Top Health Tips on Managing Lung Disorder

Pulmonary Fibrosis : Symptoms ad Causes

One of the essential chemical processes within the human body is that of the oxygenation of the blood. This needs to be done to carry oxygen to the various vital organs and also continue with many of the essential functions within the body.

The lungs are responsible for transferring oxygen throughout the body, and the malfunctioning of lungs may cause many issues with the normal functioning of the processes. A common ailment that affects the lungs is pulmonary fibrosis, also known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or scarring of the lungs.

What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?
Pulmonary fibrosis is the scarring of the tissues inside the lungs of a patient. This scarring results in the development of excess tissue, which causes the walls of the lungs to thicken, giving rise to breathing difficulties.

Some of the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are-

Shortness of breath
Pain in joint and muscles
Continuous dry coughing
Inability to exert or take even the slightest bit of physical strain
Lack of appetite which results in unintentional weight loss
The rounding of finger and toe tips, which is known as clubbing
Pulmonary fibrosis has various stages and thus, it is important to detect it early or else it can put stresses on other vital organs.

Some of the causes for it are mentioned below:

Smoking - Cigarettes, cigars, and beedi are a leading cause of pulmonary fibrosis as they directly affect the lungs by depositing harmful chemicals and thus, cause scarring.
Environmental or occupational hazards - People working in a heavy glass or dust particulate environment such as in heavy industrial factories are also susceptible as they breathe in the particles, which may cause scarring.
Medicinal triggers - Certain medications can be a trigger due to hormonal or other physical changes and as a side effect may cause scarring of the lungs.
Genetic factors - Certain people are genetically predisposed to this condition if multiple members within the family have it as well.
Acid reflux diseases - Certain acid reflux problems may also cause scarring when drops of stomach acids enter the lung through the esophageal tract.

Facial paralysis can happen due to many factors. Sometimes inflammation develops around the facial nerve as it passes through the skull from the brain. This presses on the nerve and makes it stop functioning. As the nerve stops functioning, so does the muscle it controls.


This is what happens in Bell s palsy, the most common cause of facial paralysis.


Bell s palsy can happen to anyone and its cause is, hold your breath, a viral infection. Herpes zoster, Varicella zoster and HIV viruses can cause Bell s palsy.


Bell's palsy is a common cause of a facial paralysis but there are many others too that affect or damage facial nerve. These include head injury, sarcoidosis, lyme disease, growths in the ear, tumours in the parotid gland, brain tumours and stroke.


The weakness of the face usually one-sided is a symptom of Bell s palsy. The face may droop to one side, chewing food is also tough, drooling, dry eyes and difficulty wrinkling forehead and speech are other symptoms of Bell s palsy, the most common reason for facial paralysis.


Treatment:
The type of therapy you receive for facial paralysis will depend on its cause. It will also develop on how long you ve suffered from facial paralysis and the extent of damage to the facial nerve.


Your physiotherapist can help and so can speech and language therapists to deal with the issue.


In physiotherapy, a treatment called 'facial retraining' with facial exercises helps with facial palsy. It is important that you seek help from a therapist who specialises in facial rehabilitation only.


This is what you can expect from facial rehabilitation therapy-
Exercises for eye care
Exercises for dry mouth management
Exercises to make drinking and eating easier
Speech therapy
Your physiotherapist will educate you on how the facial nerve works and how it recovers. This is important to make you recover. A home therapy programme plays an important role too. It includes massages to keep face muscles mobile and healthy, stretches to lengthen muscles, exercises to help re-learn balanced facial movements and relaxation of your facial nerve and muscles.


The physiotherapist will work on your facial movement to make muscles fit. The basic idea is to slowly rewire the brain-to-nerve-to-muscle pathway. The physiotherapist s first step is to retrain you to do correct movements voluntarily, while mentally focusing on the movement.


Physiotherapy may take months but keep at it to recover completely, especially the home exercises.


Injections of botulinum toxin or Botox also help especially if you suffer from spasms in facial muscles. Surgery is also an option for chronic cases.


Remember that exercises should be done gently as well as daily to reap benefits. Always do these exercises with the help of a therapist only. Doing exercises by yourself can be counter- productive.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder. In asthma, the airways of the lungs get inflamed. Due to this inflammation, there is swelling inside the airways. This also causes excess production of mucous. The combined effect of swelling and mucus production is that the passage of air gets obstructed. This makes breathing difficult. A whistling sound or wheezing is often heard in such patients. Often the patient gets cough due to this obstruction of the airways. This cough is a reflex of the body to get rid of the excess mucous in the airways. A sense of tightness or heaviness is felt in the chest. One cannot expand the chest fully while inhaling. This is a medical condition characterized by paroxysmal wheezing respiration dyspnoea.

