Indoor Air Pollution – It is not a Myth

If you were asked to name a region that contains an enormous amount of air pollution, what would come to mind? More than likely, you would think of heavily polluted metropolitan centers like Beijing or Los Angeles. Actually, you dont have to look at large scale cities to see significant pollution. This is because large quantities of air pollution already exist inside your own home. No, the pollution is not in the form of industrial chemicals. Common, average, everyday matter and items have the potential to create a home health hazard. That is why it is important to be on the lookout for problematic components that create a number of pollution related problems.

What common items can create a safety hazard inside the home? Believe it or not, something a seemingly benign as dust can create a hazard. If dust collects to the point its presence is so thick, the occupants are ingesting it when they breathe, something must be done as soon as possible. It is never a good thing to inhale pollutants. When collected in high enough volumes, the presence of dust in the air is not good for the occupants safety.

Mold is another problem that presents itself when without warning. Even if you clean your kitchen or bathroom regularly, mold may collect in small quantities. If you are not thorough in cleaning these rooms, a huge mold outbreak can occur. Much like dust, mold can present a number of respiratory hazards when its presence reaches high enough volumes. So, when cleaning the rooms is not enough, it becomes necessary to purchase a humidifier to completely rid the room of said mold.

And, yes, anytime you have chemicals in your home you will experience the risk of ingesting polluted air. Now, when people hear about chemical pollutants, they will assume you are referring to extremely potent and powerful pollutants. Well, have you varnished a table and now discovered the aroma of varnish vapors are in the air? Perhaps you have used bleach or ammonia to clean a room. Do you sense the acrid smell of these liquids? Is so, the air you are inhaling may be rife with impurities. Yes, air pollution can develop from any foreign substance that enters the air. There are many common household chemicals that can corrupt the air you breathe. Thats why you have to be very aware of their presence and air out a room when it gets to thick.

Asthma in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Asthma is perhaps one of the most common disorders that can develop during pregnancy. It is also one of the most serious disorders that can develop during pregnancy. Since it is state where the hampering of the most vital process of respiration is concerned it should never be neglected and adequate measures should be taken to relieve the situation.

There is no evidence that suggests any increase in incidents of spontaneous abortions or development of congenital deformities in pregnant ladies with asthmatic condition. Generally the available statistics show that the asthmatic ladies who get pregnant have worsening of their disease in about one-third of the cases. Anther one-third patients show no changes in their conditions and the last one-third show signs of getting better. It is a very rare incident that an asthma patient has complications due to her condition while child birth.

In most situations ladies come back to their normal condition of the disease within three to four months of delivery. This may be indicative of natures way of supporting the sustenance of the human life. Some studies have an indication that asthma occurs in one percent of all pregnancies. Some studies also indicate that asthmatics may have a greater chance of giving birth to premature children or even run the risk of malformed infants or even infants with low birth weight.

It is generally seen that the asthmatic ladies have greater fear of showing signs of any untoward complications during pregnancy and delivery. There was marked increase in delivery of infant of premature birth and infants with low birth weight as a result of this. There are chances of increased bleeding during delivery. But there does not seem to be any concrete evidence of increased incidents of congenital malformations.

The condition of asthma needs to be treated wisely during pregnancy. This is because the condition of asthma causes a decrease in oxygen content in the blood of the mother and in return to the foetus as well. This may well lead to decrease in the growth of the foetus, which may lead to various degrees of malformations also.

The most common occurrence of asthma happens because of the triggers of simple cold or upper respiratory infections in pregnant ladies. It is therefore advisable to avoid situations of coming in contact with people having colds or respiratory infections for ladies who have a history of asthma when they are pregnant. The other pregnant ladies are also advised the same as there is always a risk of catching an infection and also because there are incidents of development of asthma even in the women who have never showed the disease before.

