Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease which causes obstruction of the lungs' airflow characterized by varying degrees of recurring symptoms. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dyspnea, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. Approximately 300 million people worldwide suffer from this condition.
When you have asthma attacks, two events occur in the lungs: there is inflammation and constriction of the muscles surrounding your airways. The narrowed airways would result to symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. Increasing evidence shows that untreated asthma would cause a lasting decline in lung function. Therefore, prevention is very important rather than allowing the symptoms to turn into something more serious. Even if there are no apparent symptoms, asthma will still be there. You may discontinue preventive medications when the symptoms stop. You must understand that the underlying problems of asthma require daily treatment. Although there are many medications for asthma, if you are not taking them regularly/properly, chances are that these medications will not be effective for you.
What causes asthma? Well, there is really no known exact cause of asthma. It tends to run in some families. However, no single gene is responsible for asthma. Asthma itself is not hereditary, but there seems to be a hereditary component influencing predisposition to have asthma. One main hypothesis states that contact with different allergens in the surrounding environment combined with inherited risks develop into asthma.
Asthmatic people are aware of some (if not all) triggers for asthma. Some of these are dust, weather conditions such as very cold temperatures, and things that contain pollens. Common cold and flu infections can also trigger asthma. Additionally, intense work and stress may also activate asthma symptoms.
At present, there is no known cure for asthma. Its treatment is focused on the management of the asthma symptoms with medications. Therefore, most asthmatic people manage this condition with persistent drug intake throughout their lives. These medications often yield unwanted side effects such as headaches, indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, and loss of sleep. As a result, more people are searching for other means of managing asthma symptoms, those which are more natural and convenient. Some settle for appropriate dietary changes while others limit themselves from getting exposed to allergens that can trigger their asthma episodes.
Chiropractic is a kind of health care profession which theorizes that mechanical disorders of our musculoskeletal system, mainly the spine, affect our overall health condition through our nervous system. It focuses on early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of such disorders. Categorized as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), its main technique in treating the disorder involves manual rehabilitation, which includes manipulation of the soft tissues, joints, and the spine. It also includes fitness counseling and exercises.
Chiropractic treatment yielded positive results from several clinical studies and trials. Early intervention is very important. Patients who underwent chiropractic rehabilitation observed that it improved their lives to the point that some of them did not need their inhaler medications anymore.
Misalignments in the spinal column cause different health conditions because it is there where the important nerves are located. When the vertebrae pinch the nerves, the latter are restricted of their usefulness. In Australia, Dr. Ray Hayek conducted a clinical study involving 420 patients with an average age of 46. He wanted to know whether spinal manipulation has an effect on their general health status, psychological well being, and their immune levels. He wanted to verify whether the various forms of manual therapy lower cortisol levels and relieve symptoms in asthma patients. To determine its efficacy, he tested the concentrations of cortisol, an immunosuppressant, and immunoglobulin (IgA). According to Dr. Hayek, the patient group who received spinal manipulation portrayed considerable improvement in asthma symptoms. Additionally, the patients presented dramatic decrease of cortisol and increase in IgA even after the treatment for asthma had ceased. This suggests that chiropractic therapy affects the patients' health in the long run. It may also indicate that chiropractic manipulations are expected to decrease the incidence and severity of airway invasions by pathogens. Under these situations, there would be decreased risk of experiencing asthma symptoms.
No comments:
Post a Comment