Signs And Symptoms

Recurrent episode of paroxysmal dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing).
The breathing is laboured, with a wheezing sound, mainly on expiration.
Asthma attacks often occur in the early hours of morning (when there is no immediate precipitating cause). During the attack patients often prefers to sit then lie down.
Homeopathy for Asthma-

When it comes to the treatment of Asthma, Homeopathy is much better at treating asthma. It is in stark contrast to allopathy, where inhalers and steroids are used to suppress inflammation. Homeopathic medicines do not aim at just reducing inflammation. They also intend to cure the basic cause of the recurrent inflammation. This way, not only the symptoms of asthma are treated but the incidence of asthmatic attacks is completely eliminated. With a couple of months of Homeopathic treatment, you will be able to live a disease-free and medicine-free life. It is worthwhile to mention here that all Homeopathic remedies are natural and do not contain any chemicals. That is why these purely natural homeopathic remedies do not have any side effects at all. Here is a list of the top homeopathic medicines for asthma, along with the symptoms when they are used-

Ipecac: Ipecac is used in treating asthma, where the patient experiences symptoms like heaviness and tension around the chest area. Sudden wheezing, suffocation is experienced followed by other symptoms like motions, vomiting and gagging. Cough remains constant, and the chest gets filled up with phlegm. Cold and perspiration is also likely to be experienced. A patient may feel as if a lump is present in the chest. Increased salivation is also indicated.

Arsenicum: Arsenicum is an efficient homeopathic medicine, which treats asthma attacks, which take place after midnight. The patient is anxious, restless, and cannot sleep because of the fear of being suffocated. In such cases, the patient dozes off a bit, and wakes up with great burning sensation and sore feeling in the chest. Arsenicum is prescribed during chronic stages of asthma, usually in elderly people.

Nux Vomica: Nux Vomica is used when asthma attacks occur due to gastric disorders and during simple spasmodic asthmas. People who consume an excess of caffeine or alcohol are more likely to experience such attacks. A constricting feeling in the lower chest region may be experienced. These attacks commonly occur during the morning.

Kali Bichromicum: This homeopathic medicine is used is asthmatic patients where the asthma attacks occur because of potashes. The attacks generally occur between three to four a.m. in the morning. The patient gets compelled to rise from sleep and sit up in order to breathe. A stringy yellow mucus may be produced, and the patient feels a lack of air in his chest.

Natrum Sulphuricum: This is another effective medicine for treating asthma. The symptoms of asthma treated with this medicine get worse in damp weather. Most asthma attacks occur with a rattling sensation being felt in the chest. Bowel movement may become loose after this type of asthma attack. Alcohol and aerated drinks make the symptoms even worse. Such attacks are common in the morning with the production of a green mucus.

Homeopathy has no side effects and treats the underlying cause of asthma. You should consult a homeopathic practitioner before starting homeopathic treatment for asthma.

It is the first vaccine that the doctor will ask your child to get if he/she gets wound. Tetanus is a rare but severe condition which occurs when bacteria enter into an open wound. It can turn fatal if left untreated, so you need to follow the vaccination schedule in order to control the infection. Indulging in substance abuse (especially the ones that require injecting with syringes) increases the risk of tetanus.

Causes
This disorder is caused by the bacteria called Clostridium tetani . The bacterium is known to survive for an extended period outside the body, and is found in places such as soil and the manure of cows and horses. The bacteria enter the body through a wound, multiply rapidly and then release a toxin. This toxin causes muscle spasms and stiffness, thus affecting your nerves. The bacteria can enter the body through cuts, burns, animal bites, body piercings and eye injuries. However, this disorder is not contagious.

Symptoms
The symptoms of this disease can take 5-20 days to develop fully in the body. Your child may experience symptoms such as a rise in the body temperature, sweating, rapid heartbeats, muscle spasms and stiffening of the jaw muscles. These symptoms will worsen if left untreated, eventually leading to cardiac arrest or suffocation in some cases.

Treatment
If your child has a wound, the first step is to administer an injection of tetanus immunoglobulin. Tetanus immunoglobulin contains antibodies that effectively kill the tetanus bacteria. In case the symptoms start, then the child might need to be admitted to a hospital. Here, antibiotics and muscle relaxants are administered and breathing support may also be provided if required.

The preventive measure of this disorder is to be vaccinated against the tetanus bacteria. The vaccine consists of five injections that are administered in a specific order. Once the entire course has been completed, it usually provides lifelong protection against the tetanus bacteria.

