Childhood Asthma - How To Use Air Humidifiers To Soothe Your Child's Wheezing

During the last 15 years, there has been an alarming 160% increase in the rate of asthma in children under the age of five. Sadly many of these children could have been prevented from ever developing asthma. If asthma is confirmed for your young one, you need to educate yourself on treating and managing this chronic disease. According to the experts knowledge is the best prescription.

Asthma occurs when the bronchial tubes become inflamed, creating extra mucus and causing airways to narrow. The end result could range from a frequent tendency to cough to minor wheezing to severe difficulty breathing.

It's a well-known fact that asthma symptoms are set off or triggered by certain environmental substances. For unknown reasons, your child's body "sees" these triggers as threats, even though most kids are not bothered by them. The lungs typically overreact by triggering an asthma attack.

Air humidifiers are an excellent way to add humidity to your home and hopefully relax the stressed-out bronchial tubes of the lungs. Sometimes it is the cold, dry air that agitates the lungs and causes them to constrict and narrow. You can improve this condition by making small changes to your home environment.

If you add warm, humidified air, this may relax the lungs and allow more air in. These easy steps can add humidity to your home without adding more stress to your life:

Step 1: Determine the humidity in your home. Prior to choosing any humidifier, try to select one that will suit your home. If you are not sure that you really need a humidifier, you may want to measure the humidity level in your home with a hygrometer. It is inexpensive and easy to operate. Once you have a humidity level that you are comfortable with, the humidistat feature in the humidifier can help you to keep a constant level of humidity at home.

Step 2: You should measure the area. Whether you choose a warm mist humidifier or cool mist humidifier, look for a model that fits the room. A humidifier that is too large will produce too much moisture and one that is too small will not do the right job. Too much humidity will cause more bacteria to grow and this will lead to additional problems.

Step 3: Find a model that is resistant to bacterial growth. Bacteria are nasty little creatures that like to live where there is moisture. You can make sure that they won't grow in your humidifier by choosing one that is resistant to the growth of mold and bacteria. Your other choice is to clean it on a regular basis.

Step 4: Look for a quiet model. Humidifiers can be quite noisy when they are in use. Cool mist humidifiers have a fan that is constantly going and warm mist humidifiers tend to make a bubbling noise. When it comes to noise level, your best option is to look for a model that has a 'silent' feature.

Step 5: Check for ease of use. When shopping for an air humidifier, you should check each model to see if it is easy to use and easy to refill. The better air humidifiers operate longer on one filling and won't interrupt your daily activities. Models with the reservoir capacity of one litres to five gallons are easier to use and keep the humidity for a longer time.

The first and most important step is to take charge of your child's asthma. Parents of asthmatic children suffer a range of contradictory feelings. It is natural for them to be concerned about medications and look for alternative treatments. While an air humidifier cannot medically treat asthma attacks, it can provide a warm, moist environment so that your little one can sleep at night.

Lynn Versailles is a registered nurse and a life-long sufferer of asthma. She has personally been affected with this chronic respiratory problem and wishes to help others. Through years of research and life experiences, she shares her knowledge on how to properly manage asthma on http://www.safetreatmentsforasthma.com/. To learn more, download The Ultimate Asthma Management Guide. It is a free online guide on medical treatments and natural remedies to properly manage this illness.

Original article

Did You Know That A Chiropractor Can Help With Your Child's Asthma?

Jonny, is a five-year-old boy, who has been suffering from bronchial asthma for the past three years. His attacks were now coming daily and he was on increasing doses of medication, which included the bronchodilator spray, Ventolin, and steroids.

In the last 3 years Jonny has been hospitalised 6 times due to his asthma and as a result he has missed out on 50% of his schooling. Because of his asthma, Jonny's quality of life has slowly diminished, he is unable to socialise with his peers let alone undertake all the activities a 5 year old should be part of.
Jonny's mother was very concerned about her son's condition. She had just been told by Jonny's physician that his medication dosage could not be increased any further at his age, even though his asthma attacks were occurring daily and were quite debilitating.

