Archive for the 'Articles' Category
Monday, April 7th, 2008
Getting Your Asthma Information and Case History
In order for your doctor to be able to diagnose if your asthma is mild or severe, he or she will need information on your asthma history and where you might have possibly developed it from. Acquiring information and developing your asthma case history can be done by asking yourself a series of questions that will help you better understand your condition and clearly communicate your concerns with your physician.
Here are some of the questions you can ask: Read the rest of this entry »
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Pollen and Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis
The nasal symptoms typical of seasonal allergic rhinitis are caused by lightweight pollen from plants that depend on the wind for pollination. Pollen from plants that depend on insects for pollination, such as goldenrod and dandelions, are too heavy to become airborne and, therefore, cause nasal symptoms only when you directly smell the plants.
This distinction is important, as many people think that goldenrod, the gold-colored weed they see along the roadside in late summer and fall, is the trigger for their hay fever. However, this is not the case. Rather, the slender, candelabra-shaped ragweed plant, which is often found in the same area, is the major cause of allergic nasal, chest and eye symptoms.
The weather conditions and time of day can affect the severity of symptoms. Ragweed is an example of a plant that releases its pollen in the early morning hours. The pollen is then carried by the wind. It thus makes sense to keep the bedroom windows closed when going to bed at night and, if necessary, to use air conditioning, instead. Read the rest of this entry »
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Understanding Exercise Induced Asthma
Exercise induced asthma follows a pattern in which asthma symptoms occur during exercise that is strenuous, continuous, and sufficient to increase the heart rate to 80 per cent of the predicted heart rate for the patient’s age group. In a person who has exercise induced asthma, symptoms usually develop after six to twelve minutes of exercise.
Symptoms are typically at their worst five to ten minutes after exercise has stopped. Asthma is more likely to occur with long distance running, as opposed to football, baseball, or tennis, where there are short bursts of physical activity interspersed with frequent stops.
The mechanism thought to explain exercise induced asthma is that strenuous exercise necessitates breathing heavily through the mouth. This bypasses the nose, which normally serves to warm and humidify air that travels to the airways. Read the rest of this entry »
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Getting Sinus Relief
A lot of people know sinuses as those just affecting the nasal cavity. However, further reading will tell us that a sinus actually refer to a host of bones in the body. It’s just that paranasal sinuses are the most common that’s why we identified sinus and sinusitis with nasal discomforts. But now that that’s out of the way, let’s open the door to the discussion on the discomforts brought about by sinus infections and the ways these problems may encounter relief.
In order to find effective sinus relief, we have to identify what its symptoms are. These include nasal congestion, usually accompanied by a runny nose or a cough, some pain in the upper jaw, headache, swelling and pressure (normally described as a throbbing in the middle portion of the face) and, in certain cases, fatigue, weakness and even fever.
Pain in the sinuses is primarily caused by a blockage in the nasal cavity, mostly due to an inflammation. When our nasal passageways are hindered from working their usual functions, pressure builds up and pain ensues. Read the rest of this entry »