Advanced Allergy & Asthma Associates
Dr. Noga Askenazi is a nationally recognized asthma and allergy specialist who is board certified in pediatric and adult allergy. Her areas of special interest are innovative treatment of rashes, sinusitis, food allergies, asthma and immune disorders. She was past President of the ISAAI , works on state and national committees for advancement of the allergy field and is a consultant for Advocate, AMITA, Northwestern amongst other health care systems. Her joy is helping patients reach their goals after together determining best treatments. Her staff and patients are a chosen family, and she invests in their happiness. She enjoys gardening, biking and cooking to good music.
Dr. Eugenia Hahn is a highly recognized board certified allergist and immunologist who treats patients of all ages. Her areas of special interest are food allergy, eczema, and asthma. She is president of the Illinois Society of Allergy & Asthma, a National Committee leader of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology working on new treatment options for patients. She is a consultant for Advocate, Northwestern, AMITA, Northwest Community healthcare systems amongst many others. Her patients mean everything to her as she takes pride in finding the why behind the problem. She enjoys reading and spending time with her family.
How To Protect Your Lungs
Check the air quality and pollen forecasts before you venture outside
Do any yard work early in the morning when pollen counts are at their lowest
Keep your home clean to avoid indoor allergens
Know your triggers, and avoid them. If you arent sure what your triggers are an appointment with an allergist can help you pinpoint them.
If you struggle with severe allergies, consult with Pulmonary Associates of Richmond. Our team of pulmonary specialists can diagnose seasonal allergies, prescribe medications, and recommend tests to evaluate the health of your lungs, and explain the ways that your allergies impact lungs and overall health. Contact us to schedule your pulmonary appointment today, and let us help you breathe better.
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Who Is At Risk
Risk factors vary greatly depending on the cause of the breathing problem.
For example, children are more at risk of choking than adults, while smokers have a higher likelihood of developing emphysema. People with asthma are more at risk of having breathing trouble following exercise or exposure to allergens.
Keeping active and eating a healthful, balanced diet can help prevent many issues with breathing that can develop over a persons lifetime.
The cause of the breathing difficulty will determine the treatment. Some common treatments could include:
- removal of an object in the throat, in cases of choking
- medications
- inhalers for asthma and other upper respiratory conditions
- an epinephrine autoinjector for anaphylaxis
- eating smaller meals for acid reflux and COPD
- antacids for acid reflux
In some cases, people can improve their breathing by using specific breathing exercises to increase their lung capacity. Learn about these exercises here.
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Breathing Difficulty After Eating
Several health conditions could potentially cause a person to have trouble breathing after eating.
For example, according to the COPD Foundation, shortness of breath after eating a more substantial meal is common for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease because the food can push against the diaphragm and make it difficult to breathe in deeply.
Acid reflux may also cause shortness of breath. It can have this effect because stomach acid works its way up the esophagus and irritates the lining, which may cause inspiratory breathing problems. Acid reflux may also cause a chronic cough.
A person who has obesity or does not exercise regularly may experience periods during which they have difficulty breathing.
Short periods of exertion can cause a person to feel out of breath.
If weight or a lack of exercise is the cause of breathing difficulty, starting an exercise regimen and following a healthful diet can significantly contribute to reducing or eliminating the problem.
COPD is a term that describes several lung disorders, including chronic asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. COPD symptoms may worsen at night due to changes in the way that a person breathes while sleeping.
COPD can cause a range of symptoms, such as:
- shortness of breath
Why Is My Dog Breathing Heavy And Wheezing
Wheezing is caused when something blocks the normal flow of air in and out of the airway, resulting in a whistling sound as a dog breathes. The blockage can be in either the trachea or large bronchi. Constricted airways from asthma, allergies, mucus, foreign bodies, or infection can all result in wheezing.
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What Is Hay Fever
People affected by hay fever experience an allergic reaction to pollenfrom plants. The type of allergic reaction involved in hay fever an allergic rhinitis reaction, which may involve a skin rash called hives, as well as coughing, sneezing and itchty, watery eyes. Allergic rhinitis is one of the atopic diseases a set of genetically inherited conditions including asthma, atopic eczema and atopic dermatitis.
Plants produce more during the early spring and summer months. For this reason,the allergic rhinitis that occurs in hay fever can also be described as seasonal rhinitis.Both adults and children can suffer from hay fever and it is estimated to affect between40 and 60 million people in the United States.
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Seasonal Or Environmental Allergy Treatments
The best approach depends on the allergen, which may include:
- Pollen. A reaction to pollen is called hay fever or allergic rhinitis, and allergy medications can help.
- Dust. The best way to treat wheezing that stems from an allergy to dust mites is to clean carpets, bedding, and furnishings and reduce household humidity.
- Pet hair. The saliva, skin flakes, and urine that collect when pets shed their hair can cause allergies. Regular vacuuming can help.
- Certain foods. An allergist can help determine which food is responsible, and a person usually needs to eliminate it from their diet.
