Adenoids Surgery Not Always Effective

There was a time in the United States when doctors would remove tonsils and adenoids from young children simply as a matter of course so that they did not cause problems later on. Then, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as awareness of unnecessary surgeries grew and the medical profession came under increasing scrutiny, these surgeries tapered off and became all but unheard of except in the most extreme circumstances and after proving substantial medical necessity.

Recently, however, the incidence of both tonsillectomies and surgery for the removal of adenoids has been on the rise yet again. Doctors are suggesting to parents with children as young as three that their adenoids need to come out. The reasons given for surgery of the adenoids are usually because of sleep apnea or breathing difficulties. According to doctors, if the adenoid becomes too large it will partially block a child's breathing during sleep. Doctors will also remove adenoids because of frequent ear infections.

One thing, however, that many surgeons do not tell parents is that all of the adenoids cannot be removed with the surgery. Adenoid tissue will still remain, and it is not uncommon for the adenoid to regenerate and "grow back." When this occurs, symptoms also return.

Every surgery has risks. The most common risks involve complications with or reactions to anesthesia. Other risks involve excessive bleeding during the surgery or clotting issues following the surgery. And, of course, with any surgery the risk of infection is always present. When faced with a surgery, most patients weigh the benefits received from the surgery against the likelihood and severity of possible risks. And many rely upon what doctors tell them to make a decision.

The removal of adenoids is questionable, at best, and it is doubtful as to whether the benefits outweigh the risks of surgery, especially for a small child. Additionally, surgery should only be seen as a last course of action when all other options have been tried and have failed. Furthermore, every parent should remember that though breathing difficulties can be troubling and make a parent feel as though they should do "something," the tissues that make up the adenoids will begin to regress in size during adolescence. Some of the reasons why doctors suggest that adenoids be removed such as recurrent ear infections also abate with age.

Rather than subjecting a young child to the trauma and possible risks of unnecessary surgery, parents might want to consider investigating treatments for adenoids without surgery. Surgery to remove the adenoids would seem a drastic step when so many other options are available.

When you improve breathing, you improve your total health and reduce or eliminate the need for adenoids surgery. The Buteyko Center http://www.breathingcenter.com/ offers a free breathing test online and a free Buteyko Health Evaluation report with our recommendations. The test will help you determine whether you hyperventilate or not, and if so to what degree, and how that may be affecting the quality of your sleep, as well as recommendations for improvement.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mattie_Evaristo

Original article

The Importance of Oxygen

Oxygen is a vital element for our immune system, and sometimes our cells can become deprived of this element due to our diets or exercise. Things in the air can also cause our systems to be deprived of oxygen, which we all need to live because without it, our health becomes in danger. When our body becomes unhealthy due to the lack of oxygen, we are more susceptible to diseases and viruses. Oxygen helps destroy the germs or bad bacteria in our bodies.

The world we live in has created a bad environment for obtaining the oxygen our bodies need to function properly. The pollutants in the air affect our breathing, and they can sometimes cause us to need extra oxygen to breathe properly. The air around us is made up of several different gases, but the oxygen in the air is one of the most important gases to us since it is our main element for living. The environment we live in is causing the oxygen in the air to decrease daily, and clean air with enough oxygen is important for our bodies to be healthy.

Our bodies operate better, when we receive the right amount of oxygen since it allows our brain to think better and it improves our metabolic functions. Oxygen plays a role in functions such as blood circulation and digestion of nutrients in our bodies, and it helps build healthier immune systems.

When people have trouble getting the proper amounts of oxygen, they may need help by wearing oxygen masks to help supplement their oxygen. The masks can control just how much oxygen they are receiving, and it gives them the needed oxygen to survive. Oxygen masks can be the difference between life and death.

