Why Do You Have Asthma?

Asthma is an inflammatory condition where your bronchiales constrict causing breathing difficulties. Your bronchioles become inflamed for a variety of physical, emotional and environmental reasons. It is not contagious so, you cannot catch it from another person.

But what is the real cause asthma? Why do some people develop asthma and why is asthma more common in the western world?

Inheriting Asthma

However, you can inherit the asthma tendency from your parents, although people with asthma should not worry about their future children on this score.

Studies show that children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to develop asthma as children of non-smoking parents. Also, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy tend to be born with smaller airways, which greatly increases their chances of developing the disease.

The "westernised" environment and lifestyle in developed countries has a lot to do with the chances of whether a person will develop asthma or not.

Many people believe air pollution has something to do with asthma, although the evidence, at this stage, is surprisingly very weak.

Allergies

Causes of asthma include allergies to house dust mites, cats, dogs, and moulds.

Childhood infections and exposure to substances from bacteria in a dirty environment seem to protect against allergies, and this seems to be the main reason why richer populations have more allergic disease.

So the causes of asthma are complicated. They include genetics, exposure to chemical irritants and pollution, a low immune system, emotional or mental problems, allergies to certain foods.

Almost all asthma in young people is cause by allergies. This means that if you have asthma you probably have inherited genes which make it possible for you to get asthma. Add to this, allergy-producing things in your environment, such as house dust mites, cats, or dog and your asthma get worse.. The allergies and the genes are the causes for developing asthma, because if either of them were not present you would not developed asthma.

But, what about colds, exercise, laughter, or tobacco smoke, which are asthma triggers?

You can't cure your asthma by not doing exercise, or by not laughing. Quite simply, these are not causes of asthma, though they can be causes of an attack.

The type of interior house paint can apparently make asthma worse. Glossy oil paints used for home decorating can bring on asthma attacks. The good news is that emulsion paints don't seem to do this.

Polyurethane paints, usually recognisable because they come in two packs which need to be mixed together before use, can cause occupational asthma in people who use them regularly. However, they probably cause no great risk in people with asthma who use them infrequently. As always, when using chemicals and paints, it is surely a good idea to ventilate the area well during and after use.

Emotional issues

Now, deep seated emotionally issue can be the cause of asthma. When emotion is embedded into the body, it has to express itself in a way that its electrical charge can be released. This release happens over and over as outside situations trigger the memory.

The way an embedded emotion issue choses to express itself is by the path of least resistance. If your heart is weak, the emotional issue will pound your heart. If your joints are weak, it will pound your joints. If your bronchia or lungs are weak, it will pound them and eventually weaken those more, leading you to asthma or other respiratory diseases.

Early on everyone should be aware of their family illness history. This is something that is seldom considered. If it were, you could take preventative measures if you knew you were prone to asthma. Choosing the right foods and keeping specific body organs or systems strong, with the right nutrients early on, would definitely prevent you from having to suffer with asthma as you became older.

The Emotional Cause of Asthma

Asthma is also influenced by certain emotions such as laughing, crying, anger, panic, etc. But many in the medical community believe there is no proof people with asthma are any more psychologically disturbed than their non-asthmatic peers. However, it is not possible to have an illness without it having an emotional or trauma component associated with it. Our brain and body is not a split organism where our brain and body work independently of each other.
Having asthma is most likely related to birth traumas where the newborn is being suffocated by the birth process or has a difficulty coming out thus weakening the lungs and the bronchioles. Or, possibly where the parents were over protective or dominating, or demanding to the point of, in a sense, suffocating the child.
And, there are many other asthmatic scenarios that could weaken a persons lungs and bronchioles during childhood. You might know what yours is.
In his book, How to Get Well, 1974, Paavo Airola, Ph.D., says,
Extensive studies show that there are two basic causes of asthma: one, the typical allergic reaction to one or more allergens; two, psychic factors. Doctors agree that many young asthmatics (according to studies, about 25%) have in common a ˜deep-seated emotional insecurity and an intense need for parental love and protection When emotional causes are suspected, these must be dealt with before biological and nutritional treatments can be effective.
Emotions and feelings, such as apprehension, concern, anxiety, and panic can cause muscular tension and contraction around the bronchioles. Over a long time, these tensions can cause muscle spasms and weakening of the bronchioles, which can then lead to asthma as an adult.
In his book, Cleanse & Purify Thyself, 1998, Richard Anderson, N.D., N.M.D., says,
Our own research indicates that Love is the great key. When we understand that Love is the natural state of our beings and when Love is not flowing through our beings every moment, than some other emotion or concept is interfering. These interferences are usually emotions of great intensity or some quirk in our point of view, such as the habit of judging conditions, things, or people in negative ways, and most of the time they are unconscious. One of the activities we all need to initiate is to remove these conscious and unconscious negative emotions so that Love may flow through us. Here in lies one of the most important point in this book.

For many healers of the past it was clear that childhood trauma and the lack of love provided an atmosphere where illness could develop. Asthma sufferers need to look for and heal that emotional component that prevents them from healing so that they can start the asthma healing.

