Do you enjoy the outdoors. Do you love pets. What if you had to choose between these things and your ability to breathe. Unfortunately, for many asthma sufferers, that choice is one they make every day. Asthma affects millions of Americans, many of them children. Asthma is a serious condition that restricts airways and causes breathing difficulties which result in approximately 5,000 deaths annually. So, how can asthma sufferers do the things they love without suffering. Knowing asthma triggers and how to manage them are the first steps to a fuller, happier life. Here are a few asthma triggers and ways to manage them, as recommended by the Consumer Federation of America: Secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke, whether exhaled by a smoker or emitted from the end of a burning tobacco product, irritates air passageways. To keep secondhand smoke from triggering an asthma attack, asthmatics should politely ask friends and guests in their home to refrain from smoking. Parents with asthmatic children should prohibit smoking in their homes and automobiles. Dust mites. These microscopic animals are in every home. They survive on skin flakes and usually live in mattresses...

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I will say from the outset that I believe this is one of the worst afflictions that can strike any person, at any age and at anytime. Not only is it so debilitating that it now has the same disability rating assigned to heart disease patients, but at the same time you have to deal with negative connotations that surround it. Even the name doesn t sound credible, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , what is that like a bad hangover or something people will say. At a time when you need the most support in your life, often, people are turning their backs and walking away or muttering under their breath. It is a frightful condition. This will be a pivotal point in your life. You will find that during the course of your illness you will find out who your real friends are, and who really cares. There is no point disguising the reality which is, I m afraid to say, that you will lose a lot of friends and colleagues along the way to the monster that is Fibromyalgia and CFS. It is NOT possible to explain this condition to people who have no experience of it either by having suffered, or through having a particular medical interest in the area. Again, I m afraid this is the...

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The many different types of cheeses available mean there is something to suit every taste. It is generally believed that cheese was first made in the Middle East. Legend has it that a nomadic Arab made cheese by accident when a saddlebag filled with milk fermented due to the hot sun and the galloping movement of his horse. Early cheeses were not the solid products we eat today. They were simple curds and whey, like what Little Miss Muffet ate. The curd is the solid part while the whey is liquid. Workmen making cheese are depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. In ancient times, the whey was eaten immediately while the curd was salted or dried for preservation. The Roman Legion helped spread the art of cheesemaking throughout Europe and England. The monasteries and feudal estates of Europe made great improvements in cheesemaking during the Middle Ages. Many of the classic varieties of cheese enjoyed today were developed by monks. During the Renaissance, cheese decreased in popularity because it was considered unhealthy. By the nineteenth century, sentiment had changed and cheese production moved from farms to factories. No one involved in the early history of...

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Communications skill is an important skill that you need to master if you want to advance the corporate ladder. It is almost important in maintaining your personal relationship with your family, friends etc Here are 7 ways to improve your communication skills 1 Learn to listen. An important aspect of good communication is to be able to listen well. Do not attempt to make a conclusion unless after you have listened and understood what is being said. 2 Jump to conclusion. Do not jump to conclusion too soon based on what you have listened. Always try to listen to the other side of the coin so you can make the best judgement. 3 Take your time to respond. After you have listened and understood what is being said, take your time to think and draft in your head what you are going to say. Do not rush to respond. 4 Do not always think you are right. No one knows it all. Sometimes you may be wrong and it is perfectly ok. The important point is to accept it and listened to where you went wrong. 5 Train your mind to focus. Do not let your mind wander or daydream when you are talking or listening to someone. It can be disrespectful to the other party. 6 It is better to...

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The reptilian brain or the reactive center, deals with our primal need to survive. It is the part of us that repeats patterns of behavior that we often do not like, patterns that often prevent us from taking action on opportunities or keep us procrastinating, patterns of fear and sometimes stupidity. It reacts to emotional triggers that are outside the boundaries of our Circle of Tolerance . This primitive part of our brain breeds lizard-like reactions to our surroundings, and I might add that lizards are not very intelligent. Its purpose is self preservation sometimes at the cost of intelligence . Think of the last time you were in a conversation with someone you were trying to make a point to and they did not agree. You finally left, perhaps without resolving the point and felt a bit frustrated. 20 minutes later though, you thought to yourself OH. I should have said This is because during the encounter you began to React to the situation thus using your reactive brain instead of your reasoning brain, and for all practical purposes, you became a lizard. It then took you 20 minutes to get back to being a human being where you could Reason again. When you are...

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Did you know that asthma affects over 20 million Americans and up to 300 million people worldwide. Yet despite asthma being one of the most common chronic diseases it is often misunderstood. This can make a diagnosis seem overwhelming. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with asthma, take comfort from the fact that we know more about this disease and how to manage it than ever before. There are many things you can do to control asthma and reduce its impact on your life. Firstly do some research. It is important that you understand the condition and how it is treated. If you just leave your doctor to make the healthcare decisions you will not get that sense of control and responsibility that can lead to confidently living with asthma. Asthma is essentially an uncontrolled inflammation of the airways that makes the tubes you breathe through narrower. This can cause shortness of breath, wheezing as air whistles through the narrowed airways, and coughing as your body tries to get rid of excess mucus that builds up and starts to block the airways. If an asthma attack is left untreated it can result in hospitalization. Once the severity of your condition is...

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