Asthma is a chronic disorder related to the respiratory system which leads to inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Asthma causes constriction and inflammation of the air passage, thus making it difficult to breath. Causes for asthma are associated with chemical, genetic and environmental factors. Some common factors which trigger asthma include infections like flu and colds, food allergies, pollen, dust mites, allergies to certain drugs, and irritants like dust and cigarette smoke. Whenever someone is exposed to these triggering factors, their body releases histamine as well as other agents. This leads to inflammation of the bronchial tubes, which in turn causes narrowing and clogging of the air passages. This leads to symptoms which include wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing.

Some Indications of Asthma Attacks:

During a severe asthmatic attack, a series of changes occur in the lungs as well as air passages which contribute to developing the symptoms of asthma attacks. Inflammation, excessive mucus production and bronchospasm can cause different symptoms of asthma attacks which comprise of wheezing, coughing and breathlessness. Symptoms of asthma attacks could vary in duration and severity. Early symptoms of asthma attacks include headaches, an itchy throat, chronic cough, wheezing, difficulty in talking and breathing, chest tightness and a disturbed sleeping pattern. Wheezing is one of the most frequently observed symptoms of asthma attacks. A mild asthma attack is common and is curable within a couple of hours of treatment.

A severe asthma attack is not very frequent. However, it could last longer as well as need urgent medical attention. The symptoms of severe asthma attacks occur gradually and could turn worse in 6 – 48 hours. Some symptoms that indicate the worsening of asthma attacks include fatigue, low peak expiratory flow rate, restlessness, increased wheezing and an increased pulse rate.

In severe cases of asthma attacks, patients could experience life-threatening symptoms such as nasal flaring, pain in the chest, breathlessness, difficulty in talking, sweating, and an increased pulse and heartbeat. A very severe asthma attack may also result in respiratory arrest or perhaps death. An asthma attack is regarded as a medical emergency and needs urgent medical attention.

Treatment for Asthma Attacks:

Asthma attacks symptoms might appear similar to other respiratory disorders including bronchitis, emphysema and respiratory tract infections. Therefore, an exact diagnosis of asthma is necessary, to decide on the treatment option. The severity of asthma symptoms can be monitored with pulmonary function tests such as nitric oxide measurement, peak flow reading, spirometry and pulse oximetry. Asthma treatment is focused on managing the symptoms, and maintaining the proper functioning of the lungs as well as preventing a severe asthma attack. Oral corticosteroids, methylxanthines, leukotriene inhibitors such as montelukast and zileuton, and short-acting beta agonists could be used to lower the inflammation caused during an acute asthma attack. The use of HFA (hydrofluoroalkane) inhalers helps to control breathlessness. In case of life threatening symptoms, mechanical ventilation and intubation are important to help in breathing.

Tomato is considered to be one of the best vegetables of the world which is perennial in nature. Basically it is known to be wrinkled thick skin, small and seedy vegetable. The fruit is found to be lobed smooth and red in colour.

It is the native of South America. These days it is mainly grown in the parts of Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Africa and Caribbean. It holds a second most place in vegetables in the world after potato. However it was known to be the acid forming food and intend to increase the acidity level in the blood or body tissues. Therefore people suffering from gout, rheumatism, acidity, cancer and arthritis were strictly prohibited to use tomato in their diet. But later on the studies in nutritional chemistry has revealed that tomato is the vegetable with alkaline properties and is good to use in moderate quantity in diet. It is found to be enriched with calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrate and Vitamin C.

Tomato is regarded as the chief ingredient of Materia Medica, which is used to eliminate disease particles in the body. It proves to be a natural stimulant for kidneys. Its pulp is liberally used as facial for the skin.
How tomato helps in curing health ailments of the body:

Acidosis: Tomato being alkaline in nature is used to treat ailment related to acidosis. It is advised that it should be consumed daily in diet with moderate quantity.

Diabetes: It is the best vegetable for diabetic patient who want to treat themselves for heavy weight. The liberal consumption of tomato in the diet helps in reducing the percentage of sugar in the urine.