The Asthma Friendly Garden

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 greater chance of developing allergies and asthma. The Department of Pediatrics, at Huddinge University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden found a direct link between heavy pollen exposure to pregnant mothers and babies born with atopic conditions. In further studies it was also found that babies exposed to heavy pollen concentrations had a greatly increased incidence of asthma and allergies as they matured.
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 and landscapes 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 very common, but they need not be. Allergies from gardening could largely be a thing of the past…but only if we are 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. I have given lectures at this office and the people who work there now will tell you that they all notice what a great improvement it is. Their previous headquarters had sick building syndrome issues and was surrounded by a typical high pollen landscape. But all that is changed now. Their office is a healthy building.
The ALA decided it made perfect sense to landscape their new healthy building (in many 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 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 is helping to landscape it with asthma friendly plant materials.
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. There are also a good number of other pollen free Bermuda grass hybrids that can only be planted as sod. ‘609’ buffalo grass is a new, all-female, pollen free native grass (now available as sod or plugs) that is low growing, attractive, and drought tolerant. In addition, most types of tall fescue sod will remain pollen free if mowed on a regular basis.
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. This plant-allergy scale is now used by many organizations for pollen reduction. OPALSÔ has been used since 1999 by the USDA urban foresters in urban pollen projection models.
4. Remove any trees or shrubs with rankings over OPALSÔ #7. The woody landscape plants with rankings of 8-10 are all sure-fire asthma-allergy triggering plants and you can live (better!) without them.
5. Replace any removed high pollen, asthma triggering plants with their opposite, female trees or female shrubs. Almost all ash, red maple, silver maple, box elder, yew, holly, mulberry, cedar, or juniper that produce seed, fruit or berries is a female plant. Also good as replacements are perfect flowered plants that are known to be very low pollen producers. Examples of low pollen, perfect flowered plants are plum, apricot, peach, camellia, hawthorn, and pomegranate trees. 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 pollen-free 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 trigger asthma. Don’t plant jasmines or similar strong-smelling 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 cement pavers also make excellent, 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! Suet feeders in particular attract insect eating wild birds.
11. Keep your plants healthy. This too will cut down on both pollen and mold. When it is hot and windy, give your gardens a good deep soaking. Fertilize everything in your gardens both spring and fall. In the springtime nitrogen fertilizers are most needed. In late fall applications of fertilizer with ample amounts of potassium will aid in winter hardiness. If plants are crowding each other too much, thin them out. If tree branches overhead are putting your entire yard in deep shade, consider having the trees thinned hard 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. All too often asthma is initially triggered by exposure to a chemical insecticide or fungicide. If you must spray, try using a simple, safe mix of 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of dish soap, and two tablespoons of baking soda to a gallon of water. This spray will kill insects and it is an effective fungicide.

Make your garden a fun, stress free zone. Be sure to have a few comfortable garden chairs to sit in, and a little table of some sort is always good too. Wind chimes, bird feeders, and birdbaths are all stress-busters and can add greatly to your enjoyment. A beautiful, pollen free, allergy free, asthma friendly garden can be just the place for healthy children, and a great place for anyone to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. For more advice on low allergen gardening, look up allergy free gardening on the Internet, or go to your local library and read some books on this new important subject.

Lemons for Asthma Attacks and Other Illnesses

Lemons, they are one of the best fruits to use if you are sick or have asthma. Learn why and how you need to use them if you have asthma

Most people shy away from lemons because they are sour. Or, they make lemon juice and then kill their beneficial effects by adding sugar. Well, here is what your are missing if you don't drink fresh natural lemon aid every morning.

For asthma, lemon juice is great because it,

It is antiseptic - kills germs that hide in your mucus
It destroys bad bacteria that lives in your mouth, stomach, and intestines
It helps to dissolve mucus so when you have a cold or cough you recover quicker. The combination of 8 oz of water and lemon greatly cuts into your thick mucus that builds up in your bronchial tubes.
Helps to cleanse your blood and clean blood makes your lung tisse healthier

Lemons are high in vitamin C and potassium. They also contain plenty of fiber and phytochemcials, which contain antioxidants many of which have not been studied.

Use only lemons that are yellow and don't have any signs of green. You can store lemons in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and they will last for up to 5-6 days. To use these lemons bring them out and let them come to room temperature.

If you have a lot of lemons, you can squeeze the juice and freeze them in ice trays for later use.

If you have acid reflux or ulcers use lemons with caution and use your common sense to decide how much juice to drink. With acid reflux or ulcers use DGL or Mastic gum to clear the H..pyloric bacteria.

Lemons also tend to thin the blood so if you are on drugs that thin the blood, avoid using a lot of lemon juice.

When you have asthma, you can use 3-4 lemons daily. You can use up to ten lemons per day without much problem when you are trying to resolve a health issue. What you can do for asthma is make a thermos drink where you squeeze 4-5 lemons into 32 oz or less of distilled water and drink this juice all day long. Just remember to rinse out your mouth with fresh water after you drink the lemon juice.

Importance of Proper Breathing for Marathon Runners

Every athlete knows the importance of proper breathing techniques, none more so than marathon runners. But what many marathon runners may not know is why breathing is so important. Many marathon runners experience difficulty within the first mile or two. They become choked up with phlegm and mucus build-up. While their airways may eventually clear to help them find their groove, their overall finish time may be compromised by their initial setback. Running not only puts enormous stress on the muscles of the body, but the lungs as well. Breathing allows air in to the body to fuel the muscles and get them moving. The more air in the body, the better able the muscles are able to continue moving. So the more air a runner is able to breathe, the better the overall performance of the marathon runner will be. Good breathing also helps athletes avoid injury and muscle cramps, like the oft-experienced side stitch. In addition to learned breathing techniques, herbal supplements can be of use to help runners reach the finish line. Unlike prescription medications that can come with severe side effects, herbal supplements are gentle on the body. Many marathon runners have found that AirAide, an herbalsupplement helps their performance throughout the race when taken half an hour before starting time. AirAide safely helps oxygen intake, helping runners breathe better and get more oxygen flowing. And, unlike prescription and many over the counter medications, AirAide complies with the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of Prohibited Substances. In addition to breathing techniques, marathon runners, both professional and amateur, may want to try herbal supplements to help improve their breathing and their time.

How to Use natural Remedies for Asthma or Allergies

A lot people have asthma. My daughter, 41 years, included. She has suffered from attacks for many years. Recently I encounter three natural remedies that I asked my daughter to try. I have not yet received a report on these, so I would like to pass them on to you. Here is the first one.

Boswellia

Boswellia, an herb, is known for its anti-inflammatory abilities and its usefulness in reduces the effects of bronchitis, asthma, cough, laryngitis, and fever. It comes from the resin of a tree in India and made into a pill or cream. It is best known for use in arthritis.

Recommended dose is: 150mg three times a day.

Yamoa

Yamoa is an herbal powder treatment for Asthma, which is derived from the bark of an African gum tree. It is available in capsule and has been typically used to help asthma. It has a good history of helping asthma sufferers.

