Archive for the ‘allergies’ tag
Recognizing and Managing Asthma in Children
Asthma in children is a very serious condition that can be potentially life threatening if not managed properly. The problem is that it can be hard to see the signs of asthma in children. It’s also somewhat harder to deal with. That’s because children simply aren’t as focused on their symptoms and the need for treatment.
There are several symptoms that you need to keep an eye out for in order to recognize and treat pediatric asthma. The signs that are most commonly exhibited during an asthma attack are difficulty in breathing, coughing and wheezing. There’s isn’t much difference in symptoms between adults and children.
But it can be harder to notice them among children. For example, if your child is running around playing, they could easily become overheated and short of breath. But this is also a signal that an asthma attack is happening. Your child might be having more trouble breathing than you realize.
So far, there is no absolute cure for asthma. However, there are many ways to effectively manage the condition. Most often, an inhaler is prescribed for children with asthma symptoms. This is the fastest way of getting medicine to the lungs when it’s required immediately. Combination therapy is a popular choice in managing asthma in children. This involves the use of an inhaler that delivers more than one medication.
Many parents choose to manage their child’s condition by incorporating natural treatment methods. But before starting any new treatments, it’s important that you consult with your doctor. There’s always the potential for interaction between natural asthma treatments and prescription drugs. Since they’re natural, people tend to think of them as completely benign. The truth is, though, that they sometimes have ingredients that don’t react well with other medications.
Some natural treatments involve lifestyle factors rather than supplements. These are considered to be a safe and effective supplement to medication. Many people create an asthma management plan in order to gain control of the situation. You and your child need to be aware of the triggers that can set off an attack. You need to recognize the warning signs that usually precede it. And of course, you both need to know exactly how to treat an attack once you recognize the signs.
Pediatric asthma doesn’t have to ruin your child’s life. When properly managed, he or she can enjoy a normal childhood. The key to this is learning as much as you can about the condition and how to treat it.
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MENOPAUSE IS NOT A HORMONE IMBALANCE!
Standard Medicine May Have IT ALL WRONG!
The position that the reason for all the menopause symptoms is due to an imbalance of hormones is a superficial perspective and deserves a deeper look. Menopause symptoms may include:
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Are these symptoms tied to deficiency of hormones? Could it be systemic? The whole body is may be suffering from top to bottom.
ANOTHER PROPOSAL – UNDERLYING CAUSE:
Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective: Menopause is considered a deficiency condition of the liver and qi (life force). When the blood and energy quality is weak and toxic then all of the organs are not able to perform their job. This condition causes the liver to overheat which rises through the body, wreaking havoc in its path. The heart, lungs, digestion, glands, throat, mouth & teeth, nose, eyes, ears, brain, skin and hair become heated and dried resulting in the symptoms, listed above. In addition, the liver does not filter the blood where it becomes sluggish and clotted.
Because the body is deficient of essential body energy and quality filtered blood, then the glands do not perform normally. Their secretions may be sporadic or non-releasing altogether. When the blood is filtered, normally, enriched then all the body’s organs improve. Gradually, the energy comes back and they are able to function normally. The glandular functions, secrete once again, assisting the body in its healthy function.
The body is not absent of hormones. The blood is clogged like sludge. Glands are not receiving/transmitting essential messages, timely and/or minimally!
Then why do we add or give more hormones. Doesn’t that risk an overload of hormones? Remember when you were a kid and your hormones were super revved. We don’t want to risk going through that again. We have enough hormones. If we nourish our blood, exercise, sleep, manage stress, etc. our hormones come back and supports increased balance.
So if Chinese medicine knows the problem, then what is their answer to this to this deficiency? Look below.
What Restores Normal Hormone Function?
Chinese Medicine Has Had An Answer for this for More Than a 1000 Years!
Traditional Chinese Medicine has 20+ formulas for menopause. But which one is the best? This requires a seasoned Master herbalist to respond to this. While most women fall into 6 major constitution types such as:
- cold
- damp
- deficient
- hot
- dry
- excess
Most menopausal women are a deficient constitution with hot characteristics and benefit 95% of the time from Menopause Comfort. I know that is a little confusing but more info follows. The exception is during the summertime.
Some women, who are more hot than the usual population, require a colder formula, Paramalin, to offset the excess internal heat produced in the liver.
“3000 Years of Chinese Herbal Medicine Provides the Best Menopause Formulation”
While not all women have to experience extreme characteristics of menopause, enough are disturbed that real relief is essential. The herbs, below, balance the hormones-progesterone & estrogen, cool nourish and stimulate the liver. This improves the blood which assists all the organs in the body which further lifts the body’s functioning. The herb selection centers and alleviates the conditions listed above.