Sarcoidosis is a condition that can alter the structure and possibly the function of the affected organ as well if not tackled early. Sarcoidosis refers to the growth of tiny inflammatory tissues in various parts of the body resulting in symptoms such as symptoms fever, fatigue, weight loss and swollen lymph nodes. Most often, the disease begins in the lungs and then spreads to other organs.

It is still not known clearly what causes this disease, and most often the symptoms may appear and disappear now and then. However, Sarcoidosis can develop gradually in which case it produces certain symptoms that can even stay for a lifetime.

And, based on the organ that has been affected by the disease, the symptoms tend to vary. For example, if it affects the lungs, then symptoms like breathlessness, pain in the chest, persistent dry cough and wheezing become evident. In case it is in the eye, then the symptoms manifest in the form of pain in the eye, light sensitivity, blurred vision, and severe redness.

How is it diagnosed?
Sarcoidosis can be difficult to diagnose as in the initial stages it shows very few symptoms. It can be identified through a series of diagnostic tests that include a biopsy. When trying to diagnose this disease, a doctor may perform various physical examinations such as looking for skin lesions, swelling of the lymph nodes and even listening to the heartbeat and the lungs. There are a variety of tests to determine whether Sarcoidosis is affecting the nervous system, the lungs or any other vital organs. Some of these tests are a chest x-ray, computerized tomography, blood tests, positron emission tomography (PET scan), lung function tests, and MRIs.

What is the course of action?
Usually, medication like immunosuppressive medication and corticosteroids are used as a part of Sarcoidosis treatment. These medicines help in suppressing the immune system while reducing the Sarcoidosis induced inflammation. Depending on the organs that are affected, the severity of the inflammation, as well as the symptoms, the medication and length of treatment may vary. When body parts like the eyes, the heart, the lungs or the nervous system get affected by this disease, one must opt for treatment without delay.

In case Sarcoidosis leads to severe damage to the heart, the liver or the lungs, then transplant through surgery becomes the only option for controlling the disease. When the skin is affected, or Sarcoidosis isn t responding to any other treatments, hydroxychloroquine and TNF-alpha inhibitors are used for treatment.

This ailment cannot be cured completely. While for some patients, the symptoms can subside by themselves or with treatment, for others it may continue to give trouble for years. This can lead to damage to different organs of the body. Therefore, in case you notice any symptoms, it is necessary to seek medical attention immediately.

Homeopathy is a method of treatment, which is based on the fact that symptoms of a certain disease, if induced in small quantities, may help cure the same disease in a sick person. Cardiological disorders are complications of the heart; they can range from various disorders, such as heart attack or irregular heartbeats.

Homeopathic remedies are based on naturally occurring substances and are given to the patients in a diluted form. These remedies trigger the symptoms in small quantities and heal the body.

The various homeopathic treatments for cardiological disorders are:

Latrodectus: This treatment is used to treat symptoms of precordial pain in the body.
Aurum metallicum: Aurum metallicum is used in treating symptoms of weakness in the muscles of the heart.
Aconitum:This treatment is used when a person is having a heart attack.
Spigelia: Spigelia is used in the treatment of irregular heartbeats which may cause sharp pain in the chest.
Cactus grandiflorus: This treatment is used in treating angina pectoris, which is characterized by symptoms of pain caused by decreased blood flow to the heart.
Crataegus oxyacantha: This homeopathic treatment is used in treating coronary insufficiency in people. This disorder cause problems in heartbeat.
Digitalis: This homeopathic treatment is used in treating cardiac muscle failure. This disorder causes palpitation, tightness in the heart muscles and a suffocating sensation.
Kalmia latifolia: This treatment is effective in treating cardiac hypertrophy, which causes the heart muscle to thicken, resulting in size reduction of the ventricles. This treatment is very effective in treating cardiac hypertrophy that results after rheumatism.
Glonoinum: This homeopathic treatment is prescribed to treat symptoms of plaque buildup in the artery, which cause hypertension.

Interstitial lung disease includes a large group of disorders like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis and asbestosis. These cause progressive fibrosis or scarring of the tissues surrounding the air sacs in your lungs. The scarring causes your lungs to stiffen which makes it difficult for you to breath.

What are the symptoms to look out for?

Dry cough
Shortness of breath at rest or due to exertion
Loss of weight
Loss of appetite
Weakness
Chest discomfort

What are the causes?

Normally, your lungs will regenerate tissue to repair any damage. But in interstitial lung disease, the normal repair process does not occur due to injury to the lungs. The tissue around the air sacs gets scarred and thickened, causing difficulty in breathing.

