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What does Heartburn Signify? It is a Sign of DANGER. Find Out How to Identify and Treat Your Heartburn the PROPER Way.

The cause of heartburn is refluxed gastric acid that enters the esophagus and then inflames the lining. This leads to the familiar symptom of heartburn as the throat or chest area discomforting burning feeling, produced either when eating a meal or afterwards.

This distressing and painful complaint is frequently encountered by inhabitants of western countries. This may not mean that you have a medical problem, if as a healthy individual, you get occasional heartburn. However, upon heartburn becoming persistent, it can lead to a situation of acid reflux disease, also called GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease).

GERD symptoms can go beyond just heartburn. They can also show up as regurgitation, attacks of asthma, chest pain, hoarseness and dry coughing, as well as yet others.

Medical research done in the recent past shows a connection between GERD and cancer of the esophagus. This justifies the need to treat acid reflux in a timely and effective way. GERD can occasion even further suffering if it is neglected and left untreated, possibly being transformed into yet more serious problems.

Some causes cannot be treated or managed, an example being the inherited characteristics that lead to the complaint of heartburn. Other causes may be interlinked, such as bad sleep hygiene, an overly stressful lifestyle, accumulation of toxins, Candida infections and poor diet plans, which can all either directly or indirectly provoke acid reflux. To effectively treat GERD, it is crucial to recognize and treat the underlying reasons of this medical impairment.

To fight heartburn, there are three major types of treatments that a sufferer has available. Medications constitute the first category, whether these are prescription or over the counter. Regrettably, such medicaments are only a short-term answer and may also provoke undesirable side effects. Examples for acid reflux alleviation are H2 blockers, antacids and PPIs. These products concentrate on diminishing the symptoms of GERD by balancing out or diminishing the production of stomach acid.

The next category for tackling acid reflux is surgery. There are however serious inconveniences to this second category. Surgery is intrusive and can therefore cause health complications. It only addresses the physical cause of heartburn (a weak sphincter), doing nothing to resolve the underlying causative agents that are really responsible for the problem. Surgery’s goal is to reinforce the sphincter muscle that seals off the stomach from the esophagus to prevent gastric acid from going back into the esophagus. When GERD starts, it is typically because this sphincter is not shutting correctly, this allowing gastric acids escape in the reverse direction towards the esophageal cavity.

The third eventuality for heartburn patients is the holistic, all natural approach. This approach is the most efficient and the most effective, as it is the only one to combat the internal malfunction in a holistic way, while at the same time eliminating the symptoms and regaining your body’s natural internal equilibrium. It is possible to heal GERD effectively, permanently and safely through the adoption of a program specifically made to target the root causes of acid reflux.

Jeff Martin is a certified nutritionist and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, Heartburn No More . To Learn More About Heartburn: What is Heartburn

In the article below, an experienced nutritionist gives you the explanations on the vinegars that should not be consumed by heartburn patients, and another kind of vinegar that actually works to significantly reduce your medical impairment besides being a good supplement for your food plan. In essence, we answer the question of the relevance or not of vinegar in your food plan against heartburn. There are many varieties of vinegars available for western consumers, but medical and paramedical practitioners are unanimous in their belief that just one of them is suitable for sufferers of heartburn.

Let’s start by defining Heartburn as the painful burning sensation in the region of the throat or the thorax, often accompanied by a bitter or sour taste. Heartburn may indicate GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease). Severe cases of GERD may also be identified by swallowing difficulties, bouts of asthma, weight loss and a chronically hoarse voice. Neglect or lack of proper treatment of GERD may make things even worse. The next phase is a state called Barrett’s esophagus with the threat of cancer of the esophagus in addition. Even if people who are quite healthy also sometimes get heartburn (less than once a week), chronic heartburn strongly suggests GERD, or acid reflux, as it is also known.

