Respiratory System

What is Respiration?

Respiration is the act of breathing.

Inhaling (Inspiration):Taking in oxygen.

Exhaling (Expiration):Giving off carbon dioxide.

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Anatomy of the Respiratory System

The respiratory system is made up of the organs involved in the interchanges of gases, and consists of :

The upper respiratory tract includes the:

The lower respiratory tract includes the:

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What are the functions of the lungs?

The lungs take in oxygen, which the body's cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. The lungs also get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the cells. The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped organs made up of spongy, pinkish-gray tissue. They take up most of the space in the chest, or the thorax (the part of the body between the base of the neck and diaphragm).
The lungs are enveloped in a membrane called the pleura.

The lungs are separated from each other by the mediastinum, an area that contains the following:

The right lung has three sections, called lobes. The left lung has two lobes. When you breathe, the air:

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Mechanics of Breathing

To take a breath in, the external intercostal muscles contract, moving the ribcage up and out. The diaphragm moves down at the same time, creating negative pressure within the thorax. The lungs are held to the thoracic wall by the pleural membranes, and so expand outwards as well. This creates negative pressure within the lungs, and so air rushes in through the upper and lower airways.

Expiration is mainly due to the natural elasticity of the lungs, which tend to collapse if they are not held against the thoracic wall. This is the mechanism behind lung collapse if there is air in the pleural space (pneumothorax).

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Physiology of Gas Exchange

Each branch of the bronchial tree eventually sub-divides to form very narrow terminal bronchioles, which terminate in the alveoli. There are many millions of alveloi in each lung, and these are the areas responsible for gaseous exchange, presenting a massive surface area for exchange to occur over.

Each alveolus is very closely associated with a network of capillaries containing deoxygenated blood from the pulmonary artery. The capillary and alveolar walls are very thin, allowing rapid exchange of gases by passive diffusion along concentration gradients.

CO2 moves into the alveolus as the concentration is much lower in the alveolus than in the blood, and O2 moves out of the alveolus as the continuous flow of blood through the capillaries prevents saturation of the blood with O2 and allows maximal transfer across the membrane.

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Lung Disorders and Diseases

Persons who are having a difficult time breathing often show signs that they are not getting enough oxygen, indicating respiratory distress. Below is a list of some of the signs that may indicate that a person is not getting enough oxygen. It is important to learn the symptoms of respiratory distress to know how to respond appropriately. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis .

There are many types of lung problems that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. Listed below are some of the conditions.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

There are many types of lung problems that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. Listed below are some of the conditions.

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What is the common cold?

The common cold is one of the most prevalent illnesses, leading to more doctor visits and absences from school and work than any other illness every year. It is Caused by a virus that inflames the membranes in the lining of the nose and throat, colds can be the result of more than 200 different viruses. However, among all of the cold viruses, the rhinoviruses and the coronaviruses cause the majority of colds.

When is the "cold" season?

People are most likely to have colds during fall and winter. The increased incidence of colds during the cold season may be attributed to the fact that more people are indoors and close to each other. In addition, many cold viruses thrive in low humidity, making the nasal passages drier and more vulnerable to infection.

What are the symptoms of the common cold?

The following are the most common symptoms of the common cold. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

Colds usually start two to three days after the virus enters the body and symptoms last from several days to several weeks.

The symptoms of the common cold may resemble other medical conditions

How is the common cold spread?

The common cold is highly contagious. It is often spread through airborne droplets that are coughed or sneezed into the air by the contagious person and then inhaled by another person. Colds can also be spread by hand-to-hand or hand-to-infected-surface contact, after which a person touches his/her face.

How is a cold different from the flu?

A cold and the flu (influenza) are two different illnesses. A cold is relatively harmless and usually clears up by itself after a period of time, although sometimes it may lead to a secondary infection, such as an ear infection. However, the flu can lead to complications, such as pneumonia and even death. What may seem like a cold, could, in fact, be the flu. Be aware of these differences:

Cold Symptoms

Flu Symptoms

Who is at greater risk for catching the common cold?

Children suffer more colds each year than adults, due to their immature immune systems and to the close physical contact with other children at school or daycare. In fact, the average child will have between 6 to 10 colds a year, while the average adult will get 2 to 4 colds a year. However, the average number of colds for children and adults will vary.

