One of the more difficult things in being a parent is to care for the health and well-being of our children. This no doubt causes many of us anxiety and to worry if are doing the right things to care for our children. One of the biggest problems we have is that children simply do not come with an operator's manual that explains everything that can go wrong.
A good example of this is found in dealing with respiratory illness and disorders. Kids seem to pick up and share every flu and other illness that makes an appearance at the local daycare or school. Our job is parents is to determine if our sick child has one of those common flu-like illnesses or if the symptoms point to something much more serious.
The problem with asthma is that the symptoms are often very similar to bronchitis and other very common respiratory infections.
Childhood Asthma Symptoms:
Coughing. Coughing is caused by a buildup of mucus in the bronchial tubes that needs to be cleared. Mucus is a good indication of a respiratory infection or irritation. Coughing however is symptomatic of many childhood and adult illnesses. Although coughing is a symptom, the type of cough plays a role in identifying and understanding the underlying cause. Simply put, a rattling or loose type cough can suggest one type of illness, while a tight or hacking cough can lead a medical doctor in a different direction. Understand that both types of coughing, indicate illness but it's the type of cough that helps a doctor accurately diagnose the problem .
Wheezing is a whistling type of sound that you can hear when your child breathes. Although most commonly associated with asthma, some do not wheeze while others without asthma have a tendency to wheeze when ill. Again, accurate diagnosis is critical to determine the cause and if it is asthma develop an effective treatment plan.
Chest Congestion and Tightness. Chest congestion is symptomatic of influenza, but can also indicate a more serious respiratory disease like asthma.
Shortness of Breath Many asthma sufferers experience shortness of breath so profound that they feel as if they're being smothered. This is serious because asthma actually constricts air passageways making it almost impossible to get enough air into the lungs
These signs and symptoms may indicate that your child is suffering from asthma. While as a parent you cannot be expected to understand how these various symptoms interact or be able to accurately diagnose and illness, your medical doctor can. If you suspect that your child has developed a respiratory illness, get them to the doctor as soon as practical and get an accurate diagnosis .
About the Author
Abigail Franks has done extensive research into Asthma,Allergies, and their triggers. Visit the Asthma site for more information on Asthma Symptoms and Asthma Treatments
Asthma is the number 1 cause of absenteism in the classroom. The asthma rate has triples - 20 -30 million Americans currently afflicted. Asthma is triggered by the products we use in our homes to keep them "clean" but at what cost?
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Why Should I Worry
According to the EPA, most homes have airborne concentrations of hazardous chemicals that are two to five times higher indoors than outdoors.
According to the EPA, toxic chemicals found in the home are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor airborne pollutants.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission connects 150 chemicals commonly found in our homes to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.
The National Cancer Institute has a list of twenty known carcinogens and over 2,200 chemicals that are probable carcinogens. Many of these chemicals are in the cleaners and personal care products you buy at your local grocery store.
What can you do?
There are many safe products on the market... all you have to do is change brands of products.
Link about what you can do:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
According to the EPA, toxic chemicals found in the home are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor airborne pollutants.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission connects 150 chemicals commonly found in our homes to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.
The National Cancer Institute has a list of twenty known carcinogens and over 2,200 chemicals that are probable carcinogens. Many of these chemicals are in the cleaners and personal care products you buy at your local grocery store.
What can you do?
There are many safe products on the market... all you have to do is change brands of products.
Link about what you can do:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Cleaning Products
DID YOU KNOW?
* An EPA study revealed that toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times
more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.
* The Asthma Society of Canada has identified common household cleaners and
and cosmetics as triggers to asthma.
The vast majority of domestic cleaning products contain an abundance of toxic chemicals, most of which could seriously impact your health. Indeed, household cleaners are the major source of home toxins. Approximately 500,000 tons of liquid cleaners are washed down U.S. drains annually. These products are absorbed through the skin, breathed into the lungs, and eaten from plates with chemical residue following “cleaning.” Ingestion, of course, is always a danger as well, and the number-one cause of household poisoning is dish detergent.
Most cleaning products rely on petroleum-based surfactants, solvents and other chemicals, some of which are known to be acutely toxic in large doses. Others have been linked to reproductive illnesses and cancer. Most of these chemicals have not been tested for their impact on human health. Many household cleansers contain substances such as the highly toxic halogens chlorine and fluorine as well as glycol ether, naphtha, and kerosene, which are neurotoxins and central-nervous-system depressants. These substances can cause confusion, headaches, lack of concentration, and symptoms of mental illness.
Some of these products contain such a toxic cocktail of chemicals that the EPA has produced guides to help people choose environmentally friendly chemicals. Chemicals found in cleaning products are surfactants – substances that remove fat, proteins, and dust from clothes or surfaces to ensure that the fats and dirt dissolve in the washing water without sticking to the clothes or surface again. Many ordinary household products such as detergents, cleaning agents, dishwashing liquids, soaps, shampoos, and conditioners contain surfactants. These chemicals are well known to be toxic to fish and in aquatic systems. The toxicity of these surfactants on humans varies, but in many cases they can cause severe skin, eye, and respiratory harm. What’s more, when surfactants, which are classified as “inert” pesticide additives, are mixed with other active chemicals, they can hugely increase the toxicity of other chemicals – whether toxic chemicals in cleaning solutions or “active” pesticides in pest-control preparations.
The best thing to do is to clear them all out, and find healthier alternatives. What products are safe for my home? For more information click on: http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Sources: Toxic Overload
Paula Baillie-Hamilton, M.D., Ph.D.
DID YOU KNOW?
* An EPA study revealed that toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times
more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.
* The Asthma Society of Canada has identified common household cleaners and
and cosmetics as triggers to asthma.
The vast majority of domestic cleaning products contain an abundance of toxic chemicals, most of which could seriously impact your health. Indeed, household cleaners are the major source of home toxins. Approximately 500,000 tons of liquid cleaners are washed down U.S. drains annually. These products are absorbed through the skin, breathed into the lungs, and eaten from plates with chemical residue following “cleaning.” Ingestion, of course, is always a danger as well, and the number-one cause of household poisoning is dish detergent.
Most cleaning products rely on petroleum-based surfactants, solvents and other chemicals, some of which are known to be acutely toxic in large doses. Others have been linked to reproductive illnesses and cancer. Most of these chemicals have not been tested for their impact on human health. Many household cleansers contain substances such as the highly toxic halogens chlorine and fluorine as well as glycol ether, naphtha, and kerosene, which are neurotoxins and central-nervous-system depressants. These substances can cause confusion, headaches, lack of concentration, and symptoms of mental illness.
Some of these products contain such a toxic cocktail of chemicals that the EPA has produced guides to help people choose environmentally friendly chemicals. Chemicals found in cleaning products are surfactants – substances that remove fat, proteins, and dust from clothes or surfaces to ensure that the fats and dirt dissolve in the washing water without sticking to the clothes or surface again. Many ordinary household products such as detergents, cleaning agents, dishwashing liquids, soaps, shampoos, and conditioners contain surfactants. These chemicals are well known to be toxic to fish and in aquatic systems. The toxicity of these surfactants on humans varies, but in many cases they can cause severe skin, eye, and respiratory harm. What’s more, when surfactants, which are classified as “inert” pesticide additives, are mixed with other active chemicals, they can hugely increase the toxicity of other chemicals – whether toxic chemicals in cleaning solutions or “active” pesticides in pest-control preparations.
The best thing to do is to clear them all out, and find healthier alternatives. What products are safe for my home? For more information click on: http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Sources: Toxic Overload
Paula Baillie-Hamilton, M.D., Ph.D.
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