Aborting or Preventing an Attack of Asthma by Relaxation Exercises

The conventional treatment of asthma with drugs has extensively been changed during the last 20 years. Modern therapy of asthma is fully reliable to prevent or to abort an attack of asthma but we should not ignore the ancillary advice of yoga experts. It is eminent to mention here that customized breathing exercises propagated by yoga experts are also a reliable method to abort or to prevent an attack of asthma. It is more important to learn that how to relax respiratory muscles and thereby make it easier for lungs to overcome an attack of asthma. In fact, general relaxation of all voluntary muscles of the body, practised daily, also helps.

The essential abnormality in asthma is the narrowing down of the bronchi (the breathing tubes of the lungs). The patient feels uncomfortable when passage of air through these narrowed bronchi becomes difficult. The patient should not panic at this time of distress rather try to relax. Our respiratory process has two components: 1) Inspiration and 2) Expiration. Inspiration is an active process, the chest muscles expand the chest and the air is sucked in. The expiration is achieved by allowing the chest muscles to relax like gently deflating an air filled balloon. In normal health we do not have to force the air out during expiration.

In the case of asthma, the inspiration (breathing in) needs palpable and visible effort due to narrowing of bronchi but greater difficulty arises in expiration (breathing out). An asthmatic, therefore tries to force the air out and in this process the bronchi get even more narrowed. The asthmatic has thus to put in even more vigorous effort to empty out the lungs. This explains why in case of asthma the lungs stay inflated. The struggle involved in breathing in during an attack of asthma, brings into action all the respiratory muscles that stay relaxed during the normal breathing. The tension spreads to the upper abdominal muscles (muscles of the tummy) causing abdominal distension during an attack of asthma. The muscles of the bronchi are involuntary muscles that do not obey orders like voluntary muscles of our limbs, chest wall and elsewhere. The drugs used to treat asthma have a powerful action on the involuntary muscles that have constricted the lumen of bronchi (the breathing tubes). So, the secret of treating an attack of asthma is to open up the narrowed breathing tubes by relaxing their muscles.

Relaxation Exercises:

1. One should avoid tension by thinking away from asthma and thus try to relax the mind. Intended relaxation of mind by sitting calm with closed eyes for 10 minutes twice daily would be beneficial. After relaxation exercise one should gradually and peacefully shift to routine assignments.
2. One should not try to breathe rapidly but try to slow down the process and take deeper breaths. Your deliberate effort to regulate the process of breathing would bring you relief from unpleasant symptoms of over-breathing.
3. One should allow the lungs to relax before taking the next breath in and should not try to force emptying of the lungs during an attack of asthma.
4. One should learn to breathe with the chest muscles and also use the upper part of abdomen. If you distend your tummy along with your chest during inspiration and pull in tummy during expiration, that would exercise your diaphragm muscles and make you feel more comfortable. As one tries to take a long breath, one should try to keep the upper chest muscles relaxed and gently distend the abdomen (tummy). If an asthmatic practises this technique during asymptomatic periods, it would minimize the severity of an attack.
5. Relaxation techniques should be learnt and practised when one is symptom free.
6. Yoga offers excellent 'asanas' (sitting postures) to achieve relaxation of muscles.
7. If the attack of asthma is eminent in spite of your best efforts to prevent or abort it, immediately take a dose of drug prescribed by your treating physician.

Amoebiasis: Bowel amoebiasis and spread of infection to liver and lungs

The organism that causes amoebiasis is a unicellular parasite called Entamoeba histolytica. A variety of clinical presentations are seen. Though the disease is not a major health problem but in serious forms of amoebiasis, significant morbidity and mortality is unavoidable. We may have asymptomatic carriers of amoebic infection. On the other hand Entamoeba histolytica infection may result in fulminant dysentery with fever, diarrhoea, bleeding and even perforation of intestine. The organism can be identified in wet slide preparation of stool specimen obtained from infected patient.

The infection is transmitted by the faeco-oral route. The infection can be an asymptomatic one, that is, the victim could be in good health in-spite of harboring the Entamoeba histolytica infection. In severe cases of infection, Entamoeba histolytica can result in full-fledged frank dysentery along with colonic ulceration. Uncommonly, Entamoeba histolytica can invade organs other than large intestine. Liver is the second common site followed by lungs. The brain, genitals and the skin are other possible sites if infection by the amoeba. The majority of patients do not develop frank-dysentery, i.e. they do not develop diarrhoea with blood or mucus. Vague symptoms, such as discomfort in the tummy, irregularity of bowels, constipation, diarrhoea, griping and tenesmus occur in various combinations. In some cases, low grade fever, loss of weight, pallor, generalized non-specific aches and pains are common. The patient usually carries on his day-to day duties with sub-optimum health and efficiency.

The diagnosis of asymptomatic bowel amoebic infection can be established through repeated fresh stool microscopic examination. The sigmoidoscopic examination of ulcerative lesions of colon and microscopic examination of direct smears obtained from the ulcers would further confirm the diagnosis of amoebic ulcers. Invasion of liver by Entamoeba histolytica is the second commonest form of amoebiasis. The onset is usually insidious but an exceptionally rapid course can be seen during endemics of bowel amoebiasis. The presenting symptoms of liver amoebiasis are pain in the upper right quadrant of tummy, or fever or both. The presence of jaundice is very rare in patients with liver amoebiasis. Fever of uncertain origin is a common problem in many developing countries. One of the causes of the fever of uncertain origin could be amoebic infection of the liver.

