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In his book, Essential Allergy, Niels Mygind defines asthma as,
"A lung disease characterised by: 1, variable and reversible airway obstruction;
2, airway inflammation; and 3, bronchial hyper-responsiveness."
Asthma is a disease where bronchial tubes are sensitive to irritants, which
cause them to inflame and produce difficult breathing. The inflammation can cause,
* contraction of muscles around the air passages,
* swelling of the airway lining due to airway inflammation, and,
* excessive mucus in the airways.
Asthma occurs in most western countries and is the leading chronic illness of
children.
Asthma, in some cases, cannot be cured, but for most patients it can be
controlled so that they have only minimal and infrequent symptoms and they can live an active
life.
If you have asthma, managing it is an important part of your life.
Controlling your asthma means staying away from things that bother your airways and taking
medicines or natural remedies as directed by your doctor.
When a person experiences a worsening of their asthma symptoms, it is called an
asthma episode or, in severe cases, an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, smooth muscles
around the bronchial tubes contract, making the airway openings narrower so less air can flow
through. Inflammation increases and the airways become more swollen and narrow. Cells
in the airways also make more mucus than usual, which narrows the airways further. The
changes to the airways cause the symptoms of asthma.
Asthma attacks are not all the same-some are worse than others. In a severe
asthma attack, the airways can close so much that not enough oxygen gets to vital organs.
This condition is a medical emergency. People can die from severe asthma attacks. A
person suffering from an asthma attack has a sensation similar to drowning.
Learning the warning signs or asthma symptoms can often alert a sufferer in time
to take preventive action, such as medication or natural remedies.
Asthma attacks can occur over a long period of time. Although there are
times when acute episodes strike asthmatics, most asthma sufferers say that there are long periods
during which they suffer few, if any, asthma symptoms.
Here are some asthma symptoms:
* Coughing. Coughing in people with asthma is often worse at
night or early in the morning, making it hard for them to sleep. This may be the only symptom
a child with asthma has.
* Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe.
* A tight feeling in the chest. This can feel like someone is squeezing or
sitting on your chest.
* Shortness of breath. Asthma sufferers often say they can't catch their breath,
or they feel breathless or out of breath.
* Narrowing of the air passages in the lungs and hence increased resistance to
airflow.
* Significant reversibility with steroid drugs
* Symptom-free periods
* Frequent occurrence of allergy
* Inflammation of the air passages
* Bronchial hyper-responsiveness to non-specific stimuli such as cold air, air
pollution, pollen, dust, or other irritants
* Asthma symptoms brought on by exercises
* Coughing or wheezing brought on by prolonged crying or laughing
Not all people have these symptoms, and symptoms may vary from one asthma attack
to another. Some symptoms are mild and some are life threatening.
Symptoms also differ in how often they occur. Some people with asthma only
have symptoms once every few months, others have symptoms every week, and still other people have
symptoms every day.
Learn how to use natural remedies to reduce asthma attacks and to eliminate many
of the asthma symptoms
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