Minor Blue Dragon formula

The Minor Blue Dragon is a Chinese herbal formula. Another name for it is xiao-qing-long-tang, or XQLT.It's a blend of eight herbal medicines used to treat asthma for centuries in Asia

The XQLT formula has been used effectively for bronchial asthma for centuries and it is said to have an even more powerful bronchodilator effect than prescription drugs. This formulation contains ephedra, which has been banned in the US in diet formulas. However, ephedra in this formula is considered safe, since the formula only contains around 15% of this herb. The other ingredients in XQLT are paeonia alba, cinnamon, pinellia, ginger, schisandar, asarum, and glycyrrhiza.

Nutritional Supplements That Help Reduce Asthma

Antioxidants

In addition to the above herbs it is also important to take a good supply of antioxidants - especially vitamins A, C, and E, carotenoids, and selenium. Taking antioxidants helps to reduce the irritating effects of airborne free radicals, which can activate an asthma attack.

Magnesium

Magnesium has been shown to reduce the risk of developing asthma and might also be helpful in reducing asthma. Magnesium is also good for asthmatics because it helps to dilate the bronchioles. Also, make sure that plenty of water is drunk daily, which thins mucus. The recommended dosage of magnesium is 200-600 mg/day.

MSM

MSM has also proven useful for asthma aside from being beneficial for arthritis, allergies, fatigue, back pain, sinusitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, autoimmune diseases, and many other conditions. Start with 2000mg of MSM per day but be sure to take 50 to 150 micrograms of molybdenum daily since MSM needs molybdenum to activate it properly.

I was able to find a product that already has the proper molybdenum in the MSM, which makes it convenient to take just one pill. Go to google and put in the words "MSM molybdenum" and you will find some web sites that sell this MSM combination.

How to Live With Your Asthma

If you have asthma, managing it is an important part of your life. Controlling your asthma symptoms means staying away from things that bother your airways and taking medicines as directed by your doctor. If you have asthma, it is important to learn how to take care of yourself and learn what natural remedies can help you and what diet will reduce your asthma symptoms.

It is important that you work with your doctor to make an action plan that you are both happy with. As part of this, you will need to:

* Tell your doctor about all other medications, drugs, and natural remedies you are taking, in case one of them affects your asthma.
* Follow your asthma action plan and have regular checkups.
* Learn to use your medication correctly. Ask your doctor to teach you how to use your inhaler. This is very important. If inhalers are not used correctly, less medication gets into the airways.


You also need to learn to identify and avoid the things that can worsen or trigger your asthma symptoms. These include:

* If animal dander is a problem for you, keep your pet out of the house and/or at least out of your bedroom and wash your pet often, or find it a new home.
* Do not smoke or allow smoking in your home.
* If pollen is a problem for you, stay indoors with the air conditioner on when the pollen count is high.
* To control dust mites, wash your sheets, blankets, pillows, and stuffed toys once a week in hot water. You can get special dust proof covers for your mattress and pillows.
* To prevent colds and flu keep your immune system up and strong by taking natural remedies.
* If you get asthma when you exercise or do routine physical activities like climbing stairs, work with your doctor to find ways to be active without having asthma symptoms. Physical activity is important.
* Try to keep humidity levels in the home between 30 and 50 percent. High humidity can promote growth of biological agents that may trigger asthma episodes. Use exhaust fans or open windows in the kitchen or bathroom areas when cooking, using the dishwasher, or taking showers. Make sure clothes dryers are vented to the outdoors, and use a dehumidifier in the basement if necessary.
* Avoid using humidifiers
* Minimize exposure to combustion particles and gases that can cause breathing difficulties for people with asthma. Have combustion-powered furnaces, stoves, or heaters checked yearly to make sure they are operating properly. Change furnace filters according to the manufacturer's instructions, or every month or two during periods of use.
* Avoid sprays like deodorants, perfumes, or air fresheners, odours from paint
* Keep the house clean to reduce allergens like microscopic dust mites, pollen, and animal dander. Use an allergen-proof comforter and encase mattresses and box springs in vinyl covers. Wash bedding frequently in hot (130°F) water. Try to eliminate cockroaches. Try to keep pets out of the bedrooms of family members with asthma. Use a high-efficiency vacuum system that is vented to the outside to clean the house. If possible, remove the carpeting, drapes, and all upholstered furniture from the bedrooms of those suffering from asthma.


Finally, you should adopt a healthy lifestyle. Eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fats and sugars, get enough rest, exercise regularly, try to find ways to manage stress in your life. And, find out what natural remedies will help you reduce your asthma attacks and symptoms.

If your asthma seems to be getting worse, see your doctor. You may need to change your medication or do other things to get your asthma under control.

How Lemon Juice Power Gives You Asthma Relief

If you just found out you have asthma or are a long time asthma sufferer, here's step one to start off on your natural remedy lifestyle to reducing and controlling your asthma.

Use of lemon juice has been found to have tremendous benefits in the body and of course for stopping and controlling asthma attacks.

So, step one is to use lemon juice every morning. Forget about the idea that lemon juice is acid and is bad for you if you have arthritis. Yes, lemon juice can cut into and breakup oil. But, when it enters the body as an acid, it ends up as alkaline residue after your cells use it up. Besides if you aren't eating enough oils such as olive and fish oils this can contribute to the lack of oil to lubricate your joints and anti-inflammatory chemicals and this can accelerate the deterioration of your joint cartilage.

Step one for fighting back if you have asthma

Now, here's what you don't want to hear. First, do a two day fast using only water and lemon juice. Every morning after you get up, in eight ounces of distilled water, squeeze the juice of one organic lemon. Warm the distilled water slightly to give this drink extra energy and to reduce the work you body has to do to digest this drink.

Increase the power of this lemon drink

After your two day fast, continue drinking this lemon drink in the morning at least ½ hour before you have breakfast. Now when you prepare this lemon drink add two teaspoons of ionic manganese. Here's where to read more about manganese: http://www.wateroz.com/minerals/Manganese.htm
Then go to google and search for Wateroz ionic manganese

Manganese is known as the love mineral. If you have a lot of anger, hate, stress, depression, anxiety this can aggravate your asthma. Manganese will help to lessen these emotionally conditions.

