Asthma

Symptoms

Most people with asthma have attacks separated by symptom-free periods. Some people have long-term shortness of breath with episodes of increased shortness of breath. Either wheezing or a cough may be the main symptom. Asthma attacks can last for minutes to days and can become dangerous if the airflow is severely restricted.

Symptoms include:

• Cough with or without sputum (phlegm) production
• Pulling in of the skin between the ribs when breathing (intercostal retractions)
• Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise or activity
• Wheezing 

These symptoms may:

• Come in episodes with symptom-free periods in between
• Be worse at night or in the early morning
• Go away on its own
• Get better when using drugs that open the airways (bronchodilators)
• Get worse when breathing in cold air
• Get worse with exercise
• Get worse with heartburn (reflux)
• Usually, begin suddenly 

Emergency symptoms:

• Bluish color to the lips and face
• Decreased level of alertness, such as severe drowsiness or confusion, during an asthma attack
• Extreme difficulty breathing
• Rapid pulse
• Severe anxiety due to shortness of breath
• Sweating 

 
Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

• Abnormal breathing pattern (breathing out takes more than twice as long as breathing in)
• Breathing temporarily stops
• Chest pain
• Tightness in the chest

Causes

Causes

Asthma is caused by inflammation in the airways. This inflammation can be caused by airborne allergens included in the list below.

When an asthma attack occurs, the muscles surrounding the airways become tight and the lining of the air passages swells. This reduces the amount of air that can pass by. In certain people, asthma symptoms can be triggered by breathing in allergy-causing substances (called allergens or triggers).

Common asthma triggers include:

• Animals (pet hair or dander)
• Dust
• Changes in weather (most often cold weather)
• Chemicals in the air or in food
• Exercise
• Mold
• Pollen
• Respiratory infections, such as the common cold
• Strong emotions (stress) called Emotional Asthma
• Tobacco smoke
• Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can provoke asthma in some patients.
• Many people with asthma have a personal or family history of allergies, such as hay fever (allergic rhinitis) or eczema. Others have no history of allergies.

Read Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Treatment Options below to continue understanding the CAUSE of Asthma.

Traditional Medical Treatment Options and Diagnosis

Medical treatments are used by most people when suffering from asthma. As with all medication, certain side-effects are known and others are not known. It is important to consider the side-effects and to do some research into the medication being prescribed to determine if the side-effects are worse than the symptoms associated with your asthma.

There are two basic kinds of medication for treating asthma:

• Control drugs to prevent attacks
• Quick-relief drugs for use during attacks

  
Control drugs for asthma control your symptoms if you don't have mild asthma. You must take them every day for them to work. Take them even when you feel okay.

The most common control drugs are:

• Inhaled corticosteroids (such as Asmanex, Alvesco, Qvar AeroBid, Flovent, Pulmicort) prevent symptoms by helping to keep your airways from swelling up.
• Long-acting beta-agonist inhalers also help prevent asthma symptoms. 

Do not take long-acting beta-agonist inhaler drugs alone. These drugs are almost always used together with an inhaled steroid drug. It may be easier to use an inhaler that contains both drugs.

Other control drugs that may be used are:

• Leukotriene inhibitors (such as Singulair and Accolate)
• Omalizumab (Xolair)
• Cromolyn sodium (Intal) or nedocromil sodium (Tilade)
• Aminophylline or theophylline (rarely used anymore)

Quick-relief drugs work fast to control asthma symptoms, you take them when you are coughing, wheezing, having trouble breathing, or having an asthma attack. They are also called "rescue" drugs. They also can be used just before exercising to help prevent asthma symptoms that are caused by exercise.

Tell your doctor if you are using quick-relief medicines twice a week or more to control your asthma symptoms. Your asthma may not be under control, and your doctor may need to change your dose of daily control drugs.

Medicines Two Choices for You

Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Treatment Options

The goal of medical treatment is to avoid the substances that trigger your symptoms and control airway inflammation. This can and does make life nearly impossible and very limiting for the individual and perhaps their family members as well.  You and your doctor should work together as a team to develop and carry out a plan for eliminating asthma triggers and monitoring symptoms.  It also does not address the actual cause of asthma.

Dr. Huntoon has spent many hours understanding the mechanism that leads to an asthma attack.  By addressing the underlying Mechanisms of CAUSE(S) associated with YOUR Asthma, Dr. Huntoon has enabled hundreds of patients to never have this condition again.  Don't you want these RESULTS?

What Are Those Mechanisms?