So many things can rob us of oxygen such as the pollutants in the air. Eating the foods that are not healthy for us can deplete our oxygen as well, and some of those foods that rob us of our oxygen are junk foods, caffeinated drinks and fats. The best foods to eat that will help to preserve our oxygen are complex carbohydrates and fruits as well as vegetables since they are higher in oxygen making them better for us. Another factor that can rob us of oxygen is stress, and this stress can include our daily work, traumatic events and depression. These stress factors can cause our bodies to use up its oxygen quicker, and the effect of low oxygen in our bodies is important to our health and the way we live daily.

Mithul Mistry is writing on behalf of Pure O2, specialists in Oxygen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mithul_Mistry

Original article

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a term used to describe a syndrome that has a severe and frequent tiredness and is unable to be resolved by resting. CFS is different from general tiredness because there is no cause such as another disease for the condition.

The causes of CFS are not exactly known and doctors have theorized that it may be a result of the human herpes-6 virus or the Epstein-Barr virus, but an exact cause has yet to be pinpointed. An inflammation of the nervous system has also been hypothesized since a faulty immune system response can cause extreme tiredness.

CFS is most common in women between the ages of 30 to 50 and other factors such as age, stress, the environment, previous illnesses and genetics can influence its development.

The symptoms are similar to other illnesses, which makes it difficult to diagnose and may cause doctors to overlook the condition. It can be mistaken for the flu or other viral conditions. These typically include some or all of the following: headache, muscle aches and, of course, extreme fatigue and tiredness.

CFS differentiates from other illnesses if the symptoms persist for a period of at least 6 months. The symptoms appear as a new condition and are unable to be relieved by bed rest alone. CFS leaves an individual unable to do many of their normal activities. Other symptoms that may indicate that someone has CFS include feeling tired for more than 24 hours in a row, not feeling refreshed after a long rest period, problems concentrating, frequent forgetfulness, irritability, a constant and mild fever, sore throat or sore and swollen lymph nodes under the arms or in the neck.

To be diagnosed with CFS a doctor must first rule out other very common causes of fatigue such as drug or alcohol dependence, infections, muscle and nerve diseases, psychiatric or psychological illnesses, tumours and immune or autoimmune disorders which all have fatigue as a significant side effect.

While there are no specific tests for chronic fatigue, doctors have been able to see abnormal results with both white blood cell counts and on a brain MRI. Since there is no established cure for the disease, doctors focus on trying to relieve the symptoms as much as possible to make life comfortable. Treatment methods may include cognitive-behaviour theory, a healthy diet and sleep management.

Some medications may also be used in treatment to treat the symptoms including depression, pain and anxiety. Relaxation and stress-management can also improve the lives of those with CFS.

Original article

How to Use Portable Oxygen

Our bodies need oxygen to work well, and sometimes a person needs more oxygen than he or she can get by just breathing the natural air around them. An oxygen system is available to help them breathe with the right amounts of oxygen for their bodies to function better. An oxygen system can be portable making it convenient for travel or moving around inside the home, but the first step to having the oxygen available when needed is to learn how to use a portable oxygen system.

Some systems are light weight and can be carried over the shoulder by a strap, and some are rolled around on a small cart. No matter which system you choose, one of the most important things always to remember is to keep a check on the amount of oxygen left in your tank, which can be done by checking the indicator or pressure gauge. Another thing to check is to make sure that the rate of oxygen is set according to what you have been prescribed by your doctor, as this will determine how much oxygen you will be using. Just turn the valve on the top of the unit until it reads what the doctor prescribed. To start using your unit, just attach a tube to the unit and turn the valve on the top, and then, you will need to place the other end of the tube in your nose with the points of the tube turned up to receive the oxygen flow. The access tubing can be put behind your ears, so that the tubing will not slip. It is a simple and easy procedure to learn how to use your oxygen unit.