After you drink this lemon juice, rinse out your mouth with distilled water so that the lemon juice acid will not affect the enamel on your teeth.

Super charge your lemon drink

Now, here is one more thing. Add one two tablespoons of liquid chlorophyll to your lemon-manganese drink. Now you have a drink that will help to detoxify your colon little by little. Toxins that get into your blood from your colon weaken the tissues in your lungs and bronchials. So, it is best to keep your blood clean.

How Acid Reflux Can Worsen Your Asthma

Rudy Silva

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that is characterized by difficulty in breathing, wheezing, and mucus accumulation. People with asthma have extra sensitive or hyper-responsive airways. During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by narrowing and constructing, causing increased resistance to airflow, and obstructing the flow of the air passages to and from the lungs.

Some research indicates that the symptoms of asthma may get worse when you have heartburn or acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when your undigested stomach content moves back up into your esophagus.

Acid reflux can cause painful heartburn which you can relieve with antacid medicines or natural remedies. Antacids simply neutralize your stomach's acid, which reduces the burning sensation in your esophagus tube. It is best to use natural remedies first because neutralising stomach acid is a temporary method and only serves to suppress the cause of acid reflux.

For acid reflux, it is best to use digestive enzymes. Take a good digestive enzyme with every meal you eat. The next step would be to learn how to eat so you don't get acid reflux or heartburn.

Acid reflux happens mostly in people who are older and overweight. But sometimes it can happen in children and in all types of people.

In some studies, researchers have injected acid into the esophageus of people with asthma, and it had a significant impact on their asthma and increased their asthma symptoms.

These is also evidence to suggest that people who have asthma get acid reflux more often than people without asthma. This is probably because of the big pressure changes in the chest during breathing in people with asthma. These high pressures could force liquid to travel the wrong way up the esophagus.

In these cases, asthma sufferers seem to lose out twice: they suffer from asthma and they may suffer from acid reflux more often than non asthma sufferers.

However, this is not the whole story. If acid reflux really was an important cause of asthma worsening, then treatments against acid reflux should make the asthma better, however, this is generally not the case.

In the meantime, if you have asthma and you also have acid reflux, it could just be that careful treatment of your reflux will make your breathing better.

If your asthma is bad and no-one knows why, some doctors would check whether you have or had acid reflux by conducting tests to measure the acidity in your stomach. If the result showed a tendency for acid reflux, then your doctor should help you eliminate this condition.

Using a doctor who uses natural methods to treat acid reflux is the best way to go. Using drugs to eliminate acid reflux when you are already taking drugs for asthma is asking for addition health problems in the future. Drugs do not cure acid reflux and cause Theis condition to worsen. It is best to use natural remedies and diet to eliminate acid reflux and heartburn.

Asthma Relief and Treatment

About Asthma:
Asthma is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become either narrowed or completely blocked, impeding normal breathing. However, in asthma, this obstruction of the lungs is reversible, either spontaneously or with medication.Nearly 5 million children younger than 18 have asthma. Increasing in prevalence, asthma is the most common chronic illness of school-aged children. It is responsible for 10.1 million school absences every year — three times as many as any other cause. Asthma also can limit participation in school athletic programs. However, when properly managed, children with asthma can participate fully in both academic and athletic aspects of student life.Asthma is a chronic lung condition that can develop at any age. Fifteen million people--seven percent of those who live in the United States--have asthma. However, it is most common in childhood and occurs in approximately 7-10% of the pediatric population. It is the number one cause for school absenteeism among all chronic diseases.

Symptoms of Asthma:
The most common symptoms during an asthma attack are as follows: the airways become narrowed and inflamed, making breathing difficult, wheezing and troublesome coughing (particularly at night) results.It is important to check with your doctor if you are having any of these problems:
1.Breathlessness with exercise or activity
2.Breathlessness with wheezing
3.Wheezing
4.Coughing
5.Chest tightness or soreness, especially with coughing or deep breathing
6.Waking up at night with breathlessness or wheezing

Causes of Asthma:
The most common cause of asthma is allergy. Of the children who have asthma, 90 percent are allergic. Of the people over 30, 50 percent have allergies. Asthma may also be a result of infection such as bronchiolitis, which is caused by a viral infection of the airways. More than half the children who get bronchiolitis have asthma until they are at least 7 years old.
Generally, the cause of asthma can be divided into two major factors: Triggers, which result in tightening of the airways. Inducers, which result in inflammation of the airways. Triggers irritate the airways, and do not cause inflammation. Symptoms caused by triggers tend to be immediate, short-lived, and rapidly reversible. Airways will react more quickly to triggers if inflammation is already present in the airways. Common triggers include everyday stimuli such as cold air, a polluted environment, strong fumes, emotional upsets, and smoke. Smoke acts as a very strong trigger. Second-hand smoke has been shown to aggravate asthma symptoms, especially in children.
Tropical Medications of Asthma:
Some tropical medicines for asthma treatment are follows.
Angelica Root Extract
Bronchitis & Asthma Aide
Ginkoba
Kombucha Tea
Home care Suggestion:
Avoid tobacco smoke. Apply an onion poultice to the chest.
Maintain a vegetarian diet as much as possible eat only fresh raw foods.
Also take walks as exercise helps the system to get rid of toxins.

Asthma Natural Remedies With no Side Effects

There are many causes of asthma and each person can have different asthma attack triggers. So, each person may need to use a different medical approach and different asthma natural remedies.

Using drugs to control your asthma makes sense when you first discover that you have asthma provided your asthma is well established or life threatening. Once you have your prescriptions and your doctor's instructions, you should consider looking at or experimenting with natural remedies to control or even eliminate your asthma, since drugs are not a cure.

No matter what type of drug or inhaler you are using, they all have their side effects. The longer you use drugs or an inhaler, the less effective they become and most likely you will see side effects.

You should use asthma natural remedies when you are having an asthma attack or when asthma is under control. There are four areas you need to concentrate on when examining asthma natural remedies.

· Reduce mucus
· Reduce inflammation
· Reduce emotional and stressful situation
· Improve immune system

Reduce Mucus

By using various herbs you can control and remove mucus from your bronchioles. Test various herbs or herbal combinations to determine which work best for you.