In a healthy organism, a ring-like muscle allows food and drink to pass one way into the stomach, but then shuts off any reverse flow of stomach contents. Certain factors, detailed below, can weaken this muscle, leaving stomach juices free to get back into the esophageal cavity (this is what we term acid reflux), doing internal damage and leading to heartburn. In medical jargon, this ring like muscle is the LES (lower esophageal sphincter), and the complaint is termed gastro esophageal reflux disease. Therefore it is the role of the LES as a valve of muscle to shut off the esophagus from the stomach.

The multitude of causes of GERD means complex direct and indirect actions, as well as the interconnections between primary and secondary factors. Some factors initiate the problem, others simply make an existing problem worse. Factors liable to bring about GERD include:

1. Gastric acid production above normal levels. Often due to a genetic deficiency, the human body may over produce gastric acid, which is then that much more liable to flow back into the esophagus to corrode the inner walls.

2. Excessive growth of Candida, In certain contexts, Candida is no longer controlled properly and engages in explosive growth, overrunning the immune system and developing in excess of 79 different toxins that in turn can cause the body to malfunction in a number of ways, one of which is GERD. Candida is the mono-cellular fungal microbe found in virtually all human bodies (genitals and intestines are favorite dwelling places), in quantities that are usually kept under control by the natural flora and associated systems in the body.

It is a proven fact, in addition to the above, that a number of foods make the situation worse and stimulate Candida overgrowth. Together with white flour and sugar (and other refined carbohydrates of this type), these dangerous foods include most kinds of vinegar, including balsamic, wine, white and malt vinegar. The reason is that all these vinegars are acid-forming when consumed, thus pushing up the degree of acidity of the intestines and the blood. This then provokes acid reflux and worsens its level of severity.

The exception to this however comes from organic apple cider vinegar. This vinegar can significantly lessen esophageal inflammation and act on Candida to bring the level back down. It can also restore the alkali balance in your digestive tract, which the other vinegars cannot do either.

The only reliable possibility to stop heartburn from recurring is to directly treat the inner, underlying factors directly causing the acid reflux. This helps to explain why there is no instant remedy for heartburn itself as this is a symptom which itself is caused by a number of other internal factors.

The one solution that will bring the required results is an all-natural, holistic one.

Jeff Martin is a certified nutritionist and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, Heartburn No More . To Learn More About Heartburn: Apple Cider Vinegar and Heartburn

Pregnancy can Mean WORSENING of Heartburn. Find Out How to Stop Heartburn Now and Forever.

Symptoms related to heartburn can be detected in different ways, such as a sensation of pain and burning just below the breastbone, indigestion, and a sour after-taste in the oral cavity. Heartburn is one of the symptoms afflicting pregnant women the most frequently. From different data, between 6 and 9 out of every 10 pregnant women will experience symptoms of heartburn at least once during pregnancy.

When the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) ceases to work properly, acids and gastric contents can get back into the esophagus. Infrequent heartburn may not be of great concern, but increased frequency can indicate a deeper, chronic condition called acid reflux or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is the unwanted transmission of bile, digestive enzymes and acids that then generates heartburn. These substances transfuse back from the stomach to attack lining cells inside the esophagus. The lower esophageal sphincter should normally act as a valve to keep the gastric contents in the stomach, without them escaping backwards in a healthy body.

Acid reflux is brought on by many causes. They include:

1. Acid forming foods being eaten to excess: for example, eggs, liver and wine will worsen the problem. Other difficult foodstuffs are those that lead to Candida overgrowth, digestive problems or allergies. Particular examples are meat and dairy products.

2. Poor sleep habits can negatively impact your immune functions. In this case, many related complications can arrive, including overgrowth of Candida, a digestive system that slows and becomes feeble and a build-up of toxins. These are all elements leading to acid reflux.

3. Excess body weight also puts pressure on the LES, forcing through more stomach juices and acids into the esophagus.

As an additional difficulty during pregnancy, the uterus that enlarges can also put pressure on the abdomen that then acts on the stomach and the LES to force yet more stomach contents back towards the esophagus. During pregnancy, women may also have to battle with additional problems such as constipation, indigestion and bloating. In all, pregnancy in fact becomes a factor that can lead to GERD. Hormones that the body fabricates during pregnancy have a laxative effect on a number of muscle tissues that include the lower esophageal sphincter. Acid reflux is also intensified by a digestive process that loses its dynamism.

