One must be curious to know that is there a method to cure asthma? The answer is “yes” asthma is diagnosed clinically, this means that the clinician knows that one is suffering from asthma by coming across the symptoms (history) and by having a deep chest examination. If the diagnosis is uncertain, a peak flow meter is required for further examination.

Another query that arises is that “can asthma be treated”? In most of the case the symptoms can be prevented through treatment. Thus one can get on soon with a normal living.

Inhalers are used for treating most of the asthma sufferers. An inhalers is designed to deliver medications directly into the airways, thus the side-effects of the medications are kept to the minimum possible level. Today many types of inhalers are available in the market.

Reliever is taken to ease symptoms. An immediate effect of the medicine is seen. It relaxes the muscles of the airway and thereby allowing air to reach the lungs easily. A common medicine used in the reliever is ventolin (salbutamol).

If the reliever is not able to control the symptoms, long term bronchodilator is used. It works up to 12 hours after each dose. The most common medicine used in long-term bronchodilator is known as salmeterol.

Tablets are rarely used for controlling asthmatic attacks. . The most common tablet used for the treatment of asthma is steroid tablet. Some people hesitate to use steroids because of their known side effects. But, if steroids are used for short term periods and used properly, they hardly lead to side effects. On long term basis steroids lead to diseases like diabetes, heart problems etc.

Most people recognize pollen as that fine-grained, greenish yellow powder that dusts windowsills and cars parked under trees in the spring. But there are many types of pollens, seen and unseen. Pollens are tiny male cells of flowering plants that fertilize female plant cells so seeds can form. These plant pollens are most likely to cause allergies. They rely on the wind for fertilization and are generally very fine, dry, and light, so they get into the air easily.

Pollen can travel hundreds of miles, so you do not have to live near its source to have symptoms. When eight-year-old Billy started sneezing and wheezing, his parents didn’t suspect a pollen allergy, for example, because they lived on the fifteenth floor of an apartment building, high above the trees and twelve blocks from the nearest park, in the middle of the city. Yet pollen turned out to be the villain that triggered Billy’s reaction.

Pollen season depends on where you live. The two main seasons, spring and fall, vary according to local climate, trees, grasses, and shrubs. Pollen appears during the growing seasons of trees and grasses. In the South, grass pollen season lasts longer than grass season in the North. Tree pollen develops just as leaves start to sprout. In the North, early spring marks the beginning of pollen season, while it may start earlier or extend later in the South. The amount of pollen produced also depends on local vegetation. For example, ragweed grows most prolifically in the Midwest and Northeast, so these regions have the highest ragweed pollen levels.

Pollen counts can also change over time in various areas of the country. In fact, the deserts of the Southwest used to be fairly pollen-free, but they now have a rampant pollen problem because many people moved there from other, greener parts of the country and planted trees, grasses, and shrubs that are thriving in the warm climate and giving off tons of pollen.

Pollen counts are generally classified as low, moderate, high, and very high. If the counts are low, only individuals who are extremely sensitive to these pollens and molds will experience symptoms. If the counts are moderate, many people will have symptoms. If the counts are high, most individuals will show symptoms, and if the counts are very high, almost everyone with any sensitivity at all to these pollens and molds will experience symptoms.

The following table shows pollen count classifications. Keep in mind, however, that pollen counts reported by TV; radio, Web sites, and newspapers usually lag a day or two behind the current day’s count.

The allergy season depends largely on weather conditions as well as location, but pollen problems in general start in February or March and run through October. The only real break from pollen comes in cold winter weather. As a general rule, allergies will be better-less bother-some-on rainy or windless days and worse when the weather is hot, dry, or windy.

It is difficult to avoid airborne pollens, but some simple tricks do help. To bring fresh air into a room in the spring and fall, use an air conditioner instead of a window fan because the air conditioner will filter out most pollen particles. Children should wash their hands and faces when they come in from outside and bathe before bedtime to remove pollen from their skin. And one other tip: laundry should not be dried outdoors where it can accumulate pollen.

The most effective and inexpensive way to treat allergies is to avoid all allergens whenever possible, but it’s easier to avoid some than others. You can reduce your child’s exposure to certain allergens-like keeping him away from smoke or pets if those trigger his allergies. But your child cannot and should not stay indoors all the time, so outdoor pollens cannot be avoided entirely.

The alternative to avoiding allergens is to use various medicines to control allergy symptoms. The best medicines are those used directly on the site of symptoms: nasal sprays for hay fever and ointments and creams for the skin for atopic dermatitis.

