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Asthma
Information
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You
might think if you don't currently have asthma that you're
immune. However, asthma doesn't discriminate.
Anyone can get asthma at any age.
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Asthma Overview
Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Over
17 million Americans suffer from asthma and 5,500 of them die from
it each year. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized
by excessive mucus production, inflammation and constriction of
the airways.
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Your
airways before an asthma
attack is triggered.
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Your
airways during an asthma attack.
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What Is
Asthma?
Asthma is defined as…"a lung disease that is characterized
by three airway problems: obstruction, inflammation, and hyper-responsiveness."
More simply—asthma
is a condition in which the lungs are overly sensitive to everyday
substances (triggers), dust for instance, which cause an extreme
reaction. When an asthmatic encounters a "trigger", their
airways become inflamed, swollen and sensitive, excessive amounts
of mucus are produced and the smooth muscle around the bronchial
tubes constrict.
Asthma Triggers
and Asthma Symptoms
There are thousands of things, which may trigger an asthma attack;
stress, colds, pollen, dust, animals, exercise, food and medications
are just a few. When a person with asthma encounters a trigger their
airways become inflamed and dry, mucus is produced and the smooth
muscle wrapped around the airways tightens. These events result
in a variety of asthma symptoms, which may include; difficulty in
breathing, wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, and breathlessness.
| Types
of Asthma |
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are many types of asthma: |
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Exercise-induced |
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Allergy
induced |
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Childhood
asthma |
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Occupational
asthma |
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Chronic
asthma |
The Onset
of Asthma
You might think if you don't currently have asthma that you're immune.
However, this isn't true. Asthma doesn't discriminate; anyone can
get it at any age. You can be born with it, get it at age 3 months
or it can strike when you're 80 years old. Oftentimes, adult onset
asthma will crop up after a period of extreme stress or after an
ongoing illness like bronchitis or pneumonia. The bottom line is,
anyone can have asthma and you can get it at any age.
Where Does
Asthma Come From?
Western medicine hasn't found a concrete explanation for why we
have asthma. There is speculation that increased pollution causes
it. However, New Zealand, which enjoys some of the purest air in
the world, has the highest rate of asthma. There are other theories,
but statistics show that countries which have a higher standard
of living have higher asthma rates.
The Asthma
Rate Is Rising
It is interesting to note, that the first rise in asthma mortality
rates, during the 1930's, coincided with the introduction of the
first asthma medication, adrenaline. Before this time, asthma was
virtually untreatable, fatalities were rare and the percentage of
asthmatics remained small and unchanged.
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Asthma
Related Medical Treatment & Death
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In 1950, less
than 2% of the world's population had asthma and prior to the 1960's
asthma was not generally regarded as a fatal illness. Over recent
years, the number of people suffering from asthma has increased
at an alarming rate. Since the 1980's the incidence of asthma has
more than doubled and the American Lung Association believes it
will double again by the year 2020.
How Is Asthma
Treated?
Despite the amazing advances in modern medicine, the Western medical
community has not found a cause for asthma instead they treat its
symptoms with trigger removal and a variety of asthma medications
designed to suppress symptoms instead of address the root cause
of asthma. These were the only options for treatment available until
now.
An Alternative
to Medication That Works!
Western medical professionals have found it difficult to pinpoint
the cause of asthma because they have been unable to identify a
common thread among asthmatics. Proponents of the Buteyko
Method—named after Dr. Konstanin Pavlovich Buteyko, a native
of Russia—believe they know the common thread—overbreathing.
Asthma is your body's defense against chronic overbreathing or hyperventilation.
When the underlying breathing dysfunction is corrected,
the defense mechanism, asthma, is no longer needed and symptoms
disappear. The Buteyko Method can
be learned from a trained practitioner
or if there are no practitioners in your area, from the "Kick
Asthma® Naturally" home education video.
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| Asthma
Statistics |
| Number
of Asthma Suffers is on the Rise |
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Over
17 million people in the US had asthma in 1998 |
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Incidence
of asthma cases are projected to double by 2010 predicts The
American Lung Association. |
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42%
increase of asthma among males between 1982 and 1994. |
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81%
increase of asthma among females between 1982 and 1994. |
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An
estimated 4.8 million U.S. children (under 18) were affected
by asthma in 1994. |
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The
number of people with self reported asthma increased by 29%
from 1990 to 1994, from 10.4 million to 14.6 million.
1, 2
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| Medical
Treatment & Death |
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Asthma
is the 9th leading cause of hospitalization in the US |
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Deaths
from asthma were up over 200% from 1979 to 1997, from 2596 deaths
to 5434 deaths. |
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50%
increase in doctor and hospital visits due to asthma in one
decade to 14 million per year. This included 1.6 million visits
to emergency rooms, the doctor-of-last-resort to many people
without health insurance. |
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Asthma
was the first-listed diagnosis in 468,000 US hospital admissions
in 1993. 3
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Asthmatic
youngsters under age 15 underwent 159,000 hospitalizations in
1993, with an average length of stay of 3.4 days. 2,3
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Among
5-24 year olds, the asthma death rate nearly doubled from 1980
to 1993. |
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In
1993, blacks aged 5-24 years old were 4 to 6 times more likely
to die from asthma than whites. |
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In
1993 males were 1.5 times at greater risk of dying from asthma
than females. 6 |
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| Cost
of Asthma |
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$12.6
billion - the estimated direct and indirect costs of asthma
the USA in 1997. |
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Asthma
treatment cost an estimated $6.2 billion in 1990, including
direct and indirect expenditures; 43% of that total cost was
associated with emergency room use, hospitalization, and death.
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Loss
of school days caused decreased productivity that cost an estimated
$1 billion in 1990. |
Sources:
1. Adams, P.F., Benson, V; Current
Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, National Center
for Health Statistics, Vital Health Statistics; 10(181), 1991.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vital
and Health Statistics, Current Estimates From the National Health
Interview Survey, 1994 (US Department of Health and Human Services,
Public Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics); DHHS
Publication No. PHS 96-1521; December 1995.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vital
and Health Statistics, National Hospital Discharge Survey: Annual
Summary, 1993 (US Department of Health and Human Services, Public
Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics); DHHS Publication
No. PHS 95-1782; August 1995.
4. Taylor, W.R., Newacheck, P.W.; Impact of Childhood
Asthma on Health; Pediatrics; 90(5):657-662, 1992.
5. Evans, R.; Asthma Among Minority children: A
Growing Problem; Chest; 101(6):368S-371S, 1992.
6. Centers for Disease Control; Asthma Mortality
and Hospitalization Among children and Young Adults, 1980-1993 ;
MMWR; 45(17):350-353, May 3, 1996.
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