Newbie intro and question

[Dragonfly]

Hi, I have been diagnosed with excercise-induced and stress-induced
asthma,
and also have moderately frequent nighttime asthma problems. I was
diagnosed about a year ago, though I have been having "breathing
problems"
since I was a child; my parents just did not think it was anything
beyond my
being "lazy" and "out of shape" (no, I was never, nor am I now,
overweight,
or even remotely close to being overweight...)

I currently am on Qvar (a maintenance inhaler, which I taketwo puffs
of
three times a day) and albuterol as a rescue inhaler. I definitely
breath
BETTER with the inhalers, no doubt about that. But ... I still end up
using
the rescue inhaler at least once a day, often much more, and having to
still
severely restrict my activities.

In short, my asthma is still totally out of control, I am scared to
death of
it, and I have no idea what else to suggest to my doctor to try. I
*do*
know there are a lot of crackpot "treatments" on the internet, and
don't
want to be misled (otherwise, I'd just research it myself)

What I would like to know is if there is anyone here who has been in
a
similar situation, and if so, what was done to resolve the situation?
What
methods have others tried (and either were successful, or not) to
control
asthma when even a maintenance inhaler did not do enough good? Does
anyone
have any ready links to relevant medical studies?

Thanks!


--
*Dragonfly*

http://dragonflychaos.deviantart.com/
http://glitterychaos.livejournal.com/

[NorthShoreCEO]

I think a lot of people have gone through periods where their asthma wasn't
well managed and seemed out of control. I'm not familiar with QVar, but if
you're needing to use your rescue inhaler every day, then QVar doesn't seem
to be doing the trick. If you've given it enough time and still don't see
any improvement, then tell your doctor it's not working, that you have to
use your rescue inhaler daily and you'd like to try something else. Some
people find Advair to be the thing that really helps them. You really have
to find the right medicine, or combination of medicines, that will work for
you.

[Dragonfly]

Post by NorthShoreCEO
I think a lot of people have gone through periods where their asthma wasn't
well managed and seemed out of control. I'm not familiar with QVar, but if
you're needing to use your rescue inhaler every day, then QVar doesn't seem
to be doing the trick. If you've given it enough time and still don't see
any improvement, then tell your doctor it's not working, that you have to
use your rescue inhaler daily and you'd like to try something else. Some
people find Advair to be the thing that really helps them. You really have
to find the right medicine, or combination of medicines, that will work for
you.

...

I just went to the doctor, and was given advair and a nebulizer and a
drug for my ulcers (how that's related I donno, forgot to ask, but
apparently it is). I do NOT like my inhalerss, and adding in a third
has made it even more difficult to convince me to actually take
them... We've not gotten the tubes and stuff for the nebulizer, so
I've not had to deal with it yet, but eventually... I only ended up
going to the doctor because of how terrified my partner looked when I
opened my eyes after the last major attack. I'd never seen him cry
before :/

I definitly have a difficult time breathing when I forgot to take the
qvar inhaler, but I still have major asthma attacks even when I don't
forget to take it. If I can get over the difficulty in getting used
to yet another inhaler, maybe the advair will work. My doctor says I
need to use both the qvar AND the advair at the same time, is this
typical? Or do people switch to the advair and discard the other
maintenance inhaler?

I've been trying to find an online community of people with asthma
who've got opinions on advair, but so far I've turned up nothing... :/


*Dragonfly*

http://dragonflychaos.deviantart.com/
http://glitterychaos.livejournal.com/

[SJF]

Post by Dragonfly
I've been trying to find an online community of people with asthma
who've got opinions on advair, but so far I've turned up nothing... :/

-- content clipped --

I developed asthma about 25 years ago, triggered by allergies and/or
respiratory viruses. The traditional treatments at that time did not
prevent a series of hospitalizations. With the advent, about that time, of
inhaled steroids, I got a modest control over recurrent bouts. Inhaled
steroids were, over the years, increased in effectiveness and dosage level.
For the last eight years or so I have been on Advair, the best, for me, up
to that time. About five years ago, my prescription was increased from the
100/50 level to the 250/50 level. Since then, I have not needed the rescue
inhalers and my recovery from viral infections has been pretty normal.

Inhaled steroids seem to be the basic treatment in controlling asthma at the
present time. I am deeply grateful for this development . Advair works
well for me. There are other inhaled steroids available in varying
strengths that are probably equivalent in effectiveness.

