BRITISH GUIDELINE ON THE MANAGEMENT THE OF ASTHMA

GUIA BRITANICA PARA EL MANEJO DEL ASMA PUBLICADA EN JULIO DEL 2007

PARTICIPANTES:

British Thoracic Society
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network

TIPO: GUIAS

FORMATO: PDF

DESCARGA DIRECTA: DOWNLOAD

Allergic Asthma Triggers - 7 Allergens To Avoid

Most people who have allergic asthma are sensitive to a variety of allergens. Here are the top 7 most common and disruptive irritants. More…

NEWS - Inflammatory on and off switch identified for allergic asthma and COPD

Japanese researchers have made a new step toward understanding why – and how to stop – runaway inflammation for both chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and allergic asthma. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/264307.ph

Over The Counter Asthma Medication

Over the counter asthma medication can help control asthma when it is mild and infrequent. Epinephrine in the form of an inhaler will open the airways and provide immediate relief for a couple of hours. Epinephrine is a hormone that is produced by the adrenal gland but in smaller amounts than what is taken in when using an inhaler. Other OTC medications that can help with symptoms are antihistamines and decongestants. Progressive symptoms should alarm the patient that prescription medication may be needed for allergy asthma relief. Side effects from OTC medication may include nervousness, anxiety, nausea, rapid heart beat, and sleeplessness. Patients should be under a doctor’s care when using OTC medications because of the potential life threatening symptoms associated with the condition.

The cause of asthma is not generally known but abnormal conditions occur in the body that can cause the symptoms of tightness in the chest, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Early signs may surface after a person has had bouts of reoccurring bronchitis. Onset can happen to any age group but is more common in children than adults. Allergy related attacks may include swelling of the throat and narrowing of air passage ways. Abnormal conditions associated with attacks are contractions of the muscles, as well as inflammation and fluid in the airways. Over the counter asthma medication can reduce the swelling and inflammation as well as opening the airways.

Epinephrine is a medication that relaxes muscles located in the airways making it easier to breathe. In addition to the epinephrine an expectorant may be included in some OTC solutions. Expectorants help to open the airway by loosening mucus. Loratadine or other antihistamines may provide allergy asthma relief but should be taken on a daily basis for it to work effectively. Antihistamines are often used as a preventive treatment and will minimize symptoms associated with allergens that lead to an attack. Nasal sprays that contain steroids are often prescribed to patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma to help prevent episodes.

Some medications can bring on an attack and should be avoided by patients. Others can react with over the counter asthma medication used to open the airways. Some of the main ones to avoid are beta-blockers and monoamine oxidase inhibitors normally prescribed for blood pressure patients and tricyclic anti-depressants normally prescribed to patients suffering from depression and anxiety. Some patients are sensitive to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and may have an attack after taking them. Children with the condition should be watched carefully after giving NSAIDs and other analgesics to make sure that the medication doesn’t trigger an attack. Parents who have children that have the condition may worry and feel extreme stress. One important thing to remember is that God loves children and is watching over them. “But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14)

Management of asthma includes being aware of substances that trigger attacks. Common allergens are pollen, dust mites, mold, pet dander, cigarette smoke, latex, detergents, perfumes, dyes, cleaning solutions that contain toxic chemicals, and foods such as peanuts, dairy products, eggs, and wheat. Other triggers may include weather changes, indoor and outdoor pollution, exercise, changes in hormones, and stress. Attacks may be more prevalent in the morning or at night and during times of extreme stress. When a patient has frequent episodes finding out what is causing them should be paramount for allergy asthma relief.

Asthma is more prominent in children than adults and sometimes a child will seem to outgrow the bad symptoms by the time he or she reaches age 5 but that does not mean that it won’t reoccur later on. The condition seems to run in families and oftentimes children who have it will also have other conditions such as hay fever or eczema. There are some disorders that have similar symptoms as asthma so seeing a doctor for a diagnosis is important even if over the counter asthma medication seems to help. Medical tests can help a physician rule out other possible causes for symptoms and make an informed diagnosis. Other conditions that have similar symptoms may include tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute bronchitis, and respiratory infection.

A physician may need to know a few details especially when the patient is being evaluated for the condition for the first time. Keeping track of symptoms for a short period of time before a doctor’s appointment will be useful in the kind of treatment that is prescribed. Write down any over the counter asthma medication that were used to treat the symptoms and how often they were used. The doctor will need to determine the severity of the condition in order to determine how much medication may need to be prescribed. Pay attention to when episodes occur, if sleep is disrupted, if attacks have occurred during exercise, and any known triggers that seem to make attacks worse.

Treatment should decrease inflammation thereby making attacks less frequent and less uncomfortable when they do happen. Allergy asthma relief will also help the patient who is fearful and stressed over his or her condition to remain calm and composed. Current prescribed treatments usually include controlled drugs called glucocorticoids and bronchodilators. Both of these drugs can be prescribed to be given orally or by using an inhaler. Doctors often recommend that children use a breathing machine until they can learn to use an inhaler. The medication is put into the breathing mask and held over the child’s face for optimal intake. Side effects of prolonged exposure to prescription drugs may include growth retardation in children, hypertension, diabetes, muscle weakness, and obesity.

