Asthma.Freedom

03/15/2022

Alternative allergy relief products

• Water – Believe it or not when your body is dehydrated, it produces histamines, which trigger those allergic reactions. So, when you start to feel the cough, the itchy nose, the itchy skin, drink and/or wash with water. My favorite trick is to have a small makeup bag at my desk. This way, if I have to go out for lunch, I can come back, wash my face and put my make-up back on. This really helps on high pollen days.

• Another trick – I dampen a paper towel, blow my nose, and then use that damp paper towel to wipe the inside of each nostril. This eliminates any pesky particles that may be in there.

• Humidifiers – Humidifiers are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they can increase asthma symptoms because they can increase the growth of bacteria, dust mites, and mold. On the other hand, if dry air in the winter triggers your asthma (like it does with me) then having a small tabletop humidifier will help.

• Sinus washes – Especially during allergy season, these are wonderful because they clean your sinuses without drying them out and without the need for nasal sprays or a

03/15/2022

Environmental triggers

Here are a few steps you can take both at home and at work to help relieve the severity of your allergies, and reduce asthma symptoms.

Dust – Dust gathers everywhere quickly. Here’s one quick tip to reduce your reaction to dust.
• I’ve been using surgical masks to clean well before Covid. I don’t sweep or dust (even using my Swiffer) unless I have a mask on. After I’m done, I wash my face to remove any “debris” that may cause a reaction. If my eyes feel itchy when I’m done, I also take a damp rag and place it over my eyes for a few minutes after I’ve washed my face. This does two things – A. I don’t have to take allergy meds unnecessarily and I avoid all of the discomfort of an allergy attack.

Dust Mites
• BIG ONE!!! DO NOT make up your bed first thing after getting up, doing so keeps the mattress warm and moist enough for dust mites to grow. Instead, leave the covers off for a good 15-30 minutes and then go back and make the bed. Also, consider a cover that inhibits dust mites, for both pillows and mattresses. There are many out there that you can easily remove and wash every month.
• If you have carpets or area rugs, use a dust mite control powder or spray, you can use the spray in your office too!

Pollen
• Air purifiers – No $40 air purifiers unless you’re buying a mini one for your desk at work. For this kind of asthma, you need to get one with a HEPA filter and Ionizer or UV-C light technology to really clean the air. I am not endorsing any of these products, but here are 3 that have gotten great reviews.

o Amazon.com: Fellowes AeraMax 300 Large Room Air Purifier Mold, Odors, Dust, Smoke, Allergens and Germs with True HEPA Filter and 4-Stage Purification, White ( : Home & Kitchen

o Amazon.com: Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier with UV Light Sanitizer, Eliminates Germs, Filters Allergies, Pollen, Smoke, Dust, Pet Dander, Mold, Odors, Quiet 28in 4-in-1 Air Purifier for Home AC5350W : Home & Kitchen

o Amazon.com: Honeywell, Black HFD-120-Q QuietClean Oscillating Air Purifierwith Permanent Washable Filters, Medium Room(170 sq. ft), 29" x 11" x 10" : Home & Kitchen

03/15/2022

Natural inflammation fighters

Here are a few natural remedies you can try at home to start treating lung inflammation.

Food
• Fish – the high omega-3 fatty acids in fish are anti-inflammatory. Eating fish twice a week will improve asthma symptoms in about 6 months. Low mercury fish like tuna, salmon, catfish, and po***ck are safe options.
• Berries – cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are all anti-inflammatory. Bonus, they are all also high in antioxidants and flavonoids which fight against bacteria, viruses, and toxins in the lungs.

Clearing Mucus
• Controlled Coughing
o sit down on a chair with the shoulders
relaxed, keeping both feet flat on the floor
o fold the arms over the stomach
o slowly inhale through the nose
o slowly exhale while leaning forward,
pushing the arms against the stomach
o cough 2 or 3 times while exhaling,
keeping the mouth slightly open
o slowly inhale through the nose
o rest and repeat as necessary

• Chest Percussion
o Using a cupped hand, rhythmically tap on
the chest wall or back to dislodge trapped
mucus. You can also do this while using
a vaporizer to help dislodge mucus more
easily

Supplements – the following supplements are anti-inflammatory

Bromelain – changes various immune responses and pathways, especially when the immune system is already stimulated. Take 500 – 1,000 mg daily

Devils Claw - The roots and tubers are used for pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects, and they are also used as a digestive aid.
Take 2.4mg of extract daily

Quercetin is recognized for having anti-inflammatory properties. It blocks pro-inflammatory chemicals, such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins.
Take up to 1 gram daily.

