Allergies are one of the most universal medical problems affecting Americans today. An allergic reaction is an immune system response to a stimulus from our environment. The body incorrectly looks upon the stimulus as harmful, and attempts to attack it, causing the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The most common symptoms are a running or itching nose, coughing, wheezing and irritated eyes.
One very prevalent type of allergy is asthma. It is a chronic allergy that directly affects the lungs and air passageways in the body. The air passageways are easily irritated by allergens and a thick lining of mucus builds up. Allergens and other stimuli can trigger an asthma attack, including temperature variations, humidity changes, smoke and pollen. Normally, an asthma attack consists of a number of respiratory symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Another symptom of asthma is shortness of breath.
Symptoms of an attack are caused by the airways reacting to the allergen or trigger. When exposed to a trigger, the air passages become irritated and contract, resulting in the respiratory symptoms. These symptoms can range from moderate to life threatening, depending on the severity of the allergy. Any asthma symptom can be terrible, and should be taken seriously.
Asthma is generally diagnosed in childhood, as symptoms tend to manifest by the age of 5. Presently, it affects around ten to twelve percent of all children, and has been steadily growing. There is no definitive known reason for the growth, but risk factors include exposure to cigarette smoke, other allergies and a history of other respiratory infections. In addition, the odds of being diagnosed are augmented in males and African Americans.
At present, there are several different types of asthma medications and treatments that can effectively diminish symptoms. Two major types of asthma medication are fast-acting medicine to treat symptoms during an asthma attack, and preventing medicine, which is taken on a regular basis to reduce the chance of having an attack. Short-acting Beta-2 Antagonists (SABAs) are bronchodilators, which is a type of fast acting medicine that assists in opening air passages and alleviating the symptoms of an asthma attack, and are generally administered through asthma inhalators. This type of medicine does not treat the inflammation that causes an attack, but is good when taken during an asthma attack, and will last for 3 - 6 hours after it is administered.
Controlling asthma medicine is taken on a regular basis and treats the underlying causes of the asthma attacks. The most familiar types of this medicine are asthma inhalers containing a steroid that reduces inflammation in the airways and lungs and Long-Acting Beta-2 Antagonists (LABAs). The results of long-acting asthma inhalers generally last for twelve hours, and can help reduce the number of attacks that occur during sleep. A lot of medications have very harmful side effects for some people.
Several types of asthma treatment alternative therapies are presently getting more popular. A few alternative approaches concentrate solely on preventative care, such as not smoking during pregnancy or around babies, incorporating a selenium-rich diet or eliminating sources of allergens in the home. Some other modalities include loosing weight, increasing Omega-3 consumption, decreasing Omega-6 consumption, acupuncture, relaxation techniques and hypnotherapy. It is vital to note that any type of alternative therapy is intended to be used in conjunction with medical advice, because fast-acting medications are often required for a severe asthma attack.
One modality that is turning more popular is self-hypnosis or hypnotherapy. Hypnosis treatment of asthma has the goal of triggering the relaxation response, which can serve to prevent or reduce your symptoms when having an attack. Some other alternative types of asthma treatment also employ relaxation as a means to eliminate symptoms, such as with meditation programs.
Using hypnosis, one can treat the emotional aspects of an asthma attack, which have the power to make an attack much more serious. It is only human nature to get anxious or feel vulnerable when we sense our air supply being cut off. This instinctual reaction actually can and will intensify the severity of an asthma attack. Similar feelings of fearfulness and trepidation about having an asthma attack can actually bring on an attack. These emotional causes and responses are handled with the asthma treatment method of hypnosis.
Hypnosis has been established to be a highly useful asthma treatment. With a trained hypnotherapist, or using one of the several recorded programs on hand, an individual can quickly glide into a relaxed hypnotic state, and begin to take control over breathing and bodily functions. One of the best techniques is to learn how to utilize hypnosis to actually abort a looming asthma attack. The self-hypnosis method of asthma treatment is very successful, and can work well for those who can't take or don't want to take prescription medication on a regular basis. Which asthma treatment you choose depends both on the seriousness of your symptoms and what type of treatment that works well for your symptoms.
