Chamaesyce hirta


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Euphorbiaceae (castor, euphorbia, or spurge family) » Chamaesyce hirta

kam-ay-SY-kee — from the Greek chamai (on the ground) and skyon (fig)
HER-tuh — meaning, hairy

commonly known as: asthma plant, common spurge, sneeze weed • Bengali: barokarni, barokherni • Hindi: बड़ा दुधी bara dudhi, दुद्धी duddhi, लाल दुधी lal-dudhi, मोटी दुधी mothi dudhi • Kannada: achchedida, akkigida, kempuneneyakk • Konkani: दुदुर्ली dudurli • Malayalam: നിലപ്പാല nilappaala • Manipuri: pakhamba maton • Marathi: दुधी dudhi • Prakrit: दुद्धिआ duddhia • Rajasthani: dhedhi-dudheli • Sanskrit: दुग्धिका dugdhika, क्षीर ksira, नागरी nagari, नागार्जुन nagarjun • Tamil: அம்மான்பச்சரிசி amman-paccarici • Telugu: నానపాల nanapala

Distribution: pantropical

References: Flowers of India • NPGS / GRIN • PIER species info

Asthma has dramatically risen worldwide over the past decades, particularly in developed countries, and experts are puzzled over the cause of this increase. The mechanisms that cause asthma are complex and vary among population groups and even from individual to individual. Many asthma sufferers have allergies, and some researchers are targeting common factors in both these conditions. Not all people with allergies have asthma, however, and not all cases of asthma can be explained by allergic response.

There are things in the environment that bring on your asthma symptoms and lead to asthma attacks. Some of the more common things include exercise, allergens, irritants, and viral infections. Some people have asthma only when they exercise or have a viral infection.

Genetic factors: asthma tends to run in families, and many people with asthma also have other allergic conditions such as rhinitis (inflammation of the nose lining). “Allergy” is a hypersensitivity to some proteins foreign to the body; a small dose of the “allergen” will produce a violent reaction in the person concerned.

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Many people with asthma have allergic reactions to particles breathed in through the air, such as animal dander and pollen. These common substances are called allergens, meaning that they cause an allergic reaction. The tendency to react to allergens by having an asthma attack is probably genetic.

International Asthma day 2011 in Malmö


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Article by Peter rodrick

Asthma has dramatically risen worldwide over the past decades, particularly in developed countries, and experts are puzzled over the cause of this increase. The mechanisms that cause asthma are complex and vary among population groups and even from individual to individual. Many asthma sufferers have allergies, and some researchers are targeting common factors in both these conditions. Not all people with allergies have asthma, however, and not all cases of asthma can be explained by allergic response.

There are things in the environment that bring on your asthma symptoms and lead to asthma attacks. Some of the more common things include exercise, allergens, irritants, and viral infections. Some people have asthma only when they exercise or have a viral infection.

Genetic factors: asthma tends to run in families, and many people with asthma also have other allergic conditions such as rhinitis (inflammation of the nose lining). “Allergy” is a hypersensitivity to some proteins foreign to the body; a small dose of the “allergen” will produce a violent reaction in the person concerned.

Many people with asthma have allergic reactions to particles breathed in through the air, such as animal dander and pollen. These common substances are called allergens, meaning that they cause an allergic reaction. The tendency to react to allergens by having an asthma attack is probably genetic.

Treatment and care of asthma is directed toward immediate relief of the attack. Parents of asthmatic children may anticipate an approaching attack and medication that provides sedation and bronchodilation. The control of asthma depends on finding the cause and eliminating it. No smoking for adults who have asthma. There are two kinds of asthma medicines: those that relieve airway constriction and those that reduce swelling and inflammation like steroids. They are usually given via inhalers but pills are used as well. In some cases, studies have shown that coffee, can help relieve an acute asthma attack, supposedly because of the caffiene and heat.

Long-term control medications are taken daily to maintain control of persistent asthma. They primarily serve to control airway inflammation.The quick-relief medications are taken to achieve prompt reversal of an acute asthma “attack” by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle.· Accolate Oral Zafirlukast is used to prevent asthma symptoms and to decrease the number of asthma attacks in people 5 and older. It helps make breathing easier by reducing swelling (inflammation) in the airways. Regular use of this medication can help control your asthma, improve your ability to exercise, and decrease the number of times you need to use your rescue inhaler.

