Is humidity bad for asthma simply because it's good for dust mites, or is it also bad for the asthmatic lungs

Question

I have a six year old who gets asthma and croup. I humidify the room to get rid of the croup, then his asthma gets worse dry it, then he gets croup. He doesn't fully understand his condition, so I can't ask him. For example, yesterday he started coughing and I felt he might be needing his asthma medication, but he insisted he was fine and he woke up coughing till he threw up mucus, so I gave him his powder medicine and ventolin.

Thanks for all your answers. I might come across as foolish, but it took a while till he was diagnosed. The doctors used to treat him for colds all the time till I finally asked them to test him for allergies and my dermatologist told me to tell the doctors he seems to have asthma. I'm not living in North America so it might have bewen a communication problem, but he was finally diagnosed. I don't like medicating unless it's necessary, but I do medicate . Since I don't have the condition it's difficult for me to decide what to do and since the doctors used to claim he had a cold I don't fully trust them. I'd previously taken him to pediatrics and allergist, I recently decided to change to ENT and feel more satisfied. I also recently asked for a peak flow meter.
At the hospital his reading was 100. According to the internet it should be 200-250. When I asked the pediatrician if he needed inhalation therapy I was told no...

I was told to mix the powder with a liquid and to make him drink it. I don't know why they gave me a powder I told them he can swallow pills, but they gave me a poder.

Answer 1

I have Cystic Fibrosis that was compounded by asthma, although I had a bi-lateral lung transplant two years ago and no longer have the impact of either to my respiratory system.

Yes, humidity makes astha worse. Basically from a breathing aspect air that has a high water content (humidity) is thicker, which makes it harder to breath. Warm air, even without the humidity, can have the same affect. Generally cool air that is stirring (not blowing) is the easiest to breathe - think of being in a room with a ceiling fan on low to medium all the time. If the air is too cold then it can cause problems too so it's a balancing act to find the right "consistency". Another response that you already received mentions the grease in the air from fried foods making it more difficult to breathe and that response is completely correct. Anything that affects air quality makes it hard to breath, including anything that is scented - cleaners, soap/shampoo, cosmetics, perfume/cologne, air fresheners, laundry detergent/fabric softener, candles, hand creams/lotions, etc. Your family should try to avoid any scented products as much as possible, or introduce them very slowing to determine the impact on your son's asthma. Also remember that allergies, and thus asthma, tend to change as people age so things that currently affect his asthma may not in the future but, likewise, he may become affected by things that are currently not a problem. If there are foods that are causing his asthma to worsen he'll simply have to avoid them - even if he really likes them.

You want to be careful about your son's coughing attacks, especially when they escalate until he's throwing up. If that's a frequent occurance he will very likely end up with esophageal damage because of the acids coming up from his stomach. At the best he'll be diagnosed with acid reflux disease and, if the damage is severe enough, he may ultimately require surgery. The more he throws up too, the more the "flap" between the esophagus track and his stomach will weaken, which in turn makes throwing up that much easier/frequent. (This is very common in CF'ers as the disease progresses.) You might try having your son use two pillows when sleeping, to help reduce the pressure on his lungs which can help reduce both discomfort and the coughing tendency.

You didn't didn't indicate if your son is being treated by a family doctor or an allergist/pulmonologist. It sounds as if your current doctor may not be taking both the asthma and croup conditions into consideration and that neither is very well managed. I urge you to seek a second opinion and confirmation of your son's diagnosis. Also, your son is certainly old enough to take an active part in his healthcare and monitoring how he feels, as well as what affects his overall well-being. He doesn't necessarily need the full medical course but he should know how to take care of himself to avoid asthma and croup attacks or what to do when they occur. I was learning about CF as young as age 3 and had very few issues understanding what I needed to do to take care of myself.

Best wishes and good breathing.

Answer 2

I hope the 'powder medicine' is a maintenance medication. Maintenance inhalers should be taken daily, not just when he feels bad. Ventolin (albuterol) is a 'rescue' drug which hopefully improves him quickly. If he takes it through an MDI (inhaler) have his technique checked out (you can ask at your local ER to speak to a respiratory therapist), technique is extremely important with MDI's. He really should be seeing a lung specialist (ask the therapist in the ER, they know all the best ones). Not all maintenance meds work for everyone, he may need to try some different ones. Most of my asthma patients actually do better with some humidity, swimming is greatly encouraged. Of course all asthmatics are different, makes treatment very difficult. Doing his peak flows on a daily basis is excellent, keep a log and watch for any trends.
Good luck, asthma treatment really is hit and miss. It's very important to find a good physician who will listen to all your concerns and that you feel comfortable with.

