Asthma treatment

Recent studies have shown that babies born to mothers who were exposed to high levels of pollen in their last trimester of pregnancy have a much greater risk of developing asthma. One of the main keys with asthma prevention is avoidance.
When you have asthma the typical garden is not a very friendly place at all. There are mold spores to contend with and worst of all is the pollen. Typical gardens have pollen producing male trees and male shrubs and other plants that can provoke asthma attacks. Almost anyone with asthma will tell you that their asthma can be triggered by a good number of things, but pollen is often number one for causing an attack. Garden allergies are common, but they need not be. Allergies from gardening could be largely a thing of the past… if we’re willing to make some simple changes.
In fall of 1999 in Richmond, Virginia the American Lung Association of Virginia (ALAV) built a new Breathe EasyÔ office and headquarters. They had this entire large building constructed with the latest innovations in green construction and sustainable design. No construction materials were used that would off gas any harmful or toxic chemicals, no materials were used that would trigger asthma or allergies. Every attempt was made to build something that would be pleasant and healthy to work in. The people who work in this office now will tell you too, that they all notice what a great improvement it is. Their office is a healthy building.
The ALA decided it would make perfect sense to landscape their new healthy building (in some states these are now called Health Houses) with an allergy free landscape. OPALSÔ (the plant/allergy 1-10 numerical ranking system) was used to select only those plant materials that were either very low pollen, low allergy, or that were totally pollen free, allergy free. In effect they created the first true asthma friendly garden in the US.
Health Houses in other states are now also adding pollen free landscapes to their green construction, green buildings. A new Health House is about to be built in Pennsylvania, and the PA Association of Landscapers and Nurserymen are helping to surround it with an asthma friendly landscape.
Schools too are getting into the clean air act, and in the city of Visalia, California, the Tulare County Asthma Coalition recently directed the asthma friendly landscaping of a newly built elementary school.
Twelve keys to building your own asthma friendly garden:
1.Plant lots of female trees and female shrubs. Not only will these not shed any pollen, they will also trap a good deal of pollen that may stay in from somewhere else. Think of these female plants as nature’s air cleaners.
2.Use only low pollen or no pollen lawns. There are types of lawns now that are pretty well pollen free and these are a big improvement over some of the older lawn varieties. In southern states, if you have a common Bermuda grass lawn, consider replacing it with a newer, more asthma friendly hybrid Bermuda grass. ‘Princess 77’ is a new Bermuda grass hybrid that can be planted from seed. It is next to pollen free, grows very low and tight, and is especially good looking.
3.With OPALSÔ 1 is best, 10 is worst. Use only plants with rankings of 1-5. The more plants in your gardens that have rankings ranging from 1-3, the friendlier your place will be for anyone with allergies or asthma.
4.Remove any trees or shrubs with rankings over OPALSÔ #7. The woody landscape plants with rankings of 8-10 are all sure-fire allergy triggering plants and you can live without them.
5.Replace any removed high pollen, asthma triggering plants with their opposite, female trees or female shrubs. Also good as replacements are perfect flowered plants that are known to be very low pollen producers. These will all have good (low) OPALSÔ rankings.
6.Use only plants that are well adapted to your own area. If you can find natives that have low allergy rankings, consider using them. Look around your own neighborhood, and see for yourself, which kinds of plants seem to be flourishing there already. For almost every kind of plant used in landscaping, there is now a no or low pollen version of it, if you know what to look for.
7.Use a wide variety of plant materials; diversity is good. Biodiversity always makes sense. The more diverse our gardens are the fewer problems we’ll have with insects and molds.
8.Avoid plants with strong fragrances or odors, as they can cause asthma. Don’t plant jasmines or similar vines next to entrances or exits and certainly don’t use them underneath bedroom windows.
9.For mulch, use rock or gravel instead of bark to cut down on toxic mold spores in the garden. Flat stones or pavers also make good, mold free mulching materials.
10.To further eliminate mold spores, encourage wild birds in your garden. Virtually all wild birds eat insects, and insect damage triggers outbreaks of mold. Even the tiny hummingbirds actually eat a large number of insects. Put up a hummingbird feeder!
