If you’re among the estimated 26.5 million Americans living with asthma, you understand the importance of finding relief. Dr. Shalin Parikh of Health One Family Medicine offers comprehensive asthma and COPD care to women, men, and children in the greater Irving, Texas, area. Living a full, active, and healthy life with asthma, COPD, or other respiratory issues is possible, and that process begins with expert diagnosis and treatment. Schedule your appointment today by calling the office or using the online scheduling tool.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that creates inflammation in your airways, restricting breath and creating many respiratory symptoms. Asthma can occur at any age and seriously affect your ability to accomplish your daily routines.
Your airways allow air to flow to and from your lungs. Asthma narrows your airways, allowing less air to reach your lungs. Many times, this leads to a snowballing effect, where additional swelling further narrows your airways and mucus production accelerates.
Many factors increase your risk of developing asthma, although researchers don’t know the exact cause of this disease. Known risk factors include:
Some experts believe that a Western lifestyle contributes to increasing asthma statistics. Because US hygiene and sanitation standards are so high, there’s insufficient opportunity to develop immune systems that can handle environmental pollutants, leaving you at a higher risk of asthma.
There’s no cure for asthma; treatment focuses on controlling the symptoms and improving quality of life. Certain medications help you improve breathing and sleep through the night.
A key component of treating asthma is learning to identify your triggers and avoiding them to the greatest degree possible. This practice can drastically reduce asthma attacks and help you live a full and rich life.
Treatment for asthma also includes:
Like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a chronic condition marked by inflammation in your airways and decreased airflow. It is not a disease, but a term that refers to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or refractory asthma.
The symptoms of COPD include:
Because the set of COPD symptoms you experience is unique, the treatment options are diverse. In general, treatment focuses on addressing the underlying causes any additional health issues that may be worsening your breathing function.
To learn more about Dr. Parikh’s approach to treating asthma or COPD, schedule an appointment at Health One Family Medicine to get started as soon as possible.
At Health One Family Medicine, we value the health of every family member and want to make sure that our services are affordable for every patient. For that reason, we accept a wide variety of insurances. If you have any questions about the type of insurances we accept, please call our office. There will be a $25 charge for any missed appointments that are not cancelled 24 hours in advance.
