a blog for women… I'm just sayin'

Numerous household effects make asthma worse or can cause attacks. These are known as triggers. The most common asthma triggers are allergens, infections, environmental irritants, stress, and exercise. Often times with asthma have allergies, major cause of asthma symptoms. House dust mites, animal dander, cockroaches, mold, and pollen top this list of common allergens.
Infections of the airways including viral infections of the nose and throat, pneumonia or sinus infections also trigger attacks.
Environment irritants such as cigarette and other smoke, air pollution, fragrances, and cleaning products contribute to triggering asthma attacks. Be sure to check all of the child’s surroundings including classrooms at school, day care centers, and relatives’ homes for exposure to these triggers.

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Lipids, Glorious Lipids: Part I

Most of you know I spend my Sundays from 4-7 talking to people at the Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley about skin issues. I love doing this because it is the one day out of the week that I actually get to have face time with my many customers, and I am always enriched by the experience and gratified by how much I learn from them. Last Sunday I saw quite a range of skin problems; one young woman with severe adult acne, another young woman with combination skin (breakouts on her forehead and clear everywhere else), another young woman with congested skin (consisting of tiny blackheads that pretty much covered her face) a woman in her 30′s with intermittent eczema, an older woman with very dry skin, and finally someone who thought she had rosacea. I was struck by a common denominator in these varying skin concerns-the problem that I am coming to believe underlies most of the benign skin abnormalities I see. It has to do with what is called the “lipid barrier” of the skin, and what happens when it is compromised.

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To many it comes as a surprise that asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children in the United States. Statistics articulate that it affects as many as 10%-12% of children and this amount is ever increasing. Even though asthma can begin at any age, children have a propensity to demonstrate initial symptoms by the age of five. A particularly frustrating circumstance for parents is the child’s inability to express the symptoms such shortness of breath or labored breathing. WebMd lists common asthma symptoms as coughing especially at night, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, pain, or pressure.

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