Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is meant to be a substitute for medical advice or care. PLEASE see your doctors if you are an asthma and/or allergy sufferer and ask questions if you have any! This is only meant to be informative. Feel free to ask questions. Please do your own research into these issues as well. Asthma and allergies are NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT!
Asthma is a debilitating disease that here, even at this late date of 2012, doctors and researchers are still struggling to understand. Asthma costs the U.S. taxpayers $50 billion dollars and over 24 million Americans (7 million of those children) are affected. This is a serious issue and one a lot of people don't give much consideration to.
Allergies affect 1 in 5 Americans, or over 50 million people. More allergies are being reported than ever before. 6% of allergy sufferers have food and drug related allergies, most of these being children.
So, why am I blogging about this? Well, Asthma and Allergies directly affect my line of work. Asthma is one of the top diseases we as case managers outreach for, because there are steps to help prevent flares. It's something I've seen hit home in devastating ways, as my mom and grandfather are serious asthma sufferers. And it's something that is growing in direct relation to the quality of air in our communities. And it can be related directly to where you live. According to the Environmental Health Perspectives:
"Asthma morbidity and mortality are disproportionately high in urban centers, and minority children are especially vulnerable. Factors that contribute to this dilemma include inadequate preventive medical care for asthma management, inadequate asthma knowledge and management skills among children and their families, psychosocial factors, and environmental exposure to allergens or irritants."
But there's more to the story than that. There has also been many studies done that link exposure to common allergens early in life as REDUCING allergy suffering and asthma. What does this mean? Does this mean you should smoke around your children? No. Smoking around infants will bring on asthma at an earlier age, and asthma at an early age is particularly devastating. So what does this mean?
Science is showing that children who live in farming environments and rural communities as opposed to major urban centers have a lower incidence of major allergies. This may be related to bacteria present in the soil, but also exposure early on spurs the immune system into action. It's also been found that super insulated urban environments (apartments and such) are perfect breeding grounds for dust mites and molds. But the most glaring and obvious factor that increases the rate of asthma/allergies in urban environments is a higher exposure to diesel exhaust pollution.
So, what can you do? Obviously, if you're a city dweller, you can't likely pack up and move you and your kids to a farm easily. But you can take preventative steps to help reduce exposure to allergens/asthma triggers. These include good heating, humidifying and air conditioning units, hypo-allergenic bedding and FREQUENT washings to reduce dust mites. mold inspections, air purifiers. For asthma, try to avoid extremes of heat and cold, put a scarf over your face before you go out. Make sure that if you are using an rescue inhaler frequently that you are talking to your doctor about a daily controller medication! If it's not working, keep asking! Don't rely on a rescue inhaler (something like albuterol) to get you through. Warm drinks during an immediate attack can be helpful, so can slow focus on your breathing. Always stay well hydrated, this thins the mucous down and goes for both allergy and asthma sufferers.
Diet plays a very important role in asthma and allergies. More and more people are finding that milk allergies and gluten or wheat allergies are affecting their symptoms. Most aren't aware that they even have tolerance issues with these until they eliminate them from their diet. That being said, it's NOT advisable to go on something like a gluten free diet without talking it over with your doctor first. Why? Because if you don't get tested BEFORE you start, it's very likely you will test positive for a gluten intolerance after you've cut it out for a while, leading to a misdiagnosis. Check with your doctor first, then look into an elimination diet. A lot of people find them to be extremely helpful!
Lead has also been shown to increase sensitivity to allergens and increase the likelihood of asthma exacerbation. This has to do with cells formed in your bone marrow called dendric cells. I won't get all technical on you, but you need these and lead exposure reduces their numbers. Lead is still found in many older homes, and can also be present in the dust of construction sites, especially where older homes are being torn down or renovated. Children should be lead tested from ages one to two, especially if they are at risk or considered as such. Not all practices will do this. You can ask for it to be done and a lot of local health clinics will provide this service, especially in high risk areas.
So..did you know there is also a link between asthma, allergies and...autism? The link is not yet understood but there seems to be a definite relationship. It gives you pause to think about pollution, our living environments and what it's really doing to us, doesn't it?
No comments:
Post a Comment