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Have you been waiting for Steven's book, Of Course You Can! to be available in a printed version? Wait no longer! The Second Edition is now available in print . The book is longer, containing additional content to help you build your business. And while you're there, you can explore some of Steven's digital art works. |
AsthmaGreetings Herbalife Distributors, I hope you enjoyed our last newsletter on Migraine. Do you know you can make a 20% commission by referring other Herbalife Distributors to Herbacall? To sign up as an affiliate, go here. Herbacall.com is the only website created specifically for Herbalife distributors. It's a great source of information, resources, testimonials, recipes, and advice to help you grow your business. It also comes with a fully functional Forum to share stories with the rest of the Herbalife community. Do you have an idea for the next newsletter? Would you like to share a story, recipe, or testimonial with your fellow distributors? Register at www.herbacall.com for more information. Have a great day! Steven List, Founder
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If one has asthma, the inside walls of the airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that they are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to the lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning. Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control it so that they have few and infrequent symptoms and can live active lives. When asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it's called an asthma attack. In a severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that the vital organs do not get enough oxygen. As a result, people can die from severe asthma attacks. Sources: Types of Asthma: Here are different types of asthma: 1. Allergic Asthma 2. Intrinsic Asthma is not likely to develop in
children; its typical onset occurs after age 40. Possible
causes of intrinsic asthma include respiratory irritants
such as perfumes, cleaning agents, fumes, smoke and cold
air, upper respiratory infections, and gastroesophageal
reflux (GERD). 3. Exercise-Induced Asthma can affect anyone at any
age and may be attributed to the loss of heat and moisture
in the lungs that occurs with strenuous exercise. Frequent
coughing during exercise may be the only symptom of
exercise-induced asthma. 4. Nocturnal Asthma affects people when they are
sleeping and, although termed "nocturnal" (belonging to the
night), asthma symptoms can occur regardless of the time of
day a person is sleeping. It is triggered by allergens in
bedding or the bedroom, a decrease in room temperature, and
gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), among other triggers. An
estimated 75 percent of asthmatics are affected by nocturnal
asthma. 5. Occupational Asthma occurs directly as a result of
breathing chemical fumes, wood dust, or other irritants over
long periods of time. An estimated 15 percent of asthmatics
have occupational asthma. 6. Steroid-Resistant Asthma - Overuse of asthma medications can lead to status asthmaticus, a severe asthma attack that doesn't responds to medication and may require mechanical ventilation to reverse. Sources:
What are the causes of Asthma? The cause of asthma is not known, but there is evidence that many factors play a part. Genetic factors: asthma tends to run in families, and many people with asthma also have other allergic conditions such as rhinitis (inflammation of the nose lining). "Allergy" is a hypersensitivity to some proteins foreign to the body; a small dose of the "allergen" will produce a violent reaction in the person concerned. Environmental factors: In Western countries, most babies are not exposed to bacterial infections that "kick start" the immune system in early life and may be important in directing the immune system away from allergic responses. They also grow up in warm, well-furnished, carpeted homes that don't allow much airflow. This encourages the rapid breeding of large numbers of house dust mites in bedding, carpets and furnishings. Many children, instead of playing outside in fresh air, spend most of their time indoors. This further increases dust mite sensitisation. Exposure to tobacco smoke, whether during the mother's pregnancy or in early childhood, predisposes children to developing asthma. It also makes their symptoms more severe. Children can also become sensitised to animals, pollens moulds and dust in the environment if they are genetically predisposed. Dietary changes: changes in diet in Western countries, such as a high proportion of processed foods, a higher salt intake, a lower antioxidant intake and a lack of fresh oily fish (lower intake of omega-3 fatty acids) may contribute to the development of asthma. Lack of exercise: spending more time inside in front of the television means that children get far less exercise. Reduced exercise may mean less stretching of the airways, and a greater tendency for the muscle in the airway walls to contract abnormally when exposed to minor irritants. Occupational exposure: in adults, asthma can develop in response to irritants in the workplace - chemicals, dusts, gases, moulds and pollens. These can be found in industries such as baking, spray painting of cars, woodworking, chemical production, and farming. Sources:
What are the symptoms of Asthma? It is important to note that not everyone suffering from asthma will experience all the symptoms of asthma. Just as each person is unique, so is each case of asthma. The frequency, severity, length of occurrence, triggers, and symptoms of asthma differ from person to person. The five most common asthma symptoms are: 1. Coughing – This is the most common asthma symptom.