1892: Dr. Osler defines asthma

William Osler is often referred to as the
Father of Modern Medicine.  He shared his
medical knowledge in 1896:  ”The Principles
and Practice of Medicine

William Henry Osler is considered by many to the the Father of Modern Medicine. He shared his medical knowledge in his 1896 publication “The Principles and Practice of Medicine.”  It is from this book we can still delve into his mind to see what he was thinking about various diseases, including our own: asthma.

It was his ideals about medicine that transformed the way medicine was taught.  He was well respected by physicians around the world, and his word was considered like words from the Bible.

In this way he was able to settle many debates about medicine, and push forward new ideas that were scientifically solid and old ideas that continued to have merit in the newly founded scientific world of medicine.

While he didn’t have much new to add to asthma wisdom, he set the standards for future practice and research in this area.  He believed the following to be true about asthma and allergies:  (1):

1. It’s of nervous origin


2. Various triggers set off an acute attack


3. Attacks involve swelling of bronchial mucus membrane


4. Attacks involve constriction of bronchial muscles


5. Attacks involve increased secretions 


6. Flow is obstructed by this swelling, constriction and increased secretions


7. Asthma and allergies are similar in origin and unique in their symptoms


8. Asthma and allergies are hereditary


9. Many asthmatics present with allergies (hay fever)


10. Children are more affected than adults


11. Men are affected more so than women (1)

As with Frances Rackemann, his ideas about asthma being a nervous condition sent many researchers and scientists down the wrong path, and may ultimately have delayed progress in the field of asthma. He wrote that ”the affection sometimes runs in families, particularly those with irritable and unstable nervous systems.”

Yet his understanding of the benefits of science in medicine would prove to benefit asthmatics.

Further reading:

• 1849-1919:  Father of modern medicine
  


• 1892:  Osler’s asthma remedies (to be published 7/7/13)

References:

1. 
   Osler, William, “The Principles and Practice of Medicine,” 1892, New York, pages 497-501
   

Probiotics Prevent Asthma

This article talks about using healthy bacteria to help with your immune system in the gut:

Probiotics Prevent Asthma 

 

Gut health is responsible for over 60% of your immune system so you can see how important probiotics are.

Dr. Oz recommended two supplements for the flu (including Swine Flu): probiotics and vitamin D3!

HealthPro Nutrient Probiotic is unique since it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, it isn’t destroyed by the stomach acid, and it is dairy free and 100%vegan.

For an optimal immune system look to HealthPro Nutrient’s Cell Balance and Cell Design, along with YouthD3, C+CoQ10 super antioxidant with plant cell technology, and the new LifeLine antioxidant drink.

 

 

CARDIAC ASTHMA VS BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Even thought cardiac asthma and bronchial asthma sound very similar, they actually couldn’t be more different. Knowing the difference between the two can actually be extremely important in the case of helping someone who is suffering from a true asthma attack versus a cardiac asthma attack. You will need to consider health history, specific symptoms, and recurrence of symptoms to determine if you should speak to a doctor to further examine the root cause of your asthmatic symptoms.

Asthma is treated in different ways depending on the severity of symptoms and how well it responds to treatment. Some people find adequate relief from asthma medications over the counter and other mild remedies such as natural asthma cures. These methods are generally reserved for people who experience symptoms intermittently or seasonally. Some still can find relief from mild symptoms by utilizing simple breathing exercises for asthma, however most often, people end up with inhalers for treating attacks. This is where the differentiation becomes extremely important because using an inhaler for a case of cardiac asthma can be dangerous because it can exacerbate the symptoms.

Understanding the physiological differences between the two conditions is important because it will help shed some light on why true asthma attack treatment won’t help someone suffering from cardiac asthma. Fluid in the lungs, and often congestive heart failure are responsible for the true asthma like symptoms of that cardiac condition that is usually manifested in elderly patients. Shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing are all indicative of this ailment. On the other hand, the same symptoms are often present with the bronchial form; however, they affect the airways, more specifically the inflammation of them.

While understanding the difference between the two conditions is very important, what’s most important is to always administer your doctor recommended medicines at the first sign of an asthma attack. Not doing so is dangerous and stupid. If you have concerns about mimic symptoms that you are concerned could be being caused by an underlying illness or condition, talk to your doctor. He or she will evaluate your symptoms and condition to ensure that you are being treated properly.

Posted in: CARDIAC ASTHMA VS BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

A fifth of us don"t change our bed sheets even once a month - and it"s causing us asthma, eczema and sniffles as a result

WWW.HEALTHYBARN.COM

40% of us change our bed linen every week 

A further 36% do it fortnightly and 1% yearly

Dirty sheets attract dust mites, which trigger allergies such as asthma, eczema, and rhinitis, warns expert 

 

Nearly a fifth of Britons fail to change their sheets at least one a month, starling new figures suggest. 

And they could be storing up a whole host of health woes as a result, ranging from asthma to rhinitis and eczema, a leading allergy expert has warned. 

A survey of more than 2,000 people found that more than half of us sleep in dirty sheets – and women are the guilty sex when it comes to not changing the bed linen regularly.