Nasal Sprays

For children with allergic rhinitis, doctors generally prefer to prescribe nasal corticosteroid sprays to help relieve symptoms. These medicines are the most effective because they block the cells that cause symptoms instead of treating each symptom individually. These drugs, including beclomethasone (Beconase), budesonide (Rhinocort), mometasone (Nasonex), triamcilone (Nasalcort), and fluticasone (Flonase), are very effective and very safe. These medicines have been approved for various ages (some for children as young as three) and are usually used once a day. The most common side effect is a nosebleed, which can be controlled when nasal sprays are used correctly. The corticosteroid nasal spray should be sprayed into the nose with the tip of the spray pointed up and outward toward the eye or about 45 degrees away from the center of the nose.

Cromolyn nose spray (Nasalcrom) is an alternative to corticosteroid sprays. Cromolyn is very safe but less effective than nasal corti costeroids. Cromolyn is available in nonprescription form, but talk to your child’s doctor before using it to be sure this is the best treatment for your child.

Medicines For Skin

The most effective treatment for atopic dermatitis is good skin care. Most children do better with a daily bath, frequent use of moisturizers, and use of mild, nondrying soaps. To control skin inflammation, redness, and itching, prescription medicines may be used. There are two types of topical medicines. (“Topical” just means it is applied directly to the skin.) They are corticosteroids and macrolides, a nonsteroid medicine. Topical corticosteroids range in strength from mild to very potent. Low potency topical steroids like hydrocortisone do not have the side effects seen in high potency topical steroids. The more potent ones can cause thinned skin, stretch marks, and other problems if used too many days in the same area of the body. To prevent side effects, your doctor may limit the length of treatment time and locations where these ointments should be applied.

The macro lides are fairly new topical medicines and have been approved for use since February 2000. Tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel) are two examples of this new class of medicine that inhibits the activity of cells that play a role in eczema. Studies have shown that this new class of drugs will improve or completely clear eczema in 60 to 80 percent of treated patients. The major side effect seen in these medicines is some itching or burning in the first week of use.

Allergy symptoms vary, depending on what parts of the body are affected. Many children have allergies in three areas the skin, lungs, and nose. When this occurs, it is called the atopic triad. But allergies in children tend to move from one area of the body to another. About 10 to 15 percent of all youngsters develop allergies in their skin (atopic dermatitis, also called eczema) during infancy and early childhood. Atopic dermatitis is a very itchy red rash that comes and goes. Many children outgrow this allergy by age five to eight, only later to develop hay fever or other allergies in their noses. About half of all children with atopic dermatitis also develop asthma.

Allergic rhinitis can affect as many as 40 percent of all children at some point in their lives. Although the name hay fever suggests that it occurs only during the “allergy season” of spring and fall, many children have symptoms year round. That’s because allergic rhinitis is caused not only by plant pollen but also by many other allergens that are ever present in the air, such as mold spores, animal dander, and dust.

Allergic rhinitis is a major reason for missed school days. Symptoms alone can be severe enough to keep a child home, but children with allergic rhinitis are also more likely to develop other problems, including ear infections (otitis media), inflamed sinuses around the nose (sinusitis), red, watery, itchy eyes (allergic conjunctivitis), as well as asthma.

Allergic rhinitis and asthma go hand in hand because both are inflammatory diseases with the same underlying cause. Because the linings of the upper airways the nose, sinuses, mouth, and throat are connected to the linings of the airways in the lungs, they are affected by the same things and respond in similar ways.

Almost 80 percent of children with asthma also have allergic rhinitis, and close to 40 percent of those with allergic rhinitis also have asthma. So it’s clear that treating allergic rhinitis to reduce the swelling in the nose and upper airways can help reduce swelling in the lower airways. By using proper medicine to treat allergic rhinitis and by avoiding allergens whenever possible, children can have fewer asthma symptoms and flares.

The link between allergies and asthma is very strong. Most children with asthma-probably as many as 80 percent have allergies, and 40 percent of children with allergies in the nose (hay fever or allergic rhinitis, for example) also have asthma symptoms.

The key point is this: if you can control children’s allergies, their asthma symptoms will be less intense and less frequent. To understand and manage asthma successfully, it’s important to know something about allergies.

How Do Allergies Occur

Allergies are a common problem that affects at least two of every ten Americans. Simply put, people with allergies react to certain substances called allergens-dust, pollen, animal dander, mold, or smoke, for example-that don’t cause reactions in other people. An allergic person’s immune system responds to allergens like a false alarm. When an allergen triggers the immune system setting off the alarm the body reacts by sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and/or itching, depending on what particular part of the body has the reaction. Other allergens in foods cause a skin or intestinal reaction.

