Asthma Complexities Center - Washington, DCWashington Asthma & Allergy Specialist Doctors for Asthma ComplexitiesType of Physician: Asthma & Allergy Specialist What is a Asthma & Allergy Specialist? A certification by the Board of Allergy & Immunology; practitioners are expert in the evaluation, diagnosis and management of immune disorders. Specialty: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Common Name: Allergy Doctor Asthma & Allergy Specialist Doctors in Washington * The Institute of Multidimensional Medicine PLLC  Faculty Practice Plan  Michael R Kletz MD  Fishman Allergy and Asthma  David H Jacobs MD PC  Denise A Chevalier MD  Nirupma B Rohatgi MD  Burke Allergy & Asthma  James A Mutcherson Jr. MD  Georgetown University Hospital  Immunology Center  Y Howard Pung MD PA  Drs Boltansky & Brody  Drs Boltansky & Brody  Trotter Summers & Weinstein MDs  Trotter Summers & Weinstein MDs  Trotter Summers & Weinstein MDs  National Integrated Health Associates Washington, District of ColumbiaWashington, D.C. formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and the Territory into a single entity called the District of Columbia. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C. Upcoming Local Events2012-06-02
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Asthma ComplexitiesRead the Asthma Complexities article » Unusual symptoms of asthmaPatients suffering from episodes of asthma do not always have the typical symptoms of asthma such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing (symptoms of airway narrowing). Instead, patients can have symptoms that may not appear to be related to asthma. These "unusual" asthma symptoms include
To complicate matters, symptoms of asthma are not consistent and often vary from time to time in an individual. In some patients, symptoms are influenced by diurnal factors; for example, some patients experience asthma primarily at night (nocturnal asthma) rather than during the day. Furthermore, episodes of asthma can be triggered by many different factors such as allergens, dust, smoke, perfumes, cold air, exercise, infections, medications, and acid reflux. Finally, other illness such as heart failure, bronchitis, and dysfunction of the vocal cords can cause symptoms that mimic those of asthma. For these reasons, accurately diagnosing and treating asthma can be a challenge. For a comprehensive review of symptoms, causes, and treatments of asthma, and for a better understanding of the normal anatomy of the airways (trachea, bronchi, bronchioles and the lung), please visit the asthma article. Can a cough without wheezing be due to asthma?Chronic coughing is frequently defined by doctors as a cough that lasts longer than three weeks. Chronic cough can have several causes such as postnasal ... Recommended Reading Related to Asthma ComplexitiesWhat are biologic rhythms?What are biologic rhythms? In essence, they're the rhythms of life. All forms of life on earth, including our bodies, respond rhythmically to the regular cycles of the sun, moon, and seasons. For example, as night turns into day, vital body functions, including heart rate and blood pressure, speed up in anticipation of increased physical activity. These and other predictable fluctuations in body function, taking place during specific time cycles, are our biologic rhythms. They are regulated by "biologic clock" mechanisms located in the brain. Although biologic rhythms can be "reprogrammed" by environmental influences (such as when a person regularly works the night shift and sleeps during the day), they are genetically "hard-wired" into our cells, tissues, and organs. Medical chronobiologists have found that biologic rhythms can affect the severity of disease symptoms, diagnostic test results, and eve... Other Related Asthma Complexities ArticlesEmergency Contact for Washington
Nearby Washington Hospitals *Howard University Hospital The George Washington University Hospital The Specialty Hospital of Washington Children's National Medical Center National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington DC VA Medical Center Washington Hospital Center Georgetown University Hospital Providence Hospital The HSC Pediatric Center Saint Elizabeth's Hospital Psychiatric Institute of Washington Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley Sibley Memorial Hospital United Medical Center Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital Virginia Hospital Center  Washington Adventist Hospital  Prince George's Hospital Center  Inova Alexandria Hospital  Dominion Hospital  Holy Cross Hospital  National Institutes of Health  Suburban Hospital  Doctors Community Hospital  Inova Fairfax Hospital  Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children  Inova Mount Vernon Hospital  Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute  Fort Washington Hospital  Southern Maryland Hospital Center  Laurel Regional Hospital  Shady Grove Adventist Hospital  Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland  Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare  Montgomery General Hospital  Reston Hospital Center  Inova Fair Oaks Hospital  Howard County General Hospital  Potomac Hospital  Civista Medical Center  Prince William Hospital  Anne Arundel Medical Center  Baltimore Washington Medical Center  Inova Loudoun Hospital Center  Sheppard Pratt at Ellicott City  Spring Grove Hospital Center  Saint Agnes Hospital  Harbor Hospital Center  North Spring Behavioral Healthcare  Calvert Memorial Hospital  Kernan Hospital  Bon Secours Baltimore Health System  Graydon Manor Behavioral Health  Northwest Hospital  Baltimore VA Medical Center  Springfield Hospital Center  University of Maryland Medical Center  University Specialty Hospital  Mercy Medical Center  Maryland General Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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Related Diseases & Conditions
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Sinus Infection
- Sinus infection (sinusitis) signs and symptoms include headache, fever, and facial tenderness, pressure, or pain. Treatments of sinus infections are generally with antibiotics and at times, home remedies.