Nearly a fifth of Britons fail to change their sheets at least one a month – and women are the more lax of the two sexes when it comes to bedroom hygiene

The research, commissioned for the home retailer Dunelm Mill, found just two in five of us change our sheets weekly – in line with the standards of TV’s cleaning gurus Kim and Aggie. 

A further 36 per cent perform the task fortnightly, while 17 per cent of us 
admit to changing dirty sheets just once a month or even less frequently. 

 

More…

• Pregnant women exposed to pollen in late pregnancy more likely to have children with severe asthma


• New hope for treatment for eczema sufferers as scientists discover protein behind dry and scaly skin

Meanwhile six per cent of houseproud people stripped the sheets more than once a week, one per cent of people admitted they were changed just once a year, while three per cent had no idea.

Women were revealed to be the more lax of the two sexes when it came to bedroom hygiene. 

More than half do not clean their sheets weekly, with 12 per cent changing their sheets once a month and 1 per cent admitting to never changing them at all. 

But 40 per cent of men, on the other hand, managed a weekly change, and a further eight per cent did it even more frequently than that.  

Dr Adam Fox, a paediatric allergist at a leading London teaching hospital, warned that dirty sheets could exacerbate a number of health problems.

Just two in five of us change our sheets weekly, in line with the standards of TV¿s cleaning gurus Kim and Aggie

He told MailOnline:  ‘Having good bedroom hygiene when it comes to changing your sheets is about more far than just freshening up your linen. 

‘We spend about a third of our lives asleep and this is reflected in the debris that we leave between the sheets. 

‘Our bodies shed millions of skin cells each day, many of which rub off in our sleep and are deposited in our beds. 

‘In addition to skin cells, our bodies also secrete fluids, sweat and oils during a long nights sleep.

‘While unsavoury in themselves, these deposits mostly pose a problem as they are all deliciously appealing for dust mites.’

He added that while dust mites in themselves are quite harmless, the droppings of the microscopic creatures are laden with allergens which can cause health complications. When inhaled, these allergens can provoke asthma and rhinitis and may also worsen eczema. 

‘In order to reduce the possible problems caused by dust mites, the professional recommendation is that people with dust mite allergies should be taking a number of measures to reduce allergen exposure. 

‘Those who suffer particularly badly should consider investing in dust mite proof bedding and we should all be making it a priority to wash our sheets on a one to two weekly basis at 60 degrees.

‘It may seem like a bit of a chore but taking these precautions helps to protect against the health complications which may 
be caused or worsened by the unwanted dust mites which share our sheets.’

The research also exposed the Britain’s cleanest regions, with the Scottish and those from the North West found to be the best. By comparison people in the South East were the worst. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2258583/A-fifth-dont-change-bed-sheets-month–causing-asthma-eczema-sniffles-result.html#ixzz2HJlCVOQe 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

5000-50 B.C.: Egyptian priests/ physicians treat your asthma

So you are an Egyptian father of an Egyptian boy and you are convinced he is cursed by the god Isis.  You don’t know what your son did, but he is outside leaning against a tree in order to breathe, and he’s making loud wheezing sounds with each prolonged expiration.  You cannot bear to watch him suffer anymore, and so you send for help.  

It’s possible that in the early days of Egypt you would have your child sit in the streets, and people who walked by would offer their medical advice; their diagnosis and medical treatment.  Some historians speculate this never actually occurred in Egypt, and others speculate it was an early transitional stage prior to the priest studying health at the temples, and maybe even prior to the transition of some priest into physicians.  (1, page 2)

Various temples were built where you could worship the various gods of Egypt, and specialized temples were built where you could worship the gods who specialized in health and healing.  These temples were places where the sick could sleep in the night, and a diagnosis and remedy would occur in the night, and in the morning a priest would interpret these dreams and visions. (1, page 2) (3, page 16)(8, page 19)

Patients who were too sick to leave their homes may send for a physician.  The president of the temple would determine the specialist best for the individual case, and that physician would be sent to the patient’s home.  In this way, physicians made house calls.  (2, page 4) (4, page 17)

When he did so, he offered the following: (11, page 14)(12, page 13-15)

• Magic


• Draughts (potions)


• Blisters


• Poultices


• Plasters


• Powders


• Clysters


• Bleeding


• Pills made of dough


• Gargles


• Salves


• Inhalations


• Fumigations


• Supositories


• Incantations


• Amulets


• Hope


• Emetics


• Purgatives


• Diuretics


• Diaphoretics


• Cautery


• Surgery

The various drugs used were from animals (worms, snakes, insects, elephant, camel, crocodile, hyena), plants (radishes, onion), minerals (sulfur, zinc) and even humans excrements (feces, semen, saliva).  These were formulated in a variety of recipes that were prepared by the priests/physicians.  (12, page 15)

They would also prescribe good hygiene and a proper diet. (12, page 15)  They encouraged regular baths and purgings, and perhaps this was where the old adage came from: “prevention is better than the cure.” People early on in history must have learned that nary a drug cured anything, and sometimes the drugs used made the person worse, or even killed him.  So the emphasis was placed on good hygiene and healthy eating, with the goal of keeping you healthy, and preventing you from getting sick.