Pregnancy and GERD simultaneously makes a solution hard to find, as many medicaments are potentially risky for women who are pregnant. The drugs that do feature on physicians’ lists for pregnant women can themselves have certain unwanted secondary effects and in general it is difficult to recommend any of them in this case.

The natural approach avoids these issues and puts in place a solution to halt heartburn both now and in the future in a safe and effective manner. Did anyone tell you that pregnant women can get alleviation today from heartburn and cure a basic cause of acid reflux by selecting a holistic solution to repair the internal imbalance that was responsible all the time for GERD symptoms?

Jeff Martin is a certified nutritionist and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, Heartburn No More. To Learn More About Heartburn: Acceptable Heartburn Medication in Pregnancy.

The Law of Attraction (LOA) has been touted as giving you the ability to manifest your dreams, but what’s the truth behind it?

The premises at the base of the LOA are:

1. Everything is an energy form that vibrates at a certain frequency

2. Thoughts are a non physical form of energy

3. Each of us can be in charge of our thoughts and those thoughts create our reality

4. The thoughts we think (either consciously or unconsciously), have a certain vibration to it

5. The world is about baIance and so in order for the energy to be in balance, the thought vibration needs to “attract a match”, hence the LOA.

This is a universal principle and in science it’s called Quantum Physics, you either agree with this or not.

So with this understanding you may say, “Ok, all I have to do is control my thoughts and I’ll attract whatever I think of.” That may be true, although most of us are not conscious enough to be in charge of our thoughts. What ends up happening is that you try to think in a more positive way for a few minutes and then the phone rings and you fall back into the old thought patterns which becomes you dominant mode of thinking again. Nothing then changes and you’re back at square one.

The truth is that you do have the power to create something different for yourself without the mental struggle. It will require you to bring something though, your PRESENCE.

What does that mean? Well… firstly, understand that there’s a mind where thoughts arise and that works through whatever circumstances you grew up with (unconsciously), then there is YOU, the observing presence, the one that’s aware, Consciousness.

The fact that you can be aware of your thoughts means that there is a gap between this one that can observe and the thoughts. So if you practice on being aware of what you think, say and do, then this it gets easier to notice whether your thoughts and actions support what you want or not. The intention is to get a good look at how you, as an ego, operate.

Once you start this you’ll see that there’s virtually not a moment that something isn’t happening during your waking hours. You’re either doing something mundane and lost in thoughts (or lost in the TV’s drama’s) or, you’re doing something that requires you to concentrate, in which case you bring a more presence. Start with when you’re brushing your teeth and see where your mind goes!

So to implement the LOA you now have two choices:

1. The old way of visualizing what you want everyday and hoping something will change, or;

2. Focus on being present so that where you are right now feels good and you trust that whatever shows up in the next moment will be fine also. Through the presence, you’ll get to see the negative thoughts and then you can simply allow them to keep flowing through so that you “stick” to you. In this way you align with what is and your vibrations will be much more benign.

If option 2 interests you, join the FREE series on mindfulness and be supported in a step-by-step process of helping you find the peace, Joy and Freedom that comes with present moment awareness. Go to http://www.studentisready.com or check out our blog site at http://www.studentisready.com/blog

Angelo Campione is a writer of Mindfulness related articles. He is passionate about helping to raise consciousness in the world and runs an online Mindfulness Series Free of charge. Go to http://www.studentisready.com to join.

Do you ever stop and ask yourself how or why you just manifested something completely unwanted?

The scratch on the car.

The dog poo on your shoe.

The delayed mail you were expecting.

Whenever you stop and ask yourself “how did that happen?”, you may be completely correct in your initial assumptions. Maybe you were getting too attached the car and wanted it to look so nice that you manifested a scratch.

You could be correct. Then again, you might be no where near the truth of it.

By placing your attention on the “how’s” and “why’s” you’re just giving more attention to the unwanted thing. When you give something your focus and attention for long periods of time, you’re going to manifest more of what you’re thinking about.

