Natural Solutions to Allergy and Asthma Attacks

by Ellen Mathers

Are you sneezing again? Do you suffer from allergies and asthma? That irksome runny nose, watery eyes and scratch in your throat can get awfully redundant and tiresome. I used to have allergies as a child. Every time I would step into our barn to feed the chickens, sheep and goats, I’d start sneezing. This was horrible. My wife now has allergies that she just can’t shake. She walks around with Kleenex in hand in a drug induced daze. She just can’t seem to shake them. Lucky for her I found a cure.

I grew up in rural America on a farm. My allergies were horrible. They just seemed to diminish as I grew older. I was impressed that I did not have to deal with sneezing and coughing I couldn’t see straight. I felt as if I was free at last. My wife isn’t as fortunate as me.

Could you see yourself in the same situation doing whatever you could to get a natural allergy relief? My better half spends most of her days in a medicated state taking over the counter cure-alls for her chronic allergies. I should buy stock in Kleenex. How can this be good! I know, even without asking, that she would do just about anything to get better.

I got really pumped up when I met a lady while getting a message, a gift from my wife for our anniversary. I was delighted to learn that acupuncture might provide the relief my wife was looking for.

My massage therapist can bear witness that acupuncture is the best thing since sliced bread. Her allergies are gone. Just gone! No sneezing! No runny nose! No headache! My wife tried it and voila hers were cured too. It was just great. Asian medicine, centuries old, does have something to offer after all. Who would have thought!

Also my therapist told me that she took back her life after just a few allergy treatments. She could go to outside events like baseball games and concerts.

As you’ve probably seen already, acupuncture treatment consists of a professional placing hair-like needle into different meridians of your body. This in turn creates a balance. Blood circulation and chi flow are involved.

Some call this alternative medicine but in Asia it is common practice and not considered alternative at all. Since my wife and I are both fans we can recommend that you give it a try. Who knows! Maybe it is just what the doctor ordered for your allergy relief.

About the Author:

ASBESTOS EXPOSURE ISSUES

by Joseph Amainte

Asbestos is composed of fibers that can cause life threatening illness, such as mesothelioma (a cancer), among others. Many companies are being proactive and having asbestos removed before it can harm someone. It can live safely behind walls or ceilings, but as soon as any fibers escape, people may inhale them and become ill. It only takes a tiny amount ingested into the lungs. Unfortunately, the symptoms may not be visible for as long as 40 years, so it’s difficult to prevent getting sick from an unknown source.

Typically, a person becomes exposed to asbestos from work or even home but a third risk is for people that live near places such as shipyards, steel mills, power plants, refineries, and so on where asbestos is used. What happens is that the fibers become disrupted, contaminating nearby residential areas. In addition to the industries mentioned, other common areas include maritime, construction, automotive repair (specifically brakes and clutches), roofing, and railroads.

Asbestos is not only a serious problem for some types of businesses, but it can also be found in many homes and schools. Before to the 1970s, some materials used for building commonly contained asbestos. In fact, as much as 30 million tons of asbestos fiber was used in the United States alone during this time, much of it winding up in homes and schools.

Now that you’ve seen this alarming news, how can you ensure that you’re safe? For one thing, not all houses built before 1970 used any asbestos. Secondly, the chief places where people are exposed to asbestos are industrial sites. Not only that, but more people that were exposed did not get sick as opposed to those who did.

If you have any fear at all that you may have asbestos in your home, call the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They will tell you how to find qualified technicians to come and examine your house. In the case that asbestos is found, they will help you get rid of it. The EPA will also have you get a separate risk assessment to confirm or dispute their finding.

If you plan on building a home always check the materials used carefully to see if they are labeled free of asbestos. Until you verify that each product is safe, contact the product manufacturer to find out exactly what is contained in each product.

If you are buying a home from a private seller, by law, they are required to disclose any known hazards to you, which would include asbestos. Apartment complexes built prior to 1970 commonly have materials that include asbestos. Keep in mind that while it might be a scary thought of living where asbestos exists, remember, until the product with the asbestos breaks down or opens, the asbestos is not a health risk.