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How Air Purifiers Can Help
An air purifier removes some of the contaminants and improves the quality of indoor air. Airfree products may help allergy sufferers by reducing contaminants such as organic particles that cause odor and other allergens.
Choose Airfree for a natural solution to reduce allergens and mold in your home. Our purifiers do more than cleaning the air you breathe. An Airfree purifier can help reducing the number of bacteria, dust mites, fungi, pollen, viruses, allergens and microorganisms, leaving behind noticeably fresher air.
Find a dealer today to determine the product that works best for your allergies.
Why Allergy Season Can Be Crippling For People With Lung Issues
The spring and fall can be tough for anyone with seasonal allergies, but it can be especially brutal for those with underlying lung conditions.
Pretty much anybody with a form of inflammatory lung disease like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can have worse symptoms during allergy season because they already have underlying inflammation, Jonathan Parsons, MD, director of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
Allergies create an inflammatory response in the lungs, meaning they cause the lungs and airways to release chemicals such as histamine, a compound that causes swelling, spasms and increased mucus production, Raymond Casciari, MD, a pulmonologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And that can lead to symptoms like coughing, trouble breathing and wheezing.
But things are even worse for people with underlying lung issues, given that allergies cause inflammation on top of preexisting inflammation. Its an add-on, Casciari says. Breathing becomes doubly difficult for these people.
Someone with seasonal allergies and asthma may find themselves wheezing and reaching for a fast-acting rescue inhaler as soon as they go outside, he says. And, in general, people with COPD typically have more symptoms than patients with asthma, Parsons says. This can cause such difficulty breathing that it even leads to a trip to the ER.
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Vaping And Lung Damage
- Talk with your teen about the dangers of vaping.
- Vaping can cause severe lung damage. It can become permanent.
- Vaping can even cause death .
- Vaping tobacco also causes nicotine addiction.
- For these reasons, the legal age to purchase vaping products is 21 in the US.
- Encourage your teen to not start vaping or to give it up.
- Warning: home-made or street-purchased vaping solutions are the most dangerous.
Inflammation Of The Airways
When the body detects an allergen, it tries to reject it by producing antibodies and chemicals, such as histamine. Histamine causes the airways to become inflamed and constricted, and it also causes the body to produce mucus to help expel the allergen.
As a result, the airways become narrower. When a person breathes through narrowed airways, the air is forced through a smaller-than-usual space, and a whistling sound can result. This sound is wheezing.
Some causes of wheezing result in short-lived symptoms. Others can cause symptoms that are more serious or longer lasting.
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The Asthma Is Usually Linked To Allergic Rhinitis
Environmental allergies can affect your airway in unique ways:
- Allergic rhinitis affects your nose and sinuses, and may cause sneezing, congestion, and an itchy nose and eyes.
- Asthma mainly affects your lungs, and may cause coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath or rapid breathing.
But when you have allergic asthma, youll likely develop both sets of symptoms at once.
In children, the signs can be more subtle, notes Dr. Purcell. Kids may say theyre too tired to play, but parents should check for wheezing or coughing. If the other kids are running around playing, and your child wants to sit on the sidelines, he or she may be having trouble breathing, he says.
Wheat Allergy Gluten Allergy And Respiratory Issues
As you have just read, the symptoms that appear in the case of wheat allergy and those that appear in the case of the gluten allergy are very different from each other. Wheat allergy is manifested as a typical allergy and the patient will feel itchy eyes, nausea and respiratory issues.
Nasal congestion, swollen throats, difficulty in breathing, sneezing, having a runny nose and dry cough are all symptoms associated with most of the allergies out there, including with wheat allergy.
Since gluten allergy is not an actual allergy, but a sensitivity , it cannot be said that it is characterized by breathing problems.
To answer the question posed in the title in a short way, yes, wheat allergy can cause breathing problems, but no, gluten sensitivity does not generally cause any such issues.
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When To Seek Help
Anyone with both COPD and allergies or asthma should work with a doctor to find solutions. Having allergies, asthma, or both may make COPD symptoms worse. Additionally, overlaps between these conditions may put a person at risk of complications and breathing difficulties.
Finding a way to manage these symptoms in daily life is important. What works will vary in each case, which is why it is important to work with a doctor. The doctor can prescribe medications or combinations of medications to help control the symptoms with as few interactions or side effects as possible.
How To Treat It
Consult your physician before buying over-the-counter remedies for allergens. Some products may worsen your reaction and make it even harder to breathe. You may need a prescription-strength medication to control your allergies. Allergy medicine often contains decongestants, antihistamines or steroids. For some allergies, you may need immunotherapy treatment. When you have an intense allergic reaction that obstructs your airways, you may need an epinephrine injection.
Only a medical professional can diagnose and treat your asthma or allergies, and you should use prescribed medications exactly as directed for the best results. However, there are steps you can take to make your environment more comfortable.
