Health

5 Tips for Alleviating Asthma Symptoms

In the U.S., millions of people deal with asthma, a chronic condition that constricts airway function. Common symptoms include breathing difficulties, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and excessive coughing. Cases range in severity, and all people with asthma must understand how to handle their condition properly.

A healthcare provider can work with you to identify the best treatment options for your specific situation. Long-term control medications and quick-relief inhalers are the two most common treatments for asthma. However, several other factors help you better manage this condition. Here are five tips for alleviating your asthma symptoms.

1. Keep a Tidy Home

The cleanliness of your home plays a more significant factor in controlling your asthma symptoms than you might think. Neglecting chores like dusting and vacuuming can lead to the buildup of dander, pollen, mold, and other irritants. These particles can enter your airways and trigger an asthma attack.

Vacuuming and dusting at least once a week will help keep your house clean and asthma symptoms at bay. You should also wash bedding frequently to reduce particle buildup on fabrics. Staying on top of these chores is especially critical for curbing dander if you have pets.

Ensuring proper ventilation in your home is another of the best defenses against airborne allergens that can cause asthma symptoms. Regularly changing the filter on your ductless air conditioner will help it run more efficiently and minimize airborne irritants.

2. Understand Your Asthma Triggers

Knowing and avoiding the things that trigger your asthma symptoms is crucial to staying healthy. For example, while tobacco smoke isn’t good for anyone, it is especially harmful to individuals with the condition. Avoid smoking and any situation where you might be exposed to secondhand smoke, which can prompt attacks. In addition, harsh weather, food additives, and fragrances can be extra tough on asthma patients.

Pollen, dust mites, and mold can also be huge triggers if you have asthma. Take extra care of yourself during allergy season if you’re sensitive to pollen. Prioritize extra cleanliness at home if dust, mold, and other airborne allergies worsen your systems.

Realize, however, that some cleaning products and disinfectants can harm those with asthma. Be mindful of the products you select, and try to choose cleaners certified by the EPA Safer Choice Program.

3. Regulate Your Stress Levels

Controlling your stress levels is important for everyone, especially those with asthma. Breathing difficulties and chest tightness are common symptoms of anxiety. These effects are especially hard to handle if you already struggle with a breathing condition. Feeling stressed out increases adrenaline levels, which can lead to airway constriction and breathing pattern changes. Stress also can increase inflammation in the body, making it more challenging to manage asthma.

Deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga are terrific ways to regulate your stress levels naturally. These relaxation techniques can likewise promote better lung function and improved breathing capacity.

Talking to a therapist is another way to deal with stress and improve overall health. A professional can help you identify your stress triggers and develop strategies for managing your emotions.

4. Stay Active

Regular exercise offers a wide range of benefits, particularly for asthma patients. Physical activity strengthens lung function, improves the cardiovascular system, and supports respiratory health. In addition, exercising increases the blood flow to the lungs. Consistent physical activity results in better weight management and helps to reduce stress levels.

That said, you should avoid overexerting yourself, which can worsen asthma symptoms. Some asthma patients may only experience symptoms when exercising or undergoing increased physical demands.

Talk with your doctor about whether you might have exercise-induced asthma or are simply out of shape. Your healthcare provider can help you formulate the best exercise plan for your condition.

5. Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating a diet full of nutrients from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins helps reduce inflammation in the body. Since inflammation is a key factor in asthma, anti-inflammatory foods allow you to manage the condition better.

A healthy diet also promotes improved immune health, which is essential for dealing with asthma. Filling your plate with foods rich in zinc, selenium, and vitamins B6, C, and E is best for immune health. These nutrients, along with magnesium and omega-3s, promote better lung function, too. If you find getting these nutrients from food alone challenging, consider taking a supplement.

Healthy eating is likewise essential for proper weight management. Excessive weight could put extra pressure on your lungs and airways, which makes breathing more difficult. That’s all the more reason to watch what you eat.