11.Keep your plants healthy. This too will cut down on both pollen and mold. When it is hot and windy, do some irrigating. Fertilize everything in the garden spring and fall. If plants are crowding each other too much, thin them out. If tree branches overhead are putting your whole yard in deep shade, consider having the tree thinned to let in more light. Fresh air and light are the enemies of molds.
12.If a tree, shrub, vine or any other plant always looks sickly, looks dirty, or always attracts bugs, then shovel prune it. Dig it up and get rid of it. Replace it with something easier to grow. Don’t get caught up in having to spray insecticides all the time, as they too can easily cause asthma and allergies.

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. Times, The NY – February 26, 1997 New Guidelines on Asthma Care Asthma
patients are being urged to take more control of their own treatment in
new guidelines by a panel of experts representing professional health
care organizations.The new guidelines are an update of ones first issued
in 1991 by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program,
sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National
Institutes of Health. The recommendations, issued Monday, call for
patients to work with their doctors to develop specific written… , of
584 words . San Antonio Express-News – February 10, 1997 Family history
of asthma increases risk to offspring Q: I suffer from asthma – pretty
seriously – and I’m about to give birth to my first child.What are the
chances that my child will have asthma, and, if so, how should I handle
it as he/she grows? A: About 8 percent of all children have asthma, most
by the age of five. Boys are more susceptible than girls, and black
children have twice the risk of white children.Since there’s a family
history of asthma, the odds increase.Asthma flare-ups in young
children… , of 464 words . *- October 23, 1996 3 ISLAND SCHOOLS TAKING
PART IN ASTHMA PROGRAM Three Staten Island schools will participate in a
special program aimed at controlling asthma, an airway-clogging medical
condition that is plaguing children nationwide.The schools — PS in
Arrochar, PS 4 in Arden Heights and PS 50 in Oakwood — are among 100
that will participate *Open Airways for Schools, a medical management
program developed by the Columbia University College of Physicians and
Surgeons that teaches children ages 8 through 11 how to detect… , of
447 words . Times Union, The Albany, NY – September 29, 1996 RECOGNIZING
ASTHMA, WHERE TO GET INFO There are three components of asthma: The
bronchial spasm, which occurs when the muscles that surround the airways
contract, causing symptoms that may include chest tightness, coughing,
wheezing and shortness of breath. Airway hyperactivity or
“twitchiness,” when the airway reacts to triggers like pollen, the
common cold, exercise, even strong emotions.Inflammation of the lining of
the airways.Doctors suggest that people who suspect they may have
asthma… , of 455 words .

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Fort Worth Star-Telegram – June 10, 1996 Study
links cockroaches to asthma in poor children WASHINGTON – Five years ago,
a team of researchers set out to determine why asthma is such a severe
urban health problem.They penetrated the worst neighborhoods in seven big
cities and spent $17 million vacuuming up dust, administering allergy
tests and poring over the medical records of poor children. In a few
months, their first formal reports will hit the medical journals. Perhaps
50 papers eventually will be published. But in the end, the piles of data
largely boil down to a single… , of 577 words . San Antonio
Express-News – June 9, 1996 Roach allergies blamed for asthma in poor
kids WASHINGTON – Five years ago, a team of researchers set out to
determine why asthma is such a severe urban health problem.They
penetrated the worst neighborhoods in seven big cities and spent $17
million vacuuming up dust, administering allergy tests and poring over
the medical records of poor children. In a few months, their first formal
reports will hit the medical journals. Perhaps 50 papers eventually will
be published. But in the end, the piles of data largely boil down to a
single… , of 7 words . The Record New Jersey – June 9, 1996 ROACHES
LIKELY CULPRITS IN URBAN ASTHMA CRISIS Five years ago, a team of
researchers set out to determine why asthma is such a severe urban health
problem. They penetrated the worst neighborhoods in seven big cities and
spent $17 million vacuuming up dust, administering allergy tests, and
poring over the medical records of poor children.In a few months, their
first formal reports will hit the medical journals. Perhaps 50 papers
eventually will be published. But in the end, the piles of data largely
boil down to a single nasty… , of 715 words . Deseret News, The Salt
Lake City, UT – May 4, 1996 DEATH RATE FOR ASTHMA IS SOARING The rate of
reported asthma deaths among young people more than doubled between 1980
and 1993, with blacks hit far harder than whites, the government said.
