Breathing Disorders | Treatment Strategies
Posted: Wednesday, February 06, 2008
by Mike Anderson
Flamingo Contracting Inc.
A discussion of breathing disorders should include:
- External factors
- Upper Respiratory Tract
- nostrils
- nasal cavity
- sinuses
- pharynx
- larynx
- Lower Respiratory Tract
- trachea
- cricoid cartilage
- canina of trachea
- main bronchi (right and left)
- bronchioles
- alveoli
- we should ensure that the air we inhale is as clean, moist and warm as possible. In other words we adopt strategies which maximize the qualitative features of the air we inhale.
- we should ensure that we can inhale as much air as we require. In other words, we should adopt strategies which minimize any restrictions to the quantity of air we inhale.
The trachea or windpipe continues to carry the air into the lungs. The trachea splits into the left and right bronchus at the canina of trachea. Each bronchus continues into the chest cavity and the lung proper. The trachea and bronchus are surrounded by cartilage and muscle which protect these airways. Further down the respiratory tree, the airways continue to branch off. As they become very small, some gas exchange begins to occur. The small branches become branchioles which terminate at the alveoli. This is where most of the oxygen for carbon dioxide exchange occurs.
The alveolus is spherical in shape. It is surrounded by capillaries. It is very fragile and is subject to collapse because of the osmotic pressures involved. Accordingly, there are 3 types of alveolar cells. The first is to build walls. There are pores in the walls to assist in the balancing of pressures. The second type of cell produces surfactant which facilitates the gas exchange. The third type, macrophages, help defend the alveolus from foreign invades like bacteria. It warrants repeating, the alveolus is somewhat fragile and to accomplish efficient exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood, the balance of a number of factors is necessary.
Anyone suffering from a breathing disorder understands the phrase 'catch 22' even if they do not know the source. What I mean by this is that a breathing disorder causes a series of actions which seem almost inevitable and from which there seems to be no escape. Simply put - breathing disorders are a apathy spiral.
What I mean by 'apathy spiral' is the following set of events:
- one contracts a breathing disorder
- cannot truly catch one's breath if under any stress or strain, mental or physical
- then, cannot exercise
- cannot exercise, then cannot control weight easily
- cannot control weight, breathing disorder symptoms worsen
- breathing disorder symptoms worsen, cannot exercise
- cannot exercise, and so on and so on.
Adding to the potential of apathy, the medical establishment definitively proclaims that there is no cure to copd, asthma and emphysema, three of the major breathing disorders. 14% or the deaths in the USA last year, the 4th leading cause of death, breathing disorders, and they, the infamous they, say there is no cure. How many billions of dollars did Big Tobacco make in the last 5 decades? Since the number 1 cause of breathing disorders is smoking cigarettes...you fill in the blanks with some justice.
Back to what can be done.
I have written this and other articles to clarify some of the facts so that we can identify treatment strategies which will minimize the effect of the symptoms of breathing disorders because our doctors tell us we cannot be cured.
Treatment Strategies:
- External
- Be proactive about your environment. Suffering from breathing disorders raises one's sensitivity to smog, cigarette smoke, aromatic compounds, etc. exponentially. Hopefully I do not even need to say 'quit smoking'.
- Control your indoor environment with air purifiers, air circulation/turnover/exhaust systems, no smoking, no cooking without exhaust fans and so on.
- Be aware of what your allergies are. Avoid contact totally. Even if you have only mild reactions, you are trying to maximize the efficiency of your breathing.
- Upper Respiratory
- Do not irritate the nasal cavity and cause swollen membranes and/or sinus infections with poor diet choices, allergies or poor environmental choices. Do not overuse decongestant sprays.
- Prevent adenoid and tonsil infections.
- Be cautious with your diet and prevent either under or over production on mucus.
- My personal rule for my body is no operations and pharmaceutical unless the situation is a life or death emergency. That being said, if one cannot breath enough air into one's lungs, that is an emergency.
- The medical establishment currently recommends two broncho dilators, each with a different strategy for bronchial dilation.
- The medical establishment also recommends bronchial anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Lastly, because of the life/death situation, I personally believe that sufferers from breathing disorders should also carry emergency broncho dilating inhalers.
- Traditional medicine insists on treating symptoms and often prescribes oxygen to copd patients. Those patients who are in the severe throes of copd should definitely use oxygen, both in room and portable. If you can avoid the use of continuous oxygen and still function satisfactorily, then that is preferred. As soon as you give up on your ability to breathe naturally without supplemental oxygen, then you give up...
- Many individuals with breathing disorders find it very difficult to walk or play golf or snowshoe. They get tired quickly and become discouraged. If you can muster the will power, then try starting with short outings and build up from there. Pushing yourself and your lungs to perform is a far better strategy than continuous oxygen or just giving up.
- Extreme sports enthusiasts like long distance cyclist, use portable personal oxygen to give them a boost intermittently, perhaps this is a alternative until you can develop the energy level to do it yourself. Football and track athletes are known to use oxygen to speed recover from exhaustion after big efforts. I believe that the key issue is continuous versus intermittent use of supplemental oxygen. Continuous becomes a crutch and is detrimental. Intermittent allows additional performance without rest and may be beneficial.
Please click here to visit my blog about breathing disorders, how to live with them.
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