These herbs work best for Menopause symptoms by reducing the typical heat signs stemming from the liver managing too much toxicity and/or excess food intake, etc.
1. Radix Angelica Sinensis
Benefits: Blood deficiency related to the Heart and Liver. Especially improves palid, ashen complexion, lusterless nails, tinnitus, blurred vision, and palpitations, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, and dysmenorrheal, abdominal pain, traumatic injury, and carbuncles due to blood stasis, especially accompanied by cold from deficiency, dry intestines due to blood deficiency. Tonifies the blood and regulates the menses, invigorates and harmonizes the blood and disperses cold, reduces swelling, expels pus, generates flesh, and alleviates pain: used in treating sores and abscesses, treats coughs. Moistens dryness and lubricates the Intestines, Internally, it moistens the organs because of its concentrated fluids and sweetness; externally, it thrusts out to the muscle layer because of its acrid, warm nature.
2. Bupleuri Radix
Bupleurum tonifies the Heart, Spleen, and Lungs, while it facilitates the fluid pathways, Unblocks the orifices and expels heat. Promotes urination, reduces dampness with such symptoms as phlegm and thin mucus, diarrhea, and edema. Supports the body’s energy, makes it an important choice for promoting urination and leaching out dampness. It can be used whenever there is urinary difficulty, edema, phlegm, or thin mucus, regardless of whether the condition is hot or cold, deficient or excessive in nature.
3. Radix Paeoniae Lactiflorae
The Liver directly relates to tendons (sinews), which can cramp and spasm if unsupported by filtered blood from a normal functioning liver. Radix Paeoniae Lactiflorae elevates the Liver Blood quality and thereby relieves pain (cramped tendons, flanks and abdomen). The Liver stores the blood, and reduced blood storage can affect other blood organs, such as the Heart, and the “sea of blood”, which refers to the Womb and its associated vessels. If the Heart lacks the support of Liver blood then palpitations and insomnia follow. If the womb lacks the support of Liver blood then irregular menstruation, infertility or dysmenorrheal presents. Radix Paeoniae Lactiflorae supports the Spleen when the liver is challenged. It cools, nourishes and re-invigorates reduces night sweats.
4. Atractylodes Rhizoma – White
Atractylodes Rhizoma is an essential herb for nourishing the Spleen and Stomach when dampness obstructs its normal functioning. It clears dampness in the muscles and flesh – and thereby restores harmony and halts sweating. Benefits the Spleen when deficient and prevents miscarriage. Benefits: diarrhea, fatigue, lack of appetite and vomiting. Dries dampness removing obstructions. Stops sweating. Calms the fetus.
5. Gardeniae Fructus
Cools fire and heat in the Heart, Lungs, Stomach, Liver, and Triple Burner, eliminating hot irritability in situations such as warm pathogen diseases with agitation and insomnia. Gardeniae Fructus is also good for clearing damp-heat, and is used for jaundice and urinary difficulty, guiding damp-heat out through the urine. Gardeniae Fructus drains Triple Burner fire, cools epigastric heat, treats sensations of heat and pain in the cardiac region, dissipates pent-up heat, and mobilizes blocked energy. It is an essential herb for the treatment of heat in the chest.
6. Moutan Cortex
This herb enables body heat drainage, invigorates the blood, disperses stagnation, and vents lurking heat in the body.
7. Zingiberis Rhizoma recens – (ginger)
Ginger opens phlegm and re-energizes, alleviates nausea and vomiting, and driving out all microbes and negative energy. If only its peel is used, its warm nature is somewhat reduced, but is excellent for unblocking urination. Ginger should be added in small amounts to food, where it strengthens the Stomach.
8. Glycyrrhizae Radix (Licorice)
Balances the qualities of other herbs, antidote. Enters all 12 channels (meridians) via the Heart, Lung, Spleen and Stomach channels.Invigorates the spleen and improves the body’s energy. Beneficial for weakness, short breath, poor appetite, exhaustion, loose stools. Replenishes the blood and balances the pulse. Stops coughing by moistening the lungs. Brings a neutral balance to the lungs. Clears heat fire due to toxicity for mouth and throat sores. Reduces pain and spasms in the legs and abdomen. Due to the harmonizing effects of licorice, cold and hot as well as any toxicity are offset. Kamcho (Korean) opens up all the channels thus serves to transport other herbal effects to all parts of the body. Licorice is also used as an antidote for many toxic substances, inside and outside the body.