A friend of Jonny's mother recommended she try her Chiropractor, as she was able to help with her daughter's asthma. On his first visit, the Chiropractor noticed a slight spinal problem in Jonny - in the area associated with asthma. Following 8 Chiropractic visits over a period of 2 ½ weeks, his mother stated that Jonny had not needed to use his inhaler for 2 days. In addition to this, his wheezing had ceased and he could run without grasping for air. Follow up assessment 4 months later revealed that Jonny had been free of asthmatic attacks and had not required his medication since his last adjustment. He is now able to participate in soccer (his favourite sport), is able to run around with his friends and has not missed another day from school.

So how did Chiropractic help Jonny with his asthma?

Before we can understand how a Chiropractor can help with asthma, we must first understand what asthma is and how it affects your child.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a lung condition which occurs when there is a narrowing of the airways due to constriction and inflammation of the airways. Symptoms may include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. There is increased evidence that if left untreated, asthma may cause a long term decline in lung function. Currently, there is no real cure for asthma. Instead doctors prescribe medication as a way to temporarily manage their symptoms.

Some side effects of asthma medication include: poor growth, osteoporosis, stomach upset, nausea, wheezing, headaches, skin rash, poor liver function, cough, sneezing, allergic reactions, sinus infections, nose bleeds, upper respiratory tract infections, anaphylaxis, feeling faint or dizzy, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, and the list goes on.

With this list of side effects, is medication a safe way to manage asthma? What is a possible alternative? Chiropractic care has been shown to be effective in alleviating the symptoms related to asthma due to the belief that there is a strong link between asthma and interference with the nervous system and the spine.

How can Chiropractic help your child with asthma?

Chiropractors believe that there is a strong relationship between the spine and asthma. The nerves from your child's spinal cord passes through the spine and travels to the different organs of the body. The nerves from the mid-back region carry vital information to your child's lungs to allow them to function optimally. When a spinal misalignment exists (subluxation) in this area of your child's spine, it may cause nerve pressure and affect the function of the lungs. This in-turn may contribute to asthma.

Removal of this irritation, allows the nerves to send the right information through to the lungs, and allow it to function optimally. The result... healthier lungs. This is how a Chiropractor can help alleviate the effects of asthma.

While medication aims to mask the symptoms of asthma, a Chiropractor aims to correct the actual cause - subluxations. Since Chiropractors are the only health professionals qualified to identify and correct these subluxations, taking your child to see a Chiropractor for their asthma just makes sense!

Parents are often surprised to find that a Chiropractor can help babies and children. They often ask, "isn't my child too young to have a spinal problem?" The answer I always give is a resounding NO! Did you know that the first spinal problem usually develops at birth? And many times it remains undetected? In my busy Ramsgate practice, I have helped many children with asthma. Some were able to get off their medication, and others are now able to enjoy a more comfortable life.

Chiropractic adjustments for children are very gentle, and sometimes even quite ticklish. Spinal adjustments by a qualified Chiropractor are safe and highly effective!

Many children (and adults for that matter) around the world visit a Chiropractor to help them with their asthma. If you are tired of seeing your child suffer and would like a more natural approach to their asthma consider a qualified Chiropractor.

By Dr Maria Ananakis (Chiropractor)

Dr Maria Ananakis (Chiropractor) graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Chiropractic Science and a Masters of Chiropractic. She owns and operates her own busy chiropractic practice in Sydney. She has a special interest in holistic family care and helps people of all ages varying from newborns through to the grandparents.

Dr Maria frequently gives talks to different groups, schools, gyms, businesses, and organisations throughout the community sharing her passion for chiropractic care. She also enjoys writing various articles for newspapers, magazines to help the public towards achieving great health.

Other interests within the profession include treating stress, babies and children, pregnancy, headaches, back pain, low energy, arthritis, women's health issues, such as fertility; and sports injuries. Dr Maria prefers natural and holistic care and aims to help people with a variety of issues by ensuring the nervous system is free to work without interference and using chiropractic, visceral procedures, applied kinesiology, and rehabilitative procedures that follow extensive neurological, postural, biomechanical, visceral, muscular, and nutritional testing to give you the care you need for overall body health and well-being.

Original article