There are few things scarier in life than not being able to catch one’s breath. If a person cannot breathe, he cannot live. Patients with asthma have to live with the very real possibility that they could have a severe asthma attack, making it difficult for them to breathe. In fact, a severe asthma attack can cause a person to die. Almost twenty million people in the United States have asthma (1) and have to live with that fear.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic condition that affects a person’s breathing by causing the inside of his airways to become inflamed. This inflammation then causes his airways to become more sensitive to irritants and then tightens his airways after exposure to those irritants, allowing less air to make it to the lungs. Of course, less air to the lungs means more difficulty breathing.

What are the Symptoms of Asthma?

Common asthma symptoms are coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and difficulty breathing which shows up as noisy or fast breathing. In children, asthma can show up in symptoms such as frequent coughing spells-and this may be the only symptom; rapid breathing; a loss of energy; shortness of breath; wheezing; tightened muscles in the neck and chest; labored breathing and tiredness. Children typically do not have all of those symptoms, but they will have some of them.

What is an Asthma Attack?

An asthma attack is what happens when the asthma symptoms suddenly worsen. The muscles surrounding the airways spasm, the lining of the airways become more swollen and the mucous it produces is thick. This alone will make it difficult to breathe. Besides the wheezing and shortness of breath, other symptoms that can happen during an asthma attack are lengthy coughing fits, chest pain, very rapid breathing, blueness in the extremities and lips, difficulty speaking, anxiety or panic, pale face, and sweating.

How Prevalent is Asthma?

Each day in America, asthma causes 40,000 people to miss school or work. 30,000 people each day have an asthma attack. 5,000 asthma patients go to the emergency room each day with 1,000 being admitted. Unfortunately, eleven asthma patients die each day from asthma (2).

What Can a Person Do if He Thinks He has Asthma?

If a person thinks he has asthma, he needs to see his doctor as soon as possible. The doctor will determine if it is indeed asthma by taking a history, asking about symptoms and running some tests. The doctor will then work with the patient to find the right combination of medicines-both fast-acting medicines that work to try to relieve symptoms quickly and long-term control medicines that will also help control symptoms in the long term. The doctor may also recommend allergy testing as allergies are a common cause of asthma attacks. In addition, there are wonderful, natural medicines that help relieve asthma symptoms and prevent attacks. They can be taken in conjunction with prescribed medications and have no side effects.

References:

(1) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html

(2) http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8⊂=42