A quick biology lesson: our bodies make immunoglobulins to help fight various infections. There are five different types of immunoglobulin: IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, and IgD. IgG, IgA, and IgM are some of the body’s most important weapons against bacterial infections. The allergic antibody called IgE (immunoglobulin E) is part of the body’s natural response for fighting other types of infections, particularly parasites like worms. In some one with allergies, the body recognizes certain allergens as foreign invaders and makes more IgE. Everyone makes some 1gE, but allergic children make more IgE in reaction to pollen and dust than a nonallergic child does.

An allergic reaction starts when an allergen attaches to the allergen-specific-IgE antibody and activates certain cells, including “mast cells” found in skin and tissues that line the nose, throat, and lungs. An IgE antibody that attaches to a mast cell acts like a fuse on a bomb. When IgE antibody’s specific allergen comes along, it’s like touching a match to the fuse the antibody makes the mast cell burst open and release a number of substances, including one called histamine that causes redness, swelling, and itching.

Location is everything. The site where histamine is released determines the type of reaction. When histamine is released in the tissues lining the nose, the results are redness, itching, swelling, sneezing, and a runny nose what allergists call allergic rhinitis, but most people simply call it hay fever. When histamine is released in the skin, the results are itching, rashes, and hives causing atopic dermatitis, or eczema. When histamine is released in the stomach, it causes cramping and diarrhea. When histamine is released in the lungs, it causes airways to tighten, swell up, and produce extra mucus-the recipe for asthma.

To develop an allergy, a child needs to be exposed to the allergen several times. The first few exposures cause the immune system to make more 1gE. Subsequent exposures will cause the body to respond to the IgE and allergen by releasing histamine, and then symptoms will appear.

This is why many children do not have allergy symptoms in the first few years of life but develop them during their school-age years or later.

Decongestants are sometimes used in addition to nasal sprays and antihistamines to reduce the congestion that some people have with allergic rhinitis. Nonprescription decongestants in pill or syrup form are sold separately and are also found in many nonprescription allergy formulas along with an antihistamine. These medicines usually contain a drug called pseudoephedrine that can make your child irritable or hyperactive. Talk to your doctor before using any of these products. Oral nonprescription ,spray decongestants, such as phenylephrine (NeoSynephrine), are safe for occasional use but shouldn’t be used for more than a day or two. If they are used longer, your child’s body could react with rebound congestion, which is stuffiness and/or a runny nose that are made even worse by overuse of the decongestant.

Protein shakes are the most important supplements for body building or to tone up te muscles. For betterment of your health and body you should fkirst know how optimal is your body composition? These will let you take and yourself can be a guide for the leveled body composition that you can be proud of. So protein shakes will be the best supportive building blocks of good body.

Many people are suffering due to more acidic nature and need alkaline foods to neutralize and maintain a healthy diet. This alkalinity is not that easily available in the daily in take of food and the acidity keeps increasing. For this the natural drink is the green drink that is always said to be good and maintain a good bowel movement and a clean stomach with the nutritional benefits.

Protein as well known is found in common everywhere and in most of the food we usually take. That to it is found in very rich fat foods like beef, chicken, cheese and fish, but these put in unnecessary extra fats and sugars. For a nice health you can minimize the intake of such extra added protein food. As an alternative can go for whey protein which is medically approved and is more preferred.

Being a pure vegetarian product the whey proteins can be easily taken without any hesitation. Whey protein increases the blood level of glutathione, which is a essential for good immune system. Glutathione is also an antioxidant. Whey proteins are a good body supplements for toning of muscle mass.

Anti aging research provides us a lot of information about the process of anti ageing and its benefits. It also deals with the medications and the various drugs involved in the process. The main goal of this research is to develop an effective anti aging system which would be cheap and easily available to everyone. Many anti aging pills, sprays, creams and therapies are gifted by anti aging research. Anti aging is a slow process in which a process ageing is reversed. It has been found that some foods and drinks exists naturally which can extend life.

According to research reports, by lowering down the caloric intake but with sufficient nutrition one can extend his life. Herbs like nopal cactus, gymnema sylvestre, reishi mushroom, konjac mannan, wild American ginseng and blueberry leaf can increase life and these are highly effective. Besides reducing caloric intake, one can also increase his longevity by fasting. It gives the body the time to repair the damaged parts and hence longevity gets increased. The human growth hormone can also help to extend the life up to a certain time limit. Recent research aims to reveal anti-aging and mental health improvement technologies that could prolong your life span by as much as 25 years.