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asks John Agnesini, a sixth-grade student in Queens. Leaf mold, flower
pollen, your cat’s dandruff, a teaspoon of peanut butter, a drug
prescribed by your doctor – if you are allergic to a substance, your body
can treat it as a dangerous invader. The result may be as mild as a runny
nose and itchy eyes or as serious and scary as asthma.As an asthma attack
starts, you notice you are having a little trouble breathing. As it
worsens, you begin to… , of 5 words 97. *- June 20, 1989 ASTHMA KILLING
MORE, BUT WHY? AIR POLLUTION, STRESS AMONG CAUSES GIVEN More people are
dying of asthma.`There’s controversy over why that is,’ says Dr. Eben
Rubin, a lung disease specialist and co-director of the intensive-care
unit at University of Miami- Jackson Memorial Medical Center.Some expert
observers blame increased air pollution. Some wonder whether the
pressures of modern life are provoking more stress-related asthma
attacks. Psychiatrists say depression about having a chronic disease
makes some people –… , of 1 4 words 97. THE SEATTLE TIMES – July 15,
1988 ATTACKING ASTHMA SUFFERERS MAKE A RUN AT RAINIER TO RAISE FUNDS FOR
CAMPS FOR ILL CHILDREN Generations of kids with asthma grew up with the
limitations: Watching from the sidelines as classmates played, missing
school because of all-night wheezing, never spending a night away from
their parents except when they went to the hospital Much has changed
about asthma; much hasn’t. There still is no cure. More school and
workdays are lost to the ailment than to any other complaint. A small
portion of the population remains limited in activities. Incidence is on
the rise,… , of 1278 words : 171 – 180 of 295486 |8910111213 151617 18
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New Survey Shows Caregivers Are Not Doing Enough to Control Child’s
Asthma Before Cold and Flu Season, Many Don’t Understand What Defines
Asthma Control, Are Not Aware Cold and Flu Can Aggravate Asthma Symptoms
- PRNewswire — Because cold and flu season can be difficult for children
with asthma or other chronic breathing problems, caregivers need to take
precautions to ensure their child’s asthma is under control before the
season begins. A new survey of 503 caregivers who have children with
asthma or other breathing problems shows that few families are prepared
to face this seasonal threat.Most caregivers questioned in the survey,
which was commissioned by the Asthma and Allergy… , of 9 words .
Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News – October 17, 2006 County asthma rate
tops state’s Oct. 17 Rates of asthma are increasing among California
adults, and the percentage of San Luis Obispo County residents with the
condition is higher than the state average, according to a new report.
About 22,000 people in the county or 9 percent of the population have
asthma, according to data from the 2003 California Health Interview
Survey led by researchers at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
An additional 12 percent, or ,000 people, have asthma-like symptoms that
in some cases… , of 6 words . *- October 17, 2006 Trying to breathe
easy, Fall is a tough time for children with asthma, but it can be
managed Charles McKnight’s son, Tahir, now 13, has had severe asthma
since he was a baby. The first eight years of his life were rough,
McKnight said. For many years, it limited his activity. Tahir couldn’t
run more than 15 feet and was on corticosteroids, which gave him a big
appetite; combined with little physical activity, this caused him to gain
weight. He spent lots of time in the hospital, his father said, and
often… , of 78 words . Chicago Tribune IL – June 20, 2006 Popular drugs
for asthma shown to lift risk of death Popular and long-acting asthma
medicines such as Advair and Serevent pose a substantially increased risk
of hospitalization and death to users compared with placebos, according
to a new analysis of 19 studies on the subject.The analysis also found
that the increased risks of the long-acting bronchodilators affect a
broad range of users — more than doubling the rate at which asthma
patients had to be hospitalized. Most experts have believed that the
powerful bronchodilators are harmful… , of 655 words . Salt Lake
Tribune, The UT – April 17, 2006 Genomics offers hope for asthma
treatment Before she was diagnosed with asthma, Kristina Marsh suffered
from violent coughing spells that, three years ago, often landed her in
an emergency room.
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