Traditional Asthma Medication - Essay Example

Introduction Asthma, affects a total of 300 million people worldwide. The National Asthma Council of Australia defines asthma as a reversible narrowing of the airways of the lungs and symptoms include wheezing, coughing (particularly at night), chest tightness, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath (www.nationalasthma.org.au). Asthma is a treatable disease, however currently there is no cure. Asthma in Austrailia is among the highest in the world. It is estimated that 1 out 10 Australians, which is equivalent to over 2 million people in Australia live with Asthma. According to Health Insight 10-15% of all children and 10-12% of all adults in Austrailia have asthma (www.healthinsight.gov.org.au). Asthma is caused by either a narrowing or block in the bronchial tubes. The bronchial tubes narrow from being blocked by mucous and swelling or they are squeezed from the muscles outside Asthma Triggers A person may have asthma without having flare ups for long periods of time. Asthma can be a continual disease, however there are typically triggers that initiate the bout. According to Web MD there are several triggers to asthma and identifying which culprit flares one asthma episode will allow the individual to off-set attacks (www.webmd.com/asthma). Allergies are a known asthma trigger. It is estimated that up to 80% of people with asthma are allergic to airborne substances. Certain foods can also flare up asthma. Additives that can be found in certain foods can bring on an attack. Excessive exercise can also be a culprit. Strenuous exercise can cause narrowing of the airways which makes it difficult to breathe. It is stated that severe heartburn and asthma have a direct connection. Gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease) causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus. If the stomach acid reaches into the the throat or airways then an asthma attack can be triggered. Smoking is another asthma trigger as smoking interferes with lung functioning. Introducing smoke into an asthmatic body only worsens the condition and further obstructs airway passages. Sinusitis and upper respiratory infections cause more mucous to be produced in that line the sinuses which can also bring on asthma attacks. When airways get inflamed then sinusitis may occur triggering asthma attacks. Infections are another thing that can bring on asthma attacks. This common cause can be found to bring on asthma attacks especially in children under 10. Along with the preceding triggers, medications are also a culprit. It is common for those with asthma to have sensitivity to certain medications especially anti-inflammatory drugs and beta blockers. Irritants also trigger asthma. Irritants can be smoke, strong perfume, cleaning agents and/or air pollution. Finally, weather and strong emotions. Changes in temperature and stress are not good for asthmatics as both can trigger asthma attacks (www.wbmd.com/asthma). Traditional Asthma Medication Once someone is diagnosed with asthma, then the proper medication should be found. According to the brochure Asthma medications and delivery devices, there are three main groups of medication. These three main groups are made up of preventers, relievers and symptom controllers (www.asthmaaustrailia.org.au). Preventers are daily medications that are either inhaled or taken orally and they work to make the airways less sensitive. Preventers also reduce redness and swelling while drying up mucous inside the airways. Most of these medications are corticosteroids which are more commonly known as steroids and they are similar to the steroids that the body naturally produce. Relievers are the medications that provide relief from asthma symptoms within minutes. Relievers function to relax the muscles around the airways allowing the air to move through the air flow passages. Relievers are provided in the form of inhalents and are usually taken every four hours. The final form of relief for asthma are the symptom controllers. Symptom controllers are introduced into the body in the form of inhalents and provide longer periods of relief compared to relievers. This form of medication is only prescribed to those who are taking regular inhaled steroid preventers. Nontraditional Asthma Medication The aforemention medications are traditional ways to treat asthma using the sciences of modern medicines. However, there are nontraditional ways to treat asthma that include holistic medicines and alternative solutions. This avenue takes on a more natural approach to the treatment and prevention of asthma attacks. One such initiative is to reduce airborne allergies. This can be accomplished by removing carpets, rugs and pets such as cats and dogs from the home. All these things can harbor allergens and flare up asthma attacks. However, if one is a pet lover than the pet should be washed weekly and carpet should be vacuumed regularly with special vacuum and products that reduce airborne allergens. Also, dusting throughout should be done regularly and especially in the bedroom. Dusting regularly helps remove dust mites which are also triggers to asthma attacks. It is also important to know thyself. If food is a culprit, then one should identify their food sensitivities and eliminate those foods from their diets. Also, magnesium should be introduced into the diet. magnesium is known to have the ability to relieve muscle spasm even from the muscles around the lungs. Green tea and herbal medicines may be tried. There are herbal medicines and green tea that act as bronchodilators which open the bronchi for easier air flow. If lack stomach acid is the culprit, then one should introduce hydrochloric acid supplements into the diet. Hydrochloric supplements help the stomach produce normal levels of stomach acid. Finally, such vitamins such as C1, B6 and B12 should be tried. These vitamins are known to have important nutrients that help reduce asthma attacks. The aforementioned are supplements and suggestions that are recommended, however there is another alternative solution that should be tried. Sinus irrigation systems, such as the hydro-pulsator, are devices that use a water solution to cleanse the nasal passageway and can be purchase via internet. This sinus irrigation system massages the nasal cilia to restore their normal, healthy state while cleansing the sinuses from allergents the trigger asthma attacks. The sinus irrigation systems work by creating a vibration that remove allergents in the nasal passage, throat and lungs. Discussion & Recommendation Patient X is a 30 year old man who had been diagnosed with asthma which is currently being treated by ventolin inhaler, but more recently has been using the ventolin puffer using 3 puffs 4 times a day. Patient x is otherwise a healthy man with no other known medical conditions and is not taking any other medication. It is recommended that patient x begin seeking alternative solutions for this problem. First, patient x should remove carpets and pets from the home. Dusting frequency should be increased and green tea and magnesium should be introduced into the diet. The patient should also purchase a sinus irrigation system in which he uses 3 times a day with the third treatment being done before bedtime. The sinus irrigation process only takes 3 minutes in time, therefore eliminating time sensitivity. This solution should be monitored and aligned with the approval of patients x doctor. This remedy should be tested on a trial basis for 30 days to measure effectiveness and allow for penetration into the respiratory system. Also, a reliever inhalent should accompany this solution and only be taking as needed to allow for the alternative solution to take effect. The reliever inhalent will help open constricted airways while the body adapts to the new form of medicine. This solution is recommended because the patient is a relatively healthy man with no other diagnosed ailment and also because the body can create immunity to medicines which in turn renders medicines less effective. Works Cited Asthma Causes and Triggers. 2008 July 20 [Internet] Available from: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/asthma-triggers? Asthma Foundations. Asthma medications and delivery devices. 2008. [Internet] Available from: http//www.asthmaaustraulia.org.au/info/medications/pdf Asthma in Austrailia. Asthma Statistics. 2008. [Internet] Available from: http://www.healthinsight.gov.org.au/topics/Asthma_Statistics National Asthma Handbook. Asthma definition. [Internet] [Updated 2009 April 15. Cited 2010 May 15]. Available from: http//www.nationalasthma.org.au/training/citation/vancouv.pdf Read More