Instead of getting yourself all worked up by the unwanted circumstance, remove your attention from it and be OK with whatever has happened. If you observe anyone’s life, be it a Zen master, a Law of Attraction guru or just your next door neighbor, you will quickly see that everyone, regardless of who they are, experience unwanted circumstances.

When you truly realize that no one lives a so called ‘perfect’ life, you can more easily let go of the bad things and start to see it as what life deals you. Life will constantly deal you all sorts of hands. Usually when bad things are happening, they happen to help you grow and to become more consciously aware. So in actual fact, you can begin to see all of these negatives as positives in the long run.

Once you’ve gotten yourself to the place where it doesn’t matter whether you attract something unwanted or not, that is when you will begin truly living a life worth living.

Here’s a couple of additional ways in which you can practice letting go of the “why’s” when something unwanted happens to you next time…

Become Present – Live your life in this moment and not the past. It’s easier said than done, but if you take a second to think about it, NOW is all you ever have. Yesterday and tomorrow do not exist. The only thing that exists is… right now. Right now is all that will ever exist.

Take your attention away from the past (what has happened) or the future (what will happen) and place your attention on NOW. When you live in the present, you have no use for thoughts that are in the past. So the question “why did that manifest?” won’t even be of any significance to you since you’re living in the present and not the past.

Observe Something Wanted – As I mentioned earlier in this article, by giving your attention to something UNWANTED, you will begin to attract more of it. One of the best ways to forget about unwanted things and to remove your attention from the unwanted things is to simply look at something you DO want or something you DO enjoy.

So in the example that your car got scratched, instead of focusing on the scratch, go inside the car where you can’t see it and enjoy the inner surroundings of the car. Take it for a drive and enjoy the feelings you get from driving your car. Do whatever it takes to remove your attention from it (usually means separating yourself from the incident) and bring your attention to wanted things that you enjoy.

This will ultimately help you attract more of what you want, and less of what you don’t.

Manifesting Reality Isn’t Hard Work After All. Get your free report on manifesting miracles right now by visiting: http://www.ManifestMiracle.com/free/

Many people ask what estrogen dominance is and if there are natural therapies available to help bring hormones back into balance. Estrogen dominance is quite common in perimenopause and can start as early as your late 30s and last for as long as ten years. As we age, we ovulate regularly and, following ovulation, progesterone is secreted from the ovaries so women tend to have more steady estrogen production from the ovaries during periomenopausal years, which creates an imbalance of hormones. Typical symptoms of this phase include heavier menstrual bleeding, tender breasts before menstruation, increased irritability, constipation, fatigue, and easy weight gain. Those women who are younger tend to experience testosterone dominance.

In order to balance hormones you can begin with some basics. Supplementing with 500 mg of magnesium at bedtime and 250 mg of B6 in the morning for 10 days before your period is a good start. It is also a good idea to decrease or eliminate excess salt and red meat. If you do eat red meat, make sure that it is organic and grass fed. For those women in perimenopause who want to bind excess estrogen, you can use two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily or during the first half of your cycle at least. Additionally, black cohosh, red clover, and soy isoflavones can help quite a bit. Red clover can increase breast tenderness and soy may not be ideal if it upsets your digestion, so be cautious with them.

If these suggestions are not sufficient for you, progesterone can be increased by supplementing with the chaste tree berry herb. However, it is important to first consult with a physician for timing and doing. Evening primrose oil can also help to promote progesterone production. For excess testosterone, saw palmetto is very effective as it promotes testosterone excretion. Progesterone creams are also available to run on the arms and legs which can help ease perimenopause symptoms.

Another common concern is nutrient deficiencies that are caused by birth control pills. This is especially important for those women who have been taking the pill for over seven years. Studies have shown that B vitamins are the most commonly depleted nutrients with birth control use, which are crucial to nerve health. Any women taking any form of birth control should simultaneously take a high-potency B-complex vitamin. Folic acid is important for nerves and brain, and also is necessary for cell repair and development. Another commonly depleted nutrient is magnesium, with symptoms including muscle cramps, weakness, insomnia, kidney stones, bone loss, depression, nervousness, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Zinc is another essential mineral, important for wound healing.

