(845) 561-2225 (BACK)

Google Plus Facebook Twitter Youtube

Advanced Alternative Medicine Center

Advanced Alternative Medicine Center

Click to add text...

Click to add text...

My Child's Health  >>   Asthma

Request an Action PlanTo Request an Action Plan to address Low Back Pain Click Here

Loading...

To attend a FREE Class on this topic, Click Here

In this video, Dr. Huntoon discusses asthma and what you need to know to support your child's health.

If your child has asthma, consider having a consultation with Dr. Huntoon so we can help your child get off the suppressive medications known to have side-effects.

By addressing the underlying cause(s) of the asthma will help restore normal lung and respiratory function and will create the basis for a permanent solution.

To Request an Action Plan to 
Address Asthma Click Here

Asthma in Children

Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It is one of the most common long-term diseases of children, but adults can have asthma, too. Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing at night or early in the morning. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, but you will have asthma attacks only when something bothers your lungs.

In most cases, there are several contributors that causes asthma, and we do know how to treat it medically and address the contributors holistically in order to cure it. We know that if someone in your family has asthma you are more likely to have it.  This is especially true if you have environmental contributors.

Symptoms

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE ASTHMA?

It can be hard to tell if someone has asthma, especially in children under age 5. Having a doctor check how well your lungs work and check for allergies can help you find out if you have asthma.

During a checkup, the doctor will ask if your child coughs a lot, especially at night, and whether their breathing problems are worse after physical activity or at certain times of year. The doctor will also ask about chest tightness, wheezing, and colds lasting more than 10 days. They will ask whether anyone in your family has or has had asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems, and they will ask questions about your home. The doctor will also ask if your child has missed school or work and about any trouble your child may have doing certain things.

The doctor will also do a breathing test, called a spirometry test, to find out how well your child's lungs are working. The doctor will use a computer with a mouthpiece to test how much air your child can breathe out after taking a very deep breath. The spirometer can measure airflow before and after your child uses asthma medicine.

WHAT IS AN ASTHMA ATTACK?

An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing. The attack happens in your body’s airways, which are the paths that carry air to your lungs. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the branches of a tree are smaller than the tree trunk.

During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes can clog up the airways even more.

You can control your asthma by knowing the warning signs of an asthma attack, staying away from things that cause an attack, and following your doctor’s advice.

When you control your asthma:

  •     you won’t have symptoms such as wheezing or coughing,
  •     you’ll sleep better,
  •     you won’t miss work or school,
  •     you can take part in all physical activities, and
  •     you won’t have to go to the hospital.

Causes

WHAT CAUSES AN ASTHMA ATTACK?

An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to “asthma triggers.” Your triggers can be very different from those of someone else with asthma. Know your triggers and learn how to avoid them. Watch out for an attack when you can’t avoid the triggers. Some of the most common triggers are:

TOBACCO SMOKE

Tobacco smoke is unhealthy for everyone, especially people with asthma. If your child has asthma and you smoke, you need to quit smoking.

“Secondhand smoke” is smoke created by a smoker and breathed in by a second person. Secondhand smoke can also trigger an asthma attack. If your child has asthma, people should never smoke near them, in your home, in your car, or wherever your child may spend a lot of time.

DUST MITES

Dust mites are tiny bugs that are in almost every home. If your child has asthma, dust mites can trigger an asthma attack. To prevent attacks, use mattress covers and pillowcase covers to make a barrier between dust mites and your child and self. DO NOT use down-filled pillows, quilts, or comforters. Remove stuffed animals and clutter from their bedroom. Wash your beddings on the hottest water setting.  Allowing your sheets to air-dry is more appropriate versus putting the sheets in the dryer.

OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION

Outdoor air pollution can trigger an asthma attack. This pollution can come from factories, automobiles, and other sources. Pay attention to air quality forecasts on radio, television, and the Internet and check your newspaper to plan your activities for when air pollution levels will be low.

COCKROACH ALLERGEN

Cockroaches and their droppings can trigger an asthma attack. Get rid of cockroaches in your home by removing as many water and food sources as you can. Cockroaches are often found where food is eaten and crumbs are left behind. At least every 2 to 3 days, vacuum or sweep areas that might attract cockroaches. Use roach traps or gels to cut down on the number of cockroaches in your home.

PETS

Furry pets can trigger an asthma attack. If you think a furry pet may be causing attacks, you may want to find the pet another home, OR fix the underlying cause for the asthma using a Holistic Chiropractor, which will allow you to keep your pet.  If you can’t or don’t want to find a new home for the pet, keep it out of the person with asthma’s bedroom. Bathe pets every week and keep them outside as much as you can. People with asthma are not allergic to their pet’s fur, so trimming the pet’s fur will not help your asthma. If you have a furry pet, vacuum often. If your floors have a hard surface, such as wood or tile, damp mop them every week.