Prevention for the common cold:

The best way to avoid catching the common cold is to wash your hands frequently and avoid close contact with people who have colds. When around people with colds, do not touch your nose or eyes, because your hands may be contaminated with the virus.
People with colds should cough and sneeze in facial tissue and dispose of the tissue promptly, and then wash his/her hands immediately. In addition, cleaning surfaces with disinfectants that kill viruses can halt the spread of the common cold. Research has shown that rhinoviruses may survive up to three hours outside of the nasal mucosa.

How is the common cold diagnosed?

Most common colds are diagnosed based on reported symptoms. However, cold symptoms may be similar to certain bacterial infections, allergies, and other medical conditions. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

Vitamin C and the common cold

Many people believe taking large amounts of vitamin C will either prevent the common cold or reduce its symptoms. However, to date, studies have not indicated that high amounts of vitamin C affect the onset and symptoms of the common cold. In addition, taking large quantities of vitamin C over a long period of time may, in fact, be harmful, causing diarrhea and distorting urine and blood test results.

Treatment for the common cold:

Currently, there is no medication available to cure or shorten the duration of the common cold. However, the following are some treatments that may help to relieve some symptoms of the cold:

Note: Because colds are caused by viruses, treatment with antibiotics is ineffective. Antibiotics are only effective when given to treat bacterial infections.

Aspirin and the risk of Reye syndrome in children

Do not give aspirin to a child who has fever without first contacting the child's physician. Aspirin, when given as treatment for viral illnesses in children, has been associated with Reye syndrome, a potentially serious or deadly disorder in children. Therefore, pediatricians and other healthcare providers recommend that aspirin (or any medication that contains aspirin) not be used to treat any viral illnesses (such as colds, the flu, and chickenpox) in children.

Complications from colds:

Colds can lead to secondary infections, including bacterial middle ear and sinus infections that may require treatment with antibiotics. When a cold is accompanied by high fever, sinus pain, significantly swollen glands, or a mucus-producing cough, a complication may be present that requires additional treatment.

Cold weather and colds:

Contrary to popular belief, cold weather or getting chilled does not cause a cold, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). However, more colds do occur during the cold season (early fall to late winter), which is probably due to a variety of factors, including:

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or chemical irritants. It is a serious infection or inflammation in which the air sacs fill with pus and other liquid.

What are the different types of pneumonia?

The main types of pneumonia are:

How is pneumonia diagnosed?

Diagnosis is usually made based on the season and the extent of the illness. Based on these factors, your physician may diagnose simply on a thorough history and physical examination, but may include the following tests to confirm the diagnosis:

Treatment for pneumonia:

Specific treatment will be determined by your physician based on:

Treatment may include antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia. Antibiotics may also speed recovery from mycoplasma pneumonia and some special cases. There is no clearly effective treatment for viral pneumonia, which usually heals on its own.
Other treatment may include appropriate diet, oxygen therapy, pain medication, and medication for cough.

Influenza

What is influenza (flu)?

Influenza (or flu) is a highly contagious viral respiratory tract infection. Influenza is characterized by the abrupt onset of fever, muscle aches, sore throat, and a nonproductive cough.
Influenza can make people of any age ill. Although most people are ill with influenza for only a few days, some have a much more serious illness and may need to be hospitalized. Influenza can also lead to pneumonia and death.
Influenza viruses are divided into three types, designated as A, B, and C.

Influenza viruses continually mutate or change, which enables the virus to evade the immune system of its host. This makes people susceptible to influenza infection throughout their lives.

What causes influenza?

The influenza virus is generally passed from person to person by airborne transmission (i.e., sneezing or coughing). But, the virus can also live for a short time on objects, such as doorknobs, pens, pencils, keyboards, telephone receivers, and eating or drinking utensils. Therefore, it may also be spread by touching something that has been handled by someone infected with the virus and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes.

What are the symptoms of the flu?

The following are the most common symptoms of the flu. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Influenza is called a respiratory disease, but the whole body seems to suffer when a person is infected. People usually become acutely ill with several, or all, of the following symptoms:

Fever and body aches usually last for three to five days, but cough and fatigue may last for two weeks or more. Although nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may accompany the flu, these gastrointestinal symptoms are rarely prominent. "Stomach flu" is an incorrect term sometimes used to describe gastrointestinal illnesses caused by other microorganisms.
The symptoms of the flu may resemble other medical conditions.

What is the treatment for influenza?