This is hardly a "community of people with asthma" but I hope this sole
comment will be useful.

SJF

Post by Dragonfly
*Dragonfly*
http://dragonflychaos.deviantart.com/
http://glitterychaos.livejournal.com/

[00doc]

Post by Dragonfly
I just went to the doctor, and was given advair and a nebulizer and a
drug for my ulcers (how that's related I donno, forgot to ask, but
apparently it is). I do NOT like my inhalerss, and adding in a third
has made it even more difficult to convince me to actually take
them...

What don't you like about them?

Post by Dragonfly
I definitly have a difficult time breathing when I forgot to take the
qvar inhaler, but I still have major asthma attacks even when I don't
forget to take it. If I can get over the difficulty in getting used
to yet another inhaler, maybe the advair will work. My doctor says I
need to use both the qvar AND the advair at the same time, is this
typical? Or do people switch to the advair and discard the other
maintenance inhaler?

Usually you take one or the other (Qvar or the Advair). Advair is a mix of
an inhaled steroid and a long acting version of albuterol while Qvar is a
different inhaled steroid. In some people a higher dose of steroid than the
Advir provides is desired and so using them together may be reasonable.

Post by Dragonfly
I've been trying to find an online community of people with asthma
who've got opinions on advair, but so far I've turned up nothing... :/

Where Advair and the long acting dilators in it fit into asthma management
is still being worked out. The long acting dilators when not combined with a
steroid seem to be problematic. How much of these problems are ameliorated
by combining them with steroids (as in Advair and Qvar) is subject to
debate. In the short term at least the dilator in the Advair seems to make
about half the dose of steroid necessary in order to prevent attacks and it
provides for an immediately noticable affect.

[Bill Piriczky]

Octacosanol and Asthma

Contrary to popular belief Asthma is NOT an incurrable disease. The
exerts that says that it can only be controlled is just,in fact, a lot
of crap.
The fact of the matter is Asthma is "nutritional deficiency" plain and
simple.

How do I know this? Well, I was diagnosed with Asthma seven years ago (
brought on by Beta Blockers) and fortunately I discovered that a
substance in a supplement I was taking, once in a while ( for energy ),
stopped my symptoms Immediately. The miracle is called Octacosanol.

Derived from wheat germ oil ( 2.2 mg./ oz ) or other grains or plants.
It is considered useless by many nutritionist, although it is
acknowledged ,by some, to increase stamina when used over a long period
of time.

Wheat germ oil is feed to farm animals, cattle and horses. Have you ever
heard of these animals suffering from any form of COPD? Only Humans do,
as whole wheat products have been refined out of our diets ,for the most
part. for the past 50 years. That's why we have an epidemic going on
with pulmonary disorders.

I have helped dozens of people with supplements of Octacosnol (100%
success rate) and soon the medical community will eventually get the
word, and acknowledge my findings, as much as they will hate to.

Asthma is a big business in the world, many repercussions will be felt
by those who capitalize on the the needless suffering of those
afflicted.

Good luck finding the supplement locally, your best bet is the internet.
WJP103

[aroberts]

Post by Bill Piriczky
Octacosanol and Asthma
Contrary to popular belief Asthma is NOT an incurrable disease. The
exerts that says that it can only be controlled is just,in fact, a lot
of crap.
The fact of the matter is Asthma is "nutritional deficiency" plain and
simple.
How do I know this? Well, I was diagnosed with Asthma seven years ago (
brought on by Beta Blockers) and fortunately I discovered that a
substance in a supplement I was taking, once in a while ( for energy ),
stopped my symptoms Immediately. The miracle is called Octacosanol.
Derived from wheat germ oil ( 2.2 mg./ oz ) or other grains or plants.
It is considered useless by many nutritionist, although it is
acknowledged ,by some, to increase stamina when used over a long period
of time.
Wheat germ oil is feed to farm animals, cattle and horses. Have you ever
heard of these animals suffering from any form of COPD? Only Humans do,
as whole wheat products have been refined out of our diets ,for the most
part. for the past 50 years. That's why we have an epidemic going on
with pulmonary disorders.
I have helped dozens of people with supplements of Octacosnol (100%
success rate) and soon the medical community will eventually get the
word, and acknowledge my findings, as much as they will hate to.
Asthma is a big business in the world, many repercussions will be felt
by those who capitalize on the the needless suffering of those
afflicted.
Good luck finding the supplement locally, your best bet is the internet.
WJP103

...

