Asthma

Asthma has affected many people and in many different ways. Asthma causes inflammation in your lungs and airways and for them to swell. During asthma attacks airways tighten and become narrower, making it difficult for air to pass through and making it difficult to breathe. Another name for asthma attacks is an exacerbation. Asthma affects people in different ways. Some people experience asthma attacks due to allergies, or when they breathe in cold air, or during periods of exercise. Not only do asthma attacks affect a person while it’s happening, but if they are not treated, the swelling and inflammation in the person’s airways can lead to permanent damage to your airways and lungs. There are a few causing factors of asthma. Many times a person has asthma because it runs in the family. Also, asthma is very common in people who have allergies. However, everyone with allergies does not have asthma and everyone with asthma does not have allergies.
There are many symptoms of asthma. One symptom is wheezing and short breaths. Another symptom is the feeling of tightness in your chest. Having trouble sleeping due to coughing or having a hard time breathing are both symptoms as well. One common symptom of asthma is when you get tired quickly during exercise.
Asthma is diagnosed in a few different ways. Doctors use a test called spirometry to diagnose and keep track of a person’s asthma. The test measures how quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs as well as how much air you move. Another test is the peak expiratory flow test. This test shows how fast you can breathe out when you are trying your hardest. Doctors also do exercise tests, chest x-rays, and allergy tests if they think your symptoms may be caused by allergies.
Although asthma is a lifelong disease, treatment can control it and aid a person in living a healthy and active life.

cortlanddddd

This week has been such an amazing week. For the past four days the weather could not of been better. I remember when I came here for orientation last year and the weather was perfect just like it has been. It was so nice to see so many people outside enjoying the weather and soaking up the sun. The only thing to make it better would be if we were at the beach with this weather J I can’t believe our second semester is almost over. It seems like this year flew by. Everyone always said to enjoy your four years at school because before you know it they will be gone. Now I believe it and know what they’re talking about because we already have one year of college down. I still remember coming here for a visit one day and taking a tour. I never thought I would actually come here and enjoy it as much as I do now. I feel like everyone that goes here is so friendly and everyone seems to get along well. Coming here is so much different then high school for me in so many ways. First of all, I graduated with a class of 78 kids. Everyone knew everyone and we all knew everything about each other and having everyone know all your business really isn’t what you want. In high school people were always fighting and arguing and there was constant drama. Here, I feel like there is hardly any drama and the drama that we do encounter is like petty stuff. Even though I miss my friends at home, I do not miss the drama and all of that at all. Out of my class of 78 kids, only about 15 of us went away to school. For the people who stayed home, they all seem to regret staying home and not going away. I think I made the right choice to come here and I would never take my decision back!

osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects your bones. As you age your bones become thin and brittle and sponge like. Many holes accumulate which makes them much easier to break. Osteoporosis usually hits a person after the age of 60 and is most common in women, but men can get it as well. There are many causes of osteoporosis. During childhood years and teen years, new bone grows faster than existing bone is absorbed by the body. However, at the age of about 30, the process of bone growth begins to reverse. In the reverse stage, bone is dissolved and is absorbed faster than new bone is made, and your bones become thinner. For women, bone loss increases around the time when they reach menopause and there is a decrease in production on estrogen from ovaries. In contrast, testosterone, the male sex hormone, protects men from bone loss. Where women tend to see osteoporosis around their sixties, men tend to get osteoporosis around the age of 65, when their testosterone is declining. Of course in men and women, the older you get, the more likely you are to have osteoporosis. There are also a few factors that contribute to specifically the thinning of bones. One is not getting enough calcium. Calcium should be a major part of your diet to help build strong and healthy bones. Also, not receiving enough vitamin D as well as phosphorus both contribute to bone thinning. One interesting fact is that bone thinning is hereditary. If a parent has a low bone mass then it most likely passed from the parent to the child. I can remember when I was younger seeing all the Got Milk ads in magazines showing how milk is vital for strong and healthy bones. Ever since I was younger, milk has always been a big part of my diet.

Food allergies

Spring is here which means so are your allergies. What are allergies? Allergies are an allergic reaction to an overreaction of the immune system to a substance called an allergen. Allergens can include a variety of things such as chemicals, foods, medicines, mold, plants, pollen, and so on. Each person reacts differently to certain allergens. Some may suffer from mild reactions whereas others may react with severe and life-threatening reactions. A common allergy is to foods. The reason for allergic reactions to food is because when your body has certain foods it thinks they are trying to harm you. In response your body fights back by setting off an allergic reaction. Most the time the symptoms are mild and include sneezing, a rash, stuffy nose, or an upset stomach. However, there is always the chance of having severe reactions which can be deadly. Serious reactions can be treated quickly though. Food allergies can cause all sorts of symptoms. Some of the many other symptoms include your mouth tingling and swelling of your lips, cramps, upset stomach, hives, the feeling of being dizzy and or feeling lightheaded. Food allergies are more common in children than adults. Studies have shown that about seven out of one hundred kids have food allergies whereas only about three or four adults have food allergies. As a child you will usually outgrow the allergy but if you have a food allergy as an adult you most likely will have it for life. The most severe reaction is called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis affects your whole body and usually starts within an hour after you eat the food you’re allergic to. If you experience anaphylaxis your throat and tongue may quickly swell, you may start wheezing or have trouble breathing, you may feel sick to your stomach, or feel faint. Anaphylaxis is extremely serious and can be deadly. Overall there is so much to know about food allergies. I am lucky enough not to have any food allergies and I hope everyone else is too!

Running

Today, many people enjoy going running for exercise. A year ago, running every day was thing to do. Today however, running every other day seems to be the right thing to do. According to Steve Scott, the U.S. mile legend who is a running coach at California State University-San Marcos, “As long as you fit in one long run and one fast workout each week, you can stay in decent shape.” I’m sure many people know the idea of going hard then easy. It’s the same in running, if you run a long distance one day, you should take it easy the next day and rest. This is healthy for your body because by the time you run again your body is ready for it and fully recovered.
Another improvement of running today is the type of terrain you run on. Today, runners find it better to run on than running on the roads. By running off roads on trails you are likely to receive fewer injuries. Podiatrst Patrick Nunan says, “The harder the running surface, the higher your risk for injury due to the increased shock to the body.” Many runners have found it beneficial to run on even softer areas such as in the grass or the sand. When running in the grass or sand, a majority or your energy exerted goes directly into the earth whereas when you run on harder surfaces it is rebounded back into your feet and lower legs. Due to the softness of the terrain, your body has to work much harder which gives you a better muscular and cardiovascular workout.
I think that all of this information is very beneficial to runners. There are so many factors to take into consideration when running and even just these selected few can make a big difference in one’s results.