Proof of this can been found in the Bible, when God told Moses to tell the people to follow a the laws set forth to prevent the spread of disease.  Moses, who probably studied under the tutelage of Royal Egyptian priest/physicians, encouraged Israelites to avoid diseased people, and not to touch corpes, and to wash and have good behaviors in order to prevent sickness. 

Common diseases treated were osteoarthritis, tuberculosis, rickets, and syphilis. (12, page 15)  Modern evidence from mummies suggests they also treated atherosclerosis. Although their limited knowledge of anatomy prevented them from knowing about these diseases, they basically observed and treated the symptoms, which to them were caused by the gods, and, if not treated by the powerful magic of the priests/ physicians, would result in death.

The god Thoth communicated with an ancient priest, perhaps Imhotep, and Thoth provided Imhotep with all the wisdom of the gods.  The god invented all the arts and sciences, including a written language, medicine, and laws.  Thoth provided Imhotep with all this wisdom, and he carved them into pillars of stone, creating 42 books, the last six of which containing all the medical wisdom of the gods, and the laws regulating their practice.  (2, page 3)(3, page 14)

The ancient Greeks called Thoth Hermes Trismegistus, and therefore the books he wrote are often referred to as the Hermatic books.  A specialty of priests became the scribes, and they were among the wisest and most revered priests in all of Egypt.  Scribes transcribed the Hermatic books so they could be visible in all temples of the gods of health and healing, and so these temples became the places of learning among the priesthood.

Thoth ultimately taught the priesthood to make paper out of stalks of papyrus, and scribes were able to transcribe the Hermatic text onto large scrolls, and in this way every physicians could now have his own copy. When called upon to visit the sick, he must have taken his scroll with him, perhaps carrying it with him in his medical bag.

While temples to the gods were places of worship and healing, many were also were also the centerpieces of places that acted like our modern universities, complete with schools, libraries, laboratories, papyrus/paper factory and boarding houses.  These were places of instruction for not just priests and physicians, but astronomers, mathematicians, and a variety of other professions. Some of the original and most famous temples/ universities were situated at Memphis, Thebes and Heliopolis, Sais, and Chennu. (3, page 16)(8, page 19)(11, page 9)

The higher class of priests at these schools studied the first 36 books, and others the last six*.  Perhaps it was at such schools where Egyptian priests/ physicians developed such beliefs as life “should be indefinitely prolonged, unless someone or something caused death, such as a spirit, or the soul of a dead man, which cunningly entered a dead person,” according to Sandwich. (1, page 2)(9, page 25)

Perhaps it was at these temples that a greater understanding of diseases was speculated upon, and the realization was made that many diseases were associated with dirtiness, and that some diseases were spread from person to person.  It’s for this reason, perhaps, that people contaminated with certain diseases, such as the lepers, were cast from society and you were warned to stay away from them.

The priesthood, then, learned the importance of cleanliness in maintaining good health, and it’s from here where circumcision became standard practice, along with regularly scheduled bathing, the wearing of clean clothing, and similar such rituals.  It is also from here that diet and drugs were incorporated into the medical regime “to counteract the disorders which the strange being had produced in the body,” according to Fleming Sandwich in his 1905 book. (1, page 2)

Such cleanliness must have been rather successful at keeping the Egyptians healthy.  William Hudson Garrison, in his 1922 history of medicine, quotes Aristotle from his Politics, as saying: “They purge themselves every month, three days in succession, seeking to improve health by emetics and clysters; for they suppose that all diseases to which men are subject proceed from the food they use. And, indeed, in other respect, the Egyptians, next to the Libyans, are the most healthy people in the world, as they, on account of the seasons, because they are not liable to change.” (5, page 51)

Likewise, Plinio Prioreschi,  in his 1991 history of medicine, explains that Egyptian medicine gained a “great reputation” as noted by the following passage from Homer’s Odyssey: (10, page 257)

…for there (in Egypt) the earth, the giver of grain, bears the greatest store of drugs, many that are healing when mixed, and many that are baneful; there every man is a physician, wise above human kind… 

Alexander Wilder, in his 1901 history of medicine, says that “the skill and learning of physicians of Egypt made them famous in the neighboring countries.”   In one example, “the Prince Bakhtan (Bashan) sent an embasy to Ramases XII for medical aid for his queen’s sister.”  Ultimately “the pastaphori and physicians bearing a receptacle of the divinity… the mission was successful; the princess speedily recovered, and the god received the glory.” (11, page 15)
————————-
By the height of Egyptian civilization, society evolved into six orders:  (4, page 32)

• Kings and princes 


• Priests


• Soldiers


• Shepherds


• Laborers


• Artisans.  

Of these six orders, only the kings and princes were privy to their own physicians.  

Most of these orders were divided into various castes, with various of the priesthood being chosen to specialize in the various wounds and diseases and these became the caste of physicians. Members of this caste becoming “the most respected and the most powerful” members of the society. The caste “was a depot of the laws, science and religion.”  (2, page 32)

 Of these physicians, the great Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 B.C.) once wrote: (5, page 50-51):

“The art of medicine is divided among them: each physician applies himself to one disease only, and not more. All places abound in physicians; some physicians are for the eyes, others for the head, others for the teeth, others for the intestines, and others for internal disorders.”