Eye Disorders: To cure various problems related to eyes it is advised that the tomato leaves should be boiled with water, later it is strained off and consumed daily three times a day for beneficial results. It proves to be a great tonic nerves and eyes.

Urinary Disorder: To cure problems related to urinary calculi or stone, it is advised that one tomato should be consumed every day early morning for beneficial results.

Obesity: to treat problem related to excessive body weight, it is advised that the consumption of two tomatoes every day in diet in early morning for six months really proves beneficial.

Intestinal and Liver Disorder: To treat problems related to morning sickness, sluggishness, biliousness, jaundice, indigestion, constipation and diarrhoea, it is advised that one glass of tomato juice mixed with pepper and salt should be consumed daily in the morning for beneficial results.

Respiratory Disorder: To treat respiratory problems it is advised that one glass of tomato juice mixed with honey and cardamom seeds should be consumed with three garlic cloves every day before retiring to bed for beneficial results. It increases the bodys resistance to drug and infections.

Painful Joints: To cure intense pain in the joints it is advised that the plant of tomato including leaves should be heated over the flame with till oil and stored in bottle. This oil should be massaged over the affected area two times a day for beneficial results.

If asbestos illness has been tort you or a member of family then you must consult with asbestos attorney in order to make litigation. Asbestos is forming from natural mineral that, in the middle of the twentieth century, was commonly used as a material in buildings. Asbestos is affordable and effective with enormous amount of resources. Although the researcher found that the inhalation of asbestos fibers would leads to serious diseases, employers tried to hide this information in order to continue its use. Recently, laws of asbestos have been made to control the use of this dangerous mineral.

Approximately 10 million workers are estimated have been exposed to asbestos by the year 1978 and that by 1970, construction of building had used 25 million tons of asbestos. Asbestos exposure is mostly happened when the workers cut the materials that contain asbestos, sawn or broken; it makes the fibers being released into the air. Everyone involved in these processes is immediately in danger.

In the 1920s the industry related asbestos had known about the dangerous effects of asbestos, but the companies take no action to protect employees or their relatives. By this time, insurance industry had even started to raise their premiums payment on the asbestos industry employees but companies chose to save company profit healthy above their workers healthy.

As time goes by, many people within the company related asbestos learned of the dangers of asbestos but it was a few years before the company did nothing about it. It is only fairly recently that the company implemented measurement of safety and proper health to stop asbestos exposure. Any asbestos law firm or asbestos attorney can advice you whether you had the right to continue with lawsuit related asbestos and whether you were didnt deserve to put at risk.

Many fatal and non-fatal illnesses are linked with the asbestos exposure. Many illnesses related asbestos has proven as a fatal disease for the victims. Mesothelioma is cancer form which is mainly caused by asbestos fibers exposure. Other ailment related asbestos are lung cancer and asbestosis. When asbestos enters the lungs because of respiration, these fibers become caught. In turn these fibers cause the lungs capability decrease because of injury in tissue. Its also decrease the lungs’ capability to take enough oxygen from respiration. If you are the asbestos victims and suffers any of these ailment, and you haven’t recovered yet, so, contact an Asbestos Attorney as fast as you can; you might be the one who have the right to pursue asbestos litigation.

It is quite common for cats to present to veterinary clinics with a chronic cough or wheeze. The problem may be constant or just recur from time to time, and can range from mild to severe. Clinically the disease may resemble human asthma, but the term feline asthma can be misleading as there are a number of different possible causes. Here we look at what those underlying causes can be, and the different forms of treatment available to affected cats.

Cats usually present with one or all the following signs:

1.Coughing
2.Wheezing
3.Difficulty breathing

A minority of cases will have the classic human status asthmaticus, rapid onset breathing difficulty due to severe narrowing of the bronchi. Cats tend to be middle aged or older, and Siamese cats may be more prone than other breeds.

The Pathology

Little is known about the underlying causes or exacerbating factors in feline asthma. There may be an element of genetic predisposition. While chronic inhalation of airway irritants, such as smoking, has been shown to cause bronchitis in humans, this has not been studied in detail in cats. Likewise, allergens such as pollen, housedust mites, dander, fungal spores, dust and cat litter could all be implicated theoretically.

