Author: Foras Aje
Source: articleage.com
Perhaps it was predestined that I should have had asthma as a kid, discover Yoga as an adult, correct my respiratory health with it and now be blessed to write about my experiences with using Yoga (amongst other things) to control my asthma symptoms.If this is the case, then I am honored. Either way it goes, I can say with much confidence that based on my experiences, one helpful exercise for alleviating Asthma symptoms and dealing with its many inconveniences is Yoga.Owing to its gentle poses and stretches and the deep breathing involved in Yoga, certain poses-when used correctly-can be very helpful for smoothening the chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (airways) that causes swelling and narrowing (constriction) of the airways as is the case in Asthma patients.Furthermore, when using Yoga as an exercise for asthma control, one need not worry about the common exercise-induced asthma attacks that may come as a result of vigorous activity as these poses are very calm and involve very little motionhey, it's Yoga after all.Now, friends, based on my experiences and several studies that support these facts, the following poses can be a powerful add-on therapy to reduce the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks as well as to decrease medication use.The Shoulder Stand & It's Counter Poses for AsthmaInversion poses in yoga drain excess mucus from the lungs and balance the immune system. Now, let me introduce you to perhaps the simplest of these poses, the shoulder stand pose.Although the Shoulder-Stand has been coined by several Yoga sages as a near panacea or cure-all, as far as Asthma is concerned, it is indeed very helpful in regards to relieving excess encumbrances in the respiratory organs and owing to its deep breathing, it increases the lung's airflow, capacity, stamina and efficiency.Here comes the best part, its counter poses. You see, some yoga poses, owing to the execution of them that is, have to be offset by a pose in an opposite spinal direction (another subject, but hopefully you get the gist).Now friends, this Shoulder-stand pose has 2 main counter-poses: the Bridge and the Fish Poses. (No worries they are very simple to perform.) Both of these poses are back bending postures that open up the chest improving both lung and heart functioning.As a matter of fact, the very last pose (the fish pose) is one of the specific poses mentioned by Sri Swami Devananda and IBS Iyengar (two of the most authoritative figures in modern day yoga) as being specifically useful for removing spasms from the bronchial tubes and thus relieving Asthma.Other Helpful Poses:There are other poses such as the forward bends which you can practice specifically if it is more difficult to inhale. These include the Head-knee Pose (Passchimothanasa) and it basically involves grabbing your toes, ankles or feet with the head lowered as far as possible to touch the knees.Now, friends, remember I mentioned counter-poses right? Well, for this particular pose, its counter-poses basically are backward bending poses that include the Incline Pose and Bow Pose.Both of these (especially the latter) open up the chest and should be practiced to aid with exhaling during asthma attacks.Last, but not least is the simple, yet extremely effective Relaxation Pose.Yes, you guessed it right, just simply lie flat on your back and breathe in a controlled and rhythmic pattern. By practicing rhythmic, controlled breathing techniques daily, the respiratory muscles and lungs develop the ability to breathe more slowly all the time, meaning less stress on the airways in general.In addition to these poses, let me briefly mention the 'Bellow's breath exercise' (a yoga breathing exercise) as this helps tremendously. As the name may suggest, it involves purposely pumping the stomach in an inward motion and exhaling through the nose simultaneously in controlled movements. This removes spasms and tones up the respiratory system significantly.At this point, it must be mentioned that Yoga does call for a healthy diet in its use and as a physical and spiritual system; it does call for a mostly vegetarian diet.Friends, for asthma problems, you may want to strongly consider this as giving up all processed foods and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs and the like from your diet is a must and a fact that has been in effect in several programs aimed at correcting respiratory health such as the "Breath Retaining Program For Asthmatics" developed by the Russian, Dr. Buteyko. Within weeks of adhering to this advice, many a chronic asthmatic has been able to give up the use of ventolin inhalers.So the next time asthma sends you to the doctor, you may do well to ask for a new prescription for asthma treatment-Yoga. I believe it won't hurt and possibly could help you immensely.Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.comFor more information on Asthma Treatment stop by his website today.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Foras_Aje
Showing posts with label asthma symptoms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asthma symptoms. Show all posts
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Understanding Asthma Medicine
Author: Dan Lanicek
Source: articledashboard.com
Asthma medicine helps prevent the symptoms of asthma that inhibit the possibility of doing activities that you want to when you want to do them. Symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing can be prevented completely or to some degree by using the correct asthma medication. There are generally two types of asthma medicine - controllers and relievers. Controllers are typically used every day, sometimes twice a day. Controllers prevent asthma symptoms, asthma attacks, and lung damage by relaxing and widening the airways in the body. Some also reduce swelling of the airways. Controllers should not be used to relieve asthma symptoms. Controller medication is most often inhaled and side effects may include fast heartbeat, nervousness, headaches, and hoarseness or coughing. Relievers are not taken on a daily basis like controllers and are used as needed typically during asthma attacks or as preventative to them. Relievers work to quickly open the narrowed airways of a person suffering from an asthma attack. A majority of relievers are a type of medicine called bronchodilators. Bronchodilators are inhaled and quickly relax and open airways. Side effects of relievers may include fast heartbeat, nervousness or restlessness, dry mouth, or shaky hands. Since reliever medicine quickly reduces asthma symptoms, people with asthma sometimes tend to use them too often. Often overuse is from using the relievers as preventatives before activities that may not necessarily cause asthma symptoms. However, this overuse of relievers can cause problems. Using a reliever too much can actually make your asthma symptoms worse or cause your heart to beat too fast or in an odd rhythm. If you suffer from asthma, it is always a good idea to have at least a 30-day supply of both your controller medicine and your reliever medicine. It is important to understand how your asthma medicine works and what the possible side effects are. If you are unsure, talk to your doctor to get all the information you need on asthma medication and do your own research to learn all you can about asthma and asthma medication.
