that affects severe asthmatics in particular. Reliever medications, normally saved for rescue treatment, are being used chronically by patients. This is distressing because there is a direct correlation between using a reliever medications and being out of control which can lead to injury through long-term inflammation. The survey points to a need among patients for treatment options that are more convenient and effective in managing their condition.
Survey results also found that patients just want their asthma to go away yet remain complacent about their current therapy. Patients identified their need to return to a normal life as the main driver for taking their medication. However, there is a clear disconnect between what asthmatics are doing to manage their disease, and what they say they want. With current therapy, asthma patients are treating symptoms and not addressing the uncontrolled nature of the disease itself. For some, a lack of medication efficacy can led to misuse and abuse of medications. While at present there is no cure for asthma, the steps that asthmatics take to manage their condition are often sub-standard.
Asthma attacks still account for about 150,000 emergency visits each year in Canada. It is estimated that more than 80% of asthma deaths could be prevented with proper education. It is the leading cause of absenteeism from school and the third leading cause of work loss. In fact, 12% of respondents surveyed said they had missed an average of 34 work days in the past 12 months due to asthma, resulting in 8,160,000 lost days. One out of 10 asthma sufferers surveyed had been to emergency room in the past year. Worldwide, the economic costs associated with asthma are estimated to exceed those of TB and HIV/AIDS combined.
In total, 1000 telephone interviews were conducted in March 2005 with Canadians 18 years of age and older across the country. In general, a sample of this size will provide results accurate to within 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.
by Sue Fleckenstein
For more information on Asthma for kids visit Asthma Kids
For a break through way to treat your Asthma without using drugs visit Asthma Relief
Exercise And Asthma
If you suffer from asthma, you probably think that you can't exercise properly or safely. Contrary to what many think of this subject, there are ways that you can get in shape and exercise, even if you suffer from asthma.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that is marked by characteristics such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Asthma tends to occur with people who are genetically or environmentally presdisposed to the condition.
Some of the triggers that may start or make an attack worse include exposure to allergens, viral respiratory infections, airway irritants, exercise, and exposure to things such as dust mites or cockroaches.
You can prevent asthma attacks by doing the following:
1. Bathe your pets weekly.
2. Don't smoke or permit smoking in your home.
3. When mold or pollent counts are high, you should stay inside with air conditioning.
4. Wash your bedding and any stuffed toys at least once per week in hot water.
5. Wash your hands every chance you get.
6. Get a flu shot.
7. Wear a scarf over your mouth and nose in the winter months.
8. Be proactive and know your triggers and how you should avoid them.
Now that you know what you know about asthma, you may be wondering where exercise fits in. As most doctors will tell you, you shouldn't give up on sports or exercise at all. You just have to be smart about how you play and take special precautions to avoid attacks.
Almost all doctors agree that the best way to prevent attacks during exercise is to keep your inhaler and medication close by. You should never use the inhaler more than 3 times during a game or exercise session. If you are up the previous night with coughing and wheezing, it's always best to go light with your exercise the next day.
For something known as IEA (Exercise Induced Asthma), the symptoms are somewhat different, in the fact that they appear after 6 - 10 minutes of exercise and will often be worse in cold or dry air. If you have IEA, there are several activities that you can enjoy such as swimming, walking, biking, downhill skiing, and team based sports. There are many activities for you to choose from, to ensure you get the exercise you need as well.
Keep in mind that the condition of asthma isn't "all in your head", it is a real physiological medical treatment that will require treatment to prevent and treat. Even though your doctor will be your best friend in treating asthma, you are the one who can prevent your symptoms.
Always be smart, take your medication, and be proactive. Don't let it put you in a life of misery - as you can enjoy exercise just like everyone else.
Sue Fleckenstein
Home and Garden Specialist
905 722-0115
Here is a great book which can honestly help you reduce your asthma symptons. Click Here!
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