Coughing associated with asthma generally worsens at night
and early in the morning, making sleeping difficult. 2. Wheezing - A common asthma symptom is wheezing.
Wheezing sounds like a whistle or squeak when breathing in,
out, or both. This is a common asthma symptom because asthma
causes the bronchi to constrict (bronchoconstriction), which
reduces the the air flow in and out of the lungs. 3. Chest Tightness - Some asthmatics may experience
chest tightness.Chest tightness is a squeezing feeling in
the chest during respiration. It may feel as though someone
is sitting on your chest. 4. Shortness of Breath - Due to broncho-constriction,
shortness of breath is a common asthma symptom. Shortness of
breath is used to describe a feeling of breathlessness - a
feeling that you cannot catch your breath. If you have
asthma, you may feel breathless and struggle to get air in
and out of your lungs. 5. Rapid Breathing- Rapid breathing is a common asthma symptom. When breathlessness occurs, you may try to breathe faster to try to get air in and out of your lungs. Sources: What treatments are available for Asthma? Long-term control medications are taken daily to maintain control of persistent asthma. They primarily serve to control airway inflammation.· Inhaled corticosteroids such as fluticasone (Flovent Diskus), budesonide (Pulmicort), triamcinolone (Azmacort), flunisolide (Aerobid), beclomethasone (Qvar) and others.· Long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) such as salmeterol (Serevent Diskus) and formoterol (Foradil Aerolizer).· Leukotriene modifiers such as montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate) and zileuton (Zyflo CR).· Cromolyn (Intal) and nedocromil (Tilade). These inhaled medications reduce asthma signs and symptoms by decreasing allergic reactions. They're considered a second choice to inhaled corticosteroids, and need to be taken three or four times a day.· Theophylline, a daily pill that opens your airways (bronchodilator). It relaxes the muscles around the airways.The quick-relief medications are taken to achieve prompt reversal of an acute asthma “attack” by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle. · Short-acting beta-2 agonists, such as albuterol. These inhaled medications, called bronchodilators, ease breathing by temporarily relaxing airway muscles. They act within minutes, and effects last four to six hours.· Ipratropium (Atrovent). Your doctor might prescribe this inhaled anticholinergic for the immediate relief of your symptoms. Like other bronchodilators, ipratropium relaxes the airways, making it easier to breathe. Ipratropium is mostly used for emphysema and chronic bronchitis.· Oral and intravenous corticosteroids to treat acute asthma attacks or very severe asthma. Examples include prednisone and methylprednisolone. These medications relieve airway inflammation. They may cause serious side effects when used long term, so they're only used to treat severe asthma symptoms.Many asthma medications can be administered orally or by inhalation. Metered-dose inhalers (MDI’s) are the most widely used method, but dry powder inhalers are becoming popular. Metered-dose inhalers are changing from the type propelled by liquified chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to a new, CFC-free delivery system (see the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute review on the new MDIs at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/asthma/mdi.htm). Nebulizer therapy is reserved for patients who are unable to use MDI’s because of difficulties with coordination. Sources:
HerbaCall Asthma Testimonials: · Rose Marie Diercks says, “I had Asthma so bad I took gobs and gobs of medicine from the doctors, shopping bags full...What I did take was the Gold Bar, the Schizandra, and the Multivitamin, Cell Wise, and the powder Vanilla. I love Herbalife, and glad I am on it, and will continue to be on it for the rest of our lives. We are now taking the yellow and the green and trying that. Also I want you to know had Asthma for 45 yrs, and Herbalife got rid of it all.”· Prevanya Moodley tells HerbaCall, "I have been chronically asthmatic all my life. I have been on every oral ventilator, cortisone, and every allergy test you can imagine. I am also a chronic hay fever sufferer. I have at least three asthma reliever pumps at any given time. I used to use these at least 4 times a day. I could not walkup a flight of stairs without wheezing, neither could I jog, walk long distances, or even walk fast...I have been on the Ultimate Herbalife programme now since May 2002. I found that not only did I lose all my excess weight, but my need for my asthma medication began to gradually reduce.”· Lewis Blankfield proudly said, I suffered from Asthma from the age of 24 and once ended up in hospital after a bad attack...A month after starting the Herbalife Protein Powder and Fibre and herb tablets I felt that my chest seemed clearer and started weaning myself off the flixotide. After 6 weeks I was totally off the flixotide and my chest was clear, no wheezing except for the odd occasion. Now 4 months later the flixotide is sitting in a cupboard and I don't even know that I ever had Asthma.”· Want more information and more Herbalife testimonials?
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