Many studies have confirmed that allergies cause the greatest majority of childhood asthma cases. Doctors refer to cases of asthma that are caused by allergies as atopic asthma. Atopic asthma is the most common form of asthma and tends to run in families. It is an inherited over reaction—hypersensitivity—to allergens in the environment and the related overproduction of IgE antibodies by the human immune system. Antibodies produced by the immune system combine with allergens. This action stimulates an asthma attack, in which the immune system releases substances that bring on the constriction and inflammation of the airways of the lungs.
More than 80% of asthmatic patients also suffer from allergies such as hay fever. The medical term for hay fever is allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of atopic asthma. Many types of allergens can trigger the immune system to produce the typical hay fever symptoms that mainly affect the nasal region, such as stuffiness and a runny nose. The term “hay fever” does not accurately describe this problem, because it is rarely caused by hay and does not produce a fever in affected patients. Allergies even aggravate asthma in patients whose asthma was not originally caused by allergic factors. Small amounts of inhaled or swallowed allergens do not directly harm the tissues of the airways and lungs. However, they unfortunately act as triggers that set off the chain of events in the immune system that produce the symptoms typical of asthma.
People with asthma have increased sensitivity to allergens in the air they breathe in. Allergies are the human immune system’s reaction to biological triggers—including indoor allergens such as dust mites, animal dander (pet hair or feathers), saliva, flakes of skin, secretions from pets and insects, mold, and substances found in food. Even “hairless” dogs can be a problem for asthmatic patients. Some foods, such as peanut, dairy products, and seafood, can cause attacks in some asthmatic children. Food additives, such as sulfites, and even natural foods like eggs, shellfish, and raw vegetables can act as triggers for asthma. Endotoxins, which are chemicals produced by molds growing on farm products, may contribute to asthma in agricultural areas. Synthetic (man-made) products like the latex material used in surgical gloves can also trigger asthma episodes.
In some of the more “developed” countries, an important contributing factor in the growing number of atopic asthma cases may be the reduced exposure to common childhood respiratory infections such as the flu and colds. Recent studies have shown that children who live in very clean, hygienic conditions and are relatively isolated from other young people are more likely to develop asthma later in life. This is commonly referred to as the “hygiene theory.” It seems that children with older siblings and who attend day care programs where they may contract such illnesses have a lower risk for developing asthma. A possible explanation for this seemingly strange connection is that a child’s immune system is fine tuned, or conditioned, by contact with these infectious organisms and other foreign agents at a very young age.
Non-Allergic Factors:
Non-allergic factors that can stimulate or aggravate asthma symptoms include tobacco smoke, chalk dust and talcum powder, cooking fumes, and fumes from chemicals such as household cleaners. Certain behaviors such as stress and emotional anxiety can also trigger asthmatic attacks. Young children can develop asthma or cause asthmatic episodes as a result of viral infections such as colds, flu, and pneumonia.
Exercise is a common trigger for asthma in about 80% of asthmatic individuals. In some asthmatic patients, exercise induces typical asthma symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear during or after participation in physical activity. Pretreatment medications, such as short-acting bronchiodilators, quickly widen the air passages and thus help prevent the onset of asthma while a patient participates in physical activities. Some doctors advise their asthmatic patients to participate in sports like baseball or football that provide frequent breaks in activity rather than prolonged endurance sports such as swimming and long distance running.
Asthma does not have to be a barrier to participating in athletic activities. For example, 67 of the 596 members of the United States team at the 1984 Olympics tested positive for exercise-induced asthma, and that team won 41 Olympic medals. In addition, another survey revealed that 50% of the athletes participating in the 1996 Olympics displayed some form of asthmatic symptoms.
Changes in the weather, such as temperature and humidity variations can also negatively affect asthma patients. Winter is a tough time for people with asthma. They have difficulty in conditioning—warming up and humidifying—the air they breathe in. Some people with asthma wear a surgical mask that can trap warm, moist air that is exhaled with each breath. During cold weather, these individuals tend to spend more time indoors where they are more likely to catch contagious viral infections. Viral infections of the respiratory system are more likely to trigger severe asthmatic attacks during the winter months. In addition, unclean and poorly maintained forced air heating systems release many pollutants that further aggravate asthmatic symptoms.
Some remedies that could improve the quality of life for patients with asthma may also benefit the entire community in which they live. One study provides more evidence for a link between air pollution and asthma. During the 1996 Olympics, there were 42% fewer emergency hospital visits for treatment of severe asthma attacks in the Atlanta area. It is thought that this decline was linked to a sharp, but temporary, reduction in auto pollution caused by more people taking public transit instead of driving their cars during the two week event. So, cutting down on traffic congestion may help asthma patients breathe easier.
Every asthma patient is unique. Because there are so many environmental conditions that can affect people with the genetic predisposition for asthma, it is often difficult to pinpoint the primary cause of the disease in individual cases.
Treatment and Management:
Like all chronic diseases, asthma requires specialized medical care and attention. Doctors and other health professionals work in partnership with asthma patients to develop comprehensive, individualized management plans that help them cope with their asthma on a day to day basis. An effective management plan can reduce the incidence of serious asthma attacks and the need for emergency medical care. The key features of an asthma management plan include:
•learning about early warning signs and symptoms of asthma
•regular monitoring and recording of the appearance of asthma-related symptoms
•monitoring lung function
•learning how to use prescribed medications
•avoiding activities, such as prolonged exercise, that can trigger an asthma attack
•avoiding contact with possible environmental triggers, such as pets, allergens, tobacco smoke, etc.