Drink carrot and celery juice and drink plenty of water daily to help dilute and move mucus out of your body.

Reduce Inflammation

There are quite a few different nutrients that can help you reduce inflammation. You should consider using more than one at a time. Start with these and then experiment with the others.

· Add omega-3 to your diet by using flax seed oil or fish oil
· Use MSM supplements.
· Take vitamin C supplement
· Systemic enzymes, try Vitalzyme
· Digestive enzymes

Reduce Emotional and Stressful Situation

Reducing stress in your life is a difficult area to deal with since some situations in your life are strongly anchored, like your job, your family, your friends, or marital situation. But if theses areas are causing your stress and you frequently have asthma attacks, then you have to decide which is more important for you, your job or your health.

If your job is deteriorating your health, then start looking for a way out. This may require you to look for another job or to go back to school to get training for something you might like to do. Just take action and start changing your life.

Improve Immune System

Improving your immune system is accomplished through diet, through taking nutritional supplements, by reducing stress, and eliminating those conditions that overwork you body.

The fewer things your immune system has to react to and get under control, the stronger it is to take care of an asthma attack when it occurs. When your immune system has to deal with toxins in your colon and throughout your body, then it is weakened and not able to neutralize pollen or pollution you inhale from the air which can trigger an asthma attack.

Use drugs when you first discover you have asthma can make sense. But, if your asthma is light, then finding asthma natural remedies to control it, instead of using drugs, also makes a lot of sense.

Asthma and Its Symptoms

In his book, Essential Allergy, Niels Mygind defines asthma as,

"A lung disease characterised by: 1, variable and reversible airway obstruction; 2, airway inflammation; and 3, bronchial hyper-responsiveness."

Asthma is a disease where bronchial tubes are sensitive to irritants, which cause them to inflame and produce difficult breathing. The inflammation can cause,

* contraction of muscles around the air passages,
* swelling of the airway lining due to airway inflammation, and,
* excessive mucus in the airways.

Asthma occurs in most western countries and is the leading chronic illness of children.

Asthma, in some cases, cannot be cured, but for most patients it can be controlled so that they have only minimal and infrequent symptoms and they can live an active life.

If you have asthma, managing it is an important part of your life. Controlling your asthma means staying away from things that bother your airways and taking medicines or natural remedies as directed by your doctor.

When a person experiences a worsening of their asthma symptoms, it is called an asthma episode or, in severe cases, an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, smooth muscles around the bronchial tubes contract, making the airway openings narrower so less air can flow through. Inflammation increases and the airways become more swollen and narrow. Cells in the airways also make more mucus than usual, which narrows the airways further. The changes to the airways cause the symptoms of asthma.

Asthma attacks are not all the same-some are worse than others. In a severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that not enough oxygen gets to vital organs. This condition is a medical emergency. People can die from severe asthma attacks. A person suffering from an asthma attack has a sensation similar to drowning.

Learning the warning signs or asthma symptoms can often alert a sufferer in time to take preventive action, such as medication or natural remedies.

Asthma attacks can occur over a long period of time. Although there are times when acute episodes strike asthmatics, most asthma sufferers say that there are long periods during which they suffer few, if any, asthma symptoms.

Here are some asthma symptoms:

* Coughing. Coughing in people with asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard for them to sleep. This may be the only symptom a child with asthma has.
* Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe.
* A tight feeling in the chest. This can feel like someone is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
* Shortness of breath. Asthma sufferers often say they can't catch their breath, or they feel breathless or out of breath.
* Narrowing of the air passages in the lungs and hence increased resistance to airflow.
* Significant reversibility with steroid drugs
* Symptom-free periods
* Frequent occurrence of allergy
* Inflammation of the air passages
* Bronchial hyper-responsiveness to non-specific stimuli such as cold air, air pollution, pollen, dust, or other irritants
* Asthma symptoms brought on by exercises
* Coughing or wheezing brought on by prolonged crying or laughing

Not all people have these symptoms, and symptoms may vary from one asthma attack to another. Some symptoms are mild and some are life threatening.

Symptoms also differ in how often they occur. Some people with asthma only have symptoms once every few months, others have symptoms every week, and still other people have symptoms every day.

What is Asthma?

One in ten children and one in three adults suffer from chronic asthma. That is about 15 million Americans alone. An acute asthma attack is caused by inflammation in the airways of the lungs, causing contraction and narrowing of the airways (bronchioles), restricting airflow and making breathing very difficult.

Chronic asthma is a lung condition characterized by frequent asthma attacks and requiring medical management to prevent and minimize acute attacks.

Symptoms of Asthma May Include:

 Characteristic wheezing sound, especially when exhaling
 Shortness of breath
 Tightness in the chest
 Persistent cough, especially at night
 May include an increased pulse, anxiety or fear

What Causes Asthma?

Nobody really knows what causes asthma, but the tendency to develop it frequently seems to be inherited. During an attack, the airways become swollen, excess mucus plugs these narrow passages, and the muscles lining the airway tighten up. Children and adults may experience coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, increased heart rate, perspiration, and shortness of breath.

Asthma is strongly associated with pollution. The incidence of asthma has risen sharply in the last thirty years along with a rise in industrialization and higher levels of environmental pollution.

Other possible causes of asthma in vulnerable individuals include allergic reactions to dietary substances like wheat, dairy products, chocolate, nuts, preservatives and other chemical food and beverage additives. Asthma attacks may also be brought on by pollen, house dust mites, tobacco smoke, feathers and other allergens. Even a temperature change, or the cold morning air can cause broncho spasm and increase the likelihood of an attack. In some individuals, anxiety can precipitate an asthma attack and stress and are therefore a contributory factor.

There is a strong hereditary link and asthma can often be seen to run in families. Children who live in houses with smokers are also at higher risk for developing asthma at any time in their lives. Homeopathic medicine recognize that immune system functioning can play a vital role in helping to control the symptoms of asthma and strengthen the body's defenses against environmental allergens.

How is Asthma Usually Treated?