To return to the comparison with human asthma, when trying to understand the underlying causes it is important to differentiate between asthma (constriction of the bronchi), chronic bronchitis (oversecretion of mucus with a chronic cough) and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Asthma is reversible bronchial constriction caused by eosinophil cells, whereas COPD is irreversible bronchial constriction involving neutrophil cells.

The Differentials

There are a large number of possible diagnoses when a cat first presents with coughing or breathing difficulty. Here are some of the more important ones:

1. Pulmonary edema. Often due to severe heart disease.
2. Infectious bronchitis. This can be due to bacteria, viruses or parasites.
3. Pleural disease. Filling of the space between the lung and the chest wall with air or an effusion.
4. Cancer. This can be a primary lung tumor or metastatic spread.
5. Potassium bromide induced respiratory disease. A side effect from an anti-epileptic drug.
6. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Responds poorly to treatment.
7. Pulmonary thromboembolus. Lodging of a clot in a respiratory blood vessel causing sudden onset breathing difficulty.
8. Pulmonary hypertension. Usually secondary to other heart or respiratory disease.

Diagnosis

1. Clinical examination

The first step in the diagnostic protocol is a thorough clinical examination by a veterinarian. This should localize the origin of the disease to the upper airways, lower airways or pleural space. If the cat is found to have pleural disease, a needle may be inserted straight away to remove either air or a sample of the effusion for both diagnosis and short term treatment of the respiratory distress.

2. Radiography

The next test performed is usually thoracic radiography. This is best performed under general anesthetic so there is lee chance for motion blur, though in acute situations this is not possible. This is where the most meaningful information can be gained.

3. Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy allows visualization of the larger airways, and assessment for increased mucus and inflammation.

4. Tracheal wash

This involves injecting a small amount of saline into the trachea and immediately withdrawing it, and then examining the cells and debris harvested under a microscope.

5. Bronchoalveolar lavage

This is similar to the technique described above, but the catheter is inserted all the way into a lower airway before the saline is injected and withdrawn. This is therefore a good test for lower airway disease.

6. Lung biopsy

This is an invasive procedure that carries a significant risk to the patient. It is only indicated where diffuse cancer or extensive fibrosis is suspected, or in severe disease that responds poorly to treatment.

Treatment

The aims of treatment are as follows.

1. Eliminate any suspected infectious agents. This may be a sufficiently long course of antibiotics if bacterial infection is suspected, or a wormer such as fenbendazole if lungworm is suspected.

2. Remove or avoid airway irritants. The most obvious one is ensuring the cat has no contact with cigarette smoke, and purchasing dust free cat litter.

3. Removal or avoidance of potential allergens. House dust mite allergy must be excluded by spraying the house with an acaricidal product.

4. Chronic therapy for the underlying condition. For long term treatment of cats with feline asthma, a combination of steroids and bronchodilators are a popular choice. Steroids reduce the inflammation and lower mucus production, and can limit long term consequences such as fibrosis. Bronchodilators are most useful when there is airway spasm. Traditionally, medication has been given orally via tablets, but over the last few years, metered dose inhalers such as the ones used for human asthma have come on the market.

Aerosol therapy has the advantage that the maximum concentration of drug is delivered to the target site. This means that lower overall doses can be used, and the cat is less likely to suffer the negative side effects of steroids. Various inhalers can be used in both cats and dogs, but they tend to be designed for humans. As a result, higher doses are given compared with human medicine, as humans can be instructed to breathe deeply whereas cats will breathe normally at best.

Glucocorticoid drugs (steroids) used in inhalers include Beclometasone, Fluticasone and Budesonide. Beclometasone is cheap, but is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream when you want it to hang around in the area where it applied. Fluticasone is more expensive, but tends to stay where you want it to. Budesonide is relatively inexpensive and though it is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, it tends to be removed the first time it goes through the liver.

