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1580703 tn?1651904887

why does asthma lead to more infections?

I have asthma and noticed I would sometimes get more infections.
why does asthma lead to more infections?  asthma is an autoimmune disease so shouldn't your immune system be stronger or is your IS somehow messed up in asthma?
I was taking a lot of antibiotics, cipro, doxy, amoxicilin and isoprinosine
asthma seems to be allergic since after returning home after a while I had no symptoms for one month until I got sick and started having asthma/sleep apnea
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1580703 tn?1651904887
one person on a forum said they went off of inhalers after salt inhaler
it was from surgery I got liver damage
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Avatar universal
yes they are artificial,no much longer good response,how your liver got damage?
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1580703 tn?1651904887
they have salt rooms in the US but they are really expensive and I don't know how good they are.  they sometimes have this halo machine that puts salt into the air at the salt rooms
and then maybe the salt inhalers don't work?
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1580703 tn?1651904887
thanks very much!  I can't exhale now, I had a tracheotomy put in and could exhale but the operation was so traumatic and I got liver damage from something, anesthesia maybe

prednisone is a bad drug because it destroys bones and brain cells possibly in the hippocampus, it may damage your memory
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Avatar universal
here is the link below for salt mine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3I_jm8PSbQ

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7527907/Asthma-treatment-in-Pakistani-salt-mine.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Salt_Mines
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Avatar universal
there are different types of salts , not every salt work on asthma , a helotherapist in Vancouver told me, he has an artificial mine in Vancouver that I had visited before 5 months, but artificial is artificial in effects too,and natural is natural, he  import only Himalayan salt for asthma,so I practice different kinds of salts in past , in Toronto ,in Pakistan ,in Vancouver, but only Himalayan salt is effected on asthma that I visited in Pakistan
thankyou
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1580703 tn?1651904887
I am in the US in NY, where is the saltmine?  

if possible I would try to control asthma without prednisone and instead symbicort, singulair....  but I have taken a lot of prednisone in the last few years
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Avatar universal
in which country u r?
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Avatar universal
speleotherapy centers dosent work like original salcave or saltmine does,for 100% results one should visit natural salt mine , they are in Poland ,ukrine , Romania , pakistan
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Avatar universal
yes i have done that but that is not much effevtive like saltmine
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1580703 tn?1651904887
wow can you get the same effect from saline rinses?
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Avatar universal
hi,
I want to share my one experience about asthma cure , before  4 years ago I had worse asthma attacks someone told me about saltmine treatment , so I visit to salt mine for 10 day and I spent daily 10 hours in mine it really work and I was feeling like my airways are clear and I can breath without any tightness ,and my medicines starts to go down,my doctor was also surprised , I help me for I year,and after that I haven't enough money to visit that mine again,if it is possible for anyone with asthma they should also try once
best regards
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Avatar universal
dear ,i am also asthamatic and taking prednisones from three years ,the does starts from 5 mg and now i am taking 50 mg pills for 15 days after every 6 week  gap,it happens with asthama that your prednisone doeses will increase by time and your asthma will get worse but i think there is only the prednisones and nothing to treat asthma,because in severe asthma  steoroids in puffers dosent work,i am telling u because u should think that u r not alone in your case
hope you  will get better soon
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1580703 tn?1651904887
I was going to get xolair injections but this nasty pulmonologist office dropped me

I got allergy shots for 6 weeks and it didn't seem to do anything
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Avatar universal
Hi,

Asthma is a very complex disease.  It iassociated with an hyper-sensitive immune system, not stronger or better or even necesarily weaker.  You immune system reacts to things that normal people don't react to.  The reactions has complex consequences.  

Asthma is an inflamatory disease.  The inflamation in the lungs causes several things that promote infections.  First it constricts air flow limiting the expelling of germs that cause infection.  It also cause excess mucous to be produced which provides a good habitat for germs to grow.  Some asthmatics have/develop bronchiecstasis - folds or kinks in the airways - where mucous pools and traps germs encouraging more infections.  