Conventional Western medicine deals with asthma treatment with a combination of inhalers, anti-inflammatory medication, bronchodilators and even steroids. Other treatments take the form of homeopathic or naturopathic treatment. While many asthma attacks are relatively mild and can be treated and controlled at home, some are more severe and may even require hospitalization.

While conventional medical treatment may sometimes be necessary, there are some definite limitations, including side effects, as well as negative effects on immune system functioning - thereby leading to more asthma attacks and reduced resistance to allergens. You should not stop your asthma medication without first consulting your doctor or health care provider.

Can Herbal and Homeopathic Remedies Help?

They can help some people who suffer from asthma. Herbal and homeopathic asthma treatments can often be effective. Depending upon the severity of the asthma. They can reduce or eliminate the need for the synthetic drugs and inhalers and can also be safely used with conventional treatment of asthma. Talk to your health care provider first before consulting with a trained homeopathic provider.

Stress and Allergies

Stress and Allergies


Wisdom from the Vet

When I was in college I took a class in veterinary science that was given by the head veterinarian of the university, Dr. Dale Smith. Our university was known for its school of Agriculture and had a reputation as being a “hands on” college. As a result we had large herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, pigs, horses, foul and so forth. Our vet believed in a holistic approach to animal health.
Dr. Smith had been the university vet for almost thirty years, and his own father had been a vet before him. The first day he told our class, “The most important thing of all for you to be concerned with in animal health is reducing stress. Virtually all the diseases of livestock you will encounter are caused by stress. “
He further explained that most genetic diseases had long ago been eliminated with livestock through selective breeding. What you saw instead were animals that were sick because the farmer or rancher wasn’t taking care of them properly. They were left outside with no shade in the heat, left with no protection to get out of the wind, stuck in an over-crowded corral, fed a diet too low in nutrients, something that would cause stress.
“The stress causes a breakdown, said the vet, “and then disease of some kind shows up. It could be a pneumonia, cancer, allergies, any number of things, but stress always sets the stage for this disease.

I have long wondered how it was that a veterinarian understood this so clearly and our own doctors didn’t seem to pay much attention to it at all. We are animals after all. Stress must affect us just as it does all the other species of animals. I think most of us who have lived with allergies understand that stress can aggravate the allergies. We all never be able to eliminate all stress from our lives. But we can learn ways to reduce it, and we can learn ways to deal with it. Whenever possible it is healthy to try to see some of this stress as a challenge. If we live active lives, we can expect plenty of stress, and that’s all right as long as we don’t let it get the best of us.
In Allergy-Free Gardening and in Safe Sex in the Garden I explore how plant sex influences human wellness. If we have female rather than male plants, we won’t be inhaling all that male pollen and we won’t suffer from it. Allergy-friendly yards and gardens are stress busters.
In addition to decreasing the number of allergens, pollen grains, molds, and fungal spores, there are other things we can do to reduce stress in our lives, in our gardens.

Are allergies just a head-trip?

There is a reoccurring problem with stress and allergies. The problem is one of perception. It is well known that stress aggravates allergies. If you did a computer search using the terms “stress, illness, disease,” you might well be amazed at the hundreds of thousands of entries you’d find. For example, on the website healthdoc.com there’s an article, “Stress, the number one cause of disease and Illness.”
Even if the role of stress and illness is not as generally well understood, as it ought to be, it is certainly well documented. Stress contributes to heart disease in certain individuals. Stress also contributes to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other cardiac risk factors, and many other negative things as well.
Someone with allergies who is under stress will almost certainly experience worse allergies. The problem here is that too many people mix up cause and effect. Allergies are caused by an allergic response to allergens, to perfectly real substances, pollens, molds, dust, dander, allergic plant saps and so forth.
All too often ignorant people will imply that someone has allergies simply because they don’t know how to deal with stress. The implication is that you have allergies because you don’t really have your head screwed on straight. This isn’t true at all, and actually it is rather insulting. The next step in this illogical progression is that you deserve to have allergies since you’re bringing it on yourself. The people making these assumptions are, of course, people who don’t have allergies themselves. They don’t know how lucky they are, nor do they realize how arrogant are their views. Having persistent allergies can become pretty depressing and frustrating and critics are often insensitive to this as well.
Yes, allergies can be aggravated by stress, but then too, so can any other illness be complicated by stress. Allergies are completely for real. A few examples of this: Years ago when I gave my students different flowers to sniff, we quickly found out that a third of the class reacted strongly to bottlebrush pollen. Later, in blind tests with different types of pollen, the same students all again reacted strongly to the bottlebrush pollen. Another example: I have seen people who were very allergic to shrimp. I have seen what happened to them when they ate some food that they'd been told did not have shrimp in it, but that actually did. They immediately became very ill.
When an allergist skin tests someone, often this is done on their back. They can’t see the pricks nor do they know which allergen is being tested with each prick of the skin. Their skin will then react with a welt to the ones they are allergic to. If they are re-tested soon afterwards, the results will be the same. Allergic responses are totally for real and this simple fact needs to be respected.
Back to stress. Here are some things we can do to reduce stress in our gardens.

Forget about perfection
We don’t need perfect gardens, not at all. Our gardens do not need to conform to some ideal. We should have gardens that please us, and that is what’s really important. Think of your garden as your place to feel relaxed, to kick back, to unwind. Good gardens can be great stress reducers.

