Is an Asthma Diet Important?

The word ‘asthma’ means ‘panting’ in Greek. This refers to its main symptom -breathlessness. This is an ailment, which attacks the respiratory system whereby the airways constrict as a result of inflammation, causing the patient to gasp for air. Asthma is the result of an allergic reaction of the airway in two stages. The initial stage is when the airways constrict in response to certain allergens or triggers blocking the airways. And the second stage is when the reaction worsens causing inflammation, fluid retention and mucus formation.

Does an Asthma Diet Play Any Role?

Food has always been a very important factor in the overall health of a being. People say that the way you feel depends on what you eat. The asthmatic patient does not have too many restrictions in food. However, it has been observed that there are some foods that may cause as asthma attack, and/or aggravate it. An asthma diet would exclude such foods.

Some examples of food not part of an asthma diet would include curd, cucumber, vinegar, tomato sauce and foods which contain preservatives sometimes, trigger asthma. Often this is because the person is prone to a cold, and these foods enhance the effect. The good part is that once the trigger is removed, the asthma will subside to normal, unless the exposure is for a long and consistent period.

Be aware that asthma starts many times as an allergy. Hence, if you feel uncomfortable after eating anything, you should immediately make a note of it and avoid it in the future. It would be excellent if you have a small dairy where you can jot down all such things that irritate your asthma, whether this is food, smells, places and so on. In this way, sooner or later you will know exactly what is likely to bother you and you can avoid that.

The asthma diet has another advantage – once you have identified all the triggers, it makes it easier to keep your asthma under control. You would also be able to identify the exact allergy factors and possibly be treated to become immune to them. Without the triggers, any person suffering from asthma can behave as a completely normal person.

Hence, it is worth identifying and putting together your list for a complete asthma diet so you could enjoy as close to a normal life as possible.

The Effects and Causes of Childhood Asthma

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic and presently non-curable disease, which is able to be treated with certain forms of medication, such as beta-agonists, which are products that are used to stimulate beta-receptors, and which are able to relax smooth muscle, thus allowing the airways to open back up during an asthma attack. There are many different forms of treatment available for asthma even though there is as of yet no definitive cure, and so it is important to remember that the most important step of all in the dealing with asthma is that of prevention.

What are the Effects of Childhood Asthma?

Childhood asthma is in fact considered as being the most common chronic disease among children, and childhood asthma is a disorder which includes that of genetic dispositions, as well as that of a strong allergic component.

What are the Causes of Childhood Asthma?

The presumed causes of childhood asthma are basically identical to that of asthma in adults, as inflammation of the airways is the most common finding in both cases. In fact, recent studies show that inflammation of the airways is virtually always causative in the asthmatic condition of all people, and that this type of inflammation is usually caused by allergies, viral respiratory infections, and airborne irritants, for example.

There are certain signs and symptoms which can be looked for in a child in order to determine whether or not the chance that they may have asthma is there, such as the fact of wheezing, which is highly common among asthmatics. As well, any child who has frequent coughing or respiratory infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis should immediately be evaluated for asthma.

Other symptoms that may occur are a shortness of breath and/or tightness in the chest area, and there can also be a combination of two or more of any of the possible symptoms. There are certain triggers that your doctor will notify you about if your child does have asthma, which should be avoided as much as possible, including: exercise, infections, allergies, irritants, weather, and strong emotions such as stress.

Exercise, for example, is considered to be able to trigger an asthma attack in over 80 percent of the children with asthma, and although exercise can be completed even if your child has asthma, you must make sure to check with your family physician first, who will be able to let you know exactly what can and cannot be done in this regards.

What an Asthma Allergy is and How it can be Treated

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease which is non-curable, and which affects the respiratory system of the body. With asthma, what happens is that the airways constrict and become inflamed, and are then lined with excessive amounts of mucous, which is in response usually to triggers, which are factors that irritate or even cause an asthma attack. Triggers can include anything from cold weather, weather changes, stress, emotional anxiety, pet dander, even chalk dust.

In other words, asthma is a recurring inflammatory conditioned disease which causes the airways to develop increased responsiveness to various stimuli, and is a disease which is primarily characterized by that of inflammation, increased mucous production, intermittent airway obstruction, and bronchial hyper-responsiveness.

What is an Asthma Allergy?

It is considered that an asthma allergy – as well as allergies and asthma separately – is the most prevalent of all chronic diseases, and that it affects millions of people every day. An asthma allergy basically consists of anything that causes or triggers that of an asthma attack, and it is incredibly important for all asthmatics to understand and determine what their own personal triggers are, or what their primary asthma allergy is. As well, the specific type of medical treatment which is recommended to a patient will depend on the severity of their condition, and the most common types of treatments for asthma are broadly classified as relievers, preventers, and emergency treatment.

How can an Asthma Allergy be Treated?

Again, the most effective and positive type of treatment for any type of asthma trigger or allergy is that of prevention. In other words, if you are an asthmatic, especially if your condition is severe, you must recognize and determine the factors that trigger attacks with your asthma, and then try to avoid these factors as much as possible, or desensitize yourself completely, if possible. If there is no way that you can do either of these recommendations, say you have a pet that is affecting your asthma but you don’t want to get rid of it, then the best idea is to consult your physician and ask them what you should do about the situation.

There are however also forms of relief medication available, and typically every asthmatic is required to take some form of medication on a frequent basis, even if they do not experience attacks all that often.