The nature of asthma predisposes a person to have more infections.  It is not caused by taking "too many" anitbiotics.  You can cause "super'bugs" that are resistent to certain anitbiotics by not taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed for a long enough period of time.  Make sure that an infection is completely gone before the effective treatment time is over.  For most antibiotics, that means the day you stop taking the medicine.  For Z-packs, that is about 5 days after you take your last pill.  Follow-up with your doctor to be sure your infection is cleared may be necessary.  Many people think they have recurring infections when they are actually not clearing the original one.

Since you have taken Z-pack (azithromiacin) for so long without it helping, you probably have an infection that is resistant to that antibiotic. You may want to request Levaquin or Biaxin next time.  Biaxin taken long term can be very beneficial for some astmatics.  There are several threads about taking clarithromyacin (generic Biaxin) to "cure" asthma.  You may want to read those for more information on the type of asthma that treatment is very effective for.

There are several things that can be contributing to your difficult to control asthma.  You need a good doctor who will work with you and fight for you to get the treatment you need.  Some things you need to discuss with a good doctor are allergy control, Xolair, Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory disease, and GERD.

I hope that gives you some hope that things can get better.  I have been where you are and I am doing much better after finding the root cause and treating it.  

God bless.
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1580703 tn?1651904887
why is this happening to me?  is it because I was overprescribed zpack and prednisone?
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1580703 tn?1651904887
this doc gave me 30mg of prednisone for 1 wk, 20mg for wk2, 10mg for wk 3 even though I wasn't having an asthma attack
he claimed that it would keep my baseline asthma level constant and keep it from deteriorating but it hasn't done anything
now my wheezing doesn't respond to prednisone
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1580703 tn?1651904887
I guess asthma and migraines are related-
http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/lung_and_airway_disorders/asthma/asthma.html
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1580703 tn?1651904887
will zithromax and other drugs not work for me in the future since I took it for 6 weeks?
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1580703 tn?1651904887
I think that pollution, car exhaust triggers my asthma.  Is there anything to do about that?  
even on dulera and prednisone right now my asthma isn't controlled and I get headaches- for me mucus isn't a problem
it's like somehow the veins in my head constrict?
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608104 tn?1352587153
Expectorants are medications to help loosen and cough up reactive mucus and include guaiac, licorice, and newer chemicals.  They are found in Mucinex and other over the counter medications.  The pharmacist can also compound expectorants.  Some asthmatics who smoke firmly believe cigarette smoke is a helpful irritant.   Having enough water in our bodies is necessary to keep mucus loose enough to move.  As I get older, I am more dehydrated.  Using steamy showers and humidifiers is another way of keeping mucus loose and decreasing bronchospasms.  Sometimes a brief cold air outdoor walk actually helps.  Too much of a cough suppressant over the counter medicine sometimes can make respiratory conditions worse.
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608104 tn?1352587153
As well as desensitization injections, dust mite allergies are helped with dust-proofing first the bedroom and then the house. Outdoor exercise in clean air improves your health.  

Get someone else to vacuum and dust your bedroom if you can at least twice a year.  Adding mattress protectors and pillow protectors to your bedding can help.  Linens need to be changed at least weekly.  Dustproof your house by removing draperies, carpet and throw pillows.  We like venetian blinds and honeycomb shades.  I mist dusty floors and sweep them with a broom before rev-ving up the dusty vacuum cleaner.  Change vacuum cleaner bags often.  Clothes can be hung in vinyl cases in your closet. Using the internet for other great ideas is helpful.
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1580703 tn?1651904887
anyway I am not really sure about the mucus expelling with OTC medications
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1580703 tn?1651904887
thanks everyone for your replies!  
I'm curious though how asthma affects T cell function and things like the balance of gut flora/bacteria
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