Answer 3

Your six year old is too young to know if he is really fine. When you hear him coughing you need to give him his asthma medication. You are the parent and you are responsible for his health. Do not take any arguments from him on this... his life could depend on it. When it gets so bad he is throwing up, he is already into a serious asthma attack. You are lucky he survived the night. Don't ask him. Just give him the medication. When he is older he will understand the seriousness of his illness and can decide for himself. Now is not that time.

Yes humidity can bring on an asthma attack. So can oil droplets that cling to steam when you fry food. Be sure to use your stove hood vent when cooking so you don't add to his problem. Breathing cold air can also cause an asthma attack.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is humidity bad for asthma simply because it's good for dust mites, or is it also bad for the asthmatic lungs
I have a six year old who gets asthma and croup. I humidify the room to get rid of the croup, then his asthma gets worse dry it, then he gets croup. He doesn't fully understand his condition, so I can't ask him. For example, yesterday he started coughing and I felt he might be needing...

Answer 5

I feel your pain. I've had asthma for 14 years now and have seen several doctors. The truth is, there is no known cure for asthma at the moment. But the symptoms can be prevented. It really depends on what causes your brother's asthma. Mine is usually dust and hot weather. But I think the universal method is using the control inhaler.

I cured my Asthma the natural way?

Answer 6

Asthma runs ramped in our family...I have Asthma, my oldest daughter has, her two sons 6 yrs and 2 yrs have, my son has it, he is 20...so random ages in our family. My 6 yr old grandson lives in a very dry climate. He rarely has problems unless he is ill with cold or allergies, my two yr old grdsn gets ill easy and he has more colds and allergies that cause his...still no humidity my daughter their mother is the same...but then my son and I live where its humid day in and day out...when it rains...its awful for us. Humidity makes it sooo bad for us. My son use to cough all the time, but he used his inhaler and drank a sip of water and that would help. I am very strict on him about his asthma, even though he is 20 now...don't let up. Asthma is a killer. I have almost died twice and I am on so much medication to prevent all kinds of problems, high blood pressure from Asthma, now diabetes from the meds..its a pain...but as I said Asthma is a killer. My 6 yr old grandson has a breathing machine with albuterol, wonder why you son isn't on albuterol...hum...might ask his rep doc for advice...always check with him first...good luck to you and your son. Thelma

Answer 7

croup is a temporary condition unlike asthma which is a chronic condition.
asthma get worse with humidity, because its the HUMIDITY that make te bronchial walls hypersensitive causing them to get spasm (bronchospasm) causing shortness of breath (or asthma)

Answer 8

They are everywhere so are a part of life. They help stop things from going into our skin, they act as a defense for us ... so we couldn't be without them . You want to try and keep the numbers down though as much as possible for your health, as they multiply and have feces aswell! so vacuum and damp dust regularly

Answer 9

Asthma


Definition:
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease which affects the bronchial tubes.


Symptoms:
In Asthma the system is filled with waste matter and mucus. Asthma is characterized by labored breathing (dyspnea), wheezing with dry and painful coughing which is often due to an extreme irritation of the mucous membranes in the nasal passages or bronchial tubes. The symptoms are accompanied by constriction of the chest (bronchiolar spasm) and expectoration of mucus (mucoid sputum). Asthma may result in an excessive development (hypertrophy) of the glandular elements. This affliction is commonly believed to be due to hypersensitivity to inhaled or ingested substances such as odors, pollen, dust, smoke, etc.

Cause:
Asthma is caused by malnutrition. Only by diligent and consistent effort to change embedded habits will one get permanent relief. The cough is a result of nature's effort to expectorate mucus from the lungs, after which breathing becomes easier. Ofttimes the cause of asthma is basically a nervous condition because the nerves are irritated

Herbal Aids:
1. Convulsions: When a person is in a convulsion there are certain herbs that will give very fast relief. One of these is tincture of lobelia, and a valerian decoction with a little cayenne added to relieve spasms. If such an attack comes after a meal one should use an emetic, such as a large dose of lobelia or use the Yoga finger method. (see # 2 below)

2. Yoga Finger Method: Drink several cups of warm water, then place the middle finger deep down the throat and press the tongue until regurgitation starts. Mustard is also good to clean the stomach and lungs. Prior to the emetic a peppermint or spearmint tea should be used to soothe the area and alleviate the discomfort of continual vomiting. Hot fomentation of castor oil, comfrey, lobelia, mullein, etc., may be placed over the stomach, liver, spleen and lung areas. Frequent hydrotherapy baths or lengthy sweat baths are beneficial, followed by a cold shower or sponging.