Garden Design
When you first set up your gardens think about how they will be used. Borrow liberally from good feng shui concepts of energy and harmony. Consider first the function and design gardens that are a pleasure to be in. If you can possibly afford it, get professional advice from a landscape designer or a landscape architect. These people are experts on how to create comfortable, attractive, stress-free gardens. Their advice might in the long run, turn out to be quite a bargain. With some things you do get what you pay for. With a good designer you get a quality design, one that will long keep you pleased.
While you’re thinking about how your landscape might look, buy some of the magazines on landscape design and look them over. See what attracts you. There are many excellent books on landscape design and these too can help you set up a relaxing, enjoyable garden. I recommend you go down to the bookstore, take some time, and look over all the books on garden design. Even if your yards are already landscaped, these books and magazines are still valuable, because you can always make changes. You can always try to improve your garden.
Wild Birds
Wild birds in a garden make it more fun and it is stress reducing just to watch them. All bird feeders add to your pleasure. I especially love those long, porous mesh bags that you can fill with Niger thistle seed. You hang these over a high branch, and the goldfinches will go crazy for it. Quickly the little goldfinches become almost tame. Just watching them feed is relaxing. The larger, more aggressive sparrows tire quickly of trying to feed from these mesh bags, and this conserves the niger seed, which as bird seed goes, is a bit pricey.
Humming bird feeders are great additions to a garden and who doesn’t like to watch humming birds? If you can’t appreciate humming birds, almost certainly your life has far too much stress in it right now. Hang up a hummingbird feeder, relax, and enjoy the show.
A birdbath can be handsome in the garden, and the birds will enjoy it too. Watching robins splash in a birdbath is good karma. Be sure to keep the water clean. A dirty birdbath can spread diseases among the birds, so hosing it out daily is a great idea.
Wind Chimes
I especially like those bamboo wind chimes but actually, almost any wind chimes add a nice, mellow touch in the garden. I will admit though that there are a few chimes that are pitched too high for my taste. The most important thing is that the chimes sound pleasant to you. Hang your chimes in a spot free of obstructions, where they will catch the breeze. When the wind blows, the chimes sing to you.
Water
Little ponds, tiny waterfalls, water fountains, all of these are proven stress reducers. Certain sounds irritate the human psyche, car alarms blasting in the night, dogs barking on and on. But other sounds soothe the soul like the sound of splashing water or water tumbling over stones. Placed in the right spot in a garden all these wet additions can do much for the ambiance of the landscape. Fish in a pond can add quite a bit too. More than one new parent has discovered the calming effect that watching fish swim in an aquarium has on their babies. A few goldfish in a pond is attractive too. A little pond also expands the kinds of plants you can grow in your garden. With a pond you can have water lilies.
Today there are many water fountains available and some are not too expensive either. Considering their value for reducing stress, they seem like a bargain.
Lawn furniture
This needn’t be anything fancy, but every garden ought to have a nice spot or two to sit and relax. A few garden chairs can make a big difference. A little table is good too. Lounge chairs are by design stress-busters. When I was young we had something called a chaise lounge that rocked and was just plain fun to sit in. More stress reduction. If you have an overhanging branch that looks perfect for it, hang a swing from it. Swinging reduces stress too. There has been considerable research into the importance of rocking babies back and forth. Any mother understands how well this works. Perhaps swinging works the same way?
A comfortable garden bench is a worthy addition to any landscape. Place it where two lovers, young or old, can sit and enjoy the view and each other.

Read a book
Seriously, sit in an easy chair in your comfortable garden and read a book. Turn off the TV and go outside. Commune with Nature. Read a book on how to reduce stress in your life if you think it might help. Read something on how to maintain a positive, cheery attitude. I find these always give me a boost. But just sitting in the garden and reading a good book is stress reducing. The natural light is good for your eyes and good for all of you. Read a novel if you like. Do sit out in your garden and read. The results are all positive.
Fruit trees
Why not use some fruit trees in the landscape? There is something so basic, so fundamentally satisfying to go outside on a warm summer morning and pick a ripe apricot, peach, apple, or plum. Actually, just watching the fruit develop on the tree is satisfying too. If you’re inclined and you turn some of that fruit into jams, jellies, pies, or preserves, that’s also fantastic. And fruit trees can be perfectly ornamental in the landscape. Few trees look half as good to me as a fruit laden apricot tree.
Vegetables
If you have the space consider some kind of a vegetable garden too. There is something about growing tomatoes and string beans that is good for the soul. You certainly don’t need a large spot for growing vegetables although it would be great if you had the room. Working in a vegetable garden is relaxing, something very basic. If you have a spot that gets good sunlight most of the day, consider having some sort of a vegetable garden. Even if it is just a little area where you can grow a few tomato plants each year, the pleasure and stress reduction from this can be incredible.
Compost
A compost pile doesn’t need to be big or fancy or complicated. You can build a simple wooden box with no bottom and throw all your old banana peels, apple cores, carrot tops, grass clippings, leaves and so on into it. Get some red worms and add them to the compost. They’ll multiply like mad and turn all the garbage into wonderful compost. Now and then you can remove some of the finished compost and use it in you garden. Composting is easy, fun, is earth-friendly, and it makes you feel good.
A Barbecue
It doesn’t need to be elaborate but if you still enjoy a hamburger or steak or grilled piece of chicken, why not have some kind of a barbecue? Even if you’re vegetarian, you can still cook outside on a grill. Bell peppers, chilies, and corn taste great right off a grill. Anyhow, you can get creative. Sometimes this provides a good excuse to sit out in the yard while the food cooks. A barbecue can turn an ordinary meal into a little outdoor adventure.
Moveable Pots
I like to have some large pots of flowers that I move around. When they are looking great, I move them up front where everyone can see them. When they are looking ratty, I stick them off on the side of the house to recuperate. I use enough moveable pots with enough different kinds of flowers planted in them, so that I can almost always have something colorful to brighten up any day.
A Lawn
Lawns are a lot of trouble supposedly but really, they are great places for kids to play on. Far too many people get hung up on having a “perfect lawn” and with this attitude a lawn can quickly become a big chore. A perfect lawn ought to be a lawn that you like. If it has three different kinds of grasses in it and a dandelion or two---and that doesn’t bother you, then that’s a great lawn. Lawns don’t need to be huge; in fact excessively large lawns are not worth the effort. But a small nice piece of lawn is a people-friendly addition to a garden. Use lawn grasses that are low-pollen or pollen-free.
Privacy
If you like to sunbathe in the nude or just feel like walking out back in your underwear in the morning, you ought to be able to do it without some neighbor looking at you. Front yards can be wide open perhaps, but a back yard needs to provide some privacy. Screens of shrubs or trees can provide this as can a simple 6-foot tall cedar board fence. Having privacy in your garden makes it feel like more of a retreat, a spot to get away from the troubles of the world, somewhere to step right out of the rat race.