Each physicians specialized in one disorder, such as:

• Disorders of the head


• Disorders of the eyes


• Disorders of the rectum/ anus


• Disorders of the teeth


• Disorders of women


• Experts in child bearing


• Experts in surgery (surgeons)


• Internal medicine (treat asthma-like symptoms, cancer, upset stomach, etc.)

Homer even notes the following regarding Egyptians:

…in the land where the fruitful soil bore abundance of herbs potent for good or evil, nearly everyone was, so to speak, a doctor or a descendant of Paeon and learned among the men. (8, page 18)

Paeon (Paean) was the physician to the gods.  By Homer’s reference, historians surmise that as medical knowledge was specialized, many of the commoners became knowledgeable in medicine, each becoming a pseudo-physician.  As our modern day homes, many people had their own medicine chests, and had the ability to treat basic cuts and scrapes, and ailments like the common cold.

When wounds were severe, or as diagnosis and treatment reached beyond the commoners scope of knowledge, only then would the greater expertise of a priest or physician be sought.

The classes of priest/ physicians were divided this way:  (3, page 16-17)(2, page 3-4)(7, page 13-14)

1. Chief Priests:  Also referred to as Sages, Soothsayers, Image Bearers, Magi, sorcerers, wise men or magicians.  These were the wisest of the priests/ physicians, and they were privileged to all the knowledge of the gods, and hence were responsible for reading the first 36 books of the Hermetic books. They were physicians of the “higher sciences.”  These priests/physicians were responsible for “conjurations, dissolving the charms of the gods by prayer, interpretations of the revelations received by the sick during incubation in the temples.”  (3, page 16-17) They were more like the medicine men of the primitive world, ”disolving the charms of the gods by prayer… magic and divination.”  (2, page 4)  They were even mentioned by Moses “in the 7th and 8th chapters of Exodus, under the names of wise men, the sorcerers, and magicians, of Egypt, whom Pharaoh called in to rival the miracles performed by Moses.” (7, page 13)


2. Pastaphori: The lower class of priests were responsible for studying the last six of the Hermetic books, and were responsible for visiting the sick and treating them.  They were your prototypical physicians, or ordinary physicians devoted specifically to medicine and the art of healing. Each of these physicians/ priests specialized in a certain ailment, such as internal medicine, dentistry, rectum, etc. They treated “anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, opthalmology, and gynecology.” This profession probably morphed from the need of physicians to leave the temples, especially as medicine (particularly rational/civilized) evolved. 


3. Military physicians:  They essentially were Pastaphori who followed the military, and mainly were experts in treating battle wounds with salves, casts, splints, incantations, etc. Each of these also specialized.


4. Veterinary:  They specialized in health and healing of animals.  They specialized as well, as your cattle doctors, fowl doctors, etc. 

According to William Hamilton in his 1831 history of medicine, only certain priests were privileged to become physicians, and “the office of these priests was hereditary and their privileges were exclusive; as the son trod with unvarying servility in the footsteps of his father.”  (7, page 13)

Physicians were free from the bondage of taxes, were paid by the collective, and profits belonged to the temple. The only obligation of the patient was to provide gifts, which sometimes included models of the organ fixed or operated on (such as an arm or leg), and these were kept at the temples as mementos, perhaps, of the healing powers of the gods. Likewise, “during war, or in the case of anyone falling ill upon a journey, the doctors were bound to render help gratis,” (4, page 17) (9, page 25)(11, page 10)

Hamilton says that “Improvement to medical knowledge was effectually arrested by the penal discouragement of every attempt to deviate from the canons of practice laid down in the volumes ascribed to Thouth (Thoth); and the interests of the priests led to the perpetuation of the popular delusion respecting the cause of disease, (7, pages 13 and 14)

According to the Diodorus, diseases were diagnosed by the position of the patient in bed, (6, page 25), and treatment was standard, or based on your symptoms, as noted by Bradford: (1, page 6)

The Egyptians paid strict attention to dietetic rules; they thought that the majority of diseases were caused by indigestion, and excess in eating. They practiced abstinence and used emetics. They had a considerable knowledge of Materia Medica (the pharmacopoeia) and used many drugs in the cure of the sick. They were somewhat skilled in operative surgery. They practiced castration, lithotomy and amputations

So Egypt had a plethora of physicians who specialized in the various wounds and ailments that plagued Egyptian society.  Such specialization was both bad and good.  It was bad when you were sent a specialist who didn’t specialize in what plagued you, such as if a physician who specialized in disorders of the rectum was sent to treat your son’s dyspnea.

It was good when your specialist had knowledge of internal disorders, and had access to remedies that contained opium or belladonna that had magical abilities to sedate him so he can better deal with his agony.