The diagnosis of amoebic infection of the lungs and brain requires a high degree of expertise on the part of physician/clinician. The amoebic infection of brain is usually diagnosed at the operation table. Amoebic ulceration of skin is not very rare. Sophisticated techniques like serology and radio-isotopic scan can be of great help in establishing the diagnosis of amoebic abscess of liver, lung or brain. The treatment of amoebiasis is highly effective once a correct diagnosis has been made. Eradication or prevention of amoebiasis in any locality can be achieved only if there are optimum ways of sewage disposal and personal hygiene.

Effect of Alcohol on Fetus

Thousands of research papers have been published to highlight the hazardous effects of alcohol on the fetus in the womb of drinking mothers. It has been estimated that 60-70% of pregnancies of mothers having 5 to 6 drinks a day may have an abnormal outcome. Even moderate levels of drinking during pregnancy would be detrimental to the fetus. Excessive drinking during pregnancy may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) includes failure of growth before and after birth, various physical defects and neuro-developmental disorders. The FAS has an incidence of around one percent in live births from such women. The healthcare of alcohol damaged children (ADC) would need extra spending by individuals as well as by governments. Psychiatrists recommend total abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy.

The alcohol abuse and drink trade are subjects of the interest of governments worldwide. Majority of the governments are interested in the wealth than health. The average consumption of alcohol has doubled during the last decade in many developing countries. You would find increased number of outlets of liquor in your area. The alcohol seems to be an ever-expanding scourge, taking a heavy toll of health and wealth due to lack of social alcohol discipline. The drinking habits of female population need to be reliably surveyed to ascertain the damage caused to their infants.

Children’s health, growth and immunization: Our role in preventing preventable diseases

Unless we look after our women and children in a programmed manner in the field of health, we cannot have a happy world around us. Children are still killed or disabled each year by diseases that could have been prevented by immunization. The World Health Organization (WHO) is doing its best to eradicate/eliminate a variety of infectious diseases, but involvement of every citizen of the world is must for compliance of various programs of the WHO. The measles, mumps and rubella triple vaccine (MMR) should be included in the EPI (Expanded Preventable Immunization) program of every country. We should not ignore the facts that measles and mumps can cause considerable morbidity and mortality which could be prevented with optimum immunization. Optimum immunization means full course of vaccination schedule without missing any booster dose.

Apart from vaccination child nutrition and general health must be taken care of. The child health reminds me the efforts of Mr. James P Grant, the Director of United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF, 1984), who in 1984 brought out a Report on the State of World's Children, and forwarded a mnemonic GOBI-FFF to remember the techniques which could reduce sadness of the world. In GOBI-FFF, "G" stands for growth monitoring, "O" stands for oral rehydration therapy, "B" stands for breastfeeding, and "I" stands for immunization. The three Fs (FFF) stand for 'family spacing', food supplements and female education. The methods represented by GOBI-FFF are the simplest methods which could help us in tiding over the state of health of children and preventing diseases and saving lives. Consequent upon the compliance of GOBI-FFF, lives of millions of children are saved every year and the health and growth of millions more is protected. Still there is need to protect the children from episodes of common childhood diseases like measles, respiratory infections and diarrhoeal infections.

Various infections also interfere with physiological and psychological development of children. The malnutrition and infections perpetuate each other and may lead to suboptimum brain development. The GOBI methods are not so expensive. Community health workers can be assigned the responsibility of growth monitoring through periodic recording of weight and height of a child. The oral rehydration salts (ORS) should be supplied at cost price to prevent the dehydration caused by diarrhoea. The breastfeeding should be encouraged since it provides ideal nourishment to the child and saves from the infectious hazards of bottle feeding. Immunization against tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertusis (whooping cough) tetanus, polio, measles, mums and rubella protects the child against these serious as well as disabling diseases. Attention should also be given to the health education of mothers. Awareness about the child's health in mothers would definitely make all the healthcare and immunization programs successful. It is well established fact that proper spacing between child births decreases the risks to the heath of the mother and the infant. Food supplements should regularly be supplied to the mothers during pregnancy and vaccination against tetanus should be done. We must put in our best efforts to prevent the preventable diseases since prevention is better than cure.

Role of Fruits & Vegetables in Averting Strokes

Cardio-vascular disease (CVD) causes stroke in majority of patients with chronic hypertension. Fruits and vegetables have a variety of natural ingredients/nutrients, which act as protecting factors against strokes. Raised blood pressure along with tobacco smoking is a major risk factor in patients with CVD. It is well documented that fresh fruits and vegetables have a considerably high potassium content and low sodium content. Fresh fruits are very rich source of vitamin-C also. It is evident that fresh fruits and vegetables influence the sodium-potassium ratio and thus help in lowering the blood pressure in hypertensive people. It is advisable that hypertensive patients should restrict the salt (sodium chloride) intake only then intake of fresh fruits and vegetables would be helpful.
Many countries have reported a decline in stroke rates and mortality with a change in the eating habits of their people. One should stay normotensive (normal blood pressure) for prolonged survival. Avoid smoking and eat fresh fruits & vegetables to keep a check on your blood pressure to avoid strokes and heart attacks. Live Healthy, Live Long.