Seriousness of allergy rhinitis

What is actually allergy rhinitis? Allergy rhinitis is an allergic disease, which is caused by the sensitinogen that reacting on the mucous membranes in the nasal cavity. It has two types; those are perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis. Perennial allergic rhinitis occurs throughout the year; whereas, seasonal allergic rhinitis usually occurs during the blossoming or flowering season. In this season, plants start to release their pollen for breeding purpose. Pollen is one of the sensitinogens to the allergic rhinitis. Clinical features of allergic rhinitis are; itching in the nose, sneezing, watery nasal discharge and nasal obstruction. There are about 20 % of adults and children have seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis.

Although it is prevalence in most of the countries regardless tropical or seasonal, most of the conditions are not treated adequately and the consequence is that allergic rhinitis becomes chronic. The chronic state of allergic rhinitis usually will lead to more serious complications of the upper and lower airways such as asthma, sinusitis and otitis media with effusion. Otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear. Fluid is built up in the middle ear and causes temporary lose of hearing. However, if this chronic disease is not treated properly, it may lead to permanent hearing impairment.

A few medical scientists had carried out surveys to study the epidemiologic links between allergic rhinitis and other airway diseases. What they had found out were, 78% of patients who had asthma were also had allergic rhinitis. They also found out that 99% of adults and 93% of adolescents, who had allergic asthma, also had allergic rhinitis. Besides, the other study that had been carried out for 23 years was found out that college students who previously had allergic rhinitis had three times higher the possibility to have asthma compared to those students who had not had allergic rhinitis What is actually allergy rhinitis? Allergy rhinitis is an allergic disease, which is caused by the sensitinogen that reacting on the mucous membranes in the nasal cavity. It has two types; those are perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis. Perennial allergic rhinitis occurs throughout the year; whereas, seasonal allergic rhinitis usually occurs during the blossoming or flowering season. In this season, plants start to release their pollen for breeding purpose. Pollen is one of the sensitinogens to the allergic rhinitis. Clinical features of allergic rhinitis are; itching in the nose, sneezing, watery nasal discharge and nasal obstruction. There are about 20 % of adults and children have seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis.

Although it is prevalence in most of the countries regardless tropical or seasonal, most of the conditions are not treated adequately and the consequence is that allergic rhinitis becomes chronic. The chronic state of allergic rhinitis usually will lead to more serious complications of the upper and lower airways such as asthma, sinusitis and otitis media with effusion. Otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear. Fluid is built up in the middle ear and causes temporary lose of hearing. However, if this chronic disease is not treated properly, it may lead to permanent hearing impairment.

A few medical scientists had carried out surveys to study the epidemiologic links between allergic rhinitis and other airway diseases. What they had found out were, 78% of patients who had asthma were also had allergic rhinitis. They also found out that 99% of adults and 93% of adolescents, who had allergic asthma, also had allergic rhinitis. Besides, the other study that had been carried out for 23 years was found out that college students who previously had allergic rhinitis had three times higher the possibility to have asthma compared to those students who had not had allergic rhinitis before.

Many researches and works had been carried out to study the epidemiologic link between allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. The results had been well documented. The earlier study showed that 53% of children, who had allergic rhinitis, also had sinusitis. They proved this from the children abnormal sinus radiographs. Whereas, recent study showed that up to 70% of children, who had allergy and chronic rhinitis, had abnormal sinus radiographs. 78% of the patients who had recurrent sinus infection, rhinitis allergy was coming together with their extensive sinus disease. For the children who had otitis media with effusion, 40 to 50% of them had allergic rhinitis. This was confirmed by positive allergy skin tests or increased serum IgE antibodies to specific allergens test.

Scientist had proposed a model for the development of sinusitis and otitis media. Their proposed model assumes that the earliest cause for sinusitis is not bacterial infection but it is due to the obstruction in the nasal cavity, which hinders the normal movement of air and secretions in and out of sinuses. Virus that causes nasal inflammation is upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) type, which is called rhinovirus. Research had been carried out to study the effect of this virus to the nasal diseases. The result showed that when rhinovirus is inoculated into the nasal passage of a group people, one third of these people would develop sinus abnormities and typical sinus disease symptoms. Another study also showed that 87% of healthy adult, who voluntarily went through self-diagnosed colds, had maxillary sinuses illness.

Fluid inside the sinus cavity must be drained normally to keep the nasal healthy. When nasal being infected by bacteria or virus, or exposure to allergen, dust or chemicals, thicken secretion will be developed and it has higher possibility blocks the narrowed sinus ostia (opening that connect to the sinus cavity). Accumulation of these secretions in the sinus cavity will lead to further obstruction, mucosal swelling and also thicken the sinus mucosa. This will create an anaerobic environment that further favorite the bacterial growth and lead to infection. Congested sinus ostia must be resolved if not, it will lead to recurrent acute and eventually chronic nasal disease. This model also explained why chronic sinusitis is resistant to the antimicrobials treatment alone. To treat the sinusitis properly, antihistamines and corticosteroids have to be used as a combination with the antimicrobials treatment.

A similar model had been developed by scientist to explain the occurrence of otitis media with effusion. 83% of the children had at least once occurrence of acute otits media by the time they reach 3 years old. This model hypothesizes that nasal inflammation that is caused by allergens or URTIs virus will further cause inflammatory swelling and obstruction of the Eustachian tube. Obstruction of the Eustachian tube will increase negative pressure in the middle area and without improper ventilation; fluids will accumulate in the middle ear. Obstructed Eustachian tube will open occasionally with an effusion and this will suck the inner nasal secretion, which contain bacteria, virus and allergens into the middle ear cavity. Consequently, this will cause acute bacterial otitis media.

From the information above that have been gathered from various scientific publications, we know that common nasal allergy should not be left untreated. This is because it will lead to obstruction, fluid accumulation, bacterial infection and acute disease. If these diseases are not treated properly or successfully, a chronic state of inflammation, nasal congestion, and sinus infection will be developed. And it can further cause mucosal damage and ultimately, chronic disease. If the disease spreads to the middle ear, it will cause permanent hearing impairment