Bronchodilator drugs used in inhalers include Salbutamol and Salmeterol. Salbutamol is very fast acting and therefore useful in a crisis caused by spasm of the bronchi. However, it only lasts for about 30 minutes and is therefore unsuitable for chronic therapy as frequent dosing is required. Salmeterol on the other hand is longer acting, and lasts for about 12 hours so twice daily dosing is possible. Salmeterol is better for long term control of mild to moderate asthma while Salbutamol is better for relief of acute bronchospasm.

The Seretide Evohaler is useful for cats requiring both steroid and bronchodilator therapy. It contains salbutamol and fluticasone, a combination allowing minimal dosing frequency.

Spacer devices

A spacer device consists of a chamber into which the aerosol drug is released at one end, with a mask at the other end which fits snugly over the cats mouth and nose. Human baby spacer devices (e.g. Babyhaler) can be easily adapted for cats. Alternatively, veterinary spacers specifically designed for cats are now on the market (e.g. Aerokat). The spacer should be held over the cats nose and mouth for about 30 seconds to ensure complete delivery of the drugs. It should be remembered that aerosol steroid therapy can take up to 2 weeks to reach full effect, and if the cat has been on oral steroids previously, these should be phased out slowly during these initial 2 weeks.

Is treatment lifelong?

Generally yes. Doses can often be reduced gradually once clinical remission has been achieved. As with many chronic conditions, complete control might not always be possible and an acceptable quality of life is the main aim of the treatment.

Others are erroneous products of past studies and may seem credible. But in any case, here are the five most common myths about Chlorine in swimming pools and the truth behind them.

Myth #1: Chlorine in pool water has stronger scent the more concentrated it is. Therefore, the water is cleaner.

Truth: Its actually quite the opposite, since the scent is produced by Chlorine bonding with Nitrogen in the water to form chloramines. This is caused by contaminants such as sweat or even urine. In fact, one vital factor in determining the cleanliness of a swimming pool is the absence of chemical scents.

Myth #2: Swimmers Ear is caused by too much Chlorine.
Truth: Swimmers Ear is not caused by irritation due to Chlorine. Its actually caused by a bacterial infection commonly found in unsanitary swimming pools and its primary symptoms include skin rashes, earache and stomach pains.

Myth #3: Chlorine will turn Blonde hair green.
Truth: Yes, getting a dip in a pool for blondes can make their hair green, but not because of Chlorine, since this is commonly caused by high Alkaline content present in most brands of shampoo, coupled with copper and other metal residues present in the pool water. This metal presence is mainly caused by either plumbing or algaecides (they are often copper or silver-based).

Myth #4: Chlorine causes eye irritation.
Truth: As stated beforehand, nitrogenous substances such as urine and sweat combined with Chlorine produce chloramines. Chloramines are substances that could also act as sanitizers, but theyre not as efficient as free chlorine due to the fact that they dont have oxidizing capabilities. Free chlorine has a high level of oxidizing ability which is necessary to kill off bacteria and other microorganisms. Chloramines, on the other hand, cause the eye irritation among swimmers due to the fact that they are not managed properly, unlike the standard free Chlorine.

Myth #5: Chlorine causes Asthma and other Respiratory Diseases.
Truth: Occupational Asthma among professional swimmers isnt caused by free Chlorine. Again, Chloramines found in the water and air (most of the time nitrogen trichloride) induces these respiratory diseases, especially for indoor chlorinated swimming pools. Even people who dont enter the water may develop asthma because of these chloramines.

With all these debunked myths, the main point to consider is this: theres a lot of confusion between Chlorine and Chloramines. To put it in the simplest form possible, Chlorine helps kill bacteria (or oxidize them, so to speak) in pool water. Theyre the most efficient way of keeping the pool sanitized and safe. Chloramines, on the other hand, are unwanted products of Chlorines interaction with organic substances or contaminants, such as sweat and urine. They are detrimental to respiratory health and could be a common indication of an unsanitary swimming pool. In short, knowing the different between these two substances is the key in determining the cleanliness of a swimming pool.