There are around seven million children in the US alone who have asthma. Shockingly, over one million of these children are less than five years old! Asthma can cause children to miss school and have a serious negative impact on health. The symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing and a sensation of tightness in the chest.

Asthma attacks can vary greatly in terms of their severity. Parents can get valuable information from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, which provides asthma guidelines and works to help parents and children cope with asthma.

These asthma guidelines are used by physicians in managing childhood asthma. The exact treatment used will depend on the severity of the asthma attacks in the child; doctors also monitor the children’s progress in controlling their symptoms using prescription medications.

If the child in question starts to improve, the physician may begin lowering the dosage of their asthma medication in the interests of being able to take the child off of medication. However, if the child’s symptoms become more severe, than either an increase in the dosage or a change of medication is called for.

The asthma guidelines set out goals for the treatment of childhood asthma. If the course of treatment is not successful in meeting these goals, then the physician will adjust the regimen of treatment. One of the things which the doctor will look for is if your child’s asthma is preventing them from attending school or playing with their peers.

Your physician will also monitor the child to see if he or she is experiencing any side effects from their asthma medication, particularly in the first few days after beginning the medication. They will also use this initial period to gauge how well the medication is suppressing asthma attacks.

There are different classifications of childhood asthma laid out in the asthma guidelines. One classification is mild intermittent, meaning that the child has symptoms no more than twice a week. The next most serious classification is mild persistent, where the child displays symptoms more than twice a week, perhaps daily.

The next classification is moderate persistent, meaning that there are daily symptoms and the highest level is severe persistent. This classification indicates daily and nightly symptoms of asthma. If your child suffers from asthma, you should discuss their health and the asthma classifications with your physician.

What Every Parent Needs To Know About Asthma is a post from: Green Healthy Home

Asthma is a Serious Life Threatening Condition that Welcomes the New Era of Responsibility with a Green Conscious

While there is no cure for asthma, there are many healthy eco-friendly ways to reduce or eliminate asthma symptoms. The ideas presented here cannot replace your medical doctor’s orders, but are a culmination of asthma prevention research.

Although Asthma can start at any age, it most often strikes in early childhood. Asthma is the number one chronic childhood disease believed to impact approximately 15% of all children.

In order to consider prevention or remission of symptoms, it is important to understand briefly how asthma works and why it occurs. Asthma results when air passages become inflamed and narrow, making it extremely difficult to breathe out. The inflammation swells the airways impeding, or in worse cases, completely blocking airways.

Impeding airways causes wheezing, which is the noise air makes as it is breathe out through inflamed [narrowed] tubes. If an individual’s airways become too narrow, they wont be able to get oxygen into their blood and they might turn blue; get medical help immediately.

Many factors contribute to getting Asthma, including family history, cigarette smoke, allergy, stress, reaction-to-food, infection, etc. Equally there are ways to combat, lesson or eradicate Asthmatic symptoms. It is probably no surprise that asthma prevention includes modifying your environment to oppose the most common contributing factors listed above. Here are 5 basic steps you can take to begin asthma remediation;

1. Remove or reduce obvious triggers from the house and the child’s environment
2. Eliminate and remove as much dust as possible
3. Use excellent air filters at home, in your car and while traveling
4. Avoid common allergens
5. Eat unprocessed healthy foods

Preventing asthma symptoms does not cure asthma, but preventing symptoms helps people, especially children, live

Prevent Asthma Symptoms is a post from: Green Healthy Home

With a Significantly Greener Planet on the Horizon, People with Asthma Will Benefit

Asthma attacks are scary life threatening events and over 6,000 people die every year due to Asthma related events; eleven die every day. Although Asthma has common features in all people with asthma, there is an individual component that is unique to the person with the disease. Asthma and humidity can be deadly to some people while another person may tolerate humidity but instead, cannot tolerate a cold and dry environment.

Anyone with asthma or who thinks they might have a respiratory problem should seek a medical professional and if you take asthma medication do not stop your medication. With that in mind, here are a few helpful green-friendly tips for helping someone with asthma live healthier quality lives.

Here are just a few natural and cost-effective tips:

1. Turmeric is invaluable to most people with Asthma. Just a teaspoon of turmeric powder given with a full glass of milk, two or three times every day can be a tremendous relief for some people.

2. Eat wholesome organic fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day, as these foods are vital for healthy lung function.

3. Keep your home clean of dust by using a moist re-useable towel. It is believed by some experts that if we all made even the smallest effort to reducing our household pollutants, more than 40% of children would be spared asthma.

Whatever your individual response to asthma may be, it is vital to take care of your body every day whether or not your symptoms are active. While asthma and humidity can often be tolerated, some people chose to move to an entirely new environment that has the lowest pollen levels coupled with a good climate, such as Southern California.

Asthma is a Life Threatening Disease is a post from: Green Healthy Home

Asthma is a serious lung disease, during an attack, the airways get narrow, making it difficult to breathe. About 17 million Americans have Asthma and it is the leading cause of long-term illness in children. In addition to consulting a doctor, you can make a difference by reducing allergens and irritants that are common in homes. The following is a list of some of the most common asthma triggers and suggestions to eliminate them from your home.

Secondhand smoke
Asthma can be triggered by the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar and the smoke breathed out by a smoker.

Dust mites
Dust mites are too small to be seen but are found in every home. Dust mites live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, fabric-covered furniture, bedcovers, clothes, and stuffed toys.

• Wash sheets and blankets once a week in hot water.
• Choose washable stuffed toys, wash them often in hot water, and dry thoroughly. Keep stuffed toys off beds.
• Cover mattresses and pillows in dust-proof (allergen-impermeable) zippered covers.

Pets
Your pet’s skin flakes, urine, and saliva can be asthma triggers.

• Consider keeping pets outdoors or even finding a new home for your pets, if necessary.
• Keep pets out of the bedroom and other sleeping areas at all times, and keep the door closed.
• Keep pets away from fabric-covered furniture, carpets, and stuffed toys.

Molds
Molds grow on damp materials. The key to mold control is moisture control. If mold is a problem in your home, clean up the mold and get rid of excess water or moisture. Lowering the moisture also helps reduce other triggers, such as dust mites and cockroaches.

• Wash mold off hard surfaces and dry completely. Absorbent materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, with mold may need to be replaced.
• Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.
• Keep drip pans in your air conditioner, refrigerator, and dehumidifier clean and dry.
• Use exhaust fans or open windows in kitchens and bathrooms when showering, cooking, or using the dishwasher.
• Vent clothes dryers to the outside.
• Maintain low indoor humidity, ideally between 30-50% relative humidity. Humidity levels can be measured by hygrometers which are available at local hardware stores.

Pests
Droppings or body parts of pests such as cockroaches or rodents can be asthma triggers.

• Do not leave food or garbage out.
• Store food in airtight containers.
• Clean all food crumbs or spilled liquids right away.
• Try using poison baits, boric acid (for cockroaches), or traps first before using pesticidal sprays.

If sprays are used:

• Limit the spray to infested area.
• Carefully follow instructions on the label.
• Make sure there is plenty of fresh air when you spray, and keep the person with asthma out of the room.

Asthma & Allergies – Clear Your Home of Asthma Triggers! is a post from: Green Healthy Home