Asthma - Who Can Benefit From Peak Flow Meter

Asthmatics are the ones who greatly benefit from peak flow meters because these devices are needed to effectively and accurately adjust the asthma medications and it basically plays a very important part in asthma management plans.

Children also benefit from peak flow meters by having the sickness easier to control and manage. People who are sick with emphysema and bronchitis can also benefit from the device.

However, not all doctors think that peak flow meters are all that great. They don't usually use this device on people who have mild asthma and do not really take any daily medication. This equipment are usually used for children and adults who have severe or moderate asthma conditions.

Measuring the peak flow rate regularly and accurately can greatly help asthmatics and their doctors in monitoring and handling asthma. The measurements taken from the device readings can be used as a basis for prescribing medications. It can also guide doctors in adjusting the dosage of the medication. You see, asthma is a medical condition that is rarely constant that's why a lot of close monitoring is needed in order to control it right away.

The peak flow reading measurements may fluctuate every now and then and that's why doctors and patients must take note of the device readings carefully so that each significant change or fluctuation in the readings can be documented.

Before using the device, make sure that the sliding arrow or marker on the device meter is pointing to zero. After checking the number scale, stand up straight and then take a deep (as deep as you can) breath. Position the mouthpiece of the device in your mouth and close your lips around the mouthpiece of the peak flow meter.

After doing so, exhale or blow your breath as fast and as hard as you can into the mouthpiece, trying hard to blow all the air out from your lungs. The air will make the marker move from zero and you should take note of the number carefully.

The process must be repeated three times and the highest peak flow meter reading is the one that should be considered to be the official reading.

It is not necessary to get the average of the three readings. You may take peak flow readings every day, and it is most advisable to take it at the same time each day for more accurate results. A clean and organized chart must be created to record the peak flow measurement rates. Find out more tips and guide about peak flow meter for asthma at http://asthma.faq-guide.com

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Coffee and Asthma?

Here are some facts about the relationship between coffee and asthma. Regular coffee drinkers have about 1/3 less asthma symptoms than those of non-coffee drinkers according to a Harvard researcher who studied 20,000 people.

For the past several years, many experts have touted how horrible coffee was for our health and that the drinking of caffeinated coffee should be immediately ceased. Recently, however, several studies have shown that caffeinated coffee can actually be extremely good for people. One of the groups of people who can reap health benefits from drinking caffeinated coffee is those people who suffer from asthma.

In particular, drinking caffeinated coffee in the situation of an emergency onset of asthma can allow the patient to breathe easily. Doctors have recommended coffee as an emergency way of treating asthma patients who find themselves with a sudden onset and no medication for many, many years.

In Scotland, as evidenced by the Edinburgh Medical Journal, asthma and coffee are good for each other. While not recommended for exclusive treatment, one to two cups of strong coffee may help open airways.

This coffee and asthma treatment can help a patient who is suffering from an onset of asthma symptoms and finds himself without an inhaler breathe more easily until the inhaler can be obtained. This emergency treatment has proven extremely effective due to the similarities between caffeine and a tried-and-true asthma medication known as theophylline.

The similarities between these two chemicals lead doctors to routinely advise patients who are about to undergo tests for lung function to avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages for one to two days prior to the time of the test.

Several large coffee and asthma studies conducted in the past few years have examined the relationship between drinking coffee and the prevalence of asthma. A study of over seventy thousand Italians showed that there was a significant reduction in the appearance of asthma amongst patients who would regularly drink coffee.

The risk of asthma symptoms fell by 28% when patients drank three or more cups of coffee every day.

In 1992, the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) examined over twenty thousand Americans. The study found that the risk of symptoms from patients with asthma going into the study fell dramatically (over 29%) when patients who regularly drank coffee were compared with patients who did not drink coffee on a regular basis.

In addition, the risk of patients suffering from wheeze fell almost 13%. A relationship was also found between the amount of coffee consumed and the effects gained by the asthma patients. Those who drank more coffee had fewer symptoms; those who drank less coffee had more symptoms.

Another smaller coffee and asthma study was performed on nine adult asthmatics using four daily doses of caffeine similar to the doses contained in coffee. This study showed a dose response effect of caffeine on forced expiratory volume (FEV), forced expiratory flow (FEF) and specific airway conductance (Gaw/VL). This data also suggests that caffeine is an effective tool to use in opening airways during an onset of asthma.

While doctors will never advise drinking coffee as the sole treatment for asthma as they did hundreds of years ago, they do agree that the caffeine found in coffee is particularly beneficial in an emergency situation. Anecdotal evidence shows that people have used coffee in situations where inhalers were completely unavailable, such as when on vacations and on an airplane. Coffee is particularly useful in these situations, as the patients might otherwise suffer serious consequences due to their inability to breathe properly.

Randy has more articles on coffee such as Colombian Coffee, Coffee and Alzheimers, and Coffee Breaks.

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