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Facts About Respiratory Allergies

People with respiratory allergies are super-sensitive to things that most people find harmless, including pollen from plants, mould, dust, cockroaches, pet dander (tiny skin flakes), and food.

What to Watch for – Respiratory Allergies

When a super-sensitive person comes in contact with the substance that causes the allergy (called an allergen), the immune system overreacts and releases a large amount of a chemical called histamine. Large amounts of histamine cause tissue swelling (inflammation) and tightening (constriction) of muscles and other tissues, including those in the breathing passages.

respiratory allergies
Respiratory Allergies

Allergies can affect many different parts of the body. For example, some allergies affect only the skin; others affect more than one body system. Respiratory allergies are those that affect the organs and airways that help us breathe.

Symptoms of respiratory allergies

Not all people with respiratory allergies are allergic to the same things. One person’s allergies may be triggered by pollen, while someone else may react to dust. However, most people who suffer from respiratory allergies share the same symptoms, which may include:

  • itchiness
  • watery or red eyes
  • coughing
  • sneezing
  • stuffiness in the nose

More serious symptoms may include shortness of breath or wheezing. In severe cases, the airways may become so constricted and swollen that breathing becomes difficult or impossible. This is a serious condition called anaphylactic shock, and it requires immediate medical attention.
Common Allergies that Affect the Respiratory System

Hay Fever is Very Common

Hay fever (allergic rhinitis): According to The Canadian Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Foundation, hay fever affects 20% to 25% of Canadians. It can be seasonal, if it is caused by the pollens of grasses and flowers, or chronic (long-term), if it is triggered by things such as dust, animal dander, or mould.

Food and drug allergies: Eating fish or shellfish may cause allergic reactions such as stomach upset or skin reactions, or it may cause severe breathing problems. Some other foods such as peanuts, milk, and eggs may also cause this type of reaction. Medications, too, can cause allergic reactions. It is important to speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergies and are taking any medicines.

Insect allergies: Cockroaches can be a major household allergen, especially in densely populated city areas. This may be why there is a higher rate of breathing problems among children who live in inner cities. Bee stings can cause severe, life-threatening reactions in people who are allergic to them.

Allergic asthma: Asthma is one of the fastest growing diseases in this country, affecting between 15% and 20% of all Canadians. It is the leading cause of hospital admissions in children. Most of the cases of moderate to severe asthma are linked to allergies.

As you can see respiratory allergies are very common and it is important to use avoidance to control them

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Vitamin D

Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies. The term “vitamin D” refers to several different forms of this vitamin.

Two forms of Vitamin D are important in humans: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is synthesized by plants. Vitamin D3 is synthesized by humans in the skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. Foods may be fortified with vitamin D2 or D3.

Vitamin D Needs and Deficiency

vitamin dThe major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. Recently, research also suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which your bones need to grow. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis  or rickets. Vitamin D also has a role in your nerve, muscle, and immune systems.

Vitamin D is measured as Serum 25-Hydroxy vitamin D levels. A Serum Hydroxy vitamin D level of 10 ng/mL is low, a level of 15 ng/mL is adequate and a level of 200 ng/mL is potentially toxic

Rickets and osteomalacia are classic vitamin D deficiency diseases. In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, which results in skeletal deformities. In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, which results in muscular weakness in addition to weak bones. Populations who may be at a high risk for vitamin D deficiencies include the elderly, obese individuals, exclusively breastfed infants, and those who have limited sun exposure. Also, individuals who have fat malabsorption syndromes (e.g., cystic fibrosis) or inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn’s disease) are at risk.

How to Get Vitamin D

You can get vitamin D in three ways: through your skin, from your diet, and from supplements. Your body forms Vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight. However, too much sun exposure can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. So many people try to get their vitamin D from other sources. You need to get anywhere between 200IU to 600IU of Vitamin D a day with the amount increasing as we age.

Vitamin D-rich foods include egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver. Some other foods, like milk and cereal, often have added vitamin D.

You can also take vitamin D supplements. Check with your health care provider to see how much you should take. People who might need extra vitamin D include

  • Seniors
  • Breastfed infant
  • People with dark skin
  • People with certain conditions, such as liver diseases, cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease
  • People who are obese or have had gastric bypass surgery

Foods high in Vitamin D

In a not very scientific survey I have personally found that many women are very deficient in Vitamin D. My wife and some of here friends have had to supplement a lot of Vitamin D just to try to catch up

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Meditation as Stress Relief?

An interesting study was released a while back from West Virginia University on meditation as stress relief is getting some play on CNN today. The study followed over 100 people and looked at how regular coping mechanisms worked compared to using meditation and mindfulness to combat stress.

An intensive program that teaches meditation skills may help people reduce the psychological and physical effects of high stress, according to a new study.

Kimberly A. Williams, Ph.D., at West Virginia University in Morgantown, and her colleagues assessed the benefits of the program that taught participants to ‘discern a relaxed from tense body and come to understand experientially how mental and emotional states influence the body and vice versa.’

They recruited 62 ‘stressed-out’ subjects from the community. Past studies of similar training programs have shown the benefits in patients with confirmed psychiatric diagnoses and/or chronic illness. This is the first study to examine the benefits of such a program within a community setting, in people who reported abnormally high stress but not at a level that constitutes a psychiatric disorder.

Meditation as Stress Relief Study

Meditation as Stress Relief
Meditation as Stress Relief

They found that the 35 participants who underwent what was termed ‘mindfulness training’ experienced an average 54 percent reduction in psychological distress (shorthand for meditation as stress relief) from the beginning of the program to three months later. The 27 control subjects still available at the three-month follow-up had no significant reduction in this measure, Williams reports.

The study appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

The trainees also reported a 46 percent drop in medical symptoms over the three-month follow-up, compared with a slight increase seen in the control group.

‘The lack of significant change from baseline in the control group receiving educational materials and referral to community resources is a potentially important finding, since many physicians and wellness programs rely on these methods for addressing the stress management needs of their patients and clients,’ she says.

In contrast, the reductions in distress and medical symptoms seen in the intervention group brought those participants, who entered the study with an abnormally high amount of stress, within the range of normal in terms of health and well-being.

Intense Meditation Training Was Done

The study intervention was an intensive program involving a total of 28 hours of group learning over an eight-week period, including 2.5-hour classes once a week and one eight-hour retreat. Participants learned four methods of meditation, general yoga postures and other techniques for coping with stress, as well as how to apply these techniques to their lives.

‘The purpose of mindfulness training is for participants to gain greater insight into their perceptions, reactions and behaviors in life situations. Through the practice of mindfulness, subjects are taught to consciously respond to stressful situations in their daily life,’ Williams says.

The researchers warn that despite the observation of significant effects, the study was limited by its small size and the fact that they did not control for participants’ beliefs about the usefulness of the program. They note that a growing public interest in alternative medicine may have increased the receptivity of this group to the intervention.

Funding for the study on meditation as stress relief came from the budgets of the Wellness Program and the Prevention Research Center at West Virginia University.

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