While preparing the ingredients, he may he might site the following incantation: (3, page 23)

“May Isis heal me, as she healed Horns of all the ills inflicted upon him when Set slew his father, Osiris. 0 Isis, thou great enchantress, free me, deliver me from all evil, bad and horrible things, from the god and goddess of evil, from the cod and goddess of sickness, and from the unclean demon who presses upon me, as thou didst loose and free thy son Horus” 

As you can see, the medical profession among “the ancient Egyptians hold the honor of being the first people to cultivate medicine as a science,” and that this “medicine was closely associated with the mythology of Egypt.”  (2, page 1)

Surely we might look at Egyptian medicine, as well as medicine of any ancient society, and think to ourselves:  this is quackery.  Yet these ancient societies probably benefited more from the magic of incantations and  prayers, or by the gentle touch of a palm on the shoulder, than from any other form of medicine.  As noted by Henry Sigerist in his 1951 book, “A History of Medicine: Primitive and Archaic Medicine: (13, page 280-1)

The oral rite was all important.  The correct choice of words to frighten a spirit, to enlist the help of the gods, the intonation probably also in which a spell was recited or sung, this all must have had a profound effect upon the patient.  We know the power of suggestion and know how highly responsive religious individuals are to such rites.  I should not be astonished if the sorcerer with his spells had had as better results in many cases than the physician with his drugs.  Magician and priest were able to put the sick in a frame of mind in which the healing power of the organism could do its work under the best conditions.  They gave him peace and confidence and helped him to readjust to the world from which disease had torn him.(13, page 280)

Sigerist also writes the following:

The manual rites performed in the course of an incantation appear in infinite variety from teh simplest to the most elaborate and complicated.  the rite may have consisted of nothing but putting one’s hand on the patient, the classical gesture of protection so familiar to us from the Bible.  After having exorcised a demon the magician said: ‘My hands are on this child, and the hands of Isis are on him, as she puts her hands on her son Horus.’  Or the magician held his seal over the child and such as seal was obviously a powerful fetish: ‘My hand is on thee and my seal is thy protection’  (13, page 281)

There may have come a day when “drugs were prepared and given without incantation and this was the moment when magic and medicine separated, when physicians and magician-priest became different individuals.” (13, page 280  Yet the priest of the ancient world, whether using magic words or herbal remedies, would have known of the power of suggestion, and perhaps, just perhaps, never ceased to use the power of magical words, amulets, talismans and gesticulations.

So your son continues to struggle with his breathing, and you decide you need to seek help for him.  You summon a priest, and within a few hours a priest/physician is humming incantations while your son is inhaling fumes from herbs tossed on the fire. Perhaps by the doctor’s appearance alone your boy is able to relax, allowing nature to heal him over time.

*Along with physicians, judges, mathematicians, astronomers, etc., were also educated at such schools. (8, page 19)

Further reading:

• 5000-50 B.C.: Asthma in Ancient Egypt: the Bible


• 5000-50 B.C.: Egyptian gods of healing


• 5000-50 B.C.: Asthma in Ancient Egypt, the Eber Papyri


• 2700 B.C.: Imhotep invents medcine


• 2700 B.C.: The Hermetic Books 


• 2700 B.C.: The birth of rational medicine


• 800 B.C.-800 A.D.: Asclepius will heal your asthma

 References:

1. Sandwich, Fleming Mant, “The medical diseases of Egypt, part I,” 1905, London


2. Bradford, Thomas Lindsley, “Quiz questions on the history of medicine: form the lectures of Thomas Lindsley Bradford, M.D,” 1898, Philadelphia


3. Baas, Johann Herman, author, Henry Ebenezer Sanderson, translator, “Outlines of the history of medicine and the medical profession,” 1889, New York


4. Renouard, Pierce Victor, “History of Medicine: From it’s origin to the 19th century,” 1856, Cincinnati, Moore, Wistach, Keys and Co., page 26, chapter 1, “Medicine of the Antique Nation.”


5. Garrison, Fielding Hudon, “An introduction to the history of medicine,” 1922, Philadelphia and London, W.B. Saunders Company


6. Dunglison, Robley, author, Richard James Dunglison, editor,  ”History of Medicine from the earliest ages to the commencement of the nineteenth century,” 1872, Philadelphia, Lindsay and Blakiston


7. Hamilton, William, “The history of medicine, surgery, and anatomy, from the creation of the world to the commencement of the nineteenth century,” 1831, volume I, London, Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley


8. Puschmann, Theodor, translated by Evan H. Hare, “A history of medical education from teh most remote to the most recdent times,” 1891, London, H.K. Lewis


9. Puschman, Theodor, translated by Evan H. Hare, “A history of medical education from the most remote to the most recent times,” 1891, London, H.K. Lewis


10. Prioreschi, Plinio, “A History of Medicine,” Volume 1: Primitive and Ancient Medicine,” 1991, Edwin Mellen Press, Chapter IV: Egyhptian Medicine, page 257.  Reference noted by author is as follows:  Homer, “Ocyssey, IV, 229-232, Translation by A.T. Murray.


11. Wilder, Aleander, “History of Medicine,” 1901, Maine, New England eclectic Publishing


12. Osler, William, “Evolution of Modern Medicine: a series of lectures at Yale University to the Silliman Foundation in April 1913, 1921″, New haven, Yale University Press


13. Sigerist, Henry E, “A History of Medicine: Primitive and Archaic Medicine,” volume I, 1951, New York, Oxford University Press

1800-1900: Race to define asthma is on

The rest of the 19th century consists of one physician after another coming up with his theory as to the cause of asthma.  Each is convinced he is right, and each offers the best proof he can.  Historians can argue whether this slowed down search for better asthma wisdom, or actually sped it up.

