What Is An (Asthma Attack)?

Asthma Episode 

Asthma symptoms can vary from very mild to very severe. Some adults with asthma have only seasonal bouts of symptoms. Some have symptoms only after exercise or after exposure to something to which they are allergic, such as a dog or cat. Others have a chronic form of the disease and experience asthma symptoms almost daily.

In an "asthma episode," also known as an "asthma attack," the symptoms develop because the oversensitive airways of the lung react by becoming more inflamed and narrows, thus obstructing the normal flow of air through the air passages. The reduced size of the air passages occurs because:

• The muscles around the airways tighten
• The linings of the airways become swollen
• The normal secretion of the airways (called mucus) becomes "trapped," thus clogging the airways

As the airways become narrower and more obstructed, it takes extra effort to breathe and force air through them. The air may make a whistling or wheezing sound as it goes past the narrowed parts of the air passages. A person having an asthma attack may also cough a lot and spit up a lot of very sticky mucus.
So one or more of the following symptoms may occur once the airways have narrowed in response to a trigger:

• Coughing Coughing is often a sign of asthma, but is easily overlooked. As a general rule, healthy people don't cough unless they have something in their throats or have a cold.
• Wheezing Wheezing is a whistling noise heard during breathing, as if something is "caught" in one of the breathing passages.
• Tightness of the chest  Many adults with asthma describe a tightness of the chest, an uncomfortable feeling caused by over-inflation of the lungs due to difficulty in pushing air out through the narrowed airways.
• Shortness of breath  Shortness of breath is the feeling that a breath is barely finished before another is needed. It has been described as "air hunger" by some people.
• Mucus production. Many people with asthma produce excessive, thick mucus that obstructs the airways, which can lead to coughing.

For many people, asthma symptoms are worse at night and in the early morning or after exercise. Furthermore, an asthma episode often gives early warning signs, thus giving the person time to act.

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What is Asthma

Asthma is a disease affecting the airways that carry air to and from your lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic.

The inside walls of an asthmatic's airways are swollen or inflamed. This swelling or inflammation makes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases your susceptibility to an allergic reaction.

Asthma is a condition that affects the air passages of the lungs. It is a two-step problem:

1. When a person has asthma, the air passages are inflamed, which means that the airways are red and swollen.
2. Inflammation of the air passages makes them over extra-sensitive to a number of different things that can "trigger," or bring on, asthma symptoms.

During breathing, air is normally brought in through the nose where it is warmed, filtered, and humidified. It then passes through the throat and into the windpipe, called the trachea (TRAY-kee-a). The trachea divides into two large tubes called the right bronchus (BRONG-kus) and left bronchus. These then split up into much smaller tubes, which in turn branch into thousands of very small airways called bronchioles (BRONG-kee-olz). It is the large and small bronchi that are generally affected in asthma.





When a person is exposed to one of these irritants, or triggers, the oversensitive air passages react by becoming narrower, swollen, and even more inflamed. This obstructs airflow to and from the lungs and makes it very difficult for the person to breathe.

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Asthma Treatment and Prevention

Asthma is a condition that affects about 10% of the total population of children in the United States, but its onset can occur at any age under 40. It is a chronic illness that affects the airways that carry air in and out of the lungs. What happens during an episode is that the muscles of these airways tighten, allowing only a small amount of air into the lungs; and the cells in the lungs overproduce mucus which makes it that much harder to breathe. A common manifestation of an asthma attack can range from mild wheezing to severe breathing problems.

There are plenty of stimulants that can trigger asthma and attacks. Most of these are environmental, and can be found in the workplace, school or neighborhood. Constant exposure to irritants like dust and smoke can lead to a development of asthma among adults. It can also be caused by a disorder in the GIT system called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD, where the upper sphincter of the stomach doesn't close properly, allowing its contents to flow back into the esophagus.





The stomach contents causes heartburn and also irritates the lining of the esophagus and airways, which in turn causes the development of asthma. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy also have an increased risk of developing asthma. The most common trigger of asthma attacks are allergens, which is why asthma is almost always associated with allergies.


Asthma can be treated by a variety of medications, but the most common and most effective of which are corticosteroid anti-inflammatory inhalers. This drug relaxes the airways and reduces inflammation, making it easier to breathe. Bronchodilators are common treatments for asthma attacks as well. These dilate and open up the airways, preventing a full-blown attack from occurring.

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Losing Weight When Suffering From Asthma

Losing weight is one of the biggest steps that one will take in their entire life. It is not only a very difficult task but it is also something that requires a great deal exercise in order to get back into shape and shed the pounds. However, when you are suffering from asthma this can become very difficult because of the trouble with breathing when it actually comes to physical exercise.

The issue that can occur is during times when one is exercising and because of their respiratory condition they are not able to get enough oxygen in their system. As a result, they may be placing themselves at a great risk of experiencing an asthma attack. This type of attack occurs during times when the lungs do not get enough oxygen and then as a result the hemoglobin throughout the body can not get enough of the air that is necessary for normal functioning.

One of the ways that one can actually keep the asthma under control while still exercising and trying to lose weight is to utilize a nebulizer. A nebulizer is a health device that is used by those with respiratory conditions that require taking their medications in vapor form.

The primary reason why they would need to take it in vapor form is because it will be able to be absorbed by the body in a much more effective manner that way and it also has been shown to show less side effects that if the medicine was taken in the tradition manner. So essentially you would consult with your physician regarding the timing of taking your medicine via the nebulizer and time that accordingly with your exercise regiment in order to shed the pounds and become healthier.

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How To Treat Children With Asthma Naturall

In a nutshell, the best and the only way you should be treating childhood asthma is as naturally as possible. That includes addressing the 4 key factors for natural asthma management.

The 4 key factors are:

1. Diet
2. Exercise or Fitness
3. Environment
4. The most important Breathing

There is a lot of information I notice all over the internet information for asthmatics on diet, exercise, air filters, dust mites, mold, pollens and dehumidifiers. BUT rarely do I see sites talking about the most important thing, BREATHING.


With proper breathing, asthma is going to vastly improved over improper breathing.
Asthma is a difficult condition for even adults to properly manage, imagine as a child. The younger the person with asthma is, the more problems, stress and anxiety asthma can cause. A child lacks the communication and understanding skills of an adult. They cannot control their emotions and may not be aware of all of their triggers for asthma. Therefore, a child suffering from asthma will need a lot of support from parents, care givers and teachers when at school, to be able to cope and live happily despite the ever-present risk of asthma.

The biggest challenge or the MOST IMPORTANT thing that you need to do as a parent is instill confidence in your child over their asthma. For them to feel confident over their asthma, it is important that they completely understand it. They need to be educated. They must be aware of what will happen during an asthma attack, what causes them and what to do in the presence of one if you or nobody else is around.
 
Sometimes the information that you need is not found where you think it should be. Your local Doctor, may not be aware of the many effective natural treatments for asthma. They may not have heard of breathing training for asthma. They may refuse to believe that certain anti-inflammatory foods can help. They have many conditions that they have to treat and it's hard to be an expert on all of them. Not to mention that they are trained to prescribe pharmaceuticals. But that doesn't mean we should not explore natural solutions, especially for our children.

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