Your lungs may get injured due to long-term exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants like

Asbestos
Silica dust
Coal dust
Grain dust from framing
Radiation
Indoor hot tubs
Bird and animal droppings
Bird proteins from chicken or pigeon

Sometimes, certain drugs can cause chronic damage to your lungs, like-

Chemotherapy drugs
Heart medications
Antibiotics
Anti-inflammatory drugs

Lung disease can also be caused by autoimmune disorders like-

Rheumatoid arthritis
Sjogren s syndrome
Scleroderma
Dermatomyositis
Polymyositis
Mixed connective tissue disease

Why homeopathy?

Homeopathic remedies are customized according to the effects that the disease has on your body. It will relieve symptoms like sharp pain in the lungs, hemorrhaging in the capillaries and coughing with mucus. It will also slow down the progression of the disease. Homeopathy induces your immunity system to restore the damaged tissues and heal itself. There are no associated side effects of homeopathic remedies to your body.

Homeopathic medication and therapy also help you to treat the damage from the side effects caused by conventional treatment.

If you visit a pulmonary specialist, he/she will prescribe medications like corticosteroids, medications that will slow down fibrosis and that reduce stomach acid or you might be given artificial oxygen to make breathing easier. The last option is surgery. All of these treatment options will not reverse the scarring in the lungs. In most cases, they do not stop the progression of the disease.

The life expectancy for someone with any of the types of interstitial lung diseases is 3 to 5 years. Homeopathy has proven to be a safe and effective treatment option with no side effects that can slow down the progression of your disease. It is important that you treat it early if you want to prevent severe health complications.

The Interstitium is a network of tissues in the lungs. It supports the functioning of microscopic air sacs in the lungs, known as Alveoli. Tiny blood vessels travelling through the interstitium help in exchange of gases between blood and air. In ILD or Interstitial lung disease, this important function of the lungs is disturbed. This can lead to ILD, including Sarcoidosis.

In general, the symptoms of ILD include shortness of breath, dry and non-productive cough and unexplained weight loss.

Causes Of Interstitial Lung Disease

It is estimated that regular exposure to irritants through inhalation, at work or otherwise, can precipitate ILD. Bacteria, Viruses, and Fungi are known to cause Interstitial Pneumonias. The following irritants can cause ILD:

Silica dust
Asbestos
Coal dust and other dusts, such as those inhaled during working in mines
Talc
Bird proteins (such as Chicken or Pigeon food)
Grain dust inhaled from farming

Drugs such as Amiodarone, Nitrofurantoin, Bleomycin etc. may also cause Interstitial Lung Disease. However, a fair chunk of the causes of Interstitial Lung Disease are unknown.



About Sarcoidosis

In Sarcoidosis, there is growth of tiny inflammatory cells in different organs of the body, such as the Lymph nodes, Skin, Eyes and the Lungs. Lungs are the most common organs which Sarcoidosis affects.

Symptoms of ILD and Sarcoidosis

Symptoms may include Fever, Fatigue, Shortness of breath, Weight loss, Persistent cough, Swollen lymph nodes, Chest pain, Wheezing etc.
There may be reddish-purple bumps on shins or ankles, sores on nose, ears and cheeks, growth of nodules under the skin, etc.
The patient may have Blurred vision, Eye pain, Severe redness and Sensitivity to light.
A patient may also suffer from Chest pain, Shortness of breath, Fainting, fatigue, Irregular heartbeats, Palpitations, Swelling due to Accumulation of Fluid, etc.

Treatment of ILD and Sarcoidosis

Antibiotics for Interstitial Pneumonia condition
Corticosteroids or Immunosuppressants for skewed immune response
Oxygen inhalation for low oxygen level in body due to ILD
Antioxidants to reduce the rate of decline in lung function.

Sarcoidosis

Though there is no cure for this disease, a patient may be treated through medicine if the disease starts affecting the functioning of other organs.
The patient may be given Corticosteroids to Suppress Inflammation.
If the condition is worse, the patient may also be given Immunosuppressants and other medicines to overcome specific organic problems.

ILD and Sarcoidosis are common diseases nowadays due to increasing pollution all around. In case of any of the symptoms of ILD and Sarcoidosis show up in a patient, it is highly recommended to get advice from an experienced Pulmonologist. The treatment is mostly antibiotic-based, and curbs the infection out of the body. The sooner the treatment can start, the better it is.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition, which primarily affects the lungs and persistence of this condition might lead to severe breathing problems and loss of lung function. If you have inherited two copies of the defective gene from your parents, you are likely to suffer from this disease. Cystic Fibrosis causes a buildup of thick mucus in your lungs and affects other organs such as the kidneys, pancreas and the intestines in your body.

