Respiratory Health

Articles

Asthma: I’ve been diagnosed, what now?
Article

Asthma: I’ve been diagnosed, what now?

Asthma is a long-term condition causing inflammation of the airways. Many people have a mild form, and symptoms are kept at bay through regular medication to reduce inflammation. Occasionally people get flare-ups, where symptoms come back, and this may require stronger treatment. Once you are on the right treatment for you, and you have an asthma plan that tells you when to increase or decrease doses, most people go on to lead a normal life – able to exercise, work and enjoy family life.

Productive (chesty) cough
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Productive (chesty) cough

Coughs can prove to be quite bothersome. Typically stemming from viral or bacterial infections, new coughs can often be effectively managed at home without needing a doctor's visit. Where to start? Starting small by taking it easy, getting good amounts of sleep, and ensuring that you are eating and hydrating well will help. You can also try some simple over-the-counter treatments to help with your symptoms. Healthwords pharmacists have put together some of our favorite medications that can be purchased over the counter to help with a productive cough.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus - What You Need To Know
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Respiratory Syncytial Virus - What You Need To Know

Respiratory Syncytial (‘sin-SISH-uhl’) Virus (RSV) was first identified in the 1950s and is a cause of illness affecting the respiratory system in infants, young children, and the elderly. It is also one of the leading causes of respiratory infections worldwide. In this article we take a detailed look at RSV, including its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and how to prevent it from affecting you. What is RSV? RSV is a type of RNA virus, in the same family as the human parainfluenza viruses and the mumps and measles viruses. It is one of the common viruses that cause coughs and colds in winter. The virus primarily targets the epithelial cells in the lungs and throat, leading to inflammation and various respiratory (breathing) symptoms. One of the distinctive features of RSV is its ability to form ‘syncytia’ or large, multinucleated cells, by ‘clumping’ or fusing neighboring cells together. This syncytial formation allows RSV to spread quickly in the respiratory tract and is a key reason why it causes illness in people.

Sinusitis
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Sinusitis

Sinusitis is inflammation of the linings of the sinuses - the air-filled spaces in your skull behind the bones of your face and forehead. The maxillary sinuses in each cheekbone are most commonly affected by sinusitis which can be short or long-term. Sinusitis lasting a few days to a few weeks is called acute sinusitis but if it lasts three months or more it is known as chronic sinusitis and can affect people of any age. Most bouts of acute sinusitis are caused by an infection such as a cold whereas chronic sinus problems are usually linked to something that regularly irritates the lining of the nose such as infection, pollen, overuse of decongestant nose sprays and allergies. What are my sinuses? These are the four pairs of cavities (air-filled spaces) known as paranasal sinuses in the head. These small hollow spaces, which are located within the skull or bones of the head surrounding the nose, are named for the bones that contain them, namely: Frontal sinuses over the eyes in the brow area. Maxillary sinuses inside each cheekbone. Ethmoid sinuses just behind the bridge of the nose, between the eyes. Sphenoid sinuses behind the ethmoids in the upper region of the nose and behind the eyes. The paranasal sinuses open into the nasal cavity and are lined with cells that make mucus to keep the nose from drying out during breathing and to trap unwanted materials so that they do not reach the lungs. What are the symptoms of sinusitis? The main symptom of sinusitis is a throbbing pain and pressure in the face, which is worse bending forwards. There may be pain above the eyebrows, the forehead may be tender to touch and you may feel as if you have toothache in the upper teeth. Other typical symptoms include a blocked nose, headaches, and reduced sense of smell & taste. Interestingly, dentists say sinusitis is often associated with toothache, but because the nerves are interconnected, people find their teeth very sensitive. Because your nose can get stuffy or congested when you have a condition like the common cold, you may confuse simple nasal congestion with sinusitis. A cold usually lasts about 7 to 14 days and goes away without treatment, whereas acute sinusitis often lasts longer and typically causes more symptoms than a cold.

What to do in an asthma attack
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What to do in an asthma attack

Asthma is usually well-controlled with a preventer inhaler and the occasional use of a reliever inhaler like albuterol. From time to time, symptoms may flare up and cause an asthma attack – you might be able to identify a trigger, or this may come out of the blue. Whether you are the one suffering the attack, or you are on hand to help someone else, this can feel frightening. Fore-warned is fore-armed, so it’s important to know what to do, as in some circumstances, this can be life-threatening. Let us arm you with techniques to treat this and help you to recover.

What to do in a COPD emergency
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What to do in a COPD emergency

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, usually requires inhalers to keep symptoms under control and allow you to go about your daily activities. Sometimes the lungs can get irritated and inflamed, leading to a flare-up, or what we call, an acute exacerbation of COPD. As you learn to manage your condition, you might notice predictable triggers – the flu, a chest infection, cold weather, a smoky environment – or there may be no obvious cause. It's important to recognize when it's not just a bad breathing day, but a COPD flare-up, and what action to take.

Using spacers with asthma or COPD inhalers
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Using spacers with asthma or COPD inhalers

Spacer chamber devices, or spacers as they’re referred to, work to deliver the medicine in your inhaler directly to the lungs to help alleviate symptoms in those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD.

How to quit smoking
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How to quit smoking

While most of us know that smoking has no health benefits, it isn't easy to stop. Some people think stopping is all about willpower, and they insist on going cold turkey to give it up – but experience tells us that they are more likely to return to smoking in the future. The good news is that several tried and tested methods will help you quit smoking. But it’s a good idea to understand the hold cigarettes have on us first. Why is it so hard to quit smoking? Smoking tobacco is highly addictive due to the nicotine that it contains. Nicotine causes a temporary high, which helps release endorphins in the brain. This is something the brain comes to rely on to make us feel happy and creates cravings. This temporary high is a hefty price to pay for the cost of smoking on the body. Smokers often experience dry coughs, yellow nails, headaches, and other unpleasant side effects, along with feeling socially isolated due to the smell. In the long term, they risk lung cancer, difficulty with breathing, and heart disease, all of which can significantly shorten their lives. Smoking takes a mental hold on us, providing a psychological crutch that’s hard to give up. Daily smoking becomes a ritual around drinking morning coffee, work breaks, and nights out. It’s suggested that it takes at least 60 days to break a habit, which is why relapses often occur for those trying to quit smoking. To quit for good, smokers must adjust their lifestyle completely, ensuring that smoking is no longer a part of their routine and daily activities and is not used to relieve low mood, anxiety, depression, or boredom. Let’s talk through how to quit smoking, including some tried and tested methods to put yourself in the best position to quit and stay that way.

Hay fever – how can I ease my nasal symptoms?
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Hay fever – how can I ease my nasal symptoms?

Constant sneezes and a streaming nose can be common in the pollen season. If you suffer from hay fever, or allergic rhinitis in medical terms, you will feel desperate to rid yourself of the tissues and feeling of congestion. Our pharmacist has put together some solutions to ease your nasal symptoms with hay fever.

How to assess breathing difficulties in children
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How to assess breathing difficulties in children

It can feel scary when your child is having breathing problems, and difficult to know when to wait and see, and when to know that they are really struggling. Let’s talk you through the tell-tale signs doctors look for that indicate a child’s breathing is a concern. Signs your child is struggling to get air in include a grunting sound or nodding their head with each breath, if they flare their nostrils or purse their lips to breathe. You might notice the muscles under their ribs are being sucked inwards, or their tummy goes out to help them draw air in. Signs of life-threatening difficulty are any episodes where they stop breathing for 20 seconds or longer, they become pale or blue around the lips, or they have a seizure or become unresponsive. They may be breathing very fast, but it is also important if they start looking very tired from the work of breathing.

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