Its very unfortunate that the number of people with respiratory ailments, especially concerned to allergies and asthma, is increasing day by day in the western countries. And a large number of these are children. Researches are on to find the reason. But the fact is that there is a very good probability that if you have a young child sooner or later you will have to counter asthma.



Why is there such a rapid growth in number of children suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments? The prime reason for children missing school is asthma.

Unhealthy living styles of today have made kids of today spend more time indoors in front of the television or computer and exercise less. This results in overweight. The amount of antibiotic usage has also increased in children, the effect being a weak immune system not getting an opportunity to counter infections. And when they face airbourne contaminants they behave abnormally.

Air pollution is another culprit. Its not the cause but a very important initiator of asthma attack. Even though the emission control regulations for industries and vehicles have become stricter the problem of air pollution persists. Indoor pollution was an unheard of term a couple of decades ago but today it's a common term in usage everywhere. The furniture we use to furnish the schools and homes with add to the beauty but also add to the harmful gasses with their emissions. Since the time spent indoors by people has increased carpets, particleboards, cleaning products and curtains all have become more harmful.

Things you can do to protect your kids from allergy & asthma reactions!

Pets should be kept away from the bedroom. Be careful about pollen counts. Do not allow vigorous exercises when the days are hot. Use of fireplace and wood stove should be avoided and smoking strictly prohibited inside house.

House should be well ventilated, especially kitchen, bathroom and basement as these are the places with higher humidity than other parts of the house. Care should be taken to avoid perfumes, room fresheners and other similar sprays. Non toxic products should be used for cleaning. There is no added advantage in using a filtered purifier as the filter can only catch a very small amount of allergens, so a filter less purifier is good enough. Special covers should be put on pillows and mattresses.

What you can do if your child suffers from asthma

If your child is an asthma patient, what can you do as a parent? There are many things you can do so no need to lose hope. It's a fact that your kid is having a respiratory illness but he or she doesn't have to suffer because of it life long. Many small positive steps you can take to close in on an active, happy near normal life for your kid.

Here are some measures you can take to help keep your child with asthma healthy.

Because knowledge is power its important to know asthma in and out. This will help you in making decisions and taking actions. Begin with understanding the mechanism of breathing and how asthma affects it and why is movement of air inside the lungs and air passages so uncomfortable during asthma attack.

The air passage becomes constricted due to swelling and irritation of airways in your child's body during asthma. This makes breathing difficult and very uncomfortable. Due to lack of oxygen the cells in the air passage produce excessive mucus which obstruct the airways leading to coughing, lack of breath and wheezing.

Identify the initiators of asthma symptoms in your child. Most environmental factors which a normal person is not bothered about may be perceived as a threat by your Childs body and the immune system make the lung over react causing an asthma attack. These are called the asthma triggers. The reasons for such responses of the body are yet to be understood completely. The commonly found triggers are dust mites, pollens, animal dander, chemicals, perfumes, sprays, smoke, combustion particles, and food allergies and in some cases even a cold.

Try and make note of all the triggers and patterns that set of an asthma attack in your kid. As a parent you should be able to notice them and then device an action plan to assist your kid in keeping these triggers away as far as possible.

And last but not the least, be a part of your kids health care. Medical care is important for kids with asthma problems. Control the symptoms of asthma in your kid by making regimes of medication and environmental changes with the help and consultation of an asthma specialist and your pediatrician.