Franz Daniel Reisseissen is a German physician who studies the lungs, and he concludes that “there is another apparatus appointed for contracting the bronchi, which consists of transverse muscular fibres.  As far as the cartilaginous rows extend, these fibres are inserted….” (7)

In other words, according to ”The Cyclopaedia of practical medicine” (edited by John Floyer in 1833, volume 1, page 186), Reissiessen proves muscle fibres wrap around the air passages of the lungs almost all the way to the alveoli.  His writings are published in Berlin in 1822.

It isn’t until “the paper by Francis Hopkins Ramadge (1835, you can view his book here*.) and the prize essays of Bergson and Lefevre (1836) that asthma is really regarded as a neurosis of the respiratory organs,” according to Whitaker. (8)

Barry E Brenner, in “Emergency Asthma” (edited by Barry E. Brenner, 1998, page 7) wrote that Ramadge, described food as an asthma trigger, recommends moving from the city to country,  and of asthma being mostly a nocturnal disease. He discourages use of opiates because they impede respirations that are already impeded. He mainly recommends strammonium because it “produces a grateful forgetfulness and a balmy oblivion like opiates.” (9)

J.B. Berkart in his 1878 book “On Asthma:  It’s Pathology and Treatment” (volume I, page 23) described that Lefevre observed his own asthma and that of a friend and concluded asthma could only be caused by bronchospasm.  Yet he (Lefevre) believed this bronchospasm was caused by the mind.  (10)

Berkart wrote that “in essence of the disease he (Lefevre) considered to be an increased irritability of the nerves of the lungs, in consequence of which the slightest irritation applies to the bronchial surface induced spasm of the bronchial tubes.” (10)

Whitaker wrote that the view of asthma as a nervous disease was further established by “Romberg (1841) who based his conception of the disease as a spasmus bronchialis, upon the discovery by Reiseissen (1808) of muscular tissue in the finer bronchial tubes, and the contraction of these tubes under galvanization of the lungs by Charles J.B. Williams (1840), and irritation of the vagus (nerve) by Dr. Francois Achille Longet (1842).”

According to William Pepper and Louis Star, “It was ascertained by Williams that by irritating the lung he could cause contraction of these fibres, and Longet subsequently proved that the same effect could be produced by galvanizing the pneumogastric nerve.”  (11)

Berkart wrote that Williams performed experiments that proved without a doubt “that mechanical and electrical stimuli do produce contraction of the air-tubes. Thus the theory of a bronchial spasm obtained the support of experimental physiology. And even those who until then wavered in their opinions as to the possibility of such a spasm saw now no reason for doubting, but readily accepted that doctrine.”

Williams must have agreed with Laennec and Berkart that asthma was an abused term.  Whitaker noted that in 1768 there were 17 different types of asthma (as described by Savage) and in 1822 this was reduced to 11 (by Richter). This was confusing.  Williams wanted to simplify the definition of asthma.

Williams became the first to break asthma into two types: spasmodic and paralytic. Berkart wrote that as of the writing of his (Berhart’s) book, the two terms described by Williams were the ones accepted by most experts.  However, other doctors would continue to reclassify asthma to their own content and amusement.

Yet while his research led Williams in the correct direction, along came Dr. Francois Achille Longet who, in 1842, did experiments of his own only to prove that, as Berkart wrote (page 27) that “irritation of the pneumogastric nerve always produced spasmodic contraction of the bronchi, whereas section of the nerve led to emphysema, which was described as distention of the air vesicles (what we now call air trapping).”  (12)

Longet also believed bronchospasm and emphysema (air trapping) were both parts of asthma. If we could hop into our virtual time machine we could tell him he was right. We could tell him that spasming of the bronchiole muscles (which he referred to as fibres) caused air to become trapped in the alveoli. This we know is air trapping, or what what was grouped back then under the term emphysema.

If we could do that we could have put an end to the whirlwind of theories that I think delayed progress that may have resulted in beta adrenergic medicine to relax these smooth muscles long before they were finally discovered in 1900. We could have stopped the whirlwind of false steps and experiments that lead to poppycock theories such as the nervous theory of asthma.

So in 1840 Charles Williams — who was ultimately the same person to come up with the term lub dub to describe the beating of the two chambers of the heart — became the first to prove that certain irritants cause contraction of the muscular fibres that Reisseissen proved wrap around the air passages in the lungs.

In 1848 histologist Rudolph A. von Killiker confirmed the works of Williams and Reisseissen when he isolated smooth muscles of the lungs, according to John Daintith in his book “Biographical encyclopedia of scientists.”  (13)

This essentially proved Cullen wrong, that the muscle was not just a continuation of a nerve.  Yet since nerves still connected to muscles, van Killiker’s discovery was unable to stop the fallacy of the nervous theory of asthma.

The thing to note about most of these experts is that even while they believed in the bronchospasm theory of asthma, they continued to believe it the nervouse theory of asthma, and their experiments prooved the two co-existed  — or so they thought.