Specific treatment for influenza will be determined by your doctor based on:

The goal of treatment for influenza is to help prevent or decrease the severity of symptoms. Treatment may include:

How can the flu be prevented?

A nasal-spray flu vaccine, called FluMist, is currently approved to prevent flu due to influenza A and B viruses in healthy children and adolescents (ages two to 17), and healthy adults (ages 18 to 49). As with other live virus vaccines, FluMist should not be given for any reason to pregnant women and people with immune suppression, including those with immune deficiency diseases, such as AIDS or cancer, and people who are being treated with medications that cause immunosuppression. FluMist also should not be given to the following groups of people:

Following these precautions may also be helpful:

Vaccine effectiveness also varies from one person to another, depending on factors such as age and overall health.

What are the side effects of the flu vaccine?

The most serious side effect that can occur after influenza vaccination is an allergic reaction in people who have a severe allergy to eggs. For this reason, people who have an allergy to eggs should not receive the influenza vaccine.

Who should immunize against the flu?

The flu causes complications that may develop into a more serious disease or become dangerous to some groups, such as elderly people and those with chronic medical conditions. For these reasons, the CDC recommends that the following groups immunize themselves each year. Always consult your doctor for more information regarding who should receive the flu vaccine:

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

COPD is a term that refers to a large group of lung diseases which can interfere with normal breathing. The two most common conditions of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

The causes of COPD are not fully understood. It is generally agreed that the most important cause of chronic bronchitis and emphysema is cigarette smoking. Causes such as air pollution and occupational exposures may play a role, especially when combined with cigarette smoking. Heredity also plays a contributing role in some patients' emphysema, and is especially important in a rare form - due to alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency.

Patients with chronic bronchitis usually have a cough and sputum production for many years before they develop shortness of breath.

Patients with emphysema usually have shortness of breath and develop a cough and sputum during a respiratory infection, or in the later stages of the illness.

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Bronchitis

What is acute bronchitis?

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the breathing tubes (airways) that are called bronchi, which causes increased production of mucus and other changes. Although there are several different types of bronchitis, the two most common are acute and chronic.
Acute bronchitis is the inflammation of mucous membranes of the bronchial tubes.

What causes acute bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses. It may also be caused by physical or chemical agents--dusts, allergens, strong fumes--and those from chemical cleaning compounds, or tobacco smoke. Acute asthmatic bronchitis may happen as the result of an asthma attack, or it may be the cause of an asthma attack.
Acute bronchitis is usually a mild, and self-limiting condition, with complete healing and return to function.
Acute bronchitis may follow the common cold or other viral infections in the upper respiratory tract. It may also occur in people with chronic sinusitis, allergies, or those with enlarged tonsils and adenoids. It can be serious in people with pulmonary or cardiac diseases. Pneumonia is a complication that can follow bronchitis.

What are the symptoms acute bronchitis?

The following are the most common symptoms for acute bronchitis. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

The following are the most common symptoms for acute bronchitis. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

How is acute bronchitis diagnosed?

Acute bronchitis is usually diagnosed by completing a medical history and physical examination. Many tests may be ordered to rule out other diseases, such as pneumonia or asthma. The following tests may be ordered to help confirm a diagnosis:

Treatment for acute bronchitis

Specific treatment for acute bronchitis will be determined by your doctor based on:

In most cases, antibiotic treatment is not necessary to treat acute bronchitis, since most of the infections are caused by viruses. If the condition has progressed to pneumonia, then antibiotics may be appropriate. Most of the treatment is designed to address the symptoms, and may include:

Antihistamines should be avoided in most cases because they dry up the secretions and can make the cough worse.

What is chronic bronchitis?

Chronic bronchitis is a long-term inflammation of the bronchi, which results in increased production of mucus, as well as other changes. To be classified as chronic bronchitis:

What are the symptoms of chronic bronchitis?

The following are the most common symptoms for chronic bronchitis. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

Chronic bronchitis may cause:

Other symptoms may include:

The symptoms of chronic bronchitis may resemble other lung conditions or medical problems. Consult your physician for a diagnosis.

What are the causes of chronic bronchitis?

In acute bronchitis, bacteria or viruses may be the cause, but in chronic bronchitis there is no specific organism recognized as the cause of the disease.
Cigarette smoking is cited as the most common contributor to chronic bronchitis, followed by:

Chronic bronchitis is often associated with other pulmonary diseases such as:

Other symptoms may include:

How is chronic bronchitis diagnosed?

