Spring is finally here… BUT so are your hay fever, asthma and allergies!
Melbournians all let us rejoice… for spring is finally here!
The mornings are brighter, and the birds are chirping – it’s all great news – unless you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of us who suffer from hay fever and seasonal asthma.
Australia has one of the highest incidences of allergic and non-allergic asthma worldwide, with approximately 2.3 million Australians suffering from the condition, we’re second only to the United Kingdom. That’s around 25% of school aged kids and 10% of adults. That’s an awful lot of us coughing and wheezing.
The stats on Asthma’s close cousin Hay fever aren’t much better – up to 2/3 of Australians suffer from hay fever and other allergies. That’s an awful lot of us scratching and sneezing.
So, what can your allied health clinic do to help you get through the sniffly season? Well, we can do a bit more than you probably think – but first things first, we need to be clear that we we’re an adjunctive therapy, not a cure for these conditions. We’re also not a treatment strategy for acute episodes of allergy or asthma. We can be a really useful part of a long-term strategy for taking control of your health but we’re not the only part.
If you struggle through each spring, your best, first step is to see your GP. They’ll help you get and Asthma or Allergy Plan in place that will mean you have the tools and the know-how, to manage things day-to-day and if things every escalate quickly or unexpectedly. Having the appropriate management plan in place can provide peace of mind, improve your quality of life and give you the confidence to enjoy outdoor activities.
So back to your allied health team… your Osteopath and your Exercise Physiologist are important corner-stones of any long-term plan for managing your hay fever, asthma and allergies. We can help you breathe easier and, in some cases, decrease the frequency of attacks and dependence on medications to manage them.
How can your Osteopath help your Asthma and Allergies?
One of the most obvious consequences of Asthma and Allergies is difficulty breathing. This can include feeling like it’s hard work to get enough air, wheezing or chronic coughing. This sort of respiratory strain is not just exhausting, it can also be a real pain in the neck. Literally.
A handful of accessory respiratory muscles that originate in the neck help us pull the rib cage open and draw in extra air when we’re struggling to meet the body’s demand. When these guys get overloaded, they can get irritable and tender. The same applies to the other muscles of the back and rib cage. All-in-all this makes Asthma and allergy sufferers prone to neck, back and headaches. Treating these issues can not only ease the discomfort in these areas, there’s also some evidence to suggest it can improve your respiratory capacity. [1]
Osteopathy aims to improve breathing by treating the various aspects of the respiratory mechanism, including:
- ribs
- spine
- diaphragm and other respiratory muscles
- nerve control of the chest
- blood and fluid supply to the bronchi and lungs
We expect that this sort of approach can enhance your breathing by:
- freeing up stiffness in the ribs, chest and spine
- easing tension in the respiratory muscles
- improving lymphatic drainage from the lungs, sinuses and airways
How can your Exercise Physiologist help your Asthma and Allergies?
Exercise can be a helpful part of your long-term asthma management plan. Regular exercise not only increases your cardiorespiratory fitness, but it tends to decrease chronic inflammation, decrease the frequency of Asthma and Allergy attacks and decrease the reliance on medications to control them.
Keeping physically active can also offer many other health benefits such as improving heart health, boosting mental health, and reducing the risk of other chronic health conditions.
Regular exercise can help reduce asthma symptoms by:
- Improving how well your lungs work so you have more stamina and can do more before you feel out of breath.
- Exercise increases the blood flow to your lungs, allowing the lungs to deliver more oxygen into the blood.
- Boosting your immune system so your asthma is less likely to be triggered by coughs and colds.
- Maintain a healthy weight which will reduce your risk of symptoms and an asthma
- Improves mood and helps you manage anxiety.
Other benefits of exercise include:
- Increased energy levels throughout the day
- Stabilized blood sugar levels
- Strengthened bones and muscles
- A better night’s sleep
Want a better long-term plan for getting your Asthma and Allergies under control?
Why not make an appointment with one of our team today? Our Osteopaths and Exercise Physiologists can work with your GP to help you put together a plan to take control of Asthma and Allergies.
[1] Guiney PA, Chou R, Vianna A, Lovenheim J. Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Pediatric Patients With Asthma: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Osteopath Assoc 2005; 105(1) :7–12.