MOLD

Breathing in mold can trigger an asthma attack. Get rid of mold in your home to help control your attacks. Humidity, the amount of moisture in the air, can make mold grow. An air conditioner or dehumidifier will help you keep the humidity level low. Get a small tool called a hygrometer to check humidity levels and keep them as low as you can—no higher than 50%. Humidity levels change over the course of a day, so check the humidity levels more than once a day. Fix water leaks, which let mold grow behind walls and under floors.

SMOKE FROM BURNING WOOD OR GRASS

Smoke from burning wood or other plants is made up of a mix of harmful gases and small particles. Breathing in too much of this smoke can cause an asthma attack. If you can, avoid burning wood in your home. If a wildfire is causing poor air quality in your area pay attention to air quality forecasts on radio, television, and the Internet and check your newspaper to plan your activities for when air pollution levels will be low.

OTHER TRIGGERS

Infections linked to influenza (flu), colds, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can trigger an asthma attack. Sinus infections, allergies, breathing in some chemicals, and acid reflux can also trigger attacks. Physical exercise; some medicines; bad weather, such as thunderstorms or high humidity; breathing in cold, dry air; and some foods, food additives, and fragrances can also trigger an asthma attack. Strong emotions can lead to very fast breathing, called hyperventilation, that can also cause an asthma attack.  This is called Emotional Asthma.

Traditional Medical Treatment Options and Diagnosis

Asthma is treated with two kinds of medicines:

  • quick-relief medicines to stop asthma symptoms and
  • long-term control medicines to prevent symptoms.

As with all medication, certain side-effects, both short and long-term need to be understood before beginning any medication. Discussing these with your doctor or pharmacist is important. Researching the potential for side-effects and complications is equally important before starting any medical treatment. Many times the medication becomes a life-time treatment. Strongly consider alternative care before starting this form of treatment.

Medicines Two Choices for You

Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Treatment Options

Dr. Huntoon has 30 years of experience working with children and treating the causes of asthma and eliminating it once and for all.  By using a multifaceted approach to address all the underlying components that cause asthma has proven to be a TRUE SOLUTION.

Conservative care with a Holistic Chiropractor is best before considering the medications often prescribed. This will allow you to create the best outcome and restore health before introducing harmful medications and their side-effects. Removing nerve interference between the spine and the lungs is always the best option to restoring normal function within a person.

Using Natural Allergy Elimination Techniques to restore normal neurological responses to the irritant causing the asthma is the BEST way to address asthma. This way you can avoid upsetting your life routine and will allow you to avoid the extreme "fixes" suggested in the above information.  

Contact our office at (845)561-2225 if this is something you would choose to pursue.  

What to Discuss with Your Doctor

HOW IS ASTHMA TREATED?

Medical Care

Control your child's asthma and avoid an attack by having them take their medicine exactly as their doctor tells them and by staying away from things that can trigger an attack.

Everyone with asthma does not take the same medicine. Some medicines can be breathed in, and some can be taken as a pill. Asthma medicines come in two types—quick-relief and long-term control.

Quick-relief medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack. If you need to use your quick-relief medicines more and more, visit your doctor to see if you need a different medicine.

Long-term control medicines help you have fewer and milder attacks, but they don’t help you while you are having an asthma attack.  It will NEVER address the underlying cause, as it is designed for symptom relief only.

Asthma medicines can have side effects, but most side effects are mild and soon go away. Ask your doctor about the side effects of your medicines.

Remember – you can control your child's Asthma. With your healthcare provider’s help, make your own Asthma action plan. Decide who should have a copy of your plan and where he or she should keep it. Take your long-term control medicine even when you don’t have symptoms.

Asthma is a chronic disease that causes the airways - the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs - to become sore and swollen. In the United States, about 20 million people have asthma. Nearly 9 million of them are children. Children have smaller airways than adults, which makes Asthma especially serious for them. Children with Asthma may experience wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and trouble breathing, especially early in the morning or at night.

Many things can cause Asthma, including:

  • Trauma from the birthing process (natural or C-section), minor falls or injuries to the back (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • Misaligned vertebrae in the spine that protect the nerves to the lungs (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • Allergens - mold, pollen, animals (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • Irritants - cigarette smoke, air pollution (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • Weather - cold air, changes in weather (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • Exercise (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • Infections - flu, common cold (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)
  • When asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it is called an asthma attack.  (Consult your Holistic Chiropractor)

What to Discuss with Your Doctor

Lorem Ipsum

Your Solution

Alternative Treatment and Hope

Dr. Huntoon has tons of experience in addressing the underlying CAUSE of asthma, whether in your child or in yourself.  By focusing on the 7 Pillars of Health and addressing each of those involved in your child's Asthma, this continues to prove to be a TRUE SOLUTION for this challenging condition.  And when followed all the way through, there are no more attacks and no more medications needed.  Wouldn't that be nice?

Treatment of Asthma with Chiropractic Care is warranted when dealing with pinched nerves in the spine that causes the airway restriction and inflammation. These pinched nerves are the result of poor posture, heavy book bags, and other common stresses to a child’s back.

It can also be due to trauma from falls, slips, motor vehicle accidents, or rough-housing with siblings or friends.  