10. Menthae Haplocalycis Herba
Benefits: sores and rashes on the skin, headache and red eyes, superficial visual obstructions, sore throat, and mouth ulcers.
Summary
The combination of traditional Chinese herbs synergistically improves all the conditions that are benefitted by the herbs singularly.
Would you like to find these herbs contained in proven safe compound that corrects the menopause condition in 2 hours? The formula has been combined to the right amount of each herb to optimize results for women.
Mark Hammer C.M.H.
Master Herbalist-Asian Medicine
May, 2009
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What Happens During an Asthma Attack?
It seems like asthma is becoming ever more prevalent these days. No doubt you’ve heard about it. But unless you actually suffer from the problem, you might not know what actually transpires during an asthma attack. If you suspect you have asthma, or just want to know more about it, here’s some important information.
Symptoms of an asthma attack include shortness of breath, coughing and a wheezing or whistling sound in your chest. It’s a serious situation, and can lead to death if untreated.
So what is it that sets off an attack of asthma? It can vary depending on the individual. Well known triggers include allergic substances like pollen, dust, environmental pollution, chemicals and smoke. In fact, allergies and asthma are very closely related. Things like a change in the atmospheric pressure, cold air, exercise or a common cold virus can also trigger asthma symptoms.
An asthma attack takes place within the air passage to your lungs. The opening and closing of your airways are controlled by a specific muscle. You don’t have any control over this muscle; it’s totally automatic. However, it can be caused to tighten by certain irritants or external conditions, as mentioned earlier. If you suffer from asthma, the muscle tends to overreact to the irritants, and you’ll experience an asthma attack.
When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows. It also gets clogged with mucus and the lining becomes swollen and inflamed. Normally, mucus in the airways is perfectly natural since it assists in the movement of air into the lungs. However, during an asthma attack, mucus production increases considerably, and it clogs the airway.
It’s hard to breathe when this accumulation of mucus is present. As long as the excess mucus is in place, the asthma attack won’t stop. That’s why it’s so important to treat your symptoms immediately with a prescribed medication.
Attacks are often only a few minutes in duration. A severe attack, though, can go on for hours or days. There will be intervals where you might not experience any symptoms, but they will soon return if you don’t receive the proper medication.
If you suspect you might have asthma, it’s essential that you visit your doctor immediately. Tests will be run in order to make an accurate diagnosis. As well, they’ll try to figure out what’s triggering the attacks. Once you know what your triggers are, it’s essential that you avoid them as much as possible. In order to avoid asthma attacks in the future, close medical supervision and a strong commitment to using the proper asthma treatment are essential. Never ignore the symptoms, because an asthma attack can be life threatening.
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How to Choose the Best Air Cleaner Filter System
In today’s high tech culture, there are any number of gadgets and gizmos that simplify our lives. The permanent filter home air purifier is just one of the remarkable products they have introduced us to. This type of product is of particular value to people who have allergies to pollen, pets or dust.
Thanks to this valuable invention you can now enjoy clean air both at home and in the workplace. This will help considerably to shield you from environmental allergens and pollutants.
There are many air cleaner filter systems available on today’s market. Choosing the best air purifier for your particular needs might not be as easy as you might think. So it’s important that you investigate your options thoroughly. Find out as much information as you can about the products prior to making your purchase. Here are some tips you should be aware of.
CADR Rating
You need to know about the ratings associated with any air cleaner filter system you may decide to buy. Use these ratings to determine the efficiency and reliability of the air cleaner system that you’re considering.
The CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) is one of the most realistic ratings used on filters. It does the job of testing how well the system will work at filtering the most harmful pollutants present in the air we breathe in.
The rating is shown as a percentage of the filtering capacity of the system. A higher number indicates that the filter will perform as claimed to eliminate smoke, dust and pollen from your interior air. Therefore, when you’re considering various models, check for those with a high number indicating their higher degree of effectiveness at filtering out contaminants.
The MERV Rating
MERV, an acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, isn’t much different from CADR. However, the tests for efficiency are carried out by the manufacturer of the product. The MERV, also shown as a percentage figure, indicates a rough guide of how effective the system will work on a scale of 1 to 16. If the rating is somewhere between 6 and 12, you can be confident that the product is good value and won’t be a waste of money.
When you live with allergies, it’s critical to effectively manage the environmental allergens that can trigger an attack. A good quality air purifier will help you do the job properly.
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