Breathing Easier

Nearly 1 in 13 people in the U.S. have asthma, one of the country’s most costly and common diseases. The condition affects people of all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic levels. However, some populations are more prone to suffering from asthma than others. For example, asthma rates are the highest among Black adults. Female adults are more likely to have asthma than their male counterparts, while more male children have asthma than girls.

A chronic condition like asthma can significantly impact your overall well-being. Understanding the disease and its effects on the body is the first step in handling symptoms and avoiding triggers. While there is no cure for asthma, it’s possible to manage the condition with the proper medical guidance and care.

Health

Report Causes Pfizer Stock to Climb Approximately $1 Billion Acquired by Starboard

(VOR News) – According to a rumor that activist investor Pfizer Starboard Value has taken a holding in the struggling pharmaceutical business that is expected to be worth around one billion dollars, the stock of Pfizer (PFE) is on the increase in premarket trading on Monday.

This comes after the report was made public. The report was made available to the general public following this. Starboard Value was successful in moving forward with the acquisition of the position.

Starboard is said to have approached Ian Read, a former chief executive officer of Pfizer, and Frank D’Amelio, a former chief financial officer, in order to seek assistance with its goals of boosting the performance of the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read and D’Amelio are both former Pfizer executives.

The purpose of this is to facilitate the accomplishment of its objectives, which include enhancing the overall performance of the firm.

In their previous jobs, D’Amelio and Read were chief financial officers.

It is stated in the report that the hedge fund is of the opinion that Pfizer, which is currently being managed by Albert Bourla, who succeeded Read as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2019, does not demonstrate the same level of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) discipline that Read did. Bourla took over for Read in 2019. Read was succeeded by Bourla in the year 2019.

Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical conglomerate, has made substantial investments in the acquisition of more companies that are involved in the research and development of cancer medicines.

These businesses have been acquired for billions of dollars. The biotechnology company Seagen, which was acquired by Pfizer in the previous year for a price of $43 billion, is included in this category. One of the businesses that can be classified as belonging to this category is Seagen.

In spite of the fact that the S&P 500 Index experienced a 21% increase in 2024.

No major trading occurred in Pfizer stock that year.

Due to the fact that the demand for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines fell after the firm reached its pandemic peak in 2021, the share price of the corporation has decreased by over fifty percent since that time.

This drop has occurred ever since the company’s shares reached their maximum peak, which was during the time that this decline occurred. Not only have they not changed at all, but they have also remained essentially stable. This is in contrast to the S&P 500, which has gained 21% since the beginning of this year.

Recently, the corporation was forced to take a hit when it decided to recall all of the sickle cell illness medications that it had distributed all over the world.

Fears that the prescription could lead patients to experience severe agony and possibly even death were the impetus for the decision to recall the product. In spite of the fact that Pfizer’s stock is increasing by almost three percent as a result of the news that followed the company’s decision, this is the circumstance that has come about.

SOURCE: IPN

Health

New Study Reveals Drinking Soda Pop Increases the Risk of Stroke

If you drink too much soda, fruit juice and coffee, beware!

A recent report from global research indicates that excessive consumption of coffee or soda pop is associated with an increased risk of stroke, although the intake of black and green tea is correlated with a reduced risk. Excessive consumption of soda pop or coffee warrants caution!

Recent research indicates that it may substantially elevate the risk of stroke.

Consuming four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke, according to studies, although ingesting 3-4 cups of black or green tea daily typically offers protection against stroke. Additionally, consume more coffee; it may reduce your risk of mortality.

Recent findings from global research studies co-led by the University of Galway and McMaster University, alongside an international consortium of stroke researchers, indicate that soda, encompassing both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened variants such as diet or zero sugar, is associated with a 22 percent heightened risk of stroke. The risk escalated significantly with the consumption of two or more of these beverages daily.

Stroke Risk Fizzy Drinks and Soda Pop

The correlation between fizzy drinks consumption and stroke risk was most pronounced in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Women exhibit the most elevated risk of stroke from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) associated with fruit juice beverages. Consuming over 7 cups of water daily diminishes the likelihood of stroke due to a clot.

