"Hay fever" is a misnomer. Hay is not a usual cause of this problem and it does not cause fever. Early descriptions of sneezing, nasal congestion, and eye irritation while harvesting field hay promoted this popular term. Many substances cause the allergic symptoms noted in hay fever and hay represents only a small percentage. "Allergic rhinitis" is the correct term used to describe this allergic reaction. Rhinitis means "irritation of the nose" and is a derivative of "Rhino," meaning nose. Allergic rhinitis which occurs during a specific season is called "seasonal allergic rhinitis". When it occurs throughout the year, it is called "perennial allergic rhinitis." More....
4/9/2007

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An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system attacks a usually harmless substance called an "allergen" that gains access to the body. To more simply describe this complex immune process, we will make an analogy to a war within the body. The immune system calls upon a protective substance called "immunoglobulin E" or "IgE" antibodies (for erythema or redness) to fight these invading allergic substances or allergens. Even though everyone has some IgE, an allergic person has an unusually large army of these IgE defenders - in fact, too many for his/her own good. This army of IgE antibodies attacks and engages the invading army of allergic substances of allergens.As is often the case in war, innocent bystanders are affected by this battle. These innocent bystanders are special cells called "Mast" cells. These cells are frequently injured during the warring of the IgE antibodies and the allergic substances. When a mast cell is injured, it releases a variety of strong chemicals into the tissues and blood. These chemicals frequently cause allergic reactions. One of the chemicals released by the mast cells is histamine. These chemicals are very irritating and cause itching, swelling, and fluid leaking from cells. Through various mechanisms, these allergic chemicals can cause muscle spasm and can lead to lung and throat tightening as is found in asthma and loss of voice. More....
4/9/2007

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Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, or bronchi, that bring air into the lungs. Inflammation is a chemical reaction in the body that produces redness, swelling, and pain. Bronchitis can be caused by: · Viruses · Bacteria · Smoking · Breathing in certain kinds of irritating chemicals Treatments that you can try yourself that is · Taking a hot shower or bath, draping a towel over your head and breathing the steam from a bowl of hot water, or running a humidifier in the bedroom during sleep. These can provide moisture that airways need to stay clear. · Drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water helps keep the secretions in the lungs liquid. Drinking hot liquids such as teas can also help remove phlegm from the lungs. Cold liquids tend to irritate the airways because of proximity of the esophagus to the trachea in the neck and upper chest. · Respiratory therapists sometimes have their patients blow into a device with an adjustable valve that exercises the lungs in the same way as blowing up balloons. · Some practitioners believe that red peppers, curry, and other spicy foods that make the eyes water or nose run can help to thin mucus secretions but this is very controversial. More....
4/9/2007

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whooping cough Pertussis (also called “whooping cough”) is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes a severe cough. Symptoms § Symptoms appear 6 to 21 (average 7-10) days after exposure to an infected person. § Pertussis may start with cold symptoms or simply a dry cough followed by episodes of severe coughing. Fever is absent or mild. § Gagging or vomiting may occur after severe coughing spells. Cough may be worse at night. § The person may look and feel healthy between coughing episodes. § Immunized school children, adolescents, and adults often have milder illness than young children. § Infants with pertussis may not develop a severe cough. They may only have a mild cough, decreased feeding, and may have difficulty breathing or turn bluish. Whooping Cough Causes Whooping cough is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Humans are the only known reservoir of these bacteria. · Whooping cough is spread by contact with droplets coughed out by someone with the disease or by contact with recently contaminated hard surfaces upon which the droplets landed. The bacteria thrive in the respiratory passages where they produce several toxins that paralyze the tiny hairs and cause inflammation of the respiratory passages. Whooping cough is contagious from 7 days after exposure to the bacteria and up to 3 weeks after the onset of coughing spasms. The most contagious time is during the first stage of the illness. · Initially thought to be a disease of childhood, recent studies have shown that adults are susceptible to whooping cough and account for up to 25% of cases. The disease, however, tends to be milder in adults—often just a persistent cough that is much like an upper respiratory infection or cold. Because of this fine distinction, the diagnosis of whooping cough is frequently missed in adults and thus allows the bacteria to spread to more susceptible infants and children. · Highly contagious, whooping cough has a secondary attack rate among unimmunized household contacts between 75-100%. Even among fully immunized and naturally immunized people living in the same household, there have been reports of undetectable infection following extreme exposure. Whooping Cough Symptoms The course of whooping cough is divided into 3 stages. · The first stage of whooping cough is the catarrhal stage. This phase typically lasts 1-2 weeks. Symptoms during this phase resemble that of an upper respiratory illness: runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, and occasional cough. A low-grade fever may be seen in some cases as well. · The second stage of whooping cough is the paroxysmal stage. The duration of this stage is highly variable, lasting between 1-6 weeks, up to 10 weeks. It is characterized by intense and drawn out bouts of coughing. The attacks tend to be more frequent at night, with an average of 15 attacks in a 24-hour period. Often a "whoop" can be heard caused by the gasping person inhaling between coughs. Infants, in particular, may appear to stop breathing and perhaps turn blue during the coughing spasms. Vomiting is also common during this stage as well. · The third stage of whooping cough is the convalescent stage. This can last for weeks or months and is characterized by a chronic cough that becomes less paroxysmal (fewer sudden outbursts of coughing) in nature. More....
4/9/2007

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Colds are caused by more than two hundred different viruses. The most common groups of viruses are rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Knowing which virus has caused a cold is not important because treatment does not depend on the type of virus. People with colds are contagious (can pass on the virus) during the first two to four days of infection. The virus can be passed in various ways. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks, for example, fluid droplets containing the virus are discharged. People nearby may breathe in the droplets and may then become infected. Cold viruses can be passed from person to person through direct contact, such as shaking hands. The viruses can also be spread through nonliving objects, such as doorknobs, telephones, and toys. This method of transmission is common in day-care centers. A child with a cold may transfer the cold virus to a toy with which he or she is playing. When another child picks up the same toy, he or she may also pick up the cold virus. More....
4/9/2007

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Asthma, is a disease of the respiratory tract. Asthmatic people find difficulties in breathing due to a constriction or, narrowing of the respiratory tract especially the trachea. Asthma can be passed down genetically. An asthmatic patient has bouts of asthma when the causative factors are in proximity. In between these bouts of asthma when the causative factors are in proximity. In between these bout of asthma, the patient can lead a normal life. More....
4/4/2007

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