The drugs that are generally considered to be safe can be used to manage asthma during pregnancy. Most of the cases of deformities due to asthma arise because of improper management of asthma during pregnancy. Uncontrolled asthma increases the risk of acute respiratory failure which may put the life of both the mother and the child at risk.

Baby Respiratory System Problems.

It is important to realize that the “mucus” that newborns so often gag on is not the same mucus that drips from noses or is hawked out of bronchial trees. Newborn mucus isn’t even reallymucus. It doesn’t come from mucous glands. Its chemical makeup is entirely different from the soft of mucus that discharges from the glands in our respiratory, intestinal, and reproductive tracts. Newborn mucus is a unique fluid that’s either secreted from the fetal lung alone or is a blend of amniotic fluid and fetal lung secretion. Before the baby takes his first breath, his lungs are filled with this juice. The full-termer arrives with about 80 to 100 milliliters of it in his lungs. As soon as the baby is born, this mucus must make way for air. Most of it is absorbed into the baby’s veins and the lymph channels of his lungs.

Up to 20 milliliters of the mucus is expressed through the baby’s nose and mouth by the squeezing of his chest as he passes through the birth canal. This gets suctioned out while the baby is still in the delivery room, often before the baby is fully delivered. The mucus that didn’t get high enough to get suctioned, and didn’t get absorbed into the lungs’ veins, is eliminated during the first week of life. The lining of the baby’s respiratory tree sweeps the mucus upward toward the mouth. Once it gets there, the infant swallows some, gags on some, and some ends up in your lap. Whatever the route of disposal, once it’s gone, no more is produced and that’s the end of the mucus.

SQUEAKY BREATHING (Congenital Stridor)
Some babies squeak when they inhale. If that sound came from your car, you would probably reach for a can of oil. If it came from your baby, read on. Doctors describe babies who produce a sound when they inhale as having congenital stridor (congenital means present at birth; stridor is harsh sound). Seventy-five percent of babies with congenital stridor also have laryngomalacia (the larynx is the voice box; malaria means softening). Doctors can recognize the great majority of laryngomalacia cases simply by the sound. Roughly one fifth aren’t obvious until a specialist looks at the voice box.

Babies with laryngomalacia produce a high-pitched, fluttery, staccato sound as they inhale. It’s loudest when the baby is excited, feeding, or lying on his back, and it may not happen with every breath, Despite the squeak, a baby with laryngomalacia has a strong voice, his color is good, and he has no special feeding difficulties. If he catches a cold the mucus and swelling may aggravate things, and he needs to be watched a bit closer than the baby who doesn’t squeak. A baby’s very first breath can produce a squeak, or the sound may not start until he’s six months old. Squeaks usually stop before the second birthday, but some babies squeak until they’re five. If a specialist looks at the baby’s larynx, she will see an epiglottis that buckles when the baby breathes in, a thick wall of cartilage that caves in, or both. She’ll tell you that, as the baby gets older, the voice box will become more rigid and the sounds will stop. She’ll be right, of course.

Breathing Problems Precaution Is Better Than Cure

When you have breathing problem or breathing difficulties, it is very difficult for the patients who are facing such problems to take proper amount of oxygen in the body. The patient may feel that they are not getting enough air as per the requirements of the body. Sometime people face breathing problems because oppressive nose or hard exercise. But shortness of breath may create serious problems for the patient so proper precaution is needed to deal with such kinds of breathing difficulties.

There may be various causes of breathing, shortness of breath, breathlessness or dyspnea. Symptom of shortness of breathing can arise at the time of high intensity of activity, such as high effort of work, or because of unfavorable environmental surroundings such as high altitude or extremely hot or cold temperatures. These are some of common causes otherwise it may sign of medical problems. In both of condition it needs both precaution and prevention.

Those children engage themselves in exercise like swimming are away from lower respiratory tract infections, ear inflammation (otitis media) or tightness and wheezing in the chest. In an independent it has been found that between the age of 6-18 months, the occurrence of lower respiratory tract infections and otitis media were low in the children who were engaged themselves in exercise as compared to those who do did not exercise.