I'm glad that something worked for you, and that you are doing well.
However, octacosanol has been the subject of multiple government actions
against companies (DaVinci, Viobin, A.H. Robbins, Nature's Bounty,
Wellquest, etc.) who have made health claims, including the increasing of
one's stamina (something that you mentioned). If the companies could have
demonstrated that it actually provides claimed health benefits, they
wouldn't have had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

True, I have never heard of horses having COPD--likewise, tumble-bugs nor
vultures. Nevertheless, I am in no rush to take up their dietary
predilections. I have never heard of humans having bone spavin either, so
maybe we should feed Big Macs to horses.

As a matter of fact, the FDA has discredited the use of octacosanol even in
horse supplements, because it fails to deliver on the promise of increasing
their performance. To quote:
"Octacosanol is a substance that is being promoted to improve endurance and
speed reaction time, to strengthen muscles and to reduce oxygen debt. This
substance is found naturally in small amounts as a component of plant waxes
and some vegetable oils, notably wheat germ oil. It has not been shown to be
safe and effective for any use in horse feeds."

It isn't just "popular belief" that asthma is an incurable disease. In
fact, asthma is an expression of disease that can have many etiologies.
What is a lot of crap (to use your vernacular) is being deluded into
thinking that a nutritional supplement will help anything other than a
nutritional deficiency (which would be best addressed by eating properly
when possible). In the Western world, such deficiencies are not all that
common.

There is zero evidence that nutritional deficiencies have anything to do
with asthma in general, although many people show up here promoting
supplements as cures--some misguided, but trying to be helpful--others
trying to sell something. You seem to be in the former category, since you
didn't provide a website link. Thanks for that.

Here is a link to the FTC website regarding one manufacturer's consent
decree, involving octacosanol:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1995/04/natbount.shtm

[Dragonfly]

Post by Bill Piriczky
Octacosanol and Asthma
Contrary to popular belief Asthma is NOT an incurrable disease. The
exerts that says that it can only be controlled is just,in fact, a lot
of crap.
The fact of the matter is Asthma is "nutritional deficiency" plain and
simple.

Somehow I doubt its a nutritional deficiency causing my asthma. I
have been a vegetarian for over 10 years now, and in the first few
years I ran into a lot of nutritional problems. Because of that, I've
taken many nutritional classes, talked to many professional
nutritionists, and through trial and error, I've developed a good diet
that provides my body with all the necessary nutrients it needs to be
at its healthiest. So, there is no reason for me to suddenly have
developed a nutritional deficiency that would account for the
worsening of my asthma in the past six months...

All I do know about the cause behind my asthma is that its partly
exercise-induced and definitely not allergies.

*Dragonfly*

http://dragonflychaos.deviantart.com/
http://glitterychaos.livejournal.com/

[00doc]

Post by Dragonfly

Post by Bill Piriczky
Octacosanol and Asthma
Contrary to popular belief Asthma is NOT an incurrable disease. The
exerts that says that it can only be controlled is just,in fact, a lot
of crap.
The fact of the matter is Asthma is "nutritional deficiency" plain and
simple.

Somehow I doubt its a nutritional deficiency causing my asthma. I
have been a vegetarian for over 10 years now, and in the first few
years I ran into a lot of nutritional problems. Because of that, I've
taken many nutritional classes, talked to many professional
nutritionists, and through trial and error, I've developed a good diet
that provides my body with all the necessary nutrients it needs to be
at its healthiest. So, there is no reason for me to suddenly have
developed a nutritional deficiency that would account for the
worsening of my asthma in the past six months...
All I do know about the cause behind my asthma is that its partly
exercise-induced and definitely not allergies.

...

Unfortunately, as you are seeing here, asthma is one of those chronic issues
that brings out the charlatans and lunatics. The best way to pick them out
is by their extrordinary claims. If they are claiming that they can cure
90-100% of asthma or to have identified "the" cause then they are lying.