In 1995 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) set guidelines for asbestos discovery and follow-up in work environments. Any time it’s found, employees must be notified. The same applies to rental units. If your potential landlord informs you of existing asbestos, it will be your choice to live there or not.

About the Author:

Indicators and Remedies of Asthma

by James M. Crosswell

Most people understand the primary reason people suffer with asthma is due to pollution in their immediate area that aggravate a normally hereditary condition that cause asthma in a person. Everyone has seen the hundreds of advertisements for asthma remedies that are currently available. But, there are also lots of natural remedies available and getting them and using them is a fairly simple thing to do.

Many people’s idea of a person suffering from asthma is to think of someone who is carrying around an inhaler and using it whenever they start having trouble breathing and seeing them almost immediately recover after using it.

With that in mind, current research has and will continue to find natural asthma remedies that prevent the initial triggers of asthma attacks from even occurring. This is a great relief to those who have side effects to the prescription drugs that are currently available.

A natural asthma remedy can prove to be as effective, (if not more effective) than medications and it is also safe to use along with other ongoing and traditional treatments. However, it is still necessary to act with caution when using natural asthma remedy options with medications since there is always a risk that a negative reaction may occur.

The nature of an asthma attack can be acerbated by anxiety that naturally comes from the tightening of the chest, shortness of breath and persistent cough that occur. Vitamins B6 and B12 and Kava Kava have been found by some people to alleviate the symptoms of an asthma attack. Be advised using Kava Kava at the same time as you are using sedatives or alcohol could can cause bad side effects as Kava Kava is also a sedative.

You could find some help as close as your local drug store in the supplement aisle. St. John’s Wort has been found to be a good asthma remedy, as well as immune boosters vitamin E and grape seed extract.

Others have found success remedying asthma conditions by donning a magnetic healing bracelet. These are certainly worth considering as they are not expensive and they are non-invasive.

About the Author:

Be careful this vacuum can endanger you and your child’s health

by Kristina Brown

Have you ever encountered this situation? You are in the middle of vacuuming the floor pressured for time because company is coming over soon when you encounter the problem of a full bag and additionally a filter that needs changing. Searching frantically through your closet to find the necessary materials to rectify the problem you see that you are depleted of both filters and bags. You suddenly wish you had a bag-less vacuum cleaner, with a filter system that does not require consistent changing. Although a bagless vacuum cleaner would solve this problem from occurring, it is deficient in other areas where a bagged system excels. For this reason it is important to consider both the positives and negatives of each item and how it specifically relates to your situation.

A tremendous amount of people question the differences between being the owner of a bagless vacuum cleaner and being the owner of a bagged vacuum cleaner. One of the principle and distinct advantages to owning a bagless vacuum cleaner is never being in a situation similar to the one mentioned above. A bagless vacuum cleaner uses a simple dirt bin that fills up and must be dumped when full, directly translating to no bag changes, and no fretting your current stock on vacuum bags. It is impossible for the situation mentioned above to occur if you own a bagless vacuum cleaner because there simply are no bags to run out of.

Lifetime filters is an additional benefit of bagless machines is found in the vacuum brands such as the Dyson. This popular bagless vacuum cleaner has the unique advantage of not needing a filter change. Dyson filters are washable as opposed to being disposable, a feature that saves time, money, and frustration. Dyson filters work by simply cleaning them every 6 months, and leaving them out to dry for 12 hours, directly after doing so you are able to start vacuuming. It is very important to remember that not all bagless machines include this feature, and other bagless vacuums may have you changing filters more often to compensate for not having bags in the machine.

Some bagless vacuum cleaners use cyclonic technology, like the Dyson, which allows the vacuum cleaner to vacuum with the same amount of suction regardless of how much dirt is in the bin. This means no loss of suction even if the entire bin is full. Cyclonic technology is not found in every bagless vacuum cleaner, but be aware when shopping that this is a major consideration considering other brands without this technology do lose suction fairly quickly as the filter and bin begin to clog up with dirt.

