Asthma and Allergy Relief from Smoke

Allergy and asthma sufferers can get smoke exposure relief

Western Wildfires – What You Can Do About Smoke Inhalation

As the fires are sweeping the U.S. and consuming hundreds of thousands of acres, a huge amount of smoke in being inhaled and will have unfortunate effects on the health of thousands in these locations. Today they reported 83 major fires in Western US and no relief in sight. For the many asthmatics and allergy patients these fires are especially serious.

The ill effects of smoke exposure have been especially noted in Indonesia after their terrible fires last year and even today in Kuwait where the incidence of asthma in 10 – 14 year olds is much higher than normal as a result of the oil well fires started by the Iraquis.

Most of the by-products of forest fires create chemicals such as carbon monoxide, various aldehydes that act to impair cilia function. In the respiratory tract – the nose, sinuses, trachea (windpipe) and the smaller airways of the lungs there are millions of tiny "oars" called cilia. These beat to remove the smoke products. In the nose they beat backwards and move these products out of the nose to the stomach. In the chest they beat upwards to move the unwanted material out of the lungs to the throat, where the end up harmless in the stomach. If you can keep the cilia active, you can avoid the problems that come from smoke inhalation.

One bad sign: when the cilia of the chest can’t do their job, coughing takes over. Either there is too much material in the lungs for the cilia to handle or the cilia aren’t moving enough to do their job. Besides avoiding the smoke, what can you do?

a. Do breathe through a wet mask.

b. Drink large amounts of tea. Tea stimulates the cilia. Decaffeinated tea is fine.

c. Chicken soup also speeds cilia.

d. Drink enough of any liquids so that the urine turns light.

e. Use a liquid nasal moisturizer. Be sure there is no preservative such as benzalkonium or other preservative as this can irritate the nose. One preservative free moisturizer is Breathe.ease™. Comes with a spray bottle and contains no preservative chemicals. You can use it as a spray to cleanse the nose and as a mist to moisten the nose.

f. By cleaning the nose this way you can preserve the normal nasal function.

g. You can use the pulsating irrigator – dental irrigator with sinus attachment to remove all the material from the nose and sinuses. This pulsation is the best means of restoring the cilia function. The pulsating stream is effective in removing foreign material and the rhythm of pulsation helps in restoration of cilia movement.

h. Most of the over the counter cough preparations such as Robitussin are fine for loosening thick phlegm in the chest. Try to avoid codeine preparations as these may slow cilia.

i. After exposure to smoke, use the pulsating irrigator, or if that’s not available, make a solution with 1/2 teaspoon of salt – pickling salt is best – to 8 ounces of clean warm water. Place it in the cupped hand and sniff the solution through the nose and out the mouth. This is difficult for some persons to do and is the reason why the dental irrigator or the Breathe Ease spray works better.

j. Caution: although antihistamines work well for seasonal allergy, they may cause additional drying of the mucus secondary to smoke exposure. Fine to use Entex LA, Zephex LA, Sudafed and similar products for congestion after smoke inhalation, but caution in using the regular antihistamines. The congestion following smoke exposure is not necessarily an allergic response as it is an inflammatory one. After the fires stop, many persons continue to have thick phlegm and mucus as a result of the smoke products affecting the cilia. Do daily irrigation with the pulsating irrigator (the Grossan Sinus/Allergy System is recommended). If thick phlegm continues, Clear Ease™ is helpful. This is a combination of Bromelain from pineapple and Papain from papaya. These enzymes thin the mucus and can clear the problem. Fortunately they taste good, too. You take one three times a day, let them melt in your mouth.

These and additional recommendations are from Murray Grossan, M.D.,
specialist, author, and medical editor at AllergyBuyersClub.com.

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