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Emphysema
- Emphysema is a progressive disease of the lungs. The primary cause of emphysema is smoking. Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency is a rare disorder that has a genetic predisposition to emphysema. Aging, IV drug use, immune deficiencies, and connect tissue illnesses are also risk factors for emphysema. Emphysema is a subtype of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COLD). Symptoms include shortness of breath and wheezing. Management of symptoms may be achieved with medications, quitting smoking, pulmonary rehabilitation, or surgery.
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COPD mainly involves three related conditions, chronic bronchitis, chronic asthma, and emphysema. Symptoms of COPD include chronic cough, shortness of breath, frequent respiratory infections, wheezing, morning headaches, and pulmonary hypertension. Treatment of COPD is focused on the related condition(s).
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Asthma
- Asthma is a common disorder in which chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (bronchi) makes them swell, narrowing the airways. Signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, chest tightness, cough and wheezing.
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Chronic Bronchitis
- Chronic bronchitis is a cough that occurs daily with production of sputum that lasts for at least three months, two years in a row. Causes of chronic bronchitis include cigarette smoking, inhaled irritants, and underlying disease processes (such as asthma, or congestive heart failure). Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Treatments include bronchodilators and steroids. Complications of chronic bronchitis include COPD and emphysema.
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Steroid Drug Withdrawal
- Corticosteroid drugs such as prednisone and prednisolone are commonly used to treat asthma, allergic reactions, RA, and IBD. Steroids such as these do have serious drawbacks such as steroid withdrawal symptoms such as: fatigue, weakness, decreased appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Speak with your healthcare provider prior to tapering off steroid medications.
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Asthma in Children
- Asthma, the main cause of chronic illness in children, has signs and symptoms in children that include frequent coughing spells, low energy while playing, complaints of chest "hurting," wheezing while breathing, shortness of breath, and feelings of tiredness. Treatment will involve a doctor creating an asthma action plan which will describe the use of asthma medications and when to seek emergency care for the child.
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Asthma: Over the Counter Treatment
- Patients who have infrequent, mild bouts of asthma attacks may use over-the-counter (OTC) medications to treat their asthma symptoms. OTC asthma medicines are limited to epinephrine and ephedrine. These OTC drugs are best used with the guidance of a physician, as there may be side effects and the drugs may not be very effective.
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Asthma Medications
- There are two types of asthma medications: long-term control with anti-inflammatory drugs and quick relief from bronchodilators. Asthma medicines may be inhaled using a metered dose inhaler or nebulizer or they may be taken orally. People with high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disease, or heart disease shouldn't take OTC drugs like Primatene Mist and Bronkaid.
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Reflux Laryngitis
- Acid backing up into the larynx (voice box), it causes reflux laryngitis. Irritation of the lining of the esophagus, larynx, and throat can lead to esophagitis, sinusitis, strictures, hoarseness, throat clearing, swallowing problems, asthma, chronic cough, and more. Typical symptoms of reflux laryngitis include heartburn, hoarseness, or a sensation of a foreign body in the throat. Reflux laryngitis can be treated with OTC medication, prescription medication, and lifestyle changes.
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Biorhythms
- Biologic rhythms, or biorhythms, are how our bodies respond to the regular phases of the sun, moon, and seasons. A medical chronobiologist studies how the "body clock" or biorhythms affect diseases and how the body clock responds to treatment of diseases and conditions at different times of the day.
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Secondhand Smoke
- Secondhand smoke can cause illness and disease in nonsmokers. Some of these conditions include lung cancer, heart disease, respiratory illnesses such as asthma, SIDS, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Learn how you can protect yourself and your family from secondhand smoke exposure in the home environment and workplace.
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Exercise-Induced Asthma
- Exercise-induced asthma is asthma triggered by vigorous exercise. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and fatigue while exercising. Preventing exercise-induced asthma attacks involves using inhaled medicines before exercising, performing warm-up exercises and cooling down afterward, avoiding exercising outdoors when pollen counts are high, restricting exercise when you have a viral infection, and wearing a mask over your nose and mouth when exercising in cold weather.
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Sinus Infection
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Medications
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Procedures & Tests
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Pictures, Images & Quizzes
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Doctor's & Expert's Views
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