Despite the advantages to owning a bagless vacuum cleaner there are also disadvantages to owning such a cleaner. A strong drawback to owning a bagless vacuum cleaner is the emptying of the dirt bin. With a bagless vacuum emptying the dirt bin quickly becomes an unbearable chore for you. When emptying the bin the dirt does not neatly empty into the trash bin, instead it scatters everywhere and quickly sullies the floor you just cleaned and dirtying the air with contaminates you were trying to rid your house of. Emptying the dirt bin is so bad that many bagless vacuum manufactures advise emptying the dust bin outside to prevent getting dirt everywhere in the house. If you suffer from asthma or allergies, this situation can trigger outbreaks. Those with either condition are strongly advised to purchase a bagged vacuum cleaner, to both avoid allergenic or asthmatic outburst and maintain a healthier house.

A bagless unit also makes you see everything you have picked up. It shows exactly how much dirt you just picked up and the dirt stays in the canister staring at you until you dump it outside. This an extremely undesirable feature for many clean freaks because at all times the bin looks dirty. The bin looks dirty even you have emptied the bin because the dirt and dust clings to the plastic bin. Bagless Vacuums use clear plastic bins so you always see the dirt and the only way to get rid of it is to wash out the entire bin. Washing out the entire bin requires a lot of time and energy and will have to be done every time after you vacuum if you cannot stand the look of a dirty bin.

Many bagless vacuum cleaners, however not all, have horrible filters that get clogged up with dirt and dust the second you turn the machine on. When a bagless unit is being used the dirt and dust is deposited in a bin. The dirt is then filtered by the filter medium, which is also found in the bin. The filter is supposed to stop dirt from reentering into your house via the exhaust air. However this does not work for many bagless units and is something to definitely consider if you have allergies or asthma. The filter consistently gets clogged with dirt, preventing optimal suction and reducing its filtering capabilities. Many bagless vacuum cleaners require a vacuum filter change every 6 months which could cost up to eighty dollars a year just on maintenance; maintenance for a vacuum that you thought would prevent extra spending on commodities. Not only are you spending the money on the filters but you are also spending the money on filters that do not perform properly and can quickly get clogged up with dirt. Be on the lookout for bagless vacuum cleaners (Such as Dyson) with a lifetime filter that only requires 6-month washouts, not purchases.

Bagless vacuum cleaners help prevent extra spending on bags and save time taking trips to a store for bags. However bagless vacuum cleaners are not the best for people with allergies or asthma because dirt and dust can easily be re-emitted back into your household. Bagless vacuum cleaner bins always look dirty and can only look clean if washed after every vacuuming. Some bagless vacuum cleaners also require filter changes every 6-months for a filter that does not even perform properly. Bagless vacuum cleaners have advantages and disadvantages, but when purchasing you must decide whether a bagless unit is the best for your situation.

About the Author:

Tips For Allergy Relief

by Ellen Mathers

Allergies and asthma are more than just a nuisance. My wife gets sick and requires doctor visits and prescription medications each time the season changes. A beautiful spring day will find her sneezing and coughing. Her eyes are swollen and red and her throat is scratchy. She maintains a haggard look until it passes and she looks forward to the next time. I used to have allergies as a child. I was constantly around farm animals. They made me sneeze and cough. My eyes hurt and my head hurt. To say I had a runny nose is a serious understatement. But I am convinced I have found the perfect solution.

My childhood on a farm in America was plagued with sneezing and coughing fits anytime I was around farm animals, which was all the time. When I grew out of them I became a free man and was thrilled when my allergies just went away. My wife still suffers.

What would you do to obtain a “cure”? What would you do to get rid of this constant seasonal irritant? My wife still has to medicate each new season with a plethora of over the counter drugs. She will seek allergy relief anywhere. This can’t be a good thing. She would do almost anything to get do away with the constant headache, no pun intended, of allergies. She has tried many off the wall cures and some of them work so-so.

