Living with Asthma/AllergiesWritten by Deborah Mumm
Why Are So Many Children Getting Asthma? By Deborah MummGo to any grade school or high school sporting event! Take a peek at sideline bench and note how many inhalers you see. Did you know that number one reason children miss school is asthma? Why explosion of asthma and respiratory problems in children? 4 Reasons Respiratory Problems are on Rise! 1) ‘Couch Potato Generation’ – kids weigh more, exercise less and spend more time indoors. 2) Too much antibiotic use - Immune systems never get much opportunity to fight infections, and then react abnormally to airborne contaminants. 3) Air Pollution – Pollution does not cause asthma but can be a trigger for an attack. Cars and factories now have stricter controls on emissions but problem is still there. 4) Indoor Air Pollution – 20 years ago no one ever heard of Indoor Pollution! Since Energy Crisis in 70’s, buildings became more energy efficient. This meant all pollutants became trapped inside. Many of items we furnish our home and school with are outgassing contaminants continually. Carpeting, curtains, cleaning products, particle board furniture and more! With people spending 90-% of their days indoors, this becomes a problem! 4 Things You Can Do To Protect Your Kids from Allergy & Asthma Reactions! 1) Watch for days when pollen counts are high and restrict vigorous exercise on hot days. 2) Avoid Wood Stoves and fireplaces in home and NEVER allow smoking in home of an asthmatic. 3) Keep pets out of bedrooms. 4) Make sure kitchen, bathrooms, and basement are well ventilated to cut down on mold in humidity. 5) Put pillows and mattresses in allergen-impermeable covers to cut down exposure to dust mites. 6) Use non-toxic cleaning products and avoid perfumes and scented products. 7) A filter-less air purifier is highly recommended since a filter can only capture a small portion of allergens. To learn more about products for a healthier indoor environment, please visit my website at www.myhealthysolutions.com or register here for my bi-weekly issue of The Achoo Review…an online newsletter to help you and your family with allergies and asthma. Why Are So Many Children Getting Asthma? By Deborah Mumm
| | My Teenaged ParentsWritten by Phyllis Staff
Frankly, as a single parent of young children, I struggled. But, as single parent of teenagers, I stunk! Faced with reality of children who could (and did) do whatever they really, really wanted to do, I was often baffled. Functioning as caregiver of two adult parents, I again find myself baffled. But I am sure of one thing -- It's no wonder many caregivers die before elders they care for! They simply wear out! Consider this recent exchange: ME: "How is that new medication working?" PARENT: "It doesn't work. I still feel sick." ME: "OK, call doctor and tell him." PARENT: "I can't. He doesn't answer calls on weekend." ME: "Well, someone does." PARENT: "No, they just tell me to go to emergency room." ME: "OK, call doctor's office on Monday." PARENT: "Well, he doesn't have anything better to offer." ME: "How do you know?" PARENT: "He never does." ME: "Well, call anyway, OK?" PARENT: "He doesn't pay any attention to me." ME: "He can't help if he doesn't know you're still sick. So, call, OK?" PARENT: mumbles something unintelligible. ME on MONDAY: "Did you call doctor?" PARENT: "No, I'm feeling better today." ME: "Well, how about I go to doctor with you?" PARENT: "No, I'm not a child. And I don't want you treating me like one!" I've run headlong into these issues more and more often of late. It's enough to drive you to drink - or whatever it is you do to deal with unending frustration. After all, these are my parents - and they are adults. . .or at least they used to be.
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