For those women who experience asthma, asthma can be directly related to a hormone imbalance and natural anti-inflammatories are the key to reducing symptoms. However, they will not provide immediate short-term relief. The best anti-inflammatory is turmeric. Other deeply pigmented foods also contain natural anti-inflammatories, such as anthocyanadins and epicatechins. Be sure to eat foods with natural anti-inflammatories regularly. Whenever possible, you should breathe through your nose, as your nose hairs are designed to filter and warm the air before it reaches your longs. Also, when you feel asthmatic try breathing less and more shallowly, as it signals your brain to cause oxygen to be more aggressively taken into the blood. Hormone imbalances cause a great deal of stress, but with the supplementation of the above mentioned herbs one can experience relieve over time.

More information on progesterone and other balancing herbs is available at VitaNet ®, LLC Health Food Store. http://vitanetonline.com/

If you’re currently wondering what types of workouts and exercises can help you beat candida naturally, you’re on the right track to better health by taking a holistic approach to fighting yeast infections.

Can Exercise Really Help Me To Fight Candida Naturally?

Many people go for a band-aid solution or a prescription medication, which might solve the problem only temporarily. If you’ve never had a yeast infection in your life and are having the very first one, hopefully it’ll be your one and only bout with albicans bacterium. This natural bacteria needs to be present in all of us but many things can throw it out of whack and give it license to take over in your body. When this bacterium surpasses healthy levels, it’s very unpleasant. A lot of things can cause this to happen as a ‘one off’ but if you’re someone who is continually battling candida, looking at your diet, your exercise routine and your overall health is really detrimental.

Candida Workout Routines

Can your workout actually help you cure candida naturally? Yes! If you’re a sedentary person, changing your activity levels and tweaking your diet alone can result in your never having a bout of candida again. There are a lot of different approaches to battling recurring yeast infections like acupuncture, supplements, colonics, candida douching, candida diets and exercise. Some find that awareness of their body and knowing what the triggers are can enable them to proactively fight for a healthier body with optimal intestinal bacteria types and levels. Once you’ve had a few bouts with yeast infections, if you pay attention to your body and your habits, you’ll know when you’re most likely to suffer from a relapse.

Candida infections are shown to have a hard time thriving in a healthy body. An unhealthy body with a low pH level is like a playground for yeast. The unhealthy yeast overpowers the positive flora and the result is a lot of unpleasant side effects.

Those who exercise regularly even with a low impact exercise program could find themselves candida free forever. What types of exercises can help? Any exercise can be a factor in raising your health levels but particular exercise routines can be particularly helpful for you.

Yeast infections happen in unbalanced and unhealthy bodies so get balance with things like: yoga, aerobics, rebounder exercising, pilates, swimming, running, walking and by eating a healthy diet.

Don’t forget the water!

Don’t forget to stay well hydrated. Drinking plenty of water can help you to flush out your body of the candida faster and consider following a yeast-free candida diet while working on fighting off candida naturally.

Your body can work like a well oiled machine that has the right mix of oxygen and good and useful bacteria if you feed it well, exercise it and pay attention to your habits. If you’re just discovering how your lifestyle can impact your health, the knowledge can become addicting. Good for you for taking a holistic approach to a healthier body!

For helpful information about yeast infections and diet, candida and exercise as well as helpful candida workout tips, visit Candida-Solutions.

There are a lot of tools out there that you can use to help you make more money online. Some tools make your life easier and some efforts like social marketing can seem to just eat up more of your time. How do you balance your time effectively so that you can continue to increase your profits without completely sacrificing your life balance?

Outsource!

Outsourcing seems like a four letter word to many people today that are victims of corporate downsizing due to outsourcing of services to overseas companies. That’s how many Internet marketers got their start, actually. You’ll find lots of success stories that happened out of a corporate person getting a severance package and using that money to launch their own business online. Outsourcing isn’t a bad thing if it’s done strategically.

