In the United States almost seven million children under the age of 18 have asthma. Over a million of them are under the age of 5. Many kids miss school because of their asthma attacks. Asthma is an inflammation of your lungs airways. It causes people to have a shortness of breath, a tightening of the chest, and wheezing. Everyone experiences asthma attacks in varying degrees of severity. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program update asthma guidelines. They are a means for parents and children to find ways to control their asthma.

Doctors use the asthma guidelines as a way to manage a child’s asthma. How they manage the asthma attacks will depend on the child’s symptoms and the severity of the attacks. Doctors will monitor the child’s ability to control their asthma attacks with the medications they have been prescribed. If a child is showing signs of improvement then the doctor may decrease the medication in the hopes of being able to take the child off it completely. If the child worsens then the doctor may increase the medication or try a combination of medications to control the attacks.

The asthma guidelines set forth goals that the doctors try to meet when determining a plan of treatment for a child with asthma. If the goals are not being met then the doctor will re-evaluate the child’s condition and make adjustments. Some of the goals the doctor’s are looking for are if your child’s asthma is limiting their activities such as playing with other kids or missing school. They will also look to see if the child is having any side affects from the medications. They will be looking to see if the child is exhibiting any symptoms during the day or night after they have been put on medication. This allows them to be able to gauge if the treatment is controlling the asthma attacks.

The asthma guidelines have different classifications for your child’s asthma. The first classification is called the mild intermittent. This is when a child shows symptoms no more than two days a week. The next level of classification is called the mild persistent. This is when the child shows symptoms maybe once everyday but at least more than twice a week. Moderate persistent is when the child shows daily symptoms or more than one night a week. The highest level is called severe persistent. This is when the child shows daily symptoms and frequently at night as well. If your child has asthma, you should become familiar with the asthma guidelines and discuss the different classifications with your doctor.

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Living Green & Your Asthma Remedy

When you suffer from asthma and are committed to living green, you may want to consider your asthma remedy. There are an assortment of natural remedies that you may be able to use to reduce your symptoms of asthma. Sometimes the idea of taking prescription medicines is not ideal for everyone. However, before you begin any new regime to help alleviate your discomfort of breathing, you should visit your physician and make sure that the things you do choose to use, as a natural alternative is ideal for your own personal health and situation.

Many natural alternative remedies come to us from in ancient medical traditions. These may include products from Chinese medicine to old folk lore and Native American treatments for reducing the symptoms of asthma and the difficulty of breathing. These alternative remedies are most useful for those who suffer from mild to moderate asthma. However, it is recommendable that you should carry any type of prescription inhaler along with you just in case you do experience a serious attack of asthma.

- Essential Oils

Various types of essential oils are beneficial as an asthma remedy. For instance, the use of ginseng and licorice come to us as natural asthma remedies from Asia. When you use them unfailingly, they can offer the longest terms of relief. Eucalyptus oil is very effective for relieving the symptoms of asthma in a natural way. You can put a drop or two on a handkerchief or you may dot just a small amount on your upper lip to help you overcome your breathing problems. It is also useful for reducing a stuffy nose and opening up the sinuses. Another means of using essential oils is by making good use of an air diffuser. You may wish to use other essential oils such as Chamomile, Cloves, Spearmint, Peppermint, Rosemary or Thyme as they help you to sleep much better and contain antioxidants.

- Antioxidants

Various products have antioxidant properties that can help to eliminate the causes of colds and coughs that relate to the respiratory system. These may include Vitamin E, green tea supplements and selenium.

- Magnesium Supplements

Magnesium supplements are a helpful natural remedy that aid in relaxing the muscles including your air passages. It is most beneficial for reducing tight muscles.

- Fish Oil Products

These anti-inflammatory products are available in liquid or capsule form. However, if you are sensitive to fish products you may want to choose another form of treatment or remedy.

- Caffeine

Some individual find benefits of relieving their asthma symptoms by drinking coffee or black tea. Caffeine works by causing your lungs to undulate, which helps to relieve the feeling of heavy lungs, which is uncomfortable.

Other worthwhile remedies may also include using a water filter to purify your water and using an air purifier to help clean up your indoor air. Water filters help to eliminate harmful toxins, bacteria and other pollutants that may be present in community drinking water. Air purifiers are helpful for eliminating airborne pollutants, spores of mold and mildew, dust and dust mites, various bacteria and viruses and pet dander.

Regardless of the type of asthma remedy that you choose to use it is essential that you do your best to control your asthma rather than allowing your asthma to control you and your life.

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Considering Your Asthma Cause

Since everyone is different, his or her asthma cause will vary from one individual to another. It is essential that you find out exactly what it is that causes you discomfort of breathing when you suffer from attacks of asthma. A cause is something in your environment that if it were not present would not cause you to be an asthmatic in the first place. Understanding what causes your symptoms of asthma provides you with the ability to prevent its occurrences, depending upon what the cause is as well as the severity of your condition.

