Allergies are among the most universal medical disorders affecting Americans at the moment. An allergic reaction is an immune system reaction to a stimulus from the environment. The body falsely identifies the stimulus as unfavorable, and attempts to combat it, causing the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The widespread symptoms are an itching or runny nose, irritated eyes, coughing and wheezing.
One very common type of allergy is asthma. It is a chronic allergy that directly affects the lungs and airways in the body. The airways are easily aggravated by allergens and a thick lining of mucus builds up. Allergens and other stimuli can cause an asthma attack, including temperature variations, humidity changes, smoke and pollen. Normally, an asthma attack consists of various respiratory symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Another symptom of asthma is shortness of breath.
Symptoms of an asthma attack are caused by the air passages reacting to the allergen or trigger. When exposed to a trigger, the air passages become irritated and narrow, resulting in the respiratory symptoms. These symptoms may range from moderate to ominous, depending on the severity of the allergy. Any asthma symptom can be scary, and should be taken seriously.
Asthma is commonly diagnosed in childhood, because symptoms tend to manifest by the age of five. At present, it affects around ten to twelve percent of all children, and has been steadily increasing. There is no definitive known reason for the rise, but risk factors include exposure to cigarette smoke, other allergies and a history of other respiratory infections. In addition, the odds of being diagnosed are raised in males and African Americans.
At present, there are scores of different types of asthma medicines and treatments that may efficiently diminish symptoms. Two important types of asthma medication are fast-acting medicine to treat symptoms during an attack, and controlling medicine, which is taken regularly to diminish the chance of having an attack. Short-acting Beta-2 Antagonists (SABAs) are bronchodilators, which is a type of fast acting medicine that facilitates opening air passages and relieving the symptoms of an attack, and are commonly given through asthma inhalators. This type of medicine does not treat the inflammation that causes an attack, but is beneficial when taken during an attack, and will last for 3 – 6 hours after it is given.
Controlling asthma drugs are taken regularly and treats the underlying causes of the asthma attacks. The most familiar types of this medicine are asthma inhalers containing a steroid that reduces inflammation in the air passageways and lungs and Long-Acting Beta-2 Antagonists (LABAs). The effects of long-acting asthma inhalers commonly last for twelve hours, and may lower the number of attacks that happen during sleep. Many of the medicines have very severe side effects for some people.
Several types of asthma treatment alternative therapies are currently becoming more popular. Some alternative approaches focus solely on preventative care, like not smoking during pregnancy or around kids, including a selenium-rich diet or removing sources of allergy causing substances in the home. Some other treatment modalities include loosing weight, increasing Omega-3 intake, diminishing Omega-6 intake, acupuncture, relaxation techniques and hypnotherapy. It is important to note that any type of alternative therapy is supposed to be used in conjunction with medical advice, while fast-acting medications are often required for an acute asthma attack.
One treatment that is turning more popular is self-hypnosis or hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy for asthma has the aim of triggering the relaxation response, which can serve to prevent or reduce your symptoms when having an attack. Some other alternative types of asthma treatment also employ relaxation as a tool to diminish symptoms, such as with meditation programs.
Using self-hypnosis, one can treat the emotional aspects of an attack, which have the power to make it much more intense. It is human nature to get anxious or feel threatened when we experience our air supply being cut off. This instinctual reaction actually can and will heighten the severity of an attack. Such feelings of fear and dread about having an attack can really bring on an attack. These emotional causes and responses are managed with the asthma treatment method of self-hypnosis.
Hypnosis has been proven to be a highly powerful asthma treatment. Either with a trained hypnotist, or using one of the several recorded programs obtainable, one can quickly slip into a relaxed hypnotic state, and start to take charge over breathing and bodily functions. One of the best techniques is to learn how to use self-hypnosis to actually abort a looming attack. The self-hypnosis method of asthma treatment is tremendously successful, and may work well for those who cannot take or do not want to take prescription drugs regularly. The choice of asthma treatment depends both on the severity of your symptoms and what type of treatment that works well for your symptoms.
Alan B. Densky, CH is certified by the NGH. He has perfected numerous hypnosis techniques that are efficient hypnotic asthma treatments. His Neuro-VISION NLP website provides a wide range of asthma self-hypnosis MP3s. If you prefer Spanish language hypnotherapy, Los Ataques de Asma se pueden Evitar Con Hipnosis!