There are many safety measures to follow when using oxygen and one safety measure is to keep your oxygen system away from smoke or flames. Another safety measure is to make sure the flow is coming out appropriately by checking that the tubes are not twisted or hindered by any obstacles. It is always good to have your oxygen supplier's number close by in case of an emergency since they will need to be notified before you run out of oxygen or if there is any problems with the tanks. Being safe with oxygen is one of the most important steps in learning how to use a portable oxygen system since oxygen can be dangerous if used incorrectly. It is imperative to our health to have substantial amounts of oxygen, and the oxygen unit's help ensure we have enough oxygen.

Original article

How to Treat Asthma: Helping Children Deal With It

Some say that there are no short cuts in how to treat asthma especially for very young children and they are right. However, there is always an answer as to how you, especially if you are a parent, can help in alleviating the effects of asthma on your child. Luckily, the best way to treat the asthma condition of your child is through natural methods. Doctors and other medical practitioners would agree with this. In fact, even if they give prescriptive medications to their patients, they still recommend that their patients and the parents of children diagnosed with asthma to subject the asthmatic person to a healthy diet and regular exercise.

However, experts say that if you want to know how to treat asthma, you need to remember the top four factors on how you could control asthma using natural ways and that means not being dependent on prescriptive medications and this include: Environment, Diet, Breathing and Exercise. In almost all the sites that you check out online, you will be able to read about natural ways of treating asthma but most of them forgot to emphasize the need to really engage in what is natural because this is the basis of whether or not the patient will survive an asthma attack. These four factors play an essential role in ensuring that the child is healthy and in tip top shape to engage in all the activities that children their age should be doing.

Since asthma is a disease that can be triggered by pretty much everything that you can find in the environment, it is very important that you as a parent ensure that you know what could trigger the asthma attacks of your child. Your knowledge of this will lessen the frequency of the attacks allowing your child to live a normal life just like other kids without asthma. If you think adults are having a difficult time dealing with asthma and controlling its effects, then perhaps children diagnosed with asthma are dealing with something seemingly impossible. Not only will they suffer from difficulty in breathing but their young fragile bodies will also be exposed to a lot of stress and anxiety and children who are very young might not be able to survive without proper care.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that children with asthma have to deal with is the change in the diet that they have been used to. Children find it more difficult to make a shift in their diet plan particularly because they are still young and because they still do not understand why they could not eat chocolates or chicken. It is important that parents understand the foods and drinks that could trigger the asthma attack of their children particularly those that they are allergic too. Allergic reactions of asthmatic patients can be very serious that sometimes it can be fatal.

It has been an accepted fact that parents play a major role in the survival of their children especially those with asthma. It is important that parents understand what their child is up against so that they can prepare themselves and their child for whatever they might suffer form. Moreover, their knowledge of what could trigger allows them to explore the possibilities of treating asthma. Nothing beats parents who are prepared and ready for whatever task may come their way.

For more information on how to treat asthma and its symptoms, you can read more about it on my website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jars_Marley

Original article

Effective And Simple Asthma Home Remedies

Asthma is a respiratory disease that makes breathing difficult, particularly while exhaling. Pollens, allergens, irritants and bacteria can prompt an asthmatic attack. These include diet that causes allergy and environmental factors such as dust, dampness, smoke etc. Asthma home remedies can prove to be very useful and help to prevent an asthma attack.

Here are few effective and simple asthma home remedies that can provide the much needed relief from the symptoms of asthma attacks:

Lemon and Water:

Lemon and water are known to restrain purifying properties. Water flushes out the toxic substances and purifies the blood, whereas lemon or lime has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and expectorant agents that can easily break-down mucus.

Figs:

Fig, a fruit that helps to heal many illnesses, is also beneficial in asthma. Figs make the patient feel comfortable by depleting the phlegm. Clean 2-3 figs thoroughly with lukewarm water and soak in water overnight and have it first thing in the morning.

Bananas:

Bananas provide fast remedy for serious attacks. Heat a ripe banana in the microwave or on the stove, sprinkle black pepper powder on it and eat. This will open the air ways temporarily and allow free-flow of air which will help to subside the pain from an asthma attack. Though it is only a short term treatment; bananas offer one of the best asthma home remedies for instant relief.

