Asthma

Asthma

Definition

Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways, which causes attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.

Symptoms

• Cough with or without sputum (phlegm) production
• Pulling in of the skin between the ribs when breathing (intercostal retractions)
• Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise or activity
• Wheezing
  • Comes in episodes
  • May be worse at night or in early morning
  • May go away on its own
  • Gets better when using drugs that open the airways (bronchodilators)
  • Gets worse when breathing in cold air
  • Gets worse with exercise
  • Gets worse with heartburn (reflux)
  • Usually begins suddenly

Emergency symptoms:

• Bluish color to the lips and face
• Decreased level of alertness such as severe drowsiness or confusion, during an asthma attack
• Extreme difficulty breathing
• Rapid pulse
• Severe anxiety due to shortness of breath
• Sweating

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Abnormal breathing pattern --breathing out takes more than twice as long as breathing in
• Breathing temporarily stops
• Chest pain
• Nasal flaring
• Tightness in the chest

 

 Treatments

The goal of treatment is to avoid the substances that trigger your symptoms and to control airway inflammation. You and your doctor should work together as a team to develop and carry out a plan for eliminating asthma triggers and monitoring symptoms.

There are two basic kinds of medication for the treatment of asthma:

    * Long-acting medications to prevent attacks

    * Quick-relief medications for use during attacks

Long-term control medications are used on a regular basis to prevent attacks, not to treat them. Such medicines include:

    * Inhaled corticosteroids (such as Azmacort, Vanceril, AeroBid, Flovent) prevent inflammation

    * Leukotriene inhibitors (such as Singulair and Accolate)

    * Long-acting bronchodilators (such as Serevent) help open airways

    * Omilizumab (Xolair), which blocks a pathway that the immune system uses to trigger asthma symptoms

    * Cromolyn sodium (Intal) or nedocromil sodium (Tilade)

    * Aminophylline or theophylline (not used as frequently as in the past)

    * Sometimes a single medication that combines steroids and bronchodilators are used (Advair, Symbicort)

Quick relief, or rescue, medications are used to relieve symptoms during an attack. These include:

    * Short-acting bronchodilators (inhalers), such as Proventil, Ventolin, Xopenex, and others

    * Corticosteroids, such as methylprednisolone, may be given directly into a vein (intravenously), during a severe attack, along with other inhaled medications

People with mild asthma (infrequent attacks) may use quick relief medication as needed. Those with persistent asthma should take control medications on a regular basis to prevent symptoms. A severe asthma attack requires a check up by a doctor and, possibly, a hospital stay, oxygen, and medications through a vein (IV).

A peak flow meter is a simple device to measure how quickly you can move air out of your lungs. It can help you see if an attack is coming, sometimes even before any symptoms appear. Peak flow measurements can help show when medication is needed, or other action needs to be taken. Peak flow values of 50-80% of a specific person's best results are a sign of a moderate asthma attack, while values below 50% are a sign of a severe attack.

 

Drugs

The chief methylxanthine drug is theophylline. It may exert some anti-inflammatory effect and is especially helpful in controlling nighttime symptoms of asthma. When, for some reason, a patient cannot use an inhaler to maintain long-term control, sustained-release theophylline is a good alternative. The blood levels of the drug must be measured periodically, as too high a dose can cause an abnormal heart rhythm or convulsions.

Beta-receptor agonists (drugs that trigger cell response) are bronchodilators. They are the drugs of choice for relieving sudden attacks of asthma and for preventing attacks from being triggered by exercise. Some agonists, such as albuterol, act mainly in lung cells and have little effect on the heart and other organs. These drugs generally start acting within minutes, but their effects last only four to six hours. They may be taken by mouth, inhaled, or injected. In 2004, a new lower concentration of albuterol was approved by the FDA for children ages two to 12.

Steroids are drugs that resemble natural body hormones. They block inflammation and are effective in relieving symptoms of asthma. When steroids are taken by inhalation for a long period, asthma attacks become less frequent as the airways become less sensitive to allergens. Steroids are the strongest medicine for asthma, and can control even severe cases over the long term and maintain good lung function. However, steroids can cause numerous side effects, including bleeding from the stomach, loss of calcium from bones, cataracts in the eye, and a diabetes-like state. Patients using steroids for lengthy periods may also have problems with wound healing, may gain weight, and may suffer mental problems. In children, growth may be slowed. Besides being inhaled, steroids may be taken by mouth or injected, to rapidly control severe asthma.

Leukotriene modifiers are among a newer type of drug that can be used in place of steroids, for older children or adults who have a mild degree of persistent asthma. They work by counteracting leukotrienes, which are substances released by white blood cells in the lung that cause the air passages to constrict and promote mucus secretion. Other drugs include cromolyn and nedocromil, which are anti-inflammatory drugs that often are used as initial treatments to prevent long-term asthmatic attacks in children. Montelukast sodium (Singulair) is a drug taken daily that is used to help prevent asthma attacks rather than to treat an acute attack. In 2004, the FDA approved an oral granule formula of Singulair for young children.

If a patient's asthma is caused by an allergen that cannot be avoided and it has been difficult to control symptoms by drugs, immunotherapy may be worth trying. In a typical course of immunotherapy, increasing amounts of the allergen are injected over a period of three to five years, so that the body can build up an effective immune response. There is a risk that this treatment may itself cause the airways to become narrowed and bring on an asthmatic attack. Not all experts are enthusiastic about immunotherapy, although some studies have shown that it reduces asthmatic symptoms caused by exposure to dust mites, ragweed pollen, and cats.

 

Back Pain Exercises Pictures

Back Exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles that support the spine can prevent, reduce and even eliminate lower back pain. Exercises are helpful for decrease low back pain, recover faster, prevent injury to back, and reduce the risk of disability from back pain.

If you don't suffer from back pain, there's a good chance that someone in your family or your workplace does. About 80% of the population will suffer from back pain during their active lives. In fact, back pain is one of the most common work-related injuries; it is the second leading cause of missed workdays after the common cold. A typical response to experiencing back pain is to take it easy by either staying in bed or at least stopping any activity that is at all strenuous. While this approach is understandable and may even be recommended in the short term, when done for more than a day or two it can actually undermine healing. Instead, active forms of back exercises are almost always necessary to rehabilitate the spine and help alleviate back pain.

Before beginning any exercise program, you should discuss the program with your doctor and follow the doctor's advice. It is important to exercise regularly, every other day. Before exercising you should warm up with slow, rhythmic exercises; if you haven't exercised in some time, you can warm up by walking. Inhale deeply before each repetition of an exercise and exhale when performing each repetition. Exercise is to strengthen your muscles.

...:::Back Pain Exercises Pictures:::...

10 Tips For Healthy Eating

1. Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods.
2. Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance.
3. Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems.
4. Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings.
5. Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.
6. Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.
   Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat.
   If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.
7. Balance your food choices over time. Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.
8. Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on vital nutrients.
9. Make changes gradually. Just as there are no "superfoods" or easy answers to a healthy diet, don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For instance, if you don't like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat. Eventually you may find you like skim, too.
10. Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.