Allergies and chemical exposures that create nerve interference should be considered and addressed.  

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor will offer true solutions for the underlying cause, as using a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to address all the imbalances within the child with asthma. This has demonstrated positive results when sticking to a well thought-out treatment plan. Discussing what is involved and the time commitment necessary to having a full recovery is warranted.

Acupuncture, Homeopathy or Naturopathy have also had great results as conservative treatment for children with asthma.

Asthma & Children Fact Sheet

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways with reversible episodes of obstruction, caused by an increased reaction of the airways to various stimuli. Asthma breathing problems usually happen in "episodes" or attacks but the inflammation underlying asthma is continuous.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic disorders in childhood, currently affecting an estimated 7.1 million children under 18 years; of which 4.1 million suffered from an asthma attack or episode in 2009.

An asthma episode is a series of events that results in narrowed airways. These include: swelling of the lining, tightening of the muscle, and increased secretion of mucus in the airway. The narrowed airway is responsible for the difficulty in breathing with the familiar "wheeze".

Asthma is characterized by excessive sensitivity of the lungs to various stimuli. Triggers range from viral infections to allergies, to irritating gases and particles in the air.

Each child reacts differently to the factors that may trigger asthma, including:

  • respiratory infections, colds
  • Misaligned vertebrae in the spine that protect the nerves to the lungs
  • allergic reactions to allergens such as pollen, mold, animal dander, feathers, dust, food, and cockroaches
  • exposure to cold air or sudden temperature change
  • cigarette smoke,
  • excitement/stress,
  • exercise



Secondhand smoke can cause serious harm to children. An estimated 400,000 to one million asthmatic children have their condition worsened by exposure to secondhand smoke.

Complications

Asthma can be a life-threatening disease if not properly managed. In 2007, 3,447 deaths were attributed to asthma. However, deaths due to asthma are rare among children. The number of deaths increases with age. In 2007, 152 children under 15 died from asthma compared to 659 adults over 85.

Asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15. Approximately 32.7 percent of all asthma hospital discharges in 2006 were in those under 15, however only 20.1% of the U.S. population was less than 15 years old.

In 2005, there were approximately 679,000 emergency room visits were due to asthma in those under 15.

Current asthma prevalence in children under 18 ranges from 4.6% in Idaho to 13.9% in the District of Columbia.

Since 1999, mortality and hospitalizations due to asthma have decreased and asthma prevalence had stabilized, although it now appears to be increasing.

Spinal manipulation of the middle spine by a trained chiropractor restores normal communication and control of the respiratory system.  This is the first and best care for someone being told the have asthma.

Asthma medications help reduce underlying inflammation in the airways and relieve or prevent airway narrowing. Control of inflammation should lead to reduction in airway sensitivity and help prevent airway obstruction.  Neither of these forms of treatment are designed to eliminate the true cause.  Consider that when making the choice to use medications for asthma.

Two classes of medications have been used to treat asthma -- anti-inflammatory agents and bronchodilators. Anti-inflammatory drugs interrupt the development of bronchial inflammation and can have a preventive action. They may also modify or terminate ongoing inflammatory reactions in the airways. These agents include inhaled corticosteroids, cromolyn sodium, and other anti-inflammatory compounds.

A new class of anti-inflammatory medications known as leukotriene modifiers, which work in a different way by blocking the activity of chemicals called leukotrienes that are involved in airway inflammation have recently come on the market. As with all medication, especially with children, it is wise to understand the possibility of side-effects and potential for new health concerns.

Bronchodilators act principally to dilate the airways by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle. They include beta-adrenergic agonists, methylxanthines, and anticholinergics. The annual direct health care cost of asthma is approximately $50.1 billion; indirect costs (e.g. lost productivity) add another $5.9 billion, for a total of $56.0 billion dollars.

Asthma is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism; in 2008, asthma accounted for an estimated 14.4 million lost school days in children with an asthma attack in the previous year.

For more information on asthma, please review the Asthma Morbidity and Mortality Trend Report in the Data and Statistics section of the website at www.lung.org or call the American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872).

When Your Health Matters

This Week’s Radio Show

Click the link for a description of this week's show and a link to the podcast from: 

Savannah, GA 

Free Health Care Class Schedule

This Week’s Free Class

Classes start at 6: 30 pm

Classes are open to the public

You Must Call 845-561-2225

for reservations

 

 

This Month's Special Offer

Advanced Alternative Medicine Center Pooler GA

Advanced Alternative Medicine Center

Serving All Your Heath Care Needs ... Naturally!

Dr. Richard A. Huntoon

Pooler Chiropractor

Newburgh Chiropractor

Top 10 chiropractic clinics in Newburgh, NY
A winner of the 2015 Patients' Choice Awards in Chiropractic - Newburgh, NY
Verified by Opencare.com

Contact Us

Phone: (845)561-BACK (2225)

 

Pooler, GA - Primary Office

Newburgh, NY - Secondary Office

Google Plus Facebook Twitter Youtube