It isn't very uncommon as one out of fifty people in Asia is a carrier of this disease. The disease gets its name from the cysts formed in the pancreas of the sufferer. However, this disease can be detected by testing the quantity of salt present in your sweat. Prenatal testing for Fibrosis is another method to test if your newborn is likely to contract a lung infection.

Complications faced due to cystic fibrosis include:
1. Serious sinus infections
2. Serious damage in lungs due to inflammation and incessant infection
3. Malnutrition
4. Complication in breaking down protein
5. Respiratory tract contamination

If you observe one or more of the following symptoms, you might be suffering from Cystic Fibrosis:
1. Salty-tasting skin
2. Bowel obstruction caused due to meconium ileus (obstruction of the bowels)
3. Mucus amiss in your alveoli
4. Persistent coughing with phlegm discharge
5. Shortness of breath while engaging in a physical task
6. Stunted or measly growth despite healthy lifestyle habits
7. Infertility in males

If you're suffering from cystic fibrosis, there isn't any particular treatment which is recommended due to the varying degrees of it found in people. However, consultation with a medical practitioner and an individualised treatment plan can help you minimise the risks and lead a better life.

Some therapies you can opt for are:
a) Airway clearance: This therapy helps sift the thick layer of mucus around your organs. Some people have also chosen to use the inflatable vest which vibrates around your chest, thereby, thinning and loosening the layer of mucus.

b) Inhaled medicines: Another breakthrough in the field of respiratory medicine, this method requires the patient to sniff a liquid consisting of mist, which is inhaled with the aid of a nebuliser. This method is known to be beneficial for opening airways.

c) Pancreatic enzyme supplements: Along with multivitamins, these specially designed supplements are known to cater to your pancreas with the much-needed nutrients and they need to be consumed with every meal.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition that has been affecting many people of late. In sarcoidosis, tiny granulomas or inflammatory nodules appear in the various organs of the body. The lungs, eyes, skin, and lymph nodes are commonly affected by the condition. Sarcoidosis can also occur in the brain, heart, liver, spleen. The exact trigger for sarcoidosis is not very clearly understood. However, some studies suggest that sarcoidosis may be an outcome of the body reaction (immunological) towards certain allergens, chemicals, viruses or bacteria (foreign bodies).

It should be noted that

Incidences of sarcoidosis are common among people in the age group of 20 40 years.
People with a family history are more likely to be affected by sarcoidosis.
Women are more susceptible to sarcoidosis than their male counterparts. The condition is common among the African-Americans.
Signs and symptoms:
The severity and appearance of symptoms depend on the organs affected by the condition. Symptoms of sarcoidosis may appear suddenly or develop gradually (there may also be a relapse). In few exceptions, the affected person may not exhibit any visible symptoms. The symptoms may vary from person to person.

In general, the symptoms include

Fever
There is weight loss
Extreme tiredness and exhaustion
There may be swelling of the lymph nodes
Further, the symptoms may include

Rashes, sores, and lesions that may appear on the nose, ears or cheeks, certain areas in the skin undergoes discolouration (Sarcoidosis affecting the skin).
Breathlessness and chest pain, dry cough that continues for long and wheezing (In the case of the heart being affected).
Palpitations and dyspnea, chest pain, edema, syncope or fainting and arrhythmias or irregular beating of the heart (Sarcoidosis affecting the heart).
The eyes may appear red. The vision appears blurred. There is a pain in the eyes and light sensitivity (Sarcoidosis affecting the eyes).
Diagnosis and treatment:

Physical examination and blood tests
Eye tests can aid in a better diagnosis
Kidney and liver function tests
Imaging tests like CT scan, PET, X-rays, MRI
Biopsy
There are instances where sarcoidosis disappears on its own. However, if the condition persists, it is better to seek medical assistance.

Treatment for sarcoidosis include

Immunosuppressant drugs: As the name suggests, the immunosuppressant drugs work by suppressing the immune response. Azathioprine and Methotrexate provide great relief from inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Corticosteroids are very effective against sarcoidosis.
Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) is often used to treat skin sarcoidosis.
For patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis related inflammation, doctors recommend Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors.
In the case of organ failure or damage, surgery may be the only option available.
In severe cases, or if left unattended for long, sarcoidosis can result in

Cardiac problems, which may prove to be fatal.
It can interfere with the normal functioning of the kidney.
The lungs may be severely affected and scarred.
There may eye inflammation leading to blindness.
In some cases, sarcoidosis may affect the nervous system leading to paralysis (though rare).