Archive for January, 2010

The Definition Of Obesity And How It Can Lead To Asthma

Posted by admin On January - 30 - 2010Comments Off

If your stomach goes ahead of you when walking or you to bend over to tie your shoe laces, it’s a hint that you’re probably overweight. Obesity is defined as an excess of body fats resulting in weight 20 % more than the average weight for the person’s age, height, gender, and body frame. Obesity is also known as the most common nutritional disorder and the major public health problem not only in the United States but almost all country around the world. And this leads to development of chronic disease like asthma and other illnesses.

Causes of Obesity

An excess of caloric intake and lack of exercise is one of the main causes of obesity, but there are also a wide variety of predisposing factor. This includes heredity, environmental factors such as socioeconomic status, psychological factors like depression and anxiety, age, and endocrine abnormalities.

Determining Your BMI

How can you determine if your weight is excess or your weight is on the right tract? Body Mass Index or BMI is used to measure weight in relation to height. It serves as a substitute for the traditional height-weight relationship. BMI is a preferred method of defining obesity and associates well with different measures of body fatness such as underwater weighing. For most people BMI is used to screen for weight categories and provides a reliable indicator of body fatness that may lead to health problems. In computing BMI, it is done by dividing the person’s weight in kilogram by height in meters squared.

What Your BMI Means

A normal BMI is 18.6 – 24.9 for those person who are at their early twenty’s, but if a BMI of 25 for those who person who age 19 t0 34 is already considered as obese. And a BMI of 27 or 28 for those people who are greater than 34 is already at higher medical risk of respiratory disease, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and some cancers. Therefore, proper regulation of BMI should be monitor to prevent any further complication due to obesity.

Check out MonaVie’s Wiki to learn about their energy drinks and how they can help give you the energy you need to complete your daily tasks.

Do You Have Acute Bronchitis or Chronic Bronchitis?

Posted by admin On January - 25 - 2010Comments Off

If you have been diagnoses with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease then there is a good chance that you may also have chronic bronchitis and possibly emphysema.

What does C.O.P.D. actually mean?
• Chronic – something that continually recurs. Example chronic bronchitis vs. Acute Bronchitis (short acting)
• Obstructive- Something that is blocked such as your airway
• Pulmonary – Includes most things that have to do with your lungs
• Disease- an infection that is making or has made you sick.

Therefore if we look at C.O.P.D. we see that we have a disease that causes one to have trouble getting air in and out of your lungs due to the obstruction. One continuously feels like they cannot catch their breath.
What is Chronic Bronchitis?

Chronic Bronchitis occurs when a partial yet permanent blockage of the airways has occurred. This causes swelling in the lungs and irritation especially when there is smoke, dust or pollen around. There is also a higher risk of pneumonia because of all of the mucus that is involved. Chronic Bronchitis unlike Acute Bronchitis continually recurs so you need to get to the doctor if you believe you have it.

What is Emphysema?

Alveoli which are actually very small sacs located at the end our airways are extremely affected by emphysema. When you have emphysema the very fragile and almost see through walls of the air sacks become distended and eventually they will even be destroyed. There are then holes that are permanent in your lungs which causes someone with emphysema shortness of breath. The lungs elastic ability is also compromised which causes some of the airways which are smaller to collapse which then traps air into the lower lung.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder has some similar side effects to other breathing and lung ailments and as such is sometimes misdiagnosed. If you believe you have COPD see a doctor.

Persistent Cough Could Be A Dangerous Sign For Your Health

Posted by admin On January - 22 - 2010Comments Off

Coughing is not considered to be a major ailment. But if you suffer from a persistent cough then there could be more than that meets the eye. Especially if you have a history of smoking behind you, it could be because you have developed tar lungs. There is no need to panic right away if you have these symptoms. Persistent cough is just the sign for tar lungs and there is a solution for this problem.

Lungs are very precious organs of our body. Smoking is said to be harmful as it damages the lungs in a bad manner. You must be wondering how your lungs will be filled with tar if you have a smoking habit. Quite simple, the cigarettes contain harmful chemicals one of which is tar. Excessive smoking leads the tar to accumulate on your lungs. As a result, you have breathing problems seen in the form of persistent cough. It is necessary to get this harmful substance out of your body if you want to fight away that persistent cough and lead a healthy life.

The last thing you want is your lungs to be filled up with tar. Let us see how exactly the lungs are clogged up by tar. Lungs are surrounded by delicate cleaners called cilia. Their main job is to keep the lungs clean. In case of smokers, the cilia are attacked by the tar in the cigarettes which destroys them slowly. Cilia are the protective layer of the lungs. When there is no cilia remaining the lungs are exposed to the tar. This leads to persistent cough and other breathing problems.

Quitting smoking is a very favorable condition if you have a persistent cough which is naturally a sign of tar lungs. If you have been smoking for years, it may be difficult to stop smoking instantly. Other ways are also available in such scenarios. Try this way if you have tried giving up smoking but are just unable to do so. The best part is that you do not have to go to any clinic to get your self rid of the poisonous matter in your lungs. Some vitamins are useful in the treatment of tar lungs and getting rid of persistent cough. Proper exercise and specific supplements are available that will work against this situation. The moment you find out that you have a persistent cough, do not avoid it as the reason could well be tar lungs.

Will Rhinoplasty Improve Your Breathing?

Posted by admin On January - 20 - 2010Comments Off

Asthma is a very difficult condition to live with. I know, because I’ve had it my entire life. As a child, I had to use nebulizer treatments several times a day, but even that didn’t keep me out of the emergency room when suffering from a bad attack. Fortunately, as my asthma improved during my teen years and now that I’m an adult, all I need to use are my inhalers. However, I still have breathing difficulties, which are only worsened by my severe allergies. My doctor told me rhinoplasty might help, so five years ago I decided to get the operation.

Why rhinoplasty helps some people?
Not everyone will benefit from rhinoplasty, but this type of plastic surgery can help some people. If you have a deviated septum which is blocking your nasal pathways, then a good plastic surgeon should be able to improve it so you have better airflow. If you have weak nasal valves that collapse when you breathe in, then a skill rhinoplasty surgeon should be able to strengthen it through the use of cartilage grafting. Although these things won’t directly improve your allergies or asthma, they can make coping with them a little bit easier.

What was my surgery like?
As mentioned, I underwent my rhinoplasty five years ago. Insurance covered a significant portion of it, but I still had to pay a hefty sum out-of-pocket. The surgeon claimed to be an expert at this procedure, but after reading this rhinoplasty forum, I later found out this was just clever marketing. In reality, he was an overpriced, underskilled plastic surgeon. The goal of the surgery was to correct my deviated septum, strengthen my nasal valves, and reduce my turbinates (a structure inside your nose which filters air). Overall the surgery went okay, but the recovery took a long time. In fact, after open rhinoplasty, the nose can stay swollen for up to 24 months!

What was the outcome of my surgery?
Generally, it takes at least a year to truly see and experience the outcome of your surgery. This is because of the swelling, and also because it takes time for the cartilage to settle into place. Unfortunately in my case, I ended up needing a revision surgery later on, because the cartilage did not heal as predicted (it warped out of place). Although this experience has helped with my breathing, I would highly advise against the turbinate reduction surgery which accompanied it. My reduced turbinates now contribute to a wide array of sinus drainage problems. So if you choose to undergo rhinoplasty, skip that part of the operation. Most importantly, be sure to diligently research doctors before deciding. Read reviews on rhinoplasty forums, message boards, and elsewhere.