I got really pumped up when I met a lady while getting a message, a gift from my wife for our anniversary. I was delighted to learn that acupuncture might provide the relief my wife was looking for.

She swears up and down that it’s the absolute best of allergy cures. Once she began this natural allergy treatment, her runny nose and sneezing ceased. This is awesome. You’ve got to give it up for the Asian medicine that’s been around forever, and yet it works better than some we westerners use today. Now my wife wants to have acupuncture done on her regarding allergies.

Also my therapist told me that she took back her life after just a few allergy treatments. She could go to outside events like baseball games and concerts.

Acupuncture is an Asian medicinal practice thought to have originated in China around 300 BC. It that utilizes small thin needles inserted into key centers of your body. An acupuncturist studies for many years. There are twelve primary meridians or channels.

Some call this alternative medicine but in Asia it is common practice and not considered alternative at all. Since my wife and I are both fans we can recommend that you give it a try. Who knows! Maybe it is just what the doctor ordered for your allergy relief.

About the Author:

What dangers do dust mites impose on my family?

by Kristina Brown

How would you define dust mites? What dangers do dust mites bring? Can dust mites harm my family and I in any way? The subject of dust mites creates many questions, and is a topic only few are educated on. These eight-legged creatures roam your house by the millions on a daily basis and yet you have little information about them. With the information provided below you will know more about dust mites and their habits.

Do Dust Mites Defecate? Dust mites defecate like any other animal that eats. On use average a dust mite will defecate approximately 20 times a day, on various items in your house including your couch, carpeting, mattress and other household items.

That’s Disturbing! What is the Harm in all that feces? Dust mites make lying down on your soft bed not seem as appetizing due to the fact covered in feces. These feces that litter your house are not just gross to think about it, they can also cause an allergic reaction. Dust mite feces is a substance the human body considers foreign and attacks very similar to any other reaction such as crayfish, pollen, or peanuts. Something to note is the allergic reactions are not caused by the dust mites themselves but instead the feces they produce.

Can you Tell me Exactly what is a Dust Mite? A dust mite an animal just like a spider, it perform all the same functions any other animal does such as breathing, eating, defecating, and reproducing. A dust mite?s life span last about 60 days for a female and half of that for a male. Over the lifetime of a female dust mite it will lay about 100 eggs.

What is the Reason we have an Allergic Reaction to Dust Mite Feces but Not our Own Feces? Dust mites feces contains and specific type of protein, which triggers the allergic reactions. Humans do not create this protein so human waste does not cause allergic reactions.

What are some of the Symptoms of an Allergic Reaction? Similar to the reactions that pollen and dust allergies from dust mites cause itchiness, watery eyes, and sneezing. Allergies caused by dust mites are similar to having a permanent common cold, which causes frustration in many because they are unable to correctly locate the root of the problem.

Dust mites cause a lot of problems, but exactly how big is a dust mite? A dust mite’s size is minuscule, at a total size of only half a millimeter. Dust mites create enormous problems for asthma and allergy suffers in comparison to their tiny stature.

Roaming around your house at this very moment are millions of frightening 8 legged creatures, but hopefully with the information provided the subject of dust mites is not as eerie or cloudy as it once was.

About the Author:

EWWW! Dust Mites should I be concerned?

by Kristina Brown

Dust Mites. What are they? Are they living? How many are there in my house? What do they eat? Why are people allergic to them? There are many questions pertaining to dust mites, however very little people know anything about these creatures that exist almost everywhere. I am going to go over a few questions and answers that concern dust mites.

What Are Dust Mites? Many people know dust mites exist but know very little about them. Dust mites are living organisms that feed, breathe and defecate just like any other animal. They are actually from the spider family and have eight legs just like a spider. They live on average for about 30 days for a male and 2 months for an impregnated female whom lays around 100 eggs during its entire lifespan.