- Hereditary Asthma

Some individuals inherit this condition from their genetic family. Some individuals are born with it and others develop it. When you are born into a family that has members that suffer from hereditary asthma your chances of being born with or developing asthma are much higher than they would be if you did not have the same type of genetic makeup that runs in your family bloodlines. Hereditary asthma is an internal cause.

- Pollution

There are also environmental causes of asthma that create problems for those who do not inherit asthma from their family. Environmental causes may include an assortment of reasons or trigger that influence your condition or caused you to develop asthma. Air pollution is a major cause of asthma, especially when you live in large metropolis areas. These areas are generally full of harmful toxins that float along with the winds and can be detrimental to all who live in such areas; however, they can be more irritating to those who suffer with asthma symptoms. There is an increase of individuals, especially children who develop asthma by living in large cities.

- Smoking

Smoke is another cause that influences many individuals, whether they smoke cigarettes or not. You can prevent this by not smoking yourself and by not allowing others to smoke around you, in your home or vehicle. A smoking pregnant mother can also cause asthma in an unborn child; therefore, it is recommendable that one should avoid smoking in order to bring about a healthier child. Incense smoke can also trigger symptoms of asthma; if such is the case, you should also avoid this.

- Diet

It is possible for various types of foods or beverages to become an asthma cause. These may include any foods you are sensitive too as well as meats, nuts and some dairy products such as milk or cheese.

- Medicine

For some individuals who suffer from asthma, the medicines or supplements they take can cause symptoms of asthma. It is always a good idea to consul with your family physician before you begin taking any type of new medicine or nutritional supplement.

- Strenuous Activity

Many individuals experience asthma symptoms after vigorous exercise, such as running or swimming and for some individuals even sometimes while participating in sexual activities since it also involves strenuous activity.

Once you understand your asthma cause, you can do those things that can help you control your condition and live a healthy normal life. You might want to eat healthy organic fruits and vegetables, while eliminating those things you are able to in order to greatly reduce your attacks of asthma and their symptoms. Keep in mind, however, is that you may be able to treat your asthma by using alternative methods and treatments.

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Asthma (AZ-ma) is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.

Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts in childhood. In the United States, more than 22 million people are known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children.

Overview:

The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. People who have asthma have inflamed airways. This makes the airways swollen and very sensitive. They tend to react strongly to certain substances that are breathed in.

When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This causes the airways to narrow, and less air flows to your lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways may make more mucus than normal. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow your airways.

This chain reaction can result in asthma symptoms. Symptoms can happen each time the airways are irritated.

Asthma:

Sometimes symptoms are mild and go away on their own or after minimal treatment with an asthma medicine. At other times, symptoms continue to get worse. When symptoms get more intense and/or additional symptoms appear, this is an asthma attack. Asthma attacks also are called flareups or exacerbation.

It’s important to treat symptoms when you first notice them. This will help prevent the symptoms from worsening and causing a severe asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can cause death.

Outlook:

Asthma can’t be cured. Even when you feel fine, you still have the disease and it can flare up at any time.

But with today’s knowledge and treatments, most people who have asthma are able to manage the disease. They have few, if any, symptoms. They can live normal, active lives and sleep through the night without interruption from asthma.

For successful, comprehensive, and ongoing treatment, take an active role in managing your disease. Build strong partnerships with your doctor and other clinicians on your health care team.

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Are you one of many who suffer from asthma each year? Statistic say more than 400,000 Americans are hospitalized due to asthma complications each year with 5,000 of them being fatal. What is asthma? Asthma is a chronic condition that happens when the primary air passages of the lungs known as the bronchial tubes, become inflamed. The bronchial wall's muscles tighten and produce mucus, causing the airways to restrict or narrow. This condition leads to minor wheezing to extreme difficulty in breathing. Fortunately, asthma is a treatable disease with most deaths being preventable. Due to the latest advances in technology and treatment, many people with asthma live healthy lives.

People with a family history to asthma are more likely than others to develop the disease. Also people to experience high sensitivity to allergens and other environmental changes are at higher risk. Once the bronchial tubes become inflamed, it makes the air passages more sensitive to many environmental triggers. Asthma is not popular to any age group. However, most people with asthma below age 30 experience allergies that often trigger asthma. Allergy symptoms to airborne particles are common with people over the age 30. Older people with asthma usually don't suffer from upper respiratory allergies, but instead react to the exposure to irritants such as smoke, cold air and sometime stress. The number of asthma cases has been on the rise. Statistics say this is particularly true for those living in cities. Asthma is the most common chronic illness in children being most common in boys. Once children reach puberty, asthma becomes more common in females.

If you or your child experience wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, pain or tightening in the chest without flu symptoms, see your doctor. Because the symptoms of asthma are similar to any number of lung conditions, diagnosing asthma can be difficult. Diagnosing asthma begins with a physical exam, along with a complete medical history. It is also very common to be given a pulmonary function test, which measure the amount of air that moves in and out with each breathe. You will also be given a peak flow meter, which measures the rate at which you expel breathe. This common lung function test can be used at home to help patients detect airway obstructions before an asthma attack occur. Often, lung function tests will continue after taking medications used to open the airways, known as bronchodilators. If these medications cause your lung functions to improve, a diagnosis of asthma is likely.