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, your physician may request the following:

Treatment for chronic bronchitis:

Specific treatment for chronic bronchitis will be determined by your physician based on:

Treatment may include:

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Tuberculosis

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial infection that usually infects the lungs, although other organs are sometimes involved. TB is primarily an airborne disease.
There is a difference between being infected with the TB bacterium and having active tuberculosis disease.
There are three important ways to describe the stages of TB. They are as follows:

The predominant TB bacterium is Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Several people infected with M. tuberculosis never develop active TB. However, in people with weakened immune systems, especially those with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), TB organisms can overcome the body's defenses, multiply, and cause an active disease.

Who is at risk for developing TB?

TB affects all ages, races, income levels, and both genders. Those at higher risk include the following:

What are the symptoms of TB?

The following are the most common symptoms for TB. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently.

The symptoms of TB may resemble other lung conditions or medical problems. Consult a physician for a diagnosis.

What causes TB?

The TB bacterium is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings, or laughs; however, repeated exposure to the germs is usually necessary before a person will become infected. It is not likely to be transmitted through personal items, such as clothing, bedding, a drinking glass, eating utensils, a handshake, a toilet, or other items that a person with TB has touched. Adequate ventilation is the most important measure to prevent the transmission of TB.

How is TB diagnosed?

TB is diagnosed with a TB skin test. In this test, a small amount of testing material is injected into the top layer of the skin. If a certain size bump develops within two or three days, the test may be positive for tuberculosis infection. Additional tests to determine if a person has TB disease include x-rays and sputum tests.
TB skin tests are suggested for those:

Recommendations for skin testing in children, from the American Academy of Pediatrics are as follows:
Immediate testing:

Yearly skin testing:

Testing every 2 to 3 years:

Consider testing in children from ages 4 to 6 and 11 to 16 if:

Treatment for tuberculosis:

Specific treatment will be determined by your physician based on:

Treatment may include:

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ASTHAMA

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult. With asthma, there is inflammation of the air passages that results in a temporary narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs. This results in asthma symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Some people refer to asthma as "bronchial asthma."

Adult-Onset Asthma

Asthma may occur at any age, although it's more common in younger individuals (under age 40). People who have a family history of asthma have an increased risk of developing the disease. Allergies and asthma often occur together. Smoking with asthma, a dangerous combination, is still seen commonly.

Asthma in Children

Asthma is increasingly prevalent among children An estimated 6.5 million children under age 18 (8.9%) are now diagnosed with the disease. The rate of childhood asthma has more than doubled since 1980, according to the CDC. Asthma symptoms can vary from episode to episode in the same child. Signs and symptoms of asthma to look for include:

Asthma Causes and Triggers

People with asthma have very sensitive airways that react to many different things in the environment called "asthma triggers." Contact with these triggers cause asthma symptoms to start or worsen. The following are common triggers for asthma:

Asthma Attack

An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of symptoms. With an asthma attack, your airways tighten, swell up, or fill with mucus. Common symptoms include:

Treatment of Asthma

The drugs may be administered either by inhalation, orally, or by means of injections.

Inhaled medicines

Drugs can be given orally (tablets/syrups) or by the inhaled route. It is commonly thought that inhaled medicines are ‘Strong’ medicines and a person gets habituated and a patient becomes ‘Dependant’ on inhalers. But this is absolutely wrong. Actually, the medicine that is administered by inhalation works faster and are quite safe as they are in much lower doses and have fewer side–effects.

Your age for inhaling medicines

How can you prevent asthma attacks?

You can prevent some asthma attacks by avoiding those things that cause them. These are called triggers. A trigger can be:

Complementary medicine

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Ayurvedic View

Bronchial asthma is known as tamaka svassa in Ayurveda. This medical science emphasises on gastro-intestinal factors apart from the respiratory afflictions to be the cause for bronchial asthma. That is why in the preliminary stage of the disease or just before its onset, the patient complains of indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea.
It is mainly a kapha syndrome, though differentiation of humoural types also exists. In other words, bronchial asthma can be from any of the three humours—vaata, pitta or kapha. Most often, the disease is kapha in nature.
Vaata type asthma, is characterised by dry cough and wheezing. Additional symptoms are thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, constipation, anxiety and craving for warm drinks. Attacks occur predominantly at vaata time—dawn and dusk.
Pitta type asthma is characterised by cough and wheezing with yellow phlegm. Other symptoms are fever, sweating, irritability and need for cool air. Attacks are at pitta time—noon and midnight.
Kapha type asthma is characterised by cough and wheezing with abundant clear or white phlegm. The lungs are often congested producing a whistling sound.
Attacks are at kapha time—morning and evening.