•maintaining healthy lifestyle by controlling weight gain, salt intake, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol levels
Specific goals of asthma management programs include:
•controlling and minimizing chronic symptoms such as coughing and breathlessness early in the morning, at night, and after exercise
•achieving healthy pulmonary (lung) function as much as possible
•requiring the smallest possible dosage of medicine required to effectively control asthma symptoms, so that side effects from medications can be minimized.
Asthma in Homoeopathic Medicine:
Asthma is one of the distressing ailments which are not easy to cure. After using palliative medicine to over come an active attack, one should resort to constitutional in order to give permanent relief to the patient. The main medicines for constitutional treatment which should be given in addition to other indicate medicines are:
Tuberculium:
The above medicines are to be given intercurrence in potency not below 200 (1M or CM potencies preferable) no other medicine is to be given for two or three days before and after if any of the above medicine have the desired effect further drugging of the patient should be avoided.
A hint as to the diet is also necessary. The use of white lour and white sugar or its products, meat, fish, milk and puddings should be avoided. Whole wheat flour, Barbados sugar, honey, salads, and fresh vegetables should be eaten with eggs and chose.
1 Aconite, 2 ipecac, 3 k.c., 4 bell, 5 Aspidosparmia, 6 Grindeline, 7 carboneum sulf, 8 Blatta ori, 9 Ambrosia, 10 Aralia, 11 Kali, Bi, 12 k,p, 13 k,n, 14 k.s, 15 Lyco, 16 N.S, 17 Amonia carb, 18 Mephitis and 19 Ars. Alb.
With the newer, more effective medications now available, it is possible to provide patients with good short term and long term control of asthmatic symptoms. Asthma patients use both rescue medications and controllers, which provide long-term control of asthma symptoms. Most asthma patients take their asthma medicine with the aid of metered-dose inhalers. These hand-held devices deliver precise dosages of medication in the form of a pressurized spray that is inhaled orally by the user. Another device that delivers medication in spray-form are “nebulizers,” which are sometimes used by younger children and hospitalized patients who are unable to properly manipulate inhalers.
Rescue medications include bronchodilators, which provide short term, rapid relief from the symptoms of an asthma attack after it has started. These medications act by relaxing the circular muscles in the bronchial tubes that connect to the lungs. As the muscles relax, the air ways become wider, making breathing easier. Bronchodilators alleviate or reduce the feeling of tightness in lungs due to inflammation.
Controllers such as corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications that help prevent asthma attacks from happening. They help to prevent or reduce the onset of typical asthma symptoms that interfere with normal breathing, such as the build-up of mucus and the inflammation of the tissues that line the airways and lungs. Most anti-inflammatory drugs work by suppressing or interfering with the action of histamines after they have been released by cells of the immune system. Corticosteroids are often taken twice daily. They provide prolonged relief and help reduce long-term damage to the lungs
In today’s fast paced life, people are leading a very unhealthy lifestyle. The increasing rate of health diseases, stress levels, lack or inadequate sleep are caused due to the fast paced life style. People get so engrossed in coming up in life that the forget their health. There is a popular saying ‘If wealth is lost, something is lost, but if health is lost, everything is lost”. It is the apt time that people start concentrating on their health and well being. 
It is normal for men and women to experience hair loss as they grow older since it goes along the aging process, however, if the hair loss is above normal then this falls under the condition known as Androgenetic Alopecia. This condition is regarded as something which has a genetic link. No one would surely permit the effects of hair loss to take place, in view of this they would labor hard just to find the best remedy for hair loss. But are you aware that even primitive people have their own share of stories to tell on how they can treat the problem? In Ancient Egypt, they would normally chopped lettuce and apply them on the bald spots on the head. This is because they associate lettuce with Min, the Egyptian god of virility. Sometimes they would also resort to castor oil to promote hair growth. The process is simply since they just mix the castor oil with sweet almond oil to improve the aroma. Massaging the scalp was also famous for them, they would normally do scalp massage along with the preparation of Fir Tree extracts by which they get the resin and then massage it to the affected are. Sometimes, Egyptians would use wigs and hair extension they get from sheep’s wool to cover the balding and because of the belief that hair will grow on their own. In India, their remedy for hair loss includes the use of boiled sage leaves in coconut oil which will then be applied on the hair and scalps; the process is famous among the followers of Ayurveda. Moreover, the famed herbs used for breastfeeding these days were also used as hair loss remedy back then in India, Fenugreek powder is mixed to coconut milk and a pinch of black pepper. They believe this concoction to have an effect on hair loss. There are times that natives would also make use of Amla Oil which is extracted from Indian Gooseberries boiled in coconut oil. In Sub-Sahara Africa, African would steep flowers in Olive Oil to make aromatic hair tonics that will promote growth of hair. They would also utilize the astringent properties of Avocado leaves for scalp problems. In Victorian America, they treat the problem of hair loss through the process of applying cologne mixed to camphor and cantharides to hair roots every night. The idea of brushing a hundred times each night to make the hair shiny originated from them. When doing this, it is advised to use stiff brush to promote soft and shimmering hair. Nowadays, all of these processes are still done by some people as their means of treating the problem; they are now called ‘home remedy for hair loss’. They are safe, effective, and inexpensive. Try to practice the procedure on daily basis and you can expect beautiful change in your hair. The web embraces other home remedy that are about to be discovered, take some time to research more since it isn’t bad to try a combination of these at the same time.