The GI condition is commonly known as “leaky gut syndrome” has been gaining a lot of attention lately for several reasons:

1. A growing body of research has linked leaky gut to a number of “seemingly unrelated” health concerns and chronic diseases.
2. As more Americans are affected by poor diet choices, chronic stress, toxic overload and bacterial imbalance, in addition to the Digestive System Disruptors, it appears that the prevalence of leaky gut has reached epidemic proportions.
3. The medical profession is just now agreeing this condition even exists!  And your medical doctor may not be willing to acknowledge it.  This is the most important thing for you to realize.

This last point is especially shocking because “intestinal permeability” has been discussed in the medical literature for over 100 years!  And yet they do not acknowledge the existence of this condition since most of what causes it is due to prescription medication.

Leaky Gut Symptoms List

You would be surprised at how many health conditions result from having a leaky gut. The father of modern medicine Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the Gut” and research is now proven he was absolutely right.

Essentially, Leaky Gut Syndrome (“intestinal hyperpermeability”) is a condition that happens as a consequence of intestinal tight junction malfunction, secondarily to exposure to the Digestive System Disruptors, including antibiotics, over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, alcohol, stress, food additives, food preservatives and the ingestion of refined and processed sugar.  All of this will lead to problems in your microbiota which creates the basis for Leaky Gut Syndrome.

These “tight junctions” are the gateway between your intestines and what is allowed to pass into the bloodstream.  Your tight junctions keep things out like toxins, microbes, and undigested food particles.

But having leaky gut is essentially like having the gates broken from your intestines to your bloodstream so many of these particles that should never have been able to enter have now gotten through.  When this happens it causes inflammation throughout your body leading to a variety of diseases.

According to a study published in a Norwegian medical journal this process “is implicated in the onset of the disease include several acute and chronic pediatric conditions that are likely to have their origin during infancy” and has been linked to:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Autism
• Autoimmune disease
• Eczema and psoriasis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
• Type 1 diabetes

Associated with this condition is the counterpart to the Large Intestine, the Lungs, and Skin.  The relationship, as given to us by the Chinese 5 Elements of Health Theory, has proven to be true for over 7000 years.  When one has the digestive Yeast/Candida imbalance, with the consumption of dairy, each area, (the Large Intestine, the Lungs, and the Skin), will begin to have issues with excess mucus that affects the permeability within each of these “filters” of the body.  Excess mucus in the lungs is the associated cause when dealing with Asthma. 

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor, who has experience with eliminating the allergic response using specific techniques like NAET, NET, NMT or TBM has proven to be an effective elimination of the allergic response, essentially being a true cure.  Adjusting the areas of the spine with Chiropractic Manipulation that help to control the respiratory function to remove any interference within the Nervous System is also part of the solution.  You and your Holistic Chiropractor can determine the appropriate solution together. 

For information on treating asthma in children, see My Child's Health Asthma.

Having this condition is not fun at all. Being motivated to look for non-conventional forms of treatment is natural. Working with a Holistic Chiropractor will offer benefits, as using a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to address all the causes and imbalances within the person. This has demonstrated positive results when sticking to a specific treatment plan that results in a cure for asthma.

Others have benefited by using Acupuncture, Homeopathy or Naturopathy when following the treatment guidelines set up by your practitioner and you. Discussing what is involved and the time commitment necessary to have a full recovery is warranted.

What to discuss with your doctor

Complications

The complications of asthma can be severe, some include:

• Death
• Decreased ability to exercise and take part in other activities
• Lack of sleep due to nighttime symptoms
• Permanent changes in the function of the lungs
• Persistent cough
• Trouble breathing that requires breathing assistance (ventilator)

Calling your health care provider

Call for an appointment with your healthcare provider if asthma symptoms develop.

Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room if:

• An asthma attack requires more medication than recommended
• Symptoms get worse or do not improve with treatment
• You have shortness of breath while talking
• Your peak flow measurement is 50% - 80% of your personal best

Go to the emergency room if the following symptoms occur:

• Drowsiness or confusion
• Severe shortness of breath at rest
• A peak flow measurement is less than 50% of your personal best
• Severe chest pain
• Bluish color to the lips and face
• Extreme difficulty breathing
• Rapid pulse
• Severe anxiety due to shortness of breath

Signs and tests

Allergy testing may be helpful to identify allergens in people with persistent asthma.

Common allergens include:

• Cockroach allergens
• Dust mites
• Molds
• Pet dander
• Pollen
• Common respiratory irritants include:
• Fumes from burning wood or gas
• Pollution
• Tobacco smoke

The doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to the lungs. Asthma-related sounds may be heard. However, lung sounds are usually normal between asthma episodes.