When you get to a point where your online business is really flourishing, you might be ready to start outsourcing some of your tasks. There’s a great way to figure out if something is worth outsourcing. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Will outsourcing this task cost me money or will it result in my making more money?

2. Is this thing I’m doing something I MUST do myself?

There are certain things you’ll want to do yourself to keep your head and money in your business. There are some things you probably enjoy doing and need to do so that you can move your business in the right direction but there are probably some things you can use some help with. Here are some ideas:

· Outsource some of your social marketing.

· Hire an SEO company or buy an SEO software package like SEO Elite to help you do some automating.

· Hire a forum poster or an article writer who can help you.

· Come up with an affiliate program to get others to help you sell your services

· Get someone to do your bookkeeping

· Buy software to help you automate some of your tasks.

You might be concerned about the cost associated with outsourcing and automating things. Some things can be outsourced in a way that costs you little or no money. Some tasks will require you pay someone for their time and expertise but there are ways of being strategic so you can get a fast ROI and you can offset some of those costs by doing things that will only cost you money out of results.

For instance, a SEO contest might cost you a prize but the results could be better than spending two weeks of your time on a marketing campaign because the contest brings you results that would’ve otherwise cost you money. An affiliate program once you’ve paid a small setup fee will only cost you money out of sales that you’d never have made otherwise so you’re still profitable after the affiliates are paid.

There are going to be some things that you can’t bear to give to someone else but once you outsource some of the tasks that are bogging down your time or that you aren’t really a guru at, you’ll find that you can free up your time to grow your business, take the odd day off or to really concentrate on what you’re good at. The result could be a happier, healthier, more financially solvent you.

Visit TheWebReviewer and get valuable review information on social marketing programs like SpaceBankers and SEO tools like SEO Elite as well as helpful reviews about other online money making products and programs as well.

You notice that they seem to be people from all walks of life. As you look around the room, you realize that they could easily be your neighbor, your baker, your dry cleaner, your boss. They are just average people, people just like you and me, sharing a common problem - one that is shunned from all but the most intimate conversations.

It is the unspoken, unsung, and truly unwanted ’something’ that lurks in the darkness. It is hidden away in the closet. It is a shared malady that is so seldom discussed that people tend to think they are the only one with it. No one wants to talk about it.

It is such a big problem that an entire industry is built around it.

Because it is so seldom discussed, the awareness of it is stifled. Though it runs rampant in a hidden, secretive way, it is everywhere. Virtually omnipresent, it remains in that hazy ether of unawareness. It’s just not on the radar for most people.

It does have a name, a plain, simple and unassuming designator consisting of just three syllables: gum disease. How could something with such a humble, innocent sounding nomenclature cause so much trouble for humanity? Yet, it does.

Those people in the waiting room would be surprised to learn just how many people do have it. What a shock to discover that your neighbor has implants or your mailman has dentures. So many people are affected, suffering silently.

Who would want to talk about it? Why should it even be brought up? It’s just one of those unpleasant, inescapable facts of life that you must endure. Or is it?

No one is quite sure how many people have it or will get it. Statistics vary between forty and eighty percent of people. One medically oriented website says that 95% of people 65-years-old and beyond have gum disease. But it can strike much younger and often does. Even children can get it.

Like many people, I was shocked to learn that I needed a SRP treatment. SRP stands for ‘Scaling and Root Planing’. SRP is a deeper cleaning that involves scraping and smoothing the root surfaces in order to get rid of built up plaque and tartar. Unpleasant? Sometimes they need to give you anaesthetic to get through the procedure.

Thus began my journey of discovery. I knew I wasn’t going to get a SRP treatment. I was determined. Like Columbo, I was going to get to the bottom and uncover the truth of the matter. “Mam, I just have one more question…”

After painstaking effort and long hours of searching, I finally found success in hunting down answers and an alternative to the SRP treatment. My hard efforts paid off for once in my life.

Today, because of my commitment to maintaining dental health I make frequent trips to the periodontist’s office. That’s where I see them - the other patients. These are the people who know. But what about the others, the people who don’t know what lurks in the closet? They are everywhere.

