Asthma has been a problem for many people and it seems that is has been a worsening problem in the past couple of decades. While it seems to affect kids most, it is a problem to seniors as well. Many think living in an ocean community like Santa Cruz is beneficial as we get the fresh air off of the ocean. To that I would agree it is likely that we live better if we live close to the ocean. While the cost of living and housing is high in Santa Cruz County, the cost of bad health is worse in my opinion.
I have heard various ideas such as the outdoor air pollution causing the problems. Since the 90's much has improved in the air quality, with the reformulated gas and more restrictions on burning days for fireplaces and the like. While I believe that the air quality may be an important ingredient, I believe a more balanced approach will be necessary.I think that the air tight houses that we have may have more of an impact than we have recognized.
Much like there was a delayed reaction to all the gulf war veterans illness' I can't but help think that all the elements in a house that off gas are contributing to the problems.The first thing is denial, something our government is good at, then after enough outcry,something slowly happens. As with the gulf war health issues, I think the outcry for the environment is starting to be heard.I think as we see more LEEDs buildings we shall start to see a decrease in respiratory illnesses. That will be hard to pin point, but I would believe it will be a great start.
Some others have posited the idea that we have had such a building boom that with the rush developers and home owners have not installed a balanced amount of plants of both sexes. The male plants and trees often have more color and less mess, so that we have a lot more pollen in the air. Seems a bit of a stretch,yet the normal balance of plant communities are undoubtedly off as man chooses what goes where. Less open land means more urbanized and industrialized areas that may once have cleansed the nearby air, now contribute to our ill health.
In this recent article on Asthma the discussion seemed to take the position that we have been too sanitized. Think about it for a minute. If you have been around for 4 or more decades, you probably ate your share of mud pies, climbed trees, skinned knees, had to kiss frogs, and the like. With today's germophobic culture, there is so much sanitizing that maybe our bodies are not getting accustomed to the germs that we used to when we were kids. In fact we are creating the problem, because we do not let our kids bodies ingest the germs that we used to, so that our bodies see them as foreign, and the immune system goes off.
So how do you know you have asthma? Some signs to observe are a shortness of breath, wheezing and other related lung issues such as frequent coughing. While there is no cure, there are things you can do. First get your doctor to check you out to eliminate a more serious thing like COCP. There are inhalers and shots, and some dietary and living things you can change,but is is something that most have to bear with. Check with your friends and natural health care product providers and see what they suggest as well as reading on suggested dietary changes.
I wonder though, if there is some relevance to this idea that we are causing the problem, by limiting the normal interactions that we used to have as kids, with all kinds of things in the environment. I wonder if in a similar fashion, if we are having another knee -jerk reaction,similar to mercury in medicines in regards to autism,but we don't know about that dilemma either.
While these issues are no doubt going to be continuing problems, I can't but help believe that a diet rich in variety of organic( when possible) fruits, grains and vegetables of all sorts, can't but help. We ingest so many medicines, and antibiotics from foods and the doctors that we face disorders or microbes we can't yet cure as well. I wonder if just getting back to being a kid, with lots of exercise, varied diet will help solve a lot of things. If you want to know of some parks or beaches to get some exercise at follow this link.
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Date: 2008-02-17 19:33:25