There can be several causes of short breathing or breathing problems. Breathing problems are very usual which causes several problems and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of them. It is a situation which is bronchitis and emphysema including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other problems like lung and heart disease.

Majority of people are having breathing problems. They are also aware with the conditions that when children struggle to catch their breath during asthma attack or ex-smokers find themselves easily winded due to emphysema.

There are many symptom of breathing problems which are following:

A patient who has breathing problem can experience sudden beginning of severe shortness of breath. It may be an eruption of chronic lung disease such as COPD, or it can become the cause of pneumonia or acute bronchitis or the onset of heart failure.

The patient can also feel a sudden pain in their chest, which is an indication of a heart problem but some time it also happens because lung problem, such as a collapsed lung or blood clot in the lung.

Some important way to prevent breathing problems:

Always carry a medical alert tag if you are facing with pre-existing breathing condition, such as asthma.

If you have symptom of severe allergic reactions, then it would better for you if you carry an epinephrine pen and wear a medical alert tag. Your doctor will make you understand how it can be used.

If you have symptom of asthma or allergies, then keep yourself away from household allergy triggers like dust mites and mold.

There are several remedies for breathing problems. Some remedies and treatments are available for curing respiratory or breathing issues. On the basis of patients age and viciousness of the disease, that treatment is decided upon. Drug can generally be classified into fast-relief and long-term control medications. So you can try as the severity of diseases.

Bronchitis and Bronchiolitis in Infants

Acute Bronchitis or also known as Wet Lungs is a health disorder that occurs when the bronchial tract in the lungs submerged with water. Bronchial tract will then swell and produce mucus, causing coughing. Day-care attendance and exposure to cigarette smoke also can increase the likelihood that an infant will develop bronchiolitis. This disease often appears after an upper respiratory tract infection, such as a cold. Most acute bronchitis symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. usually last up to 2 weeks, but the cough can persist for up to 8 weeks in some cases. Conditions that increase the risk of severe bronchiolitis include prematurity, prior chronic heart or lung disease, and a weakened immune system due to illness or medications.

Type of the other lung infections that known by the old prang is Bronchiolitis. Babies can be attacked by disease bronchiolitis (an infection caused by a virus) that can block the windpipe so that needs to be treated. Kids who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to developasthma later in life, but it’s unclear whether the illness causes or triggers asthma, or whether children who eventually develop asthma were simply more prone to developing bronchiolitis as infants. Bronchiolitis is usually caused by a viral infection, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Causes of Bronchitis

Some types of viruses, including: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Adenovirus, Influenza and Parainfluenza Bacteria (in the case of a rare) Pollutants (chemical substances in the air)

Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis

Stuffiness Coughing up phlegm Pain in the chest Fatigue Mild headache Sores on the body Fever Watery eyes Sore throat Runny nose Mild cough Mild fever

Sometimes more severe respiratory difficulties gradually develop, marked by:

Rapid, shallow breathing A rapid heartbeat Drawing in of the neck and chest with each breath, known as retractions Flaring of the nostrils Irritability, with difficulty sleeping and signs of fatigue or lethargy

In severe cases, symptoms may worsen quickly. If you have a baby less than 3 months old and had a fever, it is wise to check with your doctor. A child with severe bronchiolitis may get fatigued from the work of breathing and have poor air movement in and out of the lungs due to the clogging of the small airways. Later the doctor will decide whether your child exposed to the acute of bronchitis, chronic bronchiolitis, or perhaps upper respiratory infections or others. After that appropriate treatment can be determined. Infants in child-care centers have a higher risk of contracting an infection that may lead to bronchiolitis because they’re in close contact with lots of other young children.

How to Prevent Acute Bronchitis?

Avoid smoking, especially around your baby Keep the hand hygiene immunization