I get my teeth cleaned about once every two months. I find this works well towards keeping my gums healthy. Even with this frequent cleaning schedule and excellent home care habits, I still routinely see 4mm pockets. Anything above 3 is considered a problem.

Yet, my problems were much worse a few years ago. I felt isolated. Because so many people have gum disease, but no one talks about it. Have you ever felt alone in a room full of people? I found some simple answers that really should be common knowledge. However, like gum disease itself, those answers have remained hidden outside the realm of mainstream knowledge for some unfathomable reason.

Professional care is important. But without good home care procedures, just going to the dentist won’t be enough. This is where my detective work paid off. I found the home care solutions I was looking for.

No man or woman is a rock and no one is an island. If you or a loved one has gum disease, you are not alone. Start with professional care at a periodontist’s office and do everything you can to discover the home care methods that can help save your teeth and keep your gums healthy.

David Snape is the author of: What You Should Know about Gum Disease available at http://WhatYouShouldKnowaboutGumDisease.com

Does someone in your family suffer from asthma or allergies? Is there someone living with you who gets sick frequently, apparently with no cause? If so, then you may want to take a closer look at your air ducts. They may be packed with dust, mold, and mildew that are seriously hindering your family’s ability to breathe. Getting your air ducts cleaned regularly can greatly reduce the effects of asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Facts About Indoor Air Quality

Perhaps you have seen ads for air duct cleaning and wondered what all the fuss was about. The fuss is about indoor air quality. If your home has poor air quality, you can expect find the following in your air ducts:

• Bacteria

• Mildew

• Mold

• Pollen

• Dust mites

• Dead bugs

• Viruses

• Pet dander

• Household dust

Whenever you turn on your HVAC system, these particles are blown into your home to be breathed by your family members. This is known as indoor air pollution, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, this is one of the most dangerous environmental factors we face as a general public. It is particularly hard on the young and the old.

About two-thirds of all indoor air quality problems stem from mold, mildew, and dust growing and collecting in the air ducts. These items cause or aggravate about 20% of all illnesses. Since most people spend at least 60% of their time inside, they are constantly breathing this dangerous air. Dirty air ducts lead to poor health.

Can Air Duct Cleaning Cure My Asthma?

Air duct cleaning cannot completely cure someone’s asthma. Many times the asthma is triggered by other events, such as over exertion during exercise or outdoor allergens. However, air duct cleaning can keep asthma symptoms at bay. In some cases it can even help treat asthma, as it will make the air in your home cleaner and more breathable. This can reduce the number of triggers for the asthmatic individual.

How Air Duct Cleaning Helps

Now you know why air ducts could be contributing to your family’s respiratory problems, but you need to know how air duct cleaning can help. When you have your air ducts cleaned by a professional, the majority of the mold, mildew, and dust in those ducts is removed. This means that you are no longer circulating dangerous particles every time you run your HVAC system. Your family will breath cleaner, healthier air. Doing this on a regular basis will greatly cut down on asthma conditions in your home.

When Should Air Ducts Be Cleaned?

Your air ducts should be cleaned on a regular basis, but how often this occurs depends on many factors. If you have a family member that struggles with asthma, you will want to increase the frequency of cleanings. However, if you are cleaning your air ducts to protect your family from the potential of asthma problems, here are some things you should look for:

• Tremendous amounts of dust around the home

• Dust around air vents

• Mold around air vents

When you notice these symptoms, it is time to call the air duct cleaners. Also, if someone in your home is struggling with illness on a regular basis with no other apparent reason, you may have a dust or mold problem in your air ducts. Yearly cleanings cannot hurt, either, particularly if there is a history of asthma in your family.

If you feel it is time for your air ducts to be cleaned, contact a licensed air duct cleaners. Avoid going for the discounted special you receive in your mailbox. Since your family’s health is at stake, take the time to find a qualified professional with good equipment to clean your air ducts. Soon you will be breathing clean, healthy air again!

Heat Seal Equipment is a manufacturer and provider of air duct cleaning equipment and insulation blower machines.