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Which Tests Are Used To Diagnose Breathing Problems
Doctors diagnose breathing problems by doing a physical exam, asking about your overall health, and using various tests. For instance, pulmonary or lung function tests can measure lung function in people who have asthma. These include spirometry and a test known as a methacholine challenge.
Spirometry is a simple breathing test. It measures how much air you can blow in and out of your lungs, and how fast and how easily you can do this. It can tell whether your airways are blocked and how much. A methacholine challenge test may help with a diagnosis of asthma. Your doctor will know which test is best for your situation.
Your doctor may take an X-ray to see inside your chest, including your heart, lungs, and bones. A chest X-ray is a good test to diagnose pneumonia. But it canât identify most breathing problems by itself. Some people with breathing problems may need a CT scan of their chest. It uses X-rays and a computer to create detailed images.
If you have long-term sinusitis, your doctor may order a special sinus CT scan.
The Triggers Are In Your Environment
While many different substances can trigger allergic asthma, they all have one thing in common: Theyre in the environment, not in your food or your medication.
Pet dander, dust mites, cockroaches, mold and pollen can all trigger allergic asthma, says Dr. Purcell.
If pollen or mold trigger the condition, it may occur only seasonally. If your pets or the dust mites on your bedding trigger it, you may suffer year-round, he notes.
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How Do You Fix Respiratory Distress In Dogs
Medications for treating ARDS include antibiotics, pain killers, fluid therapy, and corticosteroids for reducing inflammation and swelling. Frequent readings of temperature, pulse, respiration rate, and blood pressure will be necessary for following your dogs progress in the initial stage of the treatment.
Be Aware Of Food Allergens
Researchers estimate that approximately 32 million Americans, including 5.6 million children under the age of 18, have food allergies resulting from an overreaction of the bodys immune system to certain foods.2 The trouble with food allergies is that they can worsen respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing and cough. Unfortunately, food allergies seem to be on the rise, and about 40% of children with food allergies are allergic to more than one food.2Food allergies can cause a variety of reactions, from mild itchiness inside the mouth to a life-threatening anaphylactic response. If you already have a breathing condition, or find that your allergic reactions typically involve respiratory problems, it is helpful to be aware of common allergens. You may want to get an allergy test as well. Foods that cause mucus because of an immune reaction and are most commonly associated with allergies include:
- Eggs
- Wheat and other foods containing glutens
- Fresh fruit
- Sodium metabisulfite
- Sodium sulfite
If you are aware of an existing food allergy, know that there are foods that cause shortness of breath for you or have experienced the link between dairy and respiratory problems, then you already know which foods to avoid. However, if your respiratory symptoms increase only after eating certain foods and you have never been told you have a food allergy, you may have developed one. Talk to your physician about allergy skin testing.
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Who Is At Risk For Anaphylaxis
- People who have experienced anaphylaxis before
- People with allergies to foods, insect stings, medicine and other triggers
If you are at-risk:
- Keep your epinephrine auto-injectors on-hand at all times and be ready to use them if an emergency occurs.
- Talk with your doctor about your triggers and your symptoms. Your doctor may tell you to see an allergist. An allergist can help you identify your allergies and learn to manage your risk of severe reactions.
- Ask your doctor for an anaphylaxis action plan. This will help you know what to do if you experience anaphylaxis.
Medical Review October 2015, updated February 2017.
Allergy Symptoms
How To Alleviate Allergies Causing Shortness Of Breath For Days
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, shortness of breath can be a sign of asthma, but certain conditions can trigger shortness of breath with allergies. If you have allergies , pollen and other allergens can cause shortness of breath and other respiratory challenges for days. Airfree air purifiercan help reduce allergens in your home so you can be safer against shortness of breath allergies cause.
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What Can I Do To Prevent Anaphylaxis
- Know your allergens. An accurate diagnosis is important. An allergist can help you create a plan to keep you safe.
- Avoid your allergens.
- If you have a drug allergy, be familiar with both the generic name and brand names of medicines that cause you to have a severe allergic reaction. And be aware of ingredients in a combination product. Become familiar with medicines that might cause a cross-reaction. Read drug information carefully.
- If you have a food allergy, be careful about everything you eat. Check ingredients on all food labels. Wash hands, and use clean surfaces and utensils to prepare food. Ask restaurant staff how they prepare foods.
- If you react to insect stings or exercise, talk to your doctor about how to avoid these reactions.
- Carry your epinephrine auto-injectors with you at all times. This is very important and can save your life or the life of a loved one.
- Prepare with a plan. Have your doctor help you create an anaphylaxis action plan.
- Talk to your doctor and caregivers. Make sure they know the names of any medications you are allergic to and what symptoms you had when you took them. Give them a list of every drug you take. Some common medicines, like beta-blockers, can worsen anaphylaxis.
- Wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace. It lets others know of your allergy in an emergency. Also, keep a card in your wallet or purse that explains your allergy.