02/21/2022

Asthma and Stress

Stress and anxiety can not only make asthma symptoms worse, they can also trigger an attack. Stress is a common asthma trigger because it makes inflammation worse. Stress can also indirectly affect asthma through strong emotions like anger because the stronger the emotion, the more physical our response.

The main issue with stress is that when we’re stressed, our body is not relaxed which affects how we breathe and where we’re breathing from. Normal breathing should come from the stomach. When we’re stressed, we start breathing from the chest, which minimizes the amount of oxygen we’re taking in. To increase oxygen to the bloodstream, our heart will start to pump faster putting pressure on the body, and here we go.

That is why breathing techniques, meditation, or mindfulness are great ways to reduce the onset of an asthma attack while reducing stress. Here are a few you can try.

Yoga Breath – Get comfortable, notice your breath, and then take corrective measures to make sure that:
• your breath is coming from your belly
• Your breaths are deep and long
• They flow from inhale to exhale smoothly

Guided meditation – there are plenty of apps down there that offer guided meditations. However, here’s one I like. They have many free meditations you can listen to that go from 3 minutes to 30, so you can always find one that will work for you in the moment – Insight Timer

Box breathing – box breathing is really meant to reduce the symptoms of anxiety but it works equally well for stress and asthma symptoms
• Breathe out slowly, releasing all of the air from
your lungs
• Breathe in through your nose and count to 4
• Hold your breath for 4
• Release your breath for 4

Do this until you feel yourself relaxing. Note, if you can’t do this for a count of 4, try a count of 3 or even 2. The point is to control your breathing.

02/20/2022

Asthma and inflammation

While the root cause of asthma is our body’s hypersensitivity to normally harmless substances, like dust or dander, it is inflammation that causes the characteristic asthma symptoms we experience – breathlessness, wheezing, and chest tightness. When we inhale a “trigger” our airways narrow from the throat all the way down to our lungs. This narrowing is caused by inflammation.
So when we’re “treating” asthma, we’re not treating the root cause (unless we’re taking allergy shots), we’re treating the inflammation.

Keeping the inflammation under control is how we lessen the severity of our symptoms. Keeping the triggers at bay is how we reduce the number of attacks.

02/19/2022

Asthma and Pet Allergies

As I stated in a previous post, approximately 75% of asthmatics suffer from allergic asthma, and since I’ve already given you the list of possible triggers, I’m going to skip that and go directly to some steps you can take to reduce or even eliminate allergy sensitivities.

For seasonal and animal allergies there are 2 ways to eliminate them and still keep your pet.

• Standard allergy shots which start with a buildup phase that lasts 3-6 months. While this works for many, it doesn’t work for all. I tried this and couldn’t get past month 4 before I developed systemic inflammation that had me in so much pain, I was barely functional.

• Xolair is another allergy shot (now they have self-injectable syringes). However, instead of increasing your resistance to allergens, this one traps the inflammatory cell and prevents it from releasing the histamine and heparin that cause the allergic response. I used Xolair for a couple of years and it did wonders for my allergies.

Two other ways you can treat pet allergies and keep your pet

Use OTC allergy meds - either tablet or nasal spray, or
Use products like allerpet to wash your pets with. It's essentially a shampoo that removes dander, which will in turn reduce your allergies.

02/18/2022

Asthma – Other ways it affects the body

We all know how asthma symptoms manifest physically - wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and even coughing, but asthma can also affect the body in these ways:

• Anxiety or Depression caused by the stress of
and fear of having an asthma attack

• Dry Cough – completely different from cough-variant asthma, this cough does not produce mucus and can linger for years if not treated. This is actually a by-product of years of breathing fast during an asthma attack. Breathing fast, over a long period of time, causes a disfunction in the opening and closing of the airways which causes excess air, food particles, or liquid to go down the wrong part of the throat, producing the cough. Thankfully, this can be fixed with throat exercises aimed at strengthening the throat muscles.

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02/17/2022

Asthma types and what they mean - 2

Here is the 2nd half of yesterday's post.

Nocturnal Asthma – Yep, night-time asthma. Here are a few reasons why:
• Hormones – Specifically epinephrine. This
hormone helps widen and relax the airway and
declines while you’re sleeping which can result
in narrowing of the airways.
• Allergic triggers in your bedroom – especially
dust mites
• Temperature – if the air in your bedroom is too
hot, too cold, or too dry, this can trigger
symptoms
• Sleep position – Naturally sleeping on your
back has 2 cons – A. any post-nasal drip goes
down your throat and causes inflammation,
and B. Gravity adds pressure on your lungs
and chest increasing shortness of breath
• Insomnia – believe it or not, insomnia puts
stress on the body which releases cortisol and
high cortisol levels diminish your immune
system making you more sensitive to triggers
and infections/colds.

Exercise-Induced bronchoconstriction – Say this one fast 3 times!! About 90% of people with asthma have this type of asthma as well. No one knows why exercise triggers asthma but here are a few things that may trigger symptoms:
• Cold or Dry Air
• Air Pollution
• Chlorine/Cleaning Agents in pools, lockers,
gyms

Occupational Asthma – This type of asthma is directly related to workplace exposure to chemicals or agents that trigger symptoms, such as:
• Dusts – Organic (foods), Cotton/Textile,
Construction (Sanding)
• Gases – Exhaust, Factory
• Fumes – air sprays, disinfectants
• Vapors – paint, upholstery, mattresses,
packaging materials
• Chemicals & Cleaning Agents– rubber, dyes,
bleach, ammonia, detergents
• Scents/Fragrances – flowers, perfumes,
• Metals – soldering, welding
• Animals – vets, farmers, animal handlers

02/16/2022

Asthma types and what they mean - 1

In this post, I’m going to cover some of the common asthma types and their symptoms. FYI, you can have more than one type of asthma.

Allergic Asthma – Affects about 75% of the asthmatic population and affects those with seasonal allergies, as well as specific allergies like animals, food, chemicals, and environmental.

These include but are not limited to:
• Dust, Pollen, and Mold
• Dust Mites, Roaches, Mice, and Rats
• Strong smells like Perfumes, Cleaning
products, and Paint
• Animal Dander, urine, or saliva (Hypoallergenic
pets included! FYI, it’s sensitivity to the
proteins found in these that trigger asthma
symptoms)
• Smoke – usually cigarette or to***co but any
type of “smoke” can trigger symptoms
including car exhaust fumes and factory
smoke
• Seasonal/Environmental allergies – anything
from cut grass, weeds, trees, and insect stings

Non-Allergic Asthma - Anything that can affect you physically:

• Exercise
• Infections/Colds
• Stress
• Weather changes
• Extreme Temperatures

Cough-variant asthma – This one is weird. This type of asthma is linked to allergies and colds but is not a consequence of these. Let me try to explain, this type of asthma shows up as a dry cough when you’re in contact with an asthma trigger. That’s right, instead of wheezing, or chest tightness, you’ll cough. As you can imagine, this one is difficult to diagnose because anything can produce a cough. The only way to know if it’s asthma is to be aware of what triggers the cough and get tested for allergies.

02/15/2022

What is asthma? It’s actually more complicated than you might think

Asthma is an ancient Greek word meaning “short breath”. According to the Oxford English Dictionary – Asthma s a respiratory condition marked by spasms in the bronchi of the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing. It usually results from an allergic reaction or other forms of hypersensitivity.

What that definition doesn’t share is that asthma is one condition with many root causes, all of them genetic. Genetic, does not mean it runs in the family, although you are 3-6 times more likely to develop asthma if you have at least one biological parent with it. Genetic means that you have a high level of a particular gene that triggers your asthma, and those genes are as varied as we are. The following information is from an article by John Bottrell in July 2016. I’ve attached the link at the end if you’d like to read the full article.

Basically, there are hundreds of “asthma” genes out there and we can have a combination of these at play. These genes can impact Th2 (T-helper) cells (these are the cells that recognize pathogens – bacteria, viruses, or microorganisms) by telling them to initiate an immune response, which then releases small proteins to combat the specific pathogen.

Here is where it gets interesting. Let’s say you have high levels of the gene that sees dust mites as harmful, your cells will release the protein IL13 (Interleukin 13) which combats parasites. This protein will make the blood vessels in your airways release a fluid that will cause inflammation to trap the parasites. Great right, except now you’re wheezing.

This is why current asthma treatments don’t work for everyone. The treatment that will bring relief for an IL13 response will not work for another genetic response. Therefore, finding the right treatment for someone’s asthma is essentially a guessing game. I am not putting down doctors or their knowledge, I am simply saying that unless a doctor knows what kind of genetic asthma you have, they have no option but to try different treatments until they find the one that works for you. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a more proactive approach and start doing your own research to see if you find any clues that will help your doctor figure out what’s going on and get you on the right track.

Asthma Is A Single Disease With MANY Root Causes | Asthma.net