Asthma is an immunological disease that makes it difficult to breathe. The bronchioles in the lungs are restricted by inflammation and spasms in the lining of the airway wall. The disease affects more than 20 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Asthma has become a contemporary epidemic where approximately 4,500 deaths were credited to asthma in 2000, with 2 million emergency room stays and $12 billion costs in the United States annually. Akin to heart disease and other recurring illnesses, the underlying disease may evolve over the years, with few, if any, acute symptoms. As the condition advances, acute attacks with diminished ability to breathe are more and more possible. Chronic mild bronchitis, emphysema, and assorted lung problems are hard to distinguish from asthma, and even heart disease may cause breathing difficulties. When heart disease and asthma take place at the same time, it only complicates the diagnosis.

Serious attacks include a feeling of tightness in the chest with thick and tenacious production of mucus.

An attack can last for a few minutes or several hours. The spasms characterizing an acute attack are not the cause of the disorder, but a result of chronic inflammation and hypersensitivity of the airways to certain stimuli. Asthma occurs most frequently in children and young adults, and fortunately, 50 to 70% of children out-grow the disease. Asthma is the most common cause of school absence and hospital admission in children. Whether you smoke or not, these days, the health of our lungs is constantly under attack. Pollutants in the air, secondhand smoke and chronic respiratory allergies, perhaps related to environmental and psychological stressors, all equal peril for the bodily function that provides the breath of life.

There are two forms of asthma: allergic (extrinsic) and nonallergic (intrinsic), although the two often occur together.

Common asthma-provoking allergens include:
• Animal dander
• Chemicals
• Drugs
• Dust mites
• Environmental pollutants
• Feathers
• Food additives (such as sulfites and MSG)
• Fumes
• Mold
• Tobacco smoke

Factors that can trigger nonallergic asthma attacks include:
• Adrenal disorders
• Anxiety
• Temperature changes
• Exercise
• Extremes of dryness or humidity
• Fear
• Low blood sugar
• Stress
• Respiratory infection, such as bronchitis
• And, yes, even laughing

Certain foods can trigger an asthmatic attack, particularly in children. Cow’s milk, yeast, cheese, fish, nuts, chocolate, wheat, eggs, shellfish, tomatoes, and other foods of the nightshade family (for example, eggplants and potatoes) are potential offenders.

Modern medicine recommends a plethora of drug treatments, including anti-inflammatories and bronchodilators. The anti-inflammatory agents may stop the inflammation for a while and diminish symptoms quickly, but they have side effects—particularly when used for years. Prescription drugs have negative side effects and can be dangerous with long-term use. Since corticosteroids and inhalers equally stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, and therefore the “flight-or-fight” syndrome, they can generate nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, and dry mouth. Here are just a few other drugs and their potential side effects:

• Generic name- Flunisolide
  Brand names- Bronalide, Aerobid-M, Nasalide, Rhinalar
  Side effects: nasal burning and stinging, aftertaste, hoarseness, sore throat, cough, wheezing, Candida infections, change or loss of sense of smell or taste, nausea, headache, diarrhea, allergic reaction (including rash, hives, itchiness and bronchospasm)
  Long term use: permanent loss of smell and/or taste

Generic name- Budesonide Brand names- Pulmicort, Rhinocort Side effects: facial edema, herpes simplex, nervousness, nausea, nasal irritation, dry mouth, hoarseness, wheezing, nasal pain, delayed growth in children. Long term use: glucose intolerance, psychiatric disturbances and cataracts. Generic name- Beclomethasone Brand names- Beclovent, Vanceril, Becloforte, Beconaise Side effects: irritation of the throat, coughing, hoarseness, candidiasis in the region of the oropharynx or the larynx. Long terms use: depressed pituitary-adrenal functioning, osteoporosis

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