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Adult onset asthma means that you developed asthma an adult after having avoided it your whole life. Developing asthma as an adult can be pretty frustrating since you will probably have to make lifestyle changes unless you come up with a treatment that works. And I am not talking about asthma prescription medications since they can cause side effects that are oftentimes worse than your asthma.

Asthma can be a very dangerous health problem and needs to be taken seriously. It will not go away by itself and your prescription medications will not cure it. Age does not appear to be a factor as to when adults can develop asthma. You are just as likely to develop asthma as a 25 year old as you are as a seasoned 65 year old. However, for some reason more women develop adult onset asthma than men. That is yet to be fully explained.

There Are Some Increased Risk Factors For Getting Asthma as an Adult

Although there are no clear answers as to why someone would suddenly develop adult onset asthma, there appear to be some different factors that seem to increase your chances of getting it. These are listed below:

• Allergies – approximately half of those people who developed adult onset asthma had prior allergies.
• Obesity – appears to increase your chances of developing asthma as an adult.
• Cat Allergies – anyone with cat allergies seems to have an increased chance of getting adult onset asthma. There is no supporting evidence to show why this happens, but the numbers say it does. Another one of those unsolved mysteries.
• Estrogen Supplements – Women who have taken estrogen supplements for at least 10 years after menopause are 50% more likely to develop adult onset asthma. Another one of those interesting facts and figures.
• Environmental Conditions – long term exposure to some environmental conditions at work also seems to lead to more asthma cases.
• Medications – certain medications like aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral beta blockers, and beta blocker eye drops for glaucoma also seem to increase your chances of developing adult onset asthma.
• Infections – other conditions like infections, a cold, the flu, etc., can also increase your chances of developing asthma as an adult.

What is Asthma

Having adult onset asthma (or any type of asthma) means that your airways (breathing tubes) going to your lungs are very sensitive and are just waiting to get irritated. For some people they might even be mildly irritated all the time. That will definitely impact your quality of life. Some very annoying and possibly very dangerous results occur when they do get real upset.

Results of Irritated Airways

• The insides of your airways get extremely sensitive and begin to swell up. This leaves less room for the air to go back and forth to your lungs. It also causes you to cough.
• The muscles around the outsides of your airways get real tight and try to squeeze your airways shut. This makes the opening in your airways even smaller.
• Gunk or mucus is also produced on the insides your airways. This plugs up the already small airways.

The things that cause your irritated airways are called your asthma triggers. Once your airways get irritated by these triggers, then you start to have your asthma symptoms and what is called an asthma attack.

Treatment options are prescription medications (which don't cure your asthma) or one of the natural asthma treatments which can be very successful in curing your asthma.

Asthma is a very serious condition and the number of people that have it is actually going up despite the billions being spent on prescription medications. Doctors don't even pretend that that these prescription meds are going to cure your asthma. At best they will try to control your symptoms and they don't even do that very well.

Bob Hughes has a website devoted to providing easy to understand information about asthma. Topics covered include causes of asthma, asthma triggers, asthma symptoms, asthma attacks, types of asthma and much more.

There is also lots of information provided about the many natural treatments and remedies that are available to actually cure asthma by strengthening and working with your own body. And these treatments do this without any of the dangerous side effects that are common with prescription medications.

To check out this information please visit my site at: http://www.natural-asthmatreatment.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hughes
http://EzineArticles.com/?Adult-Onset-Asthma—What-Is-it-and-Who-Gets-It?&id=2022158

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Asthma is a breathing disorder that affects the small airways found inside the lungs. During times of an attack these airways become more narrow causing the sufferer to have difficulty in breathing. The extent of how much the airways narrow will determine the length and severity of an attack. Asthma can begin at almost any age but is most common during childhood. It has been reported that 1 in 10 children currently suffer with asthma, with around half that number of affected adults. Asthma can be hereditary but it is not uncommon for sufferers of asthma to have no close family that suffer.

The most common symptoms include coughing and wheezing. Feeling breathless and enduring a tight chest are also typical signs. Symptoms usually vary greatly from person to person and also on different occasions with the same person. Symptoms may last just a few short hours, but others have reported longer lasting affects which go on for days.

Asthma is caused by an inflammation of the airways, its is currently still not understood why this takes place. This inflammation then goes on to stimulate the muscles around the airway causing them to become constricted resulting in the associated breathing difficulties. An increase in production of mucus has also been noted and that adds further constriction to the airway.

Asthma is usually untreatable but sufferers are given inhalers to use when they encounter times when they find it difficult to breathe. If you or a family member suspects that you may have asthma or have experienced an attack please make an appointment to see you doctor.