[Richard Friedel]

Post by Dragonfly
Hi, I have been diagnosed with excercise-induced and stress-induced
asthma,
and also have moderately frequent nighttime asthma problems. I was
diagnosed about a year ago, though I have been having "breathing
problems"
since I was a child; my parents just did not think it was anything
beyond my
being "lazy" and "out of shape" (no, I was never, nor am I now,
overweight,
or even remotely close to being overweight...)
I currently am on Qvar (a maintenance inhaler, which I taketwo puffs
of
three times a day) and albuterol as a rescue inhaler. I definitely
breath
BETTER with the inhalers, no doubt about that. But ... I still end up
using
the rescue inhaler at least once a day, often much more, and having to
still
severely restrict my activities.
In short, my asthma is still totally out of control, I am scared to
death of
it, and I have no idea what else to suggest to my doctor to try. I
*do*
know there are a lot of crackpot "treatments" on the internet, and
don't
want to be misled (otherwise, I'd just research it myself)
What I would like to know is if there is anyone here who has been in
a
similar situation, and if so, what was done to resolve the situation?
What
methods have others tried (and either were successful, or not) to
control
asthma when even a maintenance inhaler did not do enough good? Does
anyone
have any ready links to relevant medical studies?
Thanks!
--
*Dragonfly*
http://dragonflychaos.deviantart.com/http://glitterychaos.livejournal.com/

...

Asthma research has does not appear to have accepted the role of
endogenous nasal nitric oxide as having a powerful effect on lung
function. See (http://www.scand-yoga.org/english/articles/
issues_of_bindu/bindu_13/breathe_through_the_nose):

"We compared breathing through the nose with breathing through the
mouth to see if it was possible to show whether there was a difference
in the oxidation of the blood. Quite rightly it revealed that
breathing through the nose led to a 10 - 15% higher oxidation
(oxygenation) of the blood. As a verification, breathing through the
mouth with added NO from a gas bottle gave a similar effect, which
corroborates that the NO in the nasal air has these positive effects."

and

"He allowed the air to gently press up in the nose against the sinus
and frontal sinus. It was then very easy to do the exercise and helped
his asthma immediately. Now he is almost free from his medicine."

This might herald a trend away from doing research on subsidiary but
drug-treatable and therefore profitable aspects of asthma to a more
physiological approach.

A basic principle of normal asthma treatment is to get away from any
sort of upper chest breathing without distinguishing between healthy
upper chest breathing like during a sprint and dysfunctional upper
chest breathing, which might (I guess) come from a bad sitting
posture, for example when sitting at a computer for long periods of
time.

However, yoga as presented by Ramdev (see Google video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-386913693756370208&q=ramdev&hl=en
)
teaches precisely the opposite, namely upper chest breathing with
lifting of the shoulders as a cure for asthma and other diseases.
Nobody suggests that Ramdev has an impeccable reputation and a really
sound judgment on health matters in the US, but his bhastrika exercise
seems to be authentic. You talk of Deviant Art on your site, and
with the same mindset I can only guess this yoga stuff might be
accepted as deviant (but comparably effective) asthma medicine.

My experience with the first linked article (from the renowned Swedish
Karolinska Institute) on directing airflow through the nose in a
certain way and with Ramdev's yoga emphasizing upper chest breathing
has been remarkable. The effect with me is a sensation of
"energies" (to use a rather overworked term in alternative medicine)
shuddering though the body with an invigorating effect. I was able to
take a stiff walk in the present pollen-laden air just by forcing
upper chest breathing producing the energy (prana, chi, qi or ki
flow) which sends Ramdev and other yogi into religious ecstasies.
This is quite the reverse of the principles of medical asthma
treatment.

Normal upper chest breathing in a healthy person seems to open the
lung airways. If an asthmatic attempts it, he may well get an attack,
but the nitric oxide research should lead on farther to a better
asthma treatment concept and asthma definition.

Maybe you would like to consider the above even in your present
situation where you must rely on orthodox approaches. Give me a call
if you like (free of any commercial intent) 00498151744409 Regards,
Richard Friedel

[Cloudedbrains]

I have brittle asthma type 1 and am dependent on steroid tablets daily
plus over 30 plus other medications !!
There are ALOT more medications your dr could try !!

Ive been in and out of hospital with my brittle asthma for 15 years
nearly 16 so I've been there done that for where you are right now and
came out the other side with a correct diagnosis of brittle asthma type
1 and the right treatments !!

Hope u sorted soon !!

Luv Donna aka Cloudedbrains !!