Garlic:

Garlic contains natural anti-inflammatory agents that aid in treating asthma. It also reduces the quantity of mucous generated in the bronchial tubes. 1-2 garlic cloves can be chewed daily or garlic juice can be added to other vegetable juices and consumed.

Honey:

Honey effectively boosts the immune systems of the body which aids to treat and avoid asthma attacks. During an asthma attack, one can breathe in the vapors of honey by placing the jar under the nose. Alternatively, consuming a teaspoon of honey 3-4 times a day can alleviate the problem of asthma. It can also be added to a beverage.

Coffee:

The caffeine content in coffee works like the over the counter medicines, which aids to open the air passages of an asthma patient. Consuming 1-2 cups of coffee can reduce the asthma symptoms such as breathlessness and wheezing.

Mustard Oil and Camphor:

Rub the mixture of mustard oil and camphor on the chest if before going to sleep or if you experience breathing problems. Mustard oil infiltrates the skin and breaks down the phlegm which helps to ease asthma attacks. This mixture should not be taken internally. This is one of the most soothing asthma home remedies.

Other Home Remedies:

Additional effectual asthma home remedies comprise of bishop's weed which acts like an expectorant. Indian gooseberry that fortifies the immunity power, bitter gourd root that sustains antiviral properties and drumstick leaves which contain antibacterial properties. All of these are highly rich in vitamin C and can be used to treat asthma attacks.

Other Preventive Methods:

Avoid excessive eating before going to sleep as it may prompt an asthma attack. Try as eat at least 2-3 hours before bedtime. Steer clear of cigarette smoke or second hand smoke as well as smoke from wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. Wrap a scarf or wear a face mask if the weather is cold. Refrain from breathing in the cold air that is discharged from the freezer. Avoid keeping animals with fur as pet.

Keep The Home Clean:

Change the air conditioner and furnace filters each month to prevent recirculation of dust. Opt for latex pillows that are allergy-free rather than feather pillows. Additionally, use dust-resistant covers on mattresses and furniture. Keep your home neat and clean to minimize the chances of an asthma attack.

These were some of the effectual asthma home remedies that can be employed to obtain relief from asthma. Apart from these remedies, make a note of the factors like allergens, foods etc that triggers your asthma symptoms and aggravates the illness and try to evade them. Asthma attacks are extremely uncomfortable, but with few simple asthma home remedies and safety measures; you can easily keep asthma attacks at bay.

John Handson is a physician,he is specialized in asthma home remedies, he teaches folks the best treatment for asthma to raise health condition by handling asthma.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_De_Handson

Original article

How Do Steroids Help Asthma?

Steroids are a common treatment option for people suffering from asthma. Often used in combination with an anti-inflammatory drug, the steroids help reduce inflammation in the lungs and airways. Steroids also help dry out excessive mucus production. They successfully reduce the irritation that can trigger an episode. The drugs can safely eliminate or reduce attacks.

Cortisteroids and steroids are usually used together. The drugs are usually inhaled or taken orally. Leukotriene modifier drugs, mast cell stabilizers and immunomodulators, known as IgE blockers, work with steroids to control the sufferer's attacks.

The most effective steroids are inhaled by the sufferer. Overtime, the drug quickly reduces airway inflammation and dries up mucus. Inhaled steroids will reduce the severity of the attacks and lessen their occurrence. This will help reduce the need for hospitalization.

A sufferer must take inhaled steroids daily to be effective. The person will begin to experience less attacks in one to three weeks using an inhaled steroid. The best effects take up to three weeks to achieve.

Three forms of inhaled steroids are available: dry powder inhalers, nebulizers and metered dose inhalers. Inhaled steroids work well for both adults and children. The sufferer will initially be prescribed a low dose. Inhaled steroids have very few side effects. In high doses a person may develop thrush. If thrush develops, it is usually treated with an anti-fungal mouthwash.