Source: articledashboard.com
Asthma medicine helps prevent the symptoms of asthma that inhibit the possibility of doing activities that you want to when you want to do them. Symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing can be prevented completely or to some degree by using the correct asthma medication. There are generally two types of asthma medicine - controllers and relievers. Controllers are typically used every day, sometimes twice a day. Controllers prevent asthma symptoms, asthma attacks, and lung damage by relaxing and widening the airways in the body. Some also reduce swelling of the airways. Controllers should not be used to relieve asthma symptoms. Controller medication is most often inhaled and side effects may include fast heartbeat, nervousness, headaches, and hoarseness or coughing. Relievers are not taken on a daily basis like controllers and are used as needed typically during asthma attacks or as preventative to them. Relievers work to quickly open the narrowed airways of a person suffering from an asthma attack. A majority of relievers are a type of medicine called bronchodilators. Bronchodilators are inhaled and quickly relax and open airways. Side effects of relievers may include fast heartbeat, nervousness or restlessness, dry mouth, or shaky hands. Since reliever medicine quickly reduces asthma symptoms, people with asthma sometimes tend to use them too often. Often overuse is from using the relievers as preventatives before activities that may not necessarily cause asthma symptoms. However, this overuse of relievers can cause problems. Using a reliever too much can actually make your asthma symptoms worse or cause your heart to beat too fast or in an odd rhythm. If you suffer from asthma, it is always a good idea to have at least a 30-day supply of both your controller medicine and your reliever medicine. It is important to understand how your asthma medicine works and what the possible side effects are. If you are unsure, talk to your doctor to get all the information you need on asthma medication and do your own research to learn all you can about asthma and asthma medication.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Dealing With Asthma In Adults
Author: Jackson Sperry
Source: isnare.com
Asthma is a chronic lung disorder caused when the airways react to certain allergens or stimuli. If it isn't treated and managed effectively, it can ultimately become a life-threatening disease.
People can develop asthma during adulthood, even if they've never had any problems earlier in life - even during middle age or even older. This is known as Adult Onset Asthma.
Proper diagnosis is important because asthma symptoms are often similar to other illnesses that can develop in adults, including chest problems, cough and even heart disease.
The most common asthma symptoms in adults include the following:
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent cough
- Excess mucus production
- Pain or tightness in the chest
There are number of things that can trigger asthma in adulthood. One of the most common - and severe - triggers is smoking. Cigarette smoke can cause acute asthma episodes as well as increased sensitivity to other allergens.
Smoking will always make asthma more severe and can also lead to other problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Smoking doesn't only effect the smoker who is asthmatic, either. Second hand smoke will aggravate asthma for anyone exposed to it, and fetal exposure to maternal smoking can also lead to early onset asthma.
Some of the other common asthma triggers in adults include:
- Pollen, mold and other allergens
- Strong odors
- Infections
- Certain medications such as beta-blockers and anti-inflammatory drugs
- Dust
- Exercise
Asthma is a permanent condition - not something that is treated then gone. Even when the symptoms are not apparent, the condition still exists.
As people get older, the lungs become less and less capable, resulting in more pronounced effects from asthma. For this reason, adult onset asthma must be managed properly because if the lungs deteriorate, they may never recover. The sooner it can be identified, the better.
Source: isnare.com
Asthma is a chronic lung disorder caused when the airways react to certain allergens or stimuli. If it isn't treated and managed effectively, it can ultimately become a life-threatening disease.
People can develop asthma during adulthood, even if they've never had any problems earlier in life - even during middle age or even older. This is known as Adult Onset Asthma.
Proper diagnosis is important because asthma symptoms are often similar to other illnesses that can develop in adults, including chest problems, cough and even heart disease.
The most common asthma symptoms in adults include the following:
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent cough
- Excess mucus production
- Pain or tightness in the chest
There are number of things that can trigger asthma in adulthood. One of the most common - and severe - triggers is smoking. Cigarette smoke can cause acute asthma episodes as well as increased sensitivity to other allergens.
Smoking will always make asthma more severe and can also lead to other problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Smoking doesn't only effect the smoker who is asthmatic, either. Second hand smoke will aggravate asthma for anyone exposed to it, and fetal exposure to maternal smoking can also lead to early onset asthma.
Some of the other common asthma triggers in adults include:
- Pollen, mold and other allergens
- Strong odors
- Infections
- Certain medications such as beta-blockers and anti-inflammatory drugs
- Dust
- Exercise
Asthma is a permanent condition - not something that is treated then gone. Even when the symptoms are not apparent, the condition still exists.
As people get older, the lungs become less and less capable, resulting in more pronounced effects from asthma. For this reason, adult onset asthma must be managed properly because if the lungs deteriorate, they may never recover. The sooner it can be identified, the better.
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