Researchers observed that numerous items advertised as fruit juice are derived from concentrates and have added sugars and preservatives, potentially negating the advantages often associated with fresh fruit and instead elevating stroke risk.

Fruit juice beverages were associated with a 37 percent heightened risk of stroke resulting from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). Consuming two of these beverages daily increases the risk thrice.

Consuming over four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke by 37 percent, although lower consumption levels do not correlate with stroke risk. Conversely, tea consumption was associated with an 18-20 percent reduction in stroke risk. Additionally, consuming 3-4 cups daily of black tea, such as Breakfast and Earl Grey varieties, excluding green and herbal teas, was associated with a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke.

Consuming 3-4 cups of green tea daily was associated with a 27 percent reduction in stroke risk. Notably, the addition of milk may diminish or inhibit the advantageous effects of antioxidants present in tea. The lower risk of stroke associated with tea consumption was negated for individuals who added milk.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational reasons and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical counsel. Consistently consult your physician regarding any inquiries pertaining to a medical problem.

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Health

Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer, What Else Should You Know?

(VOR News) – Even though breast cancer affects one in eight American women, receiving a diagnosis can make a woman feel isolated.

Experts in breast cancer from the American College of Physicians (ACS) advise patients on how to manage their disease so that they may better cope with this awful information.

First, the kind and stage of breast cancer dictates the course of your care.

In addition to immunotherapy and chemotherapy, there are various surgical options available for the treatment of breast cancer.

Women of African descent are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer, an extremely aggressive form of the disease that has never proven easy to treat.

According to the American Cancer Society, pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immunotherapy, has been shown to be helpful when combined with chemotherapy and is currently the recommended course of treatment for certain combinations of triple-negative breast cancer.

In her presentation, Dr. Katharine Yao said, “It’s really important that the patient and physician discuss the patient’s preferences and values when deciding what type of treatment to pursue and that they have an honest, individualized discussion with their care team.”

She is currently responsible for developing breast cancer treatment recommendations for more than 575 hospitals and institutions nationwide in her role as chair of the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Institutions (NAPBC).

Yao, vice chair of research at Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals in New York, pointed out that each decision made about a patient’s treatment plan should take her preferences and diagnosis into consideration.

She ought to think about whether she would prefer a mastectomy—a surgical procedure that involves removing the entire breast with or without reconstruction—or a lumpectomy, which involves a surgical procedure that spares part of the breast tissue.

She stated that “the breast cancer you have may be very different from the breast cancer you hear about in your neighbor, colleague, or friend” in a press release issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“Consider that while discussing breast cancer with others.”

Throughout your journey, it is critical that you look after your emotional health because having breast cancer may have a detrimental impact on your mental health.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis does not mean that everything in your life stops to be normal.” Director of the Fellowship in the Diseases of the Breast program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas and state head of the American Cancer Society Commission on Cancer for Arkansas, Dr. Daniela Ochoa She thinks adding the burden of a cancer diagnosis and treatment to all the other pressures in life may be taxing.

“Managing stress and emotional health is vital component of a treatment plan.”

Ochoa recommends clinically trained psychologists and social workers who have assisted people in coping with cancer to anyone receiving treatment. Learning coping techniques might also be facilitated by joining cancer support groups or cancer wellness initiatives.

Breast cancer specialists say your care team is crucial.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines comprehensive care as having support at every stage of the procedure from surgeons, oncologists, patient navigators, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists.

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, women should see a surgeon or medical oncologist to explore their options; nevertheless, treatment shouldn’t be discontinued after just one appointment or after surgery is over.

Additionally, you can ask trustworthy friends or family members to accompany you to appointments and aid you with research or notes. They could serve as a network of support for you.

Yao stated in his talk that “one of the most important things is that patients should search out a team they have confidence in, that they trust will have their back when they need it, and a team they feel they can get access to and that will help them when they are in need.”

SOURCE: MP