Over time and continued use of inhaled steroids, the sufferer will become less dependent on reliever inhalers, known as beta-agonist bronchodilators. Patients who respond well to inhale steroids will be advised to reduce their dosage as the airways suffer less inflammation.

People who suffer from severe attacks require systemic steroids such as prednisone. Systemic steroids treat excessive attacks or help control extreme long-term attacks. The drugs take approximately three hours after ingestion to take effect and do not reach full potential for six to 12 hours after ingestion. Systemic steroids are often prescribed in large doses over the course of a few days for immediate control. For long-term treatment, systemic steroids are prescribed in a low dose for years.

Side effects of systemic steroids can appear months or years later. Systemic steroids may cause weight gain, acne, upset stomach, bone loss, eye problems or personality disorders. Children may experience growth delays. Short term use rarely causes side effects.

Many patients cease taking steroids because they begin to suffer less asthma attacks. Despite the reduced attacks, the airways can still remain inflamed. A patient should never reduce or cease taking a steroid unless advised to do so by the prescribing doctor. A chronic condition, the disorder often lasts a lifetime and steroids will always be required to control it. Some people can successfully cease taking the steroids if advised to do so by a physician.

Mithul Mistry is writing on behalf of Pure O2, specialists in Asthma.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mithul_Mistry

Original article

Salon Chemicals Air Purifier - 5 Most Important Features To Have In Your Cleaner

Daily exposure to the chemical fumes that off gas from products used in beauty and nail salons make you more susceptible to the short and long term effects of breathing these VOCs (volatile organic chemicals)

Getting these chemicals out of the air consistently and efficiently is a must to preserve the health of those frequent your salon. Here are the 5 most important features to select in the air cleaner for your shop.

Carbon Filter---Carbon is the best type of filter to use to remove airborne chemicals. It has proven itself to be effective at being a able to gaseous pollutants such as odors, gases, and chemicals. But even carbon filters need help when it comes to trapping VOCs such as formaldehyde and other chemical vapors that off gas from all too many beauty products.

Potassium Iodide continues to prove to be effective at enhancing carbon's ability to effectively filter and remove airborne chemicals from salons. And whereas a filter with just carbon can remove some, a filter with this additive is much more efficient.

Wheels---Most cleaners work by pulling in air that is closest to it first, filtering the air and sending it back into the room displacing more air. This process repeats again and again until all the air that is available to open to the cleaner has been filtered.

Choosing a cleaner with sturdy wheels or casters gives you the ability to roll the cleaner closer to a station where a particularly smelly procedure is to occur. This means that the fumes from that procedure will be the first to be pulled into the cleaner. This will lessen the overall smell and help prevent it from spoiling air quality all over the salon.

24 Hour Operation---Once chemicals evaporate into the air, some of them hang there for hours. Without continuous filtration, you will find that you walk into the salon in the morning still smelling the chemicals from procedures that were done the previous day. This stale air is no way to start the day and is certainly not the first impression you want customers to have when entering your salon.

A purifier with a split capacitor motor is necessary if you are to be able to trust the unit to run 24 hours a day. This type of motor is designed to run continuously with high revolutions per minute (RPM) and long life duty. Without this feature, you may be restricted to running the cleaner for limited time during the day.

Limited cleaning is like limited heating or cooling of the air in your salon. It just doesn't make the salon a pleasant or healthy place to be.

Long Life Filter---A filter that lasts for a long time is important for 3 reasons. First, if the filter in the cleaner is working properly without any attention from you, it allows you to use your time in ways other than maintaining the filter.

And secondly, since maintenance usually means an interruption in its operation, your air is being filtered without interruption. And third (my personal favorite), if the filter last a long time you spend less money on replacement filters.