What is the Size of a Dust Mite? Microscopic in size, dust mites are not visible to the human eye. The average size of a dust mite is approximately a half a millimeter large.

How Many Are in My House and Where Do They Live? The exact amount of dust mites in your house is unknown however there are millions of dust mites in the typical mattress. They live in your pillow, sheets, blanket, couch, chair, carpets etc.

What is the Reason Dust Mites Take Residence in my Bed or my Couch? Dust mites greatly enjoy places that contain a large amount of humidity, so any place you drool, sweat, or breathe creates optimal living conditions for dust mites. Dust mites also nestle deep within a carpet or couch fibers, to avoid sun exposure and prevention against being sucked by a vacuum cleaner, or beaten by a vacuum cleaners brush roll.

What is it Dust Mites Feed On? The answer to this one is simple. Dust mites like to feed on you. Dust mites thrive and feed on the dead skin that sheds off of humans on a daily basis. A solitary day of shredded skin from a human is enough to feed thousands of dust mites.

Why Call Them Dust Mites, Why Not Skin Mites? A majority of dust is comprised of dead skin. The dust you see in the attic, on your TV or in the air is comprised mostly of your dead skin. Because it contains so much dead skin dust mites pretty much consume what we call dust, therefore making them ?dust? mites.

You now possess a greater understanding of what dust mites are and how they live. Hopefully this will help you understand the true amount and lifestyle of the dust mites in your house.

About the Author:

Lungs With Asthma

Asthma is a serious condition effecting millions of Americans, particularly children. The airways of people who suffer from asthma are overly sensitive which leads to an occasional overreaction to substances or air quality that has little or no effect on the lungs of a person who does not suffer from asthma. When sensitive asthmatic lungs are exposed to an irritating substance or event, a serious of reactions begin to occur leading to an asthma attack.

First, the bronchial muscles begin to tighten. This is referred to by medical health professionals as a bronchospasm. A bronchospasm is similar to the pinching of a straw; as the pinch get tighter, less liquid moves through the straw and reaches your mouth. Like your fingers on the straw, the tiny bronchial muscles tighten around the outside of your bronchial tubes, and the space on the inside of the tubes becomes very narrow. Suddenly, less air is getting through the bronchial tubes to your lungs. This leads to the feeling that many asthmatics describe as not being able to catch their breath. During the spell of shortness of breath, asthmatics may also hear a wheezing sound as they force the air in and out or their obstructed airways.

The airways of people with normal lungs often constrict as a response to allergens or other irritants, but lungs with asthma have airways that are far more likely to constrict due to increased response to allergens. This also makes the bronchial tubes of an asthmatic more prone to infection, which can lead to inflammation and swelling, in turn causing further constriction of the airways. Infection then often leads to increased mucus production, further clogging the already tight and inflamed airways. Irritation of the mucus in lungs with asthma may lead to coughing which can contribute to the feeling of being short of breath. Once the airways become obstructed by any combination of these reactions, it takes significantly more effort to force air through them and breathing starts to feel difficult.

When the bronchial tubes swell, exhaling becomes just as difficult as inhaling. The stale air unable to move through the obstructed airways gets stuck in the lungs and builds with every breath. The stale air leaves little room for the fresh air taken in with each new breath, so the body begins to suffer from both insufficient oxygen and excessive carbon dioxide, causing the blood supply to become acidic. If the symptoms of asthma and severe asthma attacks are not sufficiently treated, the acidity of the blood has the potential to rise to toxic levels.

A combination of these reactions in an asthma lung is referred to as an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, the person has trouble breathing and often becomes distraught. Most people suffering from an asthma attack have trouble performing normal activities until the attack ends or they are able to treat it with a fast acting inhaler. In a healthy lung, none of the reactions above would occur. Some asthmatics have lungs with airways that remain perpetually inflamed due to ineffective treatment or continuous exposure to allergens or irritants.

Can Cod Liver Oil Help Asthma?

by Kim Archer

It’s been shown that there is an association between cod liver oil and asthma. A lack of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet is believed by many experts to be one of the causes of asthma. Babies who were bottle fed and children who don’t eat a sufficiently nutritional diet appear to be at higher risk for this ailment.

