Asthma - What You Need To Know

ven today, asthma remains an issue that is poorly understood

Often thought to be a childhood problem, the truth is that it can be triggered at any age. Statistically, the majority of people who suffer from asthma are adults.

Some think it's no worse than a cold or the flu. For those who have experienced asthma, though, it can be a frightening and very uncomfortable occurrence.

Simply put, asthma is a condition that affects the airways and breathing of the person who has it. It is triggered when the airway comes into contact with something that irritates the lining, causing it to become inflamed and begin to swell. The airways narrow even more due to the eventual build up of mucus.

This narrowing has a constrictive effect on the airways causing the difficulty in breathing that we know as asthma. The wheezing, shortness of breath and feelings of tightness in the chest so common in asthma can easily fill the person with a sense of real fear, making them feel as if they are being asphyxiated.

The triggers for asthma vary from person to person, depending on individual sensitivity. What might irritate one asthmatic sufferer may be completely harmless to another. An important element in asthma control is learning about your individual triggers and then avoiding them as much as possible.

Sometimes the asthma trigger may be obvious - pet dander, cat or dog hair, for example - After exposure to such things, the asthma symptoms will soon follow. But often the trigger may not be at all obvious, only producing symptoms much later, in what is know as a delayed reaction.

The very first thing to do when experiencing any kind of difficulty with breathing is to consult a medical doctor. Nowadays, advanced treatments can offer the asthmatic person the opportunity to live a normal and full life. Following a diagnosis of asthma, an inhaler or nebulizer is often prescribed which can be used in order to calm inflammation and lessen the severity of the reaction to the trigger. Sometimes preventer medication and or steroids are advised in order to deal with acute symptoms.

Studies have shown that physical activity plays and important part in asthma prevention, but it is believed that fully 80% of asthma sufferers do not get sufficient exercise. Maintaining a healthy weight, combined with physical exercise helps to improve lung function, easing breathing.

Eating a well-balanced, healthy diet, including a variety of different fresh fruit and vegetables can help enormously in controlling asthma. In addition, specific foods have been proven to protect against asthma and to help with lung function.

Research has shown that eating foods rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, kiwis and citrus fruit may have a significant, protective effect on asthma's respiratory symptoms.

An Italian study that followed 18,000 children discovered that those consuming the greatest amount of vitamin C-containing fruit had an enormous 44% fewer experiences of respiratory difficulty than children eating less of this kind of fruit. Further, breath shortness was lessened by 32%, and chronic cough by 25%.

The study found that children who had already been diagnosed with asthma when the study began benefitted the most. Even amongst those children who ate fruit only once or twice a week fruit's protective effects were evident.

Dutch research has confirmed these findings, demonstrating that people who ate the most fruit and vegetables had the healthiest lung function.

Foods rich in vitamin E and C are believed to help reduce the inflammatory response in the lungs of those who suffer from asthma.

Stress management can also be vital in asthma attacks prevention. Learning relaxation techniques and knowing how to de-stress can be of enormous help. A really effective way of letting go of stress is by listening to therapeutic self-hypnosis recordings specifically designed for the purpose.

If you have been diagnosed with asthma, then follow your doctor's instructions, learn your particular triggers, combine this understanding with exercise, healthy eating and stress management and you can lead a fully active, normal and healthy life.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided for general information purposes