Camp Provides Safe Summer Fun for Kids With Asthma


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(Greenville, DE)—Louis Savino enjoyed the time of his young life this summer, petting horses, bowling and swimming. These may seem like everyday activities for a 9-year-old, but having everyday fun has its challenges for children with asthma.

Louis, a Middletown, Del., resident, attended Asthma Camp, where volunteers from Christiana Care made certain Louis and 10 other campers stayed healthy while they played games and learned how to manage their asthma.

"Volunteers are integral to the success of the camp," says Will Braunlein, program specialist for the American Lung Association. "People from Christiana Care step up each and every year."

Mary Gant, a Christiana Care nurse and registered respiratory therapist, has volunteered for 12 years. This year, she helped guide a canoe trip on the Brandywine River.

"Kids whose triggers are heat or humidity or physical exercise learn that they can still have an excellent time canoeing and swimming if they pre-medicate," she says. "Parents tell us their kids don’t like to take their medications in front of other children, but they don’t worry about it here."

Based at Christiana Care’s Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute, the week-long Asthma Camp is designed to educate children ages 7 to 11 on ways to deal with such asthma triggers as pollen, smoke and animals.

For example, kids who react to animals learned that it’s OK to pet a horse, as long as you wash your face and hands afterward.

"It’s a fun environment that stimulates learning," Braunlein says.

Christiana Care allows employees to devote work hours to volunteering at the camp. It’s important to reach out to the community, says Fran Gott, Christiana Care’s clinical manager of respiratory care and a former Asthma Camp volunteer himself.

"We try to accommodate schedules so the camp has the support of respiratory therapists, day in and day out," he says. "We are committed to helping these children who are severe asthmatics attend camp like any other kids."
Louis and the other campers learned about asthma through such hands-on activities as filling toilet-paper tubes with cotton candy and then dissolving the cotton candy with spray from a water gun.

"The water gun is like our inhalers," he says. "It clears out the tubes so we can breathe better."
One of the best parts of camp is getting to know other kids who have asthma.

Asthma and Type of Exercises


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What Is Asthma, Asthma Symptoms, Asthma Diagnosis, Asthma Treatments, Asthma Allergies, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, Asthma & Acid Reflux, Peak Flow Meters, Trend Statistics, Living W/Asthma. Asthma Web Links, Asthma Triggers Causes, Triggers VS Causes, Asthma Causes, Asthma Triggers, Occupational Asthma, Asthma & Altitude, Asthma Home Exterior, Asthma Home Interior, Asthma Pregnancy, Pregnancy Safe Drugs, Asthma Medicine & Pregnancy, Exercise Induced Asthma, Asthma & Exercises, Avoiding Exercise.

When someone is diagnosed with asthma it is customary for the doctor and patient to put an action plan into place to eliminate triggers, prescribe treatment and ultimately control asthma symptoms. Being able to control asthma will prevent chronic symptoms of asthma such as coughing and wheezing, reduce the occurrence and frequency of attacks and maintain normal activity levels in daily life. Because there is no cure for asthma and in some instances of asthma there is no identified cause, medication is necessary to treat, prevent and control the symptoms of the disease. The type of medication is determined upon the patient’s age, symptoms, triggers, and what makes the asthma better. Not all medications work on every individual especially since more than a quarter of people who suffer with asthma are children. Therefore determining the right type of prescription will be a task that both the doctor and patient will have to develop together.

There are two types of medications that doctors prescribe to asthma patients, long-term control medications and quick relief or rescue medications. Long-term control medications are the most effective way to reduce inflammation in the airway. Long-term treatments are normally taken on a daily basis to prevent symptoms. Quick relief medications are used in flare up situations to quickly open up swollen airways. Asthma patients most commonly use inhalers because the medication goes directly to the lungs however; pill and liquid forms of asthma medications are available as well.

Long-term control medications include inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, long-acting beta agonists, combination inhalers, theophylline, and methylxanthines. Quick relief medications include short-acting bronchodilator inhalers, anticholinergics, and oral and intravenous corticosteroids. With extrinsic asthma, allergies are a possible trigger, which is why allergy medication is used to treat allergy-induced asthma. Allergy medications include immunotherapy allergy shots, oral and nasal spray antihistamines, decongestants, and corticosteroid nasal sprays. Bronchial thermoplasty is another treatment that is used in cases where asthma is severe and traditional medications are ineffective. Lastly in cases where patients have difficulty with inhalers, an asthma nebulizer should be used.