About 20 million - or one in four Americans - have asthma. The disease is responsible for 5,000 deaths yearly and causes 40,000 people to miss school or work daily.
In asthma, the main air passages of your lungs, the bronchial tubes, become inflamed and tighten due to exposure to certain allergens or irritants. As the tubes tighten, extra mucus is produced that aggravates the problem, making breathing difficult. Symptoms can be so severe that breathing is labored. This is when asthma becomes life-threatening.
Ironically, despite the presence of many good asthma specialists, educators, and even books about the subject, there are a lot of misconceptions and myths about the disease. This creates more confusion, needless suffering, and unnecessary deaths. To clear up this matter, here are some common asthma myths you might encounter and the facts behind them:
Asthma is all in the mind Once it was thought that asthma was a psychological problem and that it would go away on its own. While it's true that emotional stress may aggravate your asthma, this doesn't mean you should dismiss your condition as simply psychological. Asthma is very real and can be serious enough to kill you. That's why it's important to bring your problem to a competent physician or health professional.
Asthmatics should maintain a strict non-allergenic diet Since very few attacks are caused by food allergies, there's no need to starve to death. Simply observe that foods affect you or trigger an attack and avoid them. Eat the rest.
Asthma medicines make the disease worse Modern medications prescribed by your doctor are safe and designed to help you breathe easier so you can live a normal life. As your disease is controlled, you may even need less medicine in the future. Some medicines do have side effects but these are few and generally well tolerated compared to the dangers of an uncontrolled asthma attack. Without the right medicines, your asthma could get worse and you may find it even more difficult to breathe. While death from asthma is rare, it can happen. That's why you should take your prescribed medicines regularly to avoid trouble.
Eating lizards will relieve asthma Although lizards have ephedrine, a bronchodilator once used for asthma, you shouldn't eat them! This drug has many serious side effects such as blood pressure elevation and nausea and is no longer recommended in view of other safer and more effective asthma medicines available today.
To lessen your chances of developing asthma, avoid known irritants and asthma triggers like cigarette smoke, strong odors, air pollutants, strong emotions, stress, physical exertion, cockroaches, and dust mites. One helpful strategy is to avid obesity and maintain a healthy weight. You can do this with the help of Phenocal, a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels for a leaner, healthier you. Check out http://www.phenocal.com for details.
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine thearticleinsiders.com.
Recent Articles
You can print this article by clicking the printer icon at the top this of page.
Ask, answer questions or add more facts concerning "Common Asthma Myths" below. Your comment will NOT show up right away, it will be sent for approval before it will appear here. Please bookmark this page so you can check back for possible replies and answers to your questions.
Support Disabled World by linking to this article - Common Asthma Myths
Ask, answer questions or add more facts concerning "Common Asthma Myths" below.