Be sure to check the technical specifications online or in the owner's manual to see how long the filter is expected to last. If the filter life is only 6 months or even a year, leave it on the shelf.Frequent filter changes significantly add to the cost of operating the unit.

Instead choose a cleaner that not only has a filter life of 5 years, but one that offers a warranty on the filter in case it does not last that long. A pro-rated filter warranty is one of the best ways to insure that your filter will last.

Substantial Purifier Warranty---Make sure that the cleaner you choose has more than a 6 month or one year warranty. Should anything go wrong after this time, you are likely to have to pay for expensive repairs or buy a new unit. Either of these scenarios send the cost of the unit through the roof.

Instead, choose a cleaner that is guaranteed to last for 5 years, and one that the manufacture is willing to repair even after the warranty period is over. This means you are more likely to be able to get the parts that may be necessary for any repair, but it also indicates that you will probably never have to use the service.

A manufacture couldn't make money if they had to continually repair their units. So a long warranty is probably one of the best indications you can have that the cleaner is well built and will last far beyond the warranty period.

Filter salon chemicals from your air continually with the Beauty Salon Air Purifier from PurerAir.com at http://purerair.com/beauty_salon_purifier.html

Original article

Asthma Diet: Is It A Hoax Or Not?

Did you know that an asthma diet can eliminate the risk of having asthma attacks? If you are asthmatic, you must be wondering if it is even possible. But if you study your condition closely, you will realize that asthma attacks only happen when it is triggered. Therefore, it can be avoided if you prevent yourself from the triggers. Asthma is a disease that can't be truly taken out of our body but it can definitely be controlled when you follow the proper methods. Avoiding the triggering factors of asthma may be the most effective means to control it. An asthma diet includes all the systematic means to avoid asthma attacks. A walk through this article will shed light on these methods.

What To Consider In Preparing A Diet?

Having an asthma diet requires a thorough preparation. In needs you to consider all the factors that may trigger asthma attacks and all the remedies that may be used in trying to counter the attack. In the following list are the steps in making a better diet plan:

* Maintain a healthy food and physical diet. One of the things that cause asthma is food. You see, asthma is a respiratory disease that affects the passage ways of air that you breathe. This means that if you are fond of eating fatty foods that lets you gain weight, you will be affecting the space that your respiratory system need. When an asthma attack happens, an obese person may have a hard time retrieving his breaths because his lungs are pressed with excess fats. Exercise and avoiding too much work also help.

* Allergy-causing food must be avoided. Foods often trigger allergies which are one of the most commonly known causes of asthma. Make list of these allergy-causing foods and try to avoid them every time you eat. This is also a good way of reminding you what to eat and what not to eat. Make the list handy so you can remind yourself.

* Visit your Doctor. Make a professional diagnosis about what type of asthma are you having. This is helpful in pointing out the proper actions and things that you must avoid. This also gives you a clear idea as to what kind of asthma diet that you should follow.

* Make your medications handy. One of the things why asthma diet is important is you get to make a list of the medications that you need. An asthma attack can happen anytime. So, making your medications handy is necessary. You don't want to be caught off-guard when having an attack. Asthma inhalers, for instance, should always be available whether in your pocket or in your bag. These medications prevent the damage that asthma posses.

* Observe your asthma. Asthma often develops as time goes. A mild asthma may evolve to a more serious one and vice versa. A change can affect even the type of asthma inhaler that you are using. It is important to keep track of its development so that you can adjust your asthma diet and medications.

It Is Your Best Defense

Your asthma diet is your best defense to the risk of asthma-caused damages. They are truly possible if prepared well. If you are asthmatic, there is no better way of trying to counter the ill effects of asthma to you than having a diet that both counters and prevents asthma. Start by knowing yourself well and by visiting your doctor today!

Asthma Diet can be achieved if you have the proper Asthma Inhaler that your doctor have prescribed. You can visit the author's website for more information about asthma.

Original article