Little Insects, Big Allergic Reactions
June 16, 2011 — Insect stings are little more than painful nuisances for most people. But for others, the venom from insects can cause severe allergic reactions and even death. That’s according to a joint task force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which has updated practice guidelines for diagnosing and treating stinging insect allergies.
Serious allergic reactions to insect stings cause at least 40 deaths each year in the U.S. Experts estimate that life-threatening reactions to insect stings occur in 3% of adults and up to 0.8% of children.
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Tags: allergic, asthma
Research has shown that swimming aids asthma symptoms in children. The activity has been proven to be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for children and adolescents, according to a study in Respirology published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Researchers divided children between the ages of seven to twelve into two groups. One group underwent a six-week swimming program in addition to their regular asthma treatments. All of the children in the experimental program showed significant improvement in all clinical variables including symptoms, hospitalizations, emergency room visits and school absenteeism.
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Tags: ashtma children, asthma, asthma symptoms
Control your asthma with these yoga poses: cobra, halfmoon, and the wide-angle-seated forward bend. Also, see the acclaimed Yoga For Life DVD with Kurt
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Tags: asthma, Yoga
Breathing Exercises for Asthma Patients
In the normal breathing pattern the diaphragm moves downward when the person inhales and moves upward when the person exhales. An asthma patient breathes in an unnatural way by using only the upper portion of the chest. This is very unnatural for the system as the full chest is not used in this way.
Over the period of time the patient develops weakness of chest muscles as the muscles are not being used properly. At the time of an attack the chest muscles work extra hard as they work against constricted air passages. It is advisable for the asthma patients to do breathing exercises as they can really help build up the chest muscles involved in respiration and can contribute towards saving a person’s life at the time of an attack.
The aim of breathing exercises is to relax the chest muscles that are overworked. And to teach a person to get out of the habit of using the chest muscles for breathing and start using the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm. For learning the proper use of diaphragm and lower chest the asthma patient has to start concentrating on breathing out rather than breathing in.
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Tags: asthma, breathing exercises, Yoga
Yoga For Asthma Cure
Yoga has helped in curing and preventing many diseases. The poses and asanas stimulate the required organs and help you with your ailments. Asthma is a very common problem. It is basically shortness of breath due to the chronic lung condition.
Even kids are not spared by this disease. You suffer wheezing, coughing, heaviness in the chest causing blockage in your lungs. During Asthma attack lack of oxygen can lead to death too. By doing the required asanas you can fight back.
Yoga betters your Asthma condition due to the free flow of air. By continuously practicing Yoga you can leave your medications at bay. Asthma attacks would lessen with the increase of Yoga practice. The breathing exercises are very useful to open up your lungs for fresh air.
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Tags: asthma, Yoga
Yoga Helps Asthma Patients In 10 Weeks
Adults with asthma reported increased quality of life and reduced asthma symptoms after 10 weeks of yoga practice, according to research presented today at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Yoga. The study followed 20 subjects age 20-65 who were beginners at yoga.
Subjects received one-hour yoga classes twice per week and were asked to practice an additional half-hour weekly at home, for a total of 2.5 hours per week. After initial warm-ups, deep breathing and stretching, the participants practiced yoga positions, or asanas. The goal was to hold poses during deep breathing. According to lead researcher Amy Bidwell, M.S., this replicates the stress of an oncoming asthma attack. Most previous research measured the acute effects of yoga on asthma -for example, after a single, two-hour session. This study, said Bidwell, looked at the effect of a 10-week training program.
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It’s difficult to prevent your child’s asthma symptoms entirely, but you can help control them so they don’t interfere with your youngster’s daily life.
The American Lung Association offers this advice about controlling asthma:
- Avoid any triggers, which commonly include allergens, cigarette smoke and strenuous exercise.
- Talk to your child’s pediatrician about asthma-controlling medications.
- Consider allergy shots. Although research is still being done on their effectiveness against asthma, they are proven in preventing allergic reactions that can be associated with asthma symptoms.
- Both you and your child should be well-educated about ways to manage asthma, including the use of an asthma inhaler and how to evaluate breathing with a peak flow monitor. Continue reading “Health Tip: Managing Your Child’s Asthma”
Tags: asthma, cigarette smoke, smoke