Tests may include:

• Arterial blood gas
• Blood tests to measure eosinophil count (a type of white blood cell) and IgE (a type of immune system protein called an immunoglobulin)
• Chest x-ray
• Lung function tests
• Peak flow measurements

Quick-relief drugs include:

Short-acting bronchodilators (inhalers), such as Proventil, Ventolin, and Xopenex Your doctor might prescribe oral steroids (corticosteroids) when you have an asthma attack that is not going away. These are medicines that you take by mouth as pills, capsules, or liquid. Plan ahead. Make sure you do not run out of these medications.

A severe asthma attack requires a check-up by a doctor. You may also need a hospital stay, oxygen, breathing assistance, and medications given through a vein (IV).

Asthma Care at Home

Self-care skills that are important in taking care of your asthma are:

• Know the asthma symptoms to watch out for
• Know how to take your peak flow reading and what it means
• Keep the phone number of your child's doctor or nurse with you.
• Know which triggers make your asthma worse and what to do when this happens.

Children with asthma need a lot of support at school. They may need help from school staff to keep their asthma under control and to be able to do school activities.

Asthma action plans are written documents for anyone with asthma. An asthma action plan should include:

• A plan for taking asthma medications when your condition is stable
• A list of asthma triggers and how to avoid them
• How to recognize when your asthma is getting worse, and when to call your doctor or nurse
• A peak flow meter is a simple device to measure how quickly you can move air out of your lungs.
• It can help you see if an attack is coming, sometimes even before any symptoms appear. Peak flow measurements can help show when medication is needed, or other action needs to be taken.
• Peak flow values of 50% - 80% of a specific person's best results are a sign of a moderate asthma attack, while values below 50% are a sign of a severe attack.

Prevention and Quick Tips

Support Groups

You can often ease the stress caused by illness by joining a support group, where members share common experiences and problems. See: Asthma and allergy - support group

Expectations (prognosis)

There is no cure for asthma from a medical perspective, although symptoms sometimes improve over time. With proper self management and medical treatment, most people with asthma can lead normal lives. Being mindful of the side-effects associated with your medical treatment is important. Discussing alternative forms of care that have no side-effects is important to consider.

Dr. Huntoon has spent many hours understanding the mechanism that leads to an asthma attack.  By addressing the underlying CAUSE(S) associated with YOUR Asthma, Dr. Huntoon has enabled hundreds of patients to never have this condition again.  Don't you want these RESULTS?

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Homeopath or Naturopath, natural solutions to asthma can be instituted and the person can recover from asthma fully. This requires a commitment to the care necessary to restore normal function within the person’s respiratory system and within their body to allow for full recovery.

Prevention

You can reduce asthma symptoms by avoiding known triggers and substances that irritate the airways.

Cover bedding with "allergy-proof" casings to reduce exposure to dust mites.

Remove carpets from bedrooms and vacuum regularly.

Use only unscented detergents and cleaning materials in the home.

Keep humidity levels low and fix leaks to reduce the growth of organisms such as mold.

Keep the house clean and keep food in containers and out of bedrooms -- this helps reduce the possibility of cockroaches, which can trigger asthma attacks in some people.

If a person is allergic to an animal that cannot be removed from the home, the animal should be kept out of the bedroom. Place filtering material over the heating outlets to trap animal dander. 

Eliminate tobacco smoke from the home. This is the single most important thing a family can do to help a child with asthma. Smoking outside the house is not enough. Family members and visitors who smoke outside carry smoke residue inside on their clothes and hair -- this can trigger asthma symptoms.

Persons with asthma should also avoid air pollution, industrial dust, and other irritating fumes as much as possible.

Medicines Two Choices for You

Your Solution

Dr. Huntoon has experience with eliminating the allergic response using specific techniques like NAET, NET, NMT or TBM.  This has proven to be an effective elimination of the allergic response, thus being a true cure.  Adjusting the areas of the spine with Chiropractic Manipulation that help to control the respiratory function to remove any interference within the Nervous System is also part of the solution.  You and your Holistic Chiropractor can determine the appropriate solution together. 

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor who takes a well-rounded approach to discover and correcting all your known and unknown triggers, is warranted. By working with you to improve the functioning of your respiratory system and strengthening your immune system will greatly reduce the incidences of asthma and will eliminate asthma altogether.

Developing a healthy lifestyle with proper guidance from your Holistic Chiropractor is the best prevention when considering how to approach your health.