Learning to Reduce the Effects of Asthma and Other Allergies
By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-05-25 02:36:47 | Word Count: 466
Many people are needlessly suffering with asthma and allergies because they don’t know the steps that need to be taken in order to minimize the effects of these illnesses.
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed and swollen. The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning.
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There are things in the environment that bring on your asthma symptoms and lead to asthma attacks. Some of the more common things include exercise, allergens, irritants, and viral infections. Some people have asthma only when they exercise or have a viral infection.
Some examples of allergens that can precipitate an attack of Asthma are animal dander (from the skin, hair, or feathers of animals), dust mites (contained in house dust), cockroaches, pollen from trees and grass. Mold (indoor and outdoor) is an often unrecognized cause of recurrent asthmatic attacks.
Irritants such as cigarette smoke, air pollution and scented products such as perfumes.
Medicines such as aspirin, and beta-blockers are frequently not recognized as cause of acute attacks of asthma.
To find the cause of attacks of asthma require a care full medical history and “detective work”
Out of the entire year, summer is probably the worst period for people with various allergies. Augmented by heat and slow winds, seasonal allergens like pollen, pet dander and even dust affect a larger number of people. There is sometime a genetic propensity to develop allergies if exposed to certain antigens. Medicines and certain foods can cause and aggravate allergic symptoms. The best course of action, however, is to try and avoid being exposed to allergens as much as possible.
There are many medicines available to treat symptoms of allergy including antihistamines, decongestants, combination medicines of corticosteroids and bronchodilator inhalation sprays.
People suffering from asthma and allergies need to gain a better understanding of their conditions and successfully identify the specific factors that aggravate their symptoms. There is really no way to completely avoid allergens.
Keeping the windows at home closed, when pollen are in season may significantly reduce the quantity of pollutants present in the home or office. Another choice is to invest in air conditioners with special filters and a powerful electronic air cleaner.