Does your child need to see an asthma specialist? This depends on severity. If your child’s asthma is at Step 3 or higher and requires daily preventative medicine, or if your child is under five years old, it is probably a good idea to work with a specialist, especially when designing the original treatment plan. It may be useful for children whose asthma is at Step 2 to see an asthma specialist as well; for instance, if their symptoms are not responding to the treatment plan or for advice about whether treatment should be changed. Pediatricians who specialize in asthma are usually pediatric pulmonologists (lung specialists) or pediatric allergists (allergy specialists). They have had advanced training and are highly experienced in treating asthma. Studies have shown that children who see asthma specialists are less likely to end up in the emergency room and hospital with severe flares. Asthma specialists are very familiar with the best practice guidelines for treating asthma and with the latest research.

If your pediatrician suspects your child has asthma, you may be referred to a specialist right away, especially if the asthma is severe, if the doctor can’t do spirometry in the office, or if the child is under age three. There are several other good reasons to see a specialist as part of diagnosing asthma:

• The child has had a life-threatening asthma flare.
• The child has other health problems, such as rhinitis or sinusitis, that make the asthma worse.
• The child needs to be tested or treated for allergies.
• The child has breathing problems but doesn’t have typical asthma symptoms.
• The child is taking asthma medicines but isn’t getting better.
• There is concern that the symptoms may be caused by an illness other than asthma.

Once asthma has been diagnosed and its severity determined, developing a treatment approach is the next step. You the parent, the specialist, and the pediatrician will need to decide how to manage the treatment. For mild cases (Step 1 and Step 2) in older children, a pediatrician may be the best and most convenient doctor to follow your child. But asthma unfortunately doesn’t always stay at the milder steps. If the treatment doesn’t seem to be helping, if your child is still having flares, or if she needs to take a lot of oral steroids or use high doses of inhaled steroids to treat symptoms, it’s definitely time to see the specialist again. With the right treatment, even severe, persistent asthma can be controlled. Insist on nothing less for your child.

A doctor needs to know exactly what your child is allergic to in order to treat allergies effectively. The best way to detect particular allergies is by taking a type of skin test called a prick or scratch test. Skin testing is the quickest and easiest way to test a child’s reaction to a large number of allergens all at once. By using this technique a doctor will be able to give you an answer usually within fifteen minutes.

To do a skin test, a doctor or nurse will place small drop of each different allergen on the arm or back. The drop is then scratched with a special fork or needle. Sometimes the drop and scratch are done at the same time. If a child is allergic to a certain substance, the skin of that scratch will react by swelling and turning red, usually within fifteen minutes or so. The reaction dies down again quickly, usually within another thirty minutes.

Skin testing may sound painful, but it hardly hurts at all. The special forks or needles that the doctor uses are very fine and barely penetrate the top layer of skin. The swelling from any reactions goes away quickly, although the area may feel itchy for a few hours. You can prepare your child for skin testing by explaining the procedure in advance and assuring him that the scratches will be shallow, the needles will be very thin, and it won’t hurt. In fact, it’s nothing like getting a shot.

Skin testing can be done safely on children of any age, even infants. If your child has been taking any antihistamines (medications to treat allergy symptoms), it’s important for him to stop taking them before the test or the results won’t be accurate. If your child takes antihistamines or any other medicines, discuss them with the doctor well in advance of the testing. Your child may have to stop taking the medication temporarily.

Dangerous reactions to skin testing are very rare, but they are possible, so the test must be done by a specialist in a medical office where the equipment and staff are available to treat a bad reaction. If the itching from the skin tests doesn’t go away after a few hours, or if a child is short of breath or wheezes after the test, he could be having a bad reaction to the skin testing. Call the doctor at once or go to the nearest emergency room.

Skin testing is a highly reliable way to identify allergies, but it’s not always completely accurate. Sometimes a child can have a strong allergic reaction to something but have a negative skin test for the same substance. Because there are many possible reasons for this, your allergist will probably want to do other tests.

If results of the scratch test are unclear, in some cases the allergist will inject a tiny amount of an allergen directly under the skin, usually on the upper arm, to see if there is a reaction. This sort of skin testing is a bit more uncomfortable, but the needle is hardly noticeable and the reaction, if there is one, is very mild.

Another type of allergy testing is called radioallergosorbent blood test, or RAST for short. This test uses a blood sample to check for different IgE antibodies. It’s more expensive than skin testing, and the results can take as long as two weeks to become available. RAST testing is generally used only when skin testing can’t be done for instance, if the child has extensive eczema, has to take a medicine every day, or has asthma that isn’t under control.

With all these tests, a false negative result may occur, which means allergic symptoms are evident, but the test is negative. The test results, therefore, have to be interpreted along with the history and physical exam that your physician had done previously.