3. Vapor Bath: Another helpful method is to take a vapor bath twice a week, inhaling steam from a decoction of cudweed ragwort, wormwood, or a decoction of the following herbs, taken warm, (equal parts) will prove very beneficial: elecampane root, horehounds, hyssop, skunk cabbage root, vervain, wild cherry bark (and to this preparation add tincture of lobelia or antispasmodic tincture. Clear the bowels with an injection of catnip or barberry bark. This affliction also calls for plenty of outdoor exercise, deep breathing, and good ventilation while sleeping. The whole body system should be built up with tonic herbs such as chickweed, comfrey, marshmallow, mullein, etc. Diet should be mostly fruits and vegetables, avoiding all processed devitalized foods.

4. Dr. Christopher's Herbal Respiratory Formula: (Resp-Free) It is wonderful for asthma. This combination of herbs in tablet, tea and capsule form is an aid to relieve irritation in the respiratory tract--lungs and bronchial. This is an aid in Emphysema as well as other bronchial and lung congestion such as bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, etc. Suggested amount for an adult is a cup two or three times a day, or 2 or 3 capsules or tablets two or three times a day with a cup of comfrey tea. For additional help in the program, it is good to add three to six drops of tincture of lobelia to each cup of tea. This formula consists of comfrey root, mullein, chickweed, marshmallow root and lobelia.


Testimonials:

1. Man Who Couldn't Sleep Lying Down for 20 Years Because of Asthma--Cured: Dr. Christopher used the tincture of Lobelia to clear people of asthma, although they have had it many years. A couple of young fellows brought an old, old man into the Doctor at about two o'clock one morning in Evanston, Wyoming. The old man had had asthma for 26 years. For 20 years of the 26, he had never been able to work. He had never laid in a bed for 20 years. They had to build a special chair so he could sit up at night with his feet stretched out. He had a doctor at the home an average of once a week, either to give him some drug orally to keep him alive, to give a shot, or to administer oxygen. Since the family couldn't locate the doctor that night, they came in desperation to Dr. Christopher. Since the doctors did not want a naturopathic physician in town, most people had never heard of such a thing. The young fellows asked, "Do you treat human beings?" The Doctor said, yes, and to bring him in.

As the man sat down, the Doctor gave him a cup of elderleaf tea to drink gradually. He told him how he had asthma. He had been quite independent, but lately they had had to mortgage their home in order to go on with the doctoring. After he had had the elderberry tea for about ten minutes, the Doctor gave him a teaspoonful of the tincture of Lobelia. He waited ten minutes--being sure to be very accurate about this--and gave him a second teaspoonful of the tincture. After another ten minutes he gave him the third. In forty years of practice, the Doctor commented, he never had to use the tincture of Lobelia more than three teaspoonfuls to a patient. He explained that this was so because each time he was called it was at a crisis, at the climax of the disease, the right time for clearing the disease. They just sat around and chatted. The Doctor had buckets and pans around, and all of a sudden, the man started to heave. This was a little after two o'clock in the morning and he heaved on until five o'clock, for three full hours. At the finish it was dry heaves, but he brought up everything he had eaten for days, plus nearly a cup of phlegm and pus from his lungs and bronchi, from yellow to green. After he was done, the Doctor told his sons to take him home. "Should I bring him back tomorrow", he asked. "No", answered the Doctor, "it's a do-it-yourself-kit; it's all finished".

They took him home and started to walk him to his chair, but the man said, "No, boys, I'm sleeping in the bed tonight". "But, Dad, it'll kill you!" they pleaded. "No, I'm the boss-- take me to bed". They were afraid to stretch him out in case he should choke up and die. This was at five o'clock in the morning. He slept through until five o'clock the next morning--which is twenty-four hours--and slept on past noon--thirty hours he slept! When he woke up, for the first time in over twenty years he took a deep breath of air. He could take it without choking or coughing, and he said, "I'm healed". The boys were quite pleased about this. Twenty years later, one of them touched Dr. Christopher on the shoulder in Salt Lake City. He said, "My name's Workman; remember me?" Dr. Christopher said, "No". "We brought our pap into you in Evanston, Wyoming at two o'clock one morning." The Doctor then remembered him. He asked, "What happened to your dad?" The young man answered, "He never had an asthma attack from that day to this, and he went to work as a gardener and never missed a day's work since that time. The family thanks you very much".

2. Choking Phlegm in Pregnant Women Relieved: Dr. Nowell told the story of a woman who at forty years old was pregnant with her first baby. She was suffering terribly with asthmatic spasms, unable to lie in bed, fighting for breath; both she and her husband begged their doctor to stop the cough. They were told that nothing could be done until the child was born.

Dr. Nowell gave them a bottle of tincture of Lobelia, telling her to take a teaspoonful whenever the coughing began. The next morning, the patient told the Doctor that almost immediately after taking the first dose, the patient brought up long, thick masses of phlegm from the lungs the size of a man's fist. No further dose was taken and the patient never had a trace of any chest trouble since and lived a long and fruitful life.