References:

1. Pepper, William,  Louis Star, “A System of Practical Medicine,” Volume 3, page 184


2. Berkart, J.B., “On Asthma: It’s pathology and treatment,” 1878, London,  Chapter II, “History of Asthma,” page 12


3. Bree, Robert, ”A Practical Inquiry into Disordered Respiration, distinguishing the Species of Convulsive Asthma, their Causes, and Indications of Cure, London, 1810.  I could not find the 1790 edition online, yet this one serves our purpose.


4. Schmiegelow, Ernest, “Asthma, considered specially in relation to nasal disease,” 1890, London, page 4 


5. Jackson, Mark, “Asthma: The biography,” 2009, London, pages 86-88 (If you’re interested in a good asthma history book, this is it.)


6.  Bryan, Jenny, ”Asthma,” 2008, page 8


7. Floyer, John, ed., “The Cyclopaedia of practical medicine,” 1833, volume 1, page 186


8. Whitaker, James Thomas, “The theory and practice of medicine,” 1893


9. Brenner, Barry E, ed, “Emergency Asthma” 1998, page 7 (chapter one is a history of asthma written by Brenner)


10. Berkart, J.B.,”On Asthma:  It’s Pathology and Treatment, 18xx, volume I, page 23 (Berkart started his book with a good history of asthma up to his time.  I base much of this post on his thorough asthma history.)


11. Pepper, op cit, page 194


12. Berkart, op cit, page 27


13. Daintith, John, “Biographical encyclopedia of scientists.”

Other readings:

• Ramadge, Francis Hopkins, “Asthma, its species and comications, 1835, London


• Duchenne, Guillaume Benjamin, “Selections from the works of Dr. Duchenne (de Boluogne),” 1883, London

Note:  This post updated on 2/14/13 and republished under a different url 

Asthma and Sinus Medicine

 

SinuCleanse provide temporarily relieves symptoms sneezing, runny nose, nasal stuffiness cold, flu or allergies.

Sinu Cleanse Refill Packets relive patients uncomfortable sinus and nasal system has been clinically proven to provide the most effective relief.

Temporarily relieves symptoms associated with sinusitis, cold, flu or allergies sneezing and runny nose.

Nothing is more soothing to the sinuses.

Understanding the Natural Ayurvedic Way of Asthma Treatment

Understanding the Natural Ayurvedic Way of Asthma Treatment

A severe asthma attack is caused, when the person is exposed to provocative factors or there is an infection in the upper-respiratory tract. The severity of this attack is calculated on how good your original asthma is kept in control.

An acute asthma attack can turn out to be fatal in spite of your medications. Breathing issues, which are unresponsive to any relief medications, should promptly seek the specialist doctor. A severe asthma attack can only be controlled with immediate emergency care. This state is also termed as ‘status asthmaticus.’

Signs of chronic asthma assails are:

·         The indications of insensitive asthma are constant coughing and incapability to speak complete sentences or get breathless, while walking a few steps.

·         The patient may feel a tight feel around his chest and his lips turn bluish.

·         The patient will hunch his shoulders, stand or sit to get air easily.

·         A wheezing noise will come out during exhalation.

·         The bronchial tubes linked with the lungs is narrowed because of inflammation or buildup of thick mucus in the core of bronchi, thus there is an obstruction caused in inhalation and exhalation.

·         When a patient suffers from severe asthma attack constantly then they attain a characteristic asthmatic look that is a whitish face and a thin-withered body.

What are the advantages of Ayurvedic treatment?

·         Asthma is labeled as fatal and persistent, but it can be healed if treated with Ayurvedic medicines. Asthma treatments taken at initial stages have shown successful results and the advanced, chronic cases have experienced a decrease in the force and recurrence of such attacks.

·         A patient will get great help from Ayurvedic medicines to fight the infuriating factors and thus making them less dependant on other quick-relief medications.

·         The patient’s poor resistance to environmental changes, recurrent colds and skin defects are cured completely during the Ayurvedic treatment for asthma.

How Ayurvedic doctors approach and plan treatment?

Ayurvedic specialist moves towards the asthma treatment by evaluating the following factors:

1.     Patient’s genetic predisposition.

2.     Patient’s sensitivity to allergens.

3.     Physical body structure that is the patient’s immune status and obesity form.

4.     All the physical current symptoms including the occurrence and intensity of asthma attacks.

5.     Any disturbing aspects in the patient’s life. 

Natural treatment approach

The toxins that are accumulated in the system are eliminated and the nervous system is stabilized. The immune system is also made strong, so that it can handle the stress. Asthma treatment can begin with the understanding of many factors and getting past them.

·         Diet and Digestion: Improper diet is said to trigger asthma because some foods irritate Vata syndrome that sets in high motion or blocks the bodily processes, thus the signs of asthma become worse.

Many foods are hard to digest and cause obstruction in the blood circulation. These foods are probable to create toxins. Foods that can be easily digested produce nutrients that get absorbed by the tissues to restore their strength. Thus to improve our diet and digestion is very important to overcome asthma.

·         Herbs: Appropriate herbal formulas are recommended by doctors to help in the healing treatment by strengthening the digestion and help in purifying the body. The herbs have potent anti-oxidant properties and free radical hunters (free radicals are very irritating and triggers asthma).
For more details visit :http://gurusgarden.com