The main culprits in an asthma attack

Asthma cases are still rising. Compared to studies made twenty years ago the difference is amazing and frightening. We as people tend to want to find someone or something to blame when things go wrong. But in the case of asthma, do we blame the governments for not doing enough to lessen its impact on society, or do we blame ourselves for not knowing enough?

Can pollution cause my asthma?

We now know (and even governments are beginning to admit it) that pollution is growing daily and is a key factor in the explosion of the number of asthmatics around the world. There is practically no country that hasn't seen a rise in pollution levels and the amount of asthma sufferers in the last twenty years. Whether it is the black smoke coming out of car exhausts, large chemical plants or smoke from cigarettes, people are feeling its effects on their health in an increasingly alarming number.

Asthma is not just a summer disease

When summer is here an asthma child's parents are usually getting prepared for the worst. It is the time for high pollen counts that can cause havoc to an asthma sufferer. But the winter months can be just as bad, if not worse. Winter is the cold and flu season when everyone should be on their guard. If you or a family member has asthma, you need to take special precautions during these months to watch out for any symptoms developing that could increase the severity of an attack.

Asthma and scuba diving

In many countries scuba diving for asthma sufferers just isn't possible owing to it being prohibited, but in other countries it isn't. So what's the problem here? Basically what's going on is insurance. Insurance company policies differ from one country to the next, so scuba diving schools have to play it safe or risk not getting covered. The fact that very few asthma sufferers have died while scuba diving doesn't really play a part in the equation. As with all other insurance policies, the question is a hypothetical 'if' and not based on any real world facts. Last year, which saw some 5,000 scuba diving related accidents, only one was attributed to having suffered an asthma attack whilst underwater.

Is asthma another reason to quit smoking?

If ever you needed a good reason to stop smoking, developing asthma would be the most dramatic and unfortunate. We all know that smoking causes cancer of the lungs, chronic bronchitis and will also complicate viral infections. For the asthma sufferer the effects are ten fold. A person who is allergic to peanuts doesn't eat peanut butter for breakfast every morning, and if you have or develop asthma the cigarettes should be the first things thrown out the window.