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Guidelines & ayurvedic remedies

Bronchitis & Asthma

In Ayurveda, Bronchial Asthma – an allergic condition resulting from the reaction of the body to one or more allergens and is one of the most fatal respiratory diseases – is named `tamaka shvasa’ and its seat of manifestation is the lungs.

Symptoms

During an attack of Bronchial Asthma you have to literally gasp for every breath – breathing out being more difficult than breathing in, since the air cannot be properly driven out of the lungs before you have to take another breath. For chronic patients these frequent attacks, specially in the night or early morning, are often preceded by nasal congestion and sneezing.

Root Causes

Either allergy inducing factors as weather conditions, dust, food, drugs, perfumes, pollution etc. or psychological factors as deep-seated emotional insecurity, an intense need for parental love etc. or hereditary / genetic factors.
Specific Medicines

During an acute attack, a hot chest and shoulder pack, repeatedly given every half an hour, will have a sedative effect upon the nerves and a relaxing influence generally, giving the quickest and most satisfactory relief.
Hot milk or hot water when sipped little by little, provides immediate relief from the attack. The inhalation of steam-laden air may be provided by using an ordinary teakettle, attaching a funnel to the spout, and inhaling from the upper wide end of the cone. This is very effective in relieving spasms. In many acute attacks, relief will be found in a simple hot hand-bath or hot foot-bath (immersing hands or feet up to the elbows or knees).
Concussion to the cervical vertebrae from the fourth to the seventh for six to eight minutes with half minute interruptions every minute is excellent to relieve attacks.
A creeping plant known as somalataa (Ephedra vulgaris) is found to be highly efficacious in relieving asthma. This grows in western Himalayas in abundance and is sent in hundreds of tonnes to western countries where ephedrine is prepared from it. The powder made from the whole plant, after drying in the shade and is given in the dosage of 100 to 250 milligrams, mixed with honey or water at the intervals of 8 to 4 hours. At the time of a full attack, wrapping a hot brick in a rough cloth and then giving dry fomentation with it to the chest is found to be useful in asthma. Smearing chandanaadi oil and then giving heat fomentation is also good. Turmeric paste used as poultice on the chest or warming the chest with it is very soothing.
Only the use of pippalee (Piper longum) powder along with pure honey, makes an attack of asthma subside.
The rhizomes of turmeric are to be baked in hot sand slightly and made into fine powder. This is to be taken 3 grams twice a day with sugar. The dose can be increased up to 10 grams in due course.
During an acute attack of asthma, drink some hot water with the juice of one clove of garlic.
Take the juice of the whole plant of Solanum surattense (chote kateri)—7 to 14 ml as such, or with Trikatu (equal parts of dried ginger, long pepper and black pepper)—one gm twice a day. You can even take Terminalia bellirica powder (baheda)—3 to 6 grams with 4 to 6 grams honey twice a day.
Mustard oil (sarason) is a good remedy. Take a spoonful with jaggery, twice a day.
If you wish to use a compound formulation, then here is a medicine for you. Prepare a decoction by boiling equal parts of root of Adhatoda vasica (adoosaa), rhizome of turmeric, stem of Tinospora cordifolia (giloa), and the fruit of Solanum surattense (chote kateri). Take this decoction internally, 14 to 28 ml. with one gram of powdered black pepper twice a day.
Smoke leaf of Datura stramonium (dhatura). This gives instant relief but needs medical supervision.
Supplement with omega-3 fatty acids, may help decrease inflammation.

Diet

Lifestyle

Yoga

Homeopathy For Asthama

Homeopathy Dosage Directions

Select the remedy that most closely matches the symptoms. In conditions where self-treatment is appropriate, unless otherwise directed by a physician, a lower potency (6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X, or 30C) should be used. In addition, instructions for use are usually printed on the label.

Naturopathy

Treatment of bronchial asthma in an impending attack

Long Term Treatment of Acute Bronchitis/Chronic Bronchitis/Bronchial Asthma.

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