An
asthma attack is caused when a sudden constriction of airway passages,
called the bronchi, occurs. These tiny tubes help to transport the air
from the trachea (windpipe) into the lungs. The insides of these tubes
are lined with smooth muscle that allows them to contract and expand
much as our arteries do. When a message from the nervous system tells
these tubes to constrict too tightly, an athsma attack is the result.
Asthma
attacks can come on at any time and there are still many unanswered
questions as to why only some people suffer from this disorder. One
type of an asthma attack is triggered by activity. This form of asthma
is called exercise-induced asthma. The second and more common form of
idiopathic (unknown cause) asthma seems to be triggered by certain
allergens to foods or particulate matter in the air like pollen,
grasses, chemicals, and mold spores. No matter which form of asthma you
suffer from, an asthma attack is a frightening feeling. If nervousness
is also a trigger for this condition, the expected normal anxiety
associated with having asthma can be a self-perpetuating prophecy of
continued attacks.
Help for asthma
sufferers has been
on the market for a long time in the form of different inhalers to help
dilate (open) the bronchial tubes but there are other ways to more
naturally achieve a more effective way to relieve, reduce, and control
your asthma.
Currently there is not
enough research
available to determine if asthma can be inherited or not. If there is
no genetic (inherited) link, then the present belief is still that
there are two types of asthma triggers, allergens, which causes atopic
asthma attacks and non-atopic asthma attacks, which has no known cause.
For cases of atopic asthma, any
number of microscopic
airborne particles can trigger an attack. Mold spores are being
increasingly recognized today as asthma triggers. This may be one
reason asthma is on the rise in the U.S. The increased use of home
insulation materials prevents the beneficial air exchange, which
encourages the growth of mold. Also an increasing use of basement
conversions as living space is another source of increased mold
exposure. Besides mold spores, the other common allergens that can
trigger an attack are pollen, grasses, and foods.
Non-atopic
asthma is difficult to diagnose, as allergy testing can be an
exhaustive process. If there truly is a form of asthma that is not
triggered from pollen, grass, mold, fungus, chemicals, or some
environmental factor, more research needs to be done to find it. A
genetic link is still possible although a nervous system or hormonal
link to asthma is believed to be more likely.
Chiropractors
have successfully treated asthma in a number of ways. Chiropractic
manipulation in the area of the upper back can relieve tension on the
nerves that supply the bronchial tubes. This may be an effective way to
control a non-atopic asthma condition. Other forms of therapy,
nutritional support, and lifestyle changes, have also been recommended
by chiropractors to help decrease the number and the severity of asthma
attacks.