Research has found that cod liver oil is a rich source of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Among its many benefits are the prevention of dry skin, relief for arthritis sufferers, and improved heart health. And now cod liver oil seems to hold the promise of curtailing asthma symptoms.

It seems that asthma attacks can be treated by including an adequate amount of essential fatty acids in the diet, particularly the omega-3 fatty acids found in cod liver oil. Researchers report that omega-6 is the most widely consumed of the fatty acids, whereas omega-3 is the least consumed.

Asthma is an inflammatory disorder and we know that omega-3 fatty acids help to relieve such medical conditions. So it seems logical to suppose that cod liver oil can be a useful option for treating this disease.

Children have been shown in studies to be more likely to develop asthma when they do not receive the proper nutrients such as Vitamins C, E, and B12, as well as zinc, selenium, magnesium and beta-carotene. An effective treatment for sufferers of asthma is considered to be a diet that includes these important nutrients along with cod liver oil.

It has been found that there is a need to supplement the diet with cod liver oil in order to maintain sufficient levels of the vitamins and fatty acids in the body. Research has shown that it’s hard to get enough omega-3 fatty acids through diet alone.

One asthma sufferer stated that she was suffering from wheezing and decided to take cod liver oil. The wheezing ceased. After a while, she stopped taking the oil and the wheezing returned. One can deduce from this that cod liver oil can reduce the symptoms of asthma.

The first thing you need to do if you suspect that you or your child has asthma is to visit your doctor. He or she can tell you if cod liver oil is right for you, particularly if you already have a medical condition or are taking medication which might interfere with the oil.

Cod liver oil may be an effective alternative to conventional asthma treatments since it appears to help asthma patients, based on research of the connection between asthma causes and the effects of asthma.

About the Author:

Stopping an Asthma Attack in Its Tracks

by Kim Archer

In the U.S. there are over ten million people who are asthma sufferers, and many physicians regard asthma as an epidemic because it so widespread.

Exposure to noxious chemicals in the air and environmental pollution are usually held responsible for contributing to this disease. There is an increase in the number of people dying from asthma, mostly because the warning signs are being ignored.

During an asthma attack, the airways in the lungs will begin to swell and develop mucus secretions, and will eventually spasm. It becomes harder to breath as the airways become narrower. Breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, congestion, a dry mouth, fever and pain are all symptoms that can appear during an asthma attack.

An attack can be caused by almost anything. Upper respiratory infections, overexertion, poor nutrition, and stress are frequent causes, and allergies are the most typical trigger of an asthma attack.

Many attacks are a result of contact with irritants like pollen, gas odors, smoke, and exhaust fumes. Attacks can also be caused by foods like chocolate, dairy products, corn and peanuts. They can also be induced when you take antibiotics, tranquilizers or hormone therapy.

There are a number of herbal, mineral and vitamin supplements that can be used for the treatment of asthma. Vitamin B is the most significant of these. Not only can it decrease the severity of an attack but it preserves the biochemical equilibrium in your body.

If you use vitamins A and E in concert they collaborate to defend your lungs from pollution. As well, big dosages of Vitamin C are highly successful in combating asthma.

Another effective treatment for improving breathing and assisting with bronchial responses is gingko biloba. Odorless garlic is also a good alternative. The anti-inflammatory properties of this supplement decrease the risk of an asthma attack.

If you think you might have asthma, see your doctor right away to get tested. Until then, eat a diet high in protein with lots of vegetables and fruits and steer clear of known triggers.

An asthma attack can be a stressful experience, however there are always ways to defend against it and keep it from negatively impacting your life. If your doctor diagnoses you with asthma, ask questions and seek advice on what you ought to be doing.

It’s possible to avert an asthma attack, so there is no reason for it to keep you from the activities you enjoy. It can usually be contained even if it does slow you down for a while.

About the Author: