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In asthma, the main air passages of your lungs, the bronchial tubes, become inflamed and tighten due to exposure to certain allergens or irritants. As the tubes tighten, extra mucus is produced that aggravates the problem, making breathing difficult. Symptoms can be so severe that breathing is labored. This is when asthma becomes life-threatening.

Ironically, despite the presence of many good asthma specialists, educators, and even books about the subject, there are a lot of misconceptions and myths about the disease. This creates more confusion, needless suffering, and unnecessary deaths. To clear up this matter, here are some common asthma myths you might encounter and the facts behind them:
Asthma is all in the mind
Once it was thought that asthma was a psychological problem and that it would go away on its own. While it’s true that emotional stress may aggravate your asthma, this doesn’t mean you should dismiss your condition as simply psychological. Asthma is very real and can be serious enough to kill you. That’s why it’s important to bring your problem to a competent physician or health professional.

Asthmatics should maintain a strict non-allergenic diet
Since very few attacks are caused by food allergies, there’s no need to starve to death. Simply observe that foods affect you or trigger an attack and avoid them. Eat the rest.

Asthma medicines make the disease worse
Modern medications prescribed by your doctor are safe and designed to help you breathe easier so you can live a normal life. As your disease is controlled, you may even need less medicine in the future. Some medicines do have side effects but these are few and generally well tolerated compared to the dangers of an uncontrolled asthma attack. Without the right medicines, your asthma could get worse and you may find it even more difficult to breathe. While death from asthma is rare, it can happen. That’s why you should take your prescribed medicines regularly to avoid trouble.

Eating lizards will relieve asthma
Although lizards have ephedrine, a bronchodilator once used for asthma, you shouldn’t eat them! This drug has many serious side effects such as blood pressure elevation and nausea and is no longer recommended in view of other safer and more effective asthma medicines available today.

To lessen your chances of developing asthma, avoid known irritants and asthma triggers like cigarette smoke, strong odors, air pollutants, strong emotions, stress, physical exertion, cockroaches, and dust mites. One helpful strategy is to avid obesity and maintain a healthy weight. You can do this with the help of Phenocal, a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels for a leaner, healthier you. Check out http://www.phenocal.com for details.

About the author: Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Every day in America alone, 30,000 people have an asthma attack. Of that number, 5, 000 people visit the emergency room, a thousand are admitted to the hospital and 11 people die due to asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.

While asthma is incurable, there are many things you can do to control and avoid it. And when your doctor’s not around, these home remedies may help.

But if you have an attack, seek medical attention as soon as possible. The natural remedies listed below may relieve your condition temporarily but they are not meant to replace your doctor’s advice or your asthma medicines.

Stop smoking
Tobacco smoke is a major irritant responsible for 8,000 to 26,000 new asthma cases yearly. In the United States, more than 20,000 asthma cases among children are aggravated by secondhand smoke. Kids whose parents smoke are also more likely to develop asthma later.

Watch the weather
Stay indoors when it is cold, humid, windy or rainy. This can make your asthma worse.

Keep away from pets, especially cats and dogs.
It’s not only their hair which triggers asthma but also the dead dry skin that flakes off. If you must have a pet, don’t sleep with it or allow it in your bedroom. Wash your hands after holding it and bathe it every week to reduce the amount of allergens in your pet’s fur.

Stay away from people with cough, colds or the flu
These often trigger an asthma attack.

Avoid foods that provoke an attack
Food allergy is a rare cause of asthma. Still, some asthmatics can’t tolerate certain foods. Common offenders include nuts, shellfish, milk, eggs, and strawberries. If these foods make your asthma worse, avoid them.

Don’t take aspirin
This can trigger an attack, especially if you have nasal polyps. Check medicine labels for aspirin which is sometimes listed as ASA, ARC or PAC. Ask your doctor for safer alternatives like acetaminophen or paracetamol.

Avoid foods with artificial colors like tartrazine
This yellow dye is used to brighten the appearance of juices, cake mixes, candies, and some medicines and may aggravate your asthma.

Stay away from sulfites.
This chemical preservative is added to food and beverages and may trigger attacks in sensitive individuals. Common sources are wine, lemon juice, dried fruits and canned vegetables. Check labels to be sure.

To avoid asthma, it pays to lose weight since obesity can trigger the condition. To do this, take Phenocal, a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels for a leaner, healthier you. Visit http://www.phenocal.com for details.

About the author: Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Feeling depressed because you have asthma? Don’t be blue. Millions of Americans are like you. About 20 million people have asthma and nine million US children under 18 have been diagnosed with the condition.

The thought of having asthma can be frightening, especially since it causes labored breathing that can be life-threatening. But don’t panic! There are many things you can do to ease your symptoms and prevent further attacks. Here’s a short list of what to do:

Exercise regularly
While some exercises may provoke an attack, it pays to be in good shape, more so if you have asthma. You can do this with aerobic exercises like walking or swimming. But before beginning any exercise program, consult your physician. Start warming up with light exercise before proceeding to a more vigorous workout. And don’t forget to take your medicine prior to exercising.

Make your position clear
Certain positions done for only 30 minutes a day can rid your lungs of mucus. This technique is called postural or gravity drainage and can be easily learned from a nurse or physical therapist. Consult one today and choose from among nine different postures that can help you.

Learn to relax and control your emotions
Life is hard but it can be harder for the worried asthmatic. While strong emotions won’t cause asthma, they can make your condition worse. To remedy this, develop a positive attitude and stay cool, calm and collected with the help of yoga, meditation or other relaxation techniques. These commonly make use of breathing exercises that can make life easier for asthmatics.

Keep your weight down
Some asthma medications can result in weight gain, making it difficult for you to breath. That’s a good reason to lose weight. To help you do this, take Phenocal, a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels for a leaner, healthier you. Check out http://www.phenocal.com for details.

About the author: Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com