Post by Dragonfly
Hi, I have been diagnosed with excercise-induced and stress-induced
asthma,
and also have moderately frequent nighttime asthma problems. I was
diagnosed about a year ago, though I have been having "breathing
problems"
since I was a child; my parents just did not think it was anything
beyond my
being "lazy" and "out of shape" (no, I was never, nor am I now,
overweight,
or even remotely close to being overweight...)
I currently am on Qvar (a maintenance inhaler, which I taketwo puffs
of
three times a day) and albuterol as a rescue inhaler. I definitely
breath
BETTER with the inhalers, no doubt about that. But ... I still end up
using
the rescue inhaler at least once a day, often much more, and having to
still
severely restrict my activities.
In short, my asthma is still totally out of control, I am scared to
death of
it, and I have no idea what else to suggest to my doctor to try. I
*do*
know there are a lot of crackpot "treatments" on the internet, and
don't
want to be misled (otherwise, I'd just research it myself)
What I would like to know is if there is anyone here who has been in
a
similar situation, and if so, what was done to resolve the situation?
What
methods have others tried (and either were successful, or not) to
control
asthma when even a maintenance inhaler did not do enough good? Does
anyone
have any ready links to relevant medical studies?
Thanks!
--
*Dragonfly*
http://dragonflychaos.deviantart.com/
http://glitterychaos.livejournal.com/

...

[NorthShoreCEO]

One more thing.....

It's possible you may have asthma that started as a result of an upper
respiratory infection. Asthma in some people is caused - or made worse - by
bacteria that can linger after you get a cold, flu, bronchitis or pneumonia.
In those cases, the asthma can be improved, and often completely eradicted
if you follow a protocol of taking Azithromycin at 500mgs for three days,
followed by once a week doses of 750mgs for a total of twelve weeks. Even
if you'd been on that antibiotic before, it won't eradicate the bacteria.
This bacteria, chlamydia pneumoniae and mycoplasma, can linger in the
body/tissue for years, and in fact, both are linked to a large number of
diseases. (see www.immed.org)

Both my son's asthma and my asthma were completely eradicated four years
ago, following the above protocol. I had my asthma for more than 30 years,
and was constantly being put on steroids and suffered sinus infections and
bronchitis every time I got a cold. I was sick four to six times a year and
had pneumonia several times. Since finding success, I've been on a mission
to tell as many people about this as possible, which is why I hang out here.

Again - this doesn't work for everyone, but researchers now believe that
asthma may have different causes, and lingering bacteria is one of them.

You asked for links to studies - here they are:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11295645&dopt=Abstract

http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/149/5/1348

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9809498&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9259079&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11874160&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10853299&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10401775&dopt=Abstract

http://thorax.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/60/11/962

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9475566&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11292120&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11891514&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12015465&dopt=Abstract

http://meeting.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/128/4/147S-c

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11501498&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10719781&dopt=Abstracthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10907590&dopt=AbstractSome of these studies were done by Dr. David L. Hahn, apractitioner/researcher out of Madison, WI. I was actually treated by him,and when my own doctor saw the results, he treated my son using the sameprotocol. As I said, we've both been asthma and asthma med free for fouryears now.If you have any questions, let me know.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------See what's free at AOL.com.

[Julie C]

Hi
I feel your frustration. I, like most, have been struggling to find that
balance to keep my asthma under control. I tried several different
maintenance inhalers. Advair worked for me when my asthma was out of
control a few years ago, but then stopped working for me (I have suspicions
that is was the lactose, since I react to milk products).

The most recent time my asthma was exacerbated, my doctor finally put me on
a short course of an oral steroid. That settled my lungs down enough so
that the inhaled steroid could work.

I also watch my diet,try to eat/take supplements that support the immune
system, avoid triggers and take my rescue inhaler BEFORE I head out for my
walk.

Good luck.. I hope you find that balance that works for you soon!
JC

Post by Dragonfly
In short, my asthma is still totally out of control, I am scared to
death of
it, and I have no idea what else to suggest to my doctor to try. I
*do*
know there are a lot of crackpot "treatments" on the internet, and
don't
want to be misled (otherwise, I'd just research it myself)
What I would like to know is if there is anyone here who has been in
a
similar situation, and if so, what was done to resolve the situation?
What
methods have others tried (and either were successful, or not) to
control
asthma when even a maintenance inhaler did not do enough good? Does
anyone
have any ready links to relevant medical studies?
Thanks!

...