Asthma can be a serious condition that can negatively affect your life. It may not be something you can simply get rid of, but with a little work it becomes manageable. Learning ways to manage your asthma will keep your condition from becoming a potentially life-threatening issue. This article will provide you with the advice you need to manage asthma symptoms.
If you have asthma, you should definitely avoid smoking or being exposed to any kind of fumes or vapors. Stay away from jobs that would expose you to toxic or heavy vapors, and refrain from any tobacco use.
Do not smoke around a child with asthma. Secondhand smoke is known to be a reason asthma happens. While making sure to never light up around your children, it is also vital that you make sure your kids are not around others who do not show the same courtesy.
Learn what triggers your asthma so that you can avoid it. This can vary from person to person, as small particles like dust can cause asthma attacks. For others, it may be linked to physical exertion. You need to determine what your triggers are so that you can avoid them.
Suffer from asthma? It is vital that you not smoke tobacco; if you do, quit. When smoke enters your lungs it cuts off your oxygen supply, and if you suffer from asthma it can make breathing extremely difficult, and result in an increased number of attacks.
If you suffer from asthma and allergies that result in attacks, you can get injections of long-lasting medication for relief. Omalizumab, an antibody medicine, might be suggested by an allergist and controls allergic reactions.
If you find that you are in a dusty room, do not put on any type of fan. The fan will cause the dust to circulate through the air, which can cause you to suffer an asthma attack. It’s better to open the window if you’re in need of fresh air.
If you suffer from asthma, try seeing if a leukotriene inhibitor helps. This prescription will prevent the product of leukotrines and help to abate the symptoms of asthma. Leukotrienes are inflammation-causing chemicals that can bring on asthma attacks. When used properly, an inhibitor can help reduce symptoms and prevent attacks.
Social Worker
Consider buying a dehumidifier for the home if you have asthma. A reduction in humidity will also lessen the amount of dust mites in your home. This lessens the chance of an asthma flare up. Use a dehumidifier, and the air you breath will be much less likely to cause your asthma to flare up.
If you have asthma that is not covered by health insurance, contact someone in a government agency, like a social worker. You will need asthma medications, and if you are unable to afford them, a social worker can find a hospital or clinic that can offer you medication for free or for a little cost.
For those who have asthma, the safest choice is to stick with unscented products. Using scented products, like air fresheners and perfume, will increase the level of air pollution and is likely to trigger an attack. Irritating odors are also given off by new carpeting and paints. Keep the air inside your house as fresh as you can.
Asthmatics should have a flu shot every year to prevent contracting a serious respiratory infection. Do everything you can to avoid a respiratory infection if you have asthma. This means taking every precaution possible, do things like getting vaccinated to prevent sickness to hand washing on a regular basis.
A yearly flu shot is necessary if you suffer from asthma. A yearly vaccination will help minimize the number of infections your children have to deal with.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, you should consider buying a dehumidifier for your home. Though you may not be aware of it, high levels of humidity in indoor spaces can increase dust mites, which then can affect asthma. A dehumidifying device reduces the moisture in the air.
Keep all your regularly scheduled asthma appointments, regardless of how you are feeling. A flare up can come at any time and your doctor can always look into safer medications for your particular symptoms.
Make sure you get a flu shot once a year if you suffer from asthma. Therefore, it is very important to avoid as many infections to the lungs as possible by getting a vaccine each year.
Many of the biggest triggers for asthma can, and do, exist in your home. These culprits include dust, spores and mold. To keep these triggers out of your home, have a professional inspector come to your home each year to remove these nasties from your home. If you clean your house regularly, you can minimize the risk of these substances accumulating in your dwelling.
During cold months, you could avoid asthma attacks by constantly wearing a shawl, muffler or a scarf that covers both your mouth and nose. This will warm the air up before you breathe it into your lungs. Breathing in air that’s cold can trigger an attack, particularly in younger children that have moderate or severe asthma.
Do not allow mold or mildew to grow in your home, because they can be extremely dangerous for asthma sufferers. This stuff can easily set off an asthma attack. Thus, keep the air in your home as moisture-free as possible to avoid asthma-related problems. When you are heating your home during the winter months, a dehumidifier can be used to control the humidity. In the summer, use an air conditioner to maintain dry air.
Bed Linens
Know the right way to take your asthma medication, and above all any rescue medication. Asthma is usually treated by using a regular medicine supplemented with a rescue medicine, like an inhaler. Because asthma does not get cured, those afflicted with it must continue to take their regular medication and use their rescue inhaler when needed.
Allergens and asthma triggers, such as dust and pollen can cling to your bed linens. Wash sheets on a weekly basis to rid them of allergens. Use hot water to wash the sheets. You should also wash pillowcases. These fresh bed linens will let you breathe easier when sleeping.
Instead of sweeping your floors, clean them with a damp mop. Sweeping can trigger an asthma attack due to the copious clouds of minute asthma-triggering particles it kicks up. Dusting with a damp cloth rather than a feather duster can be a considerable help in reducing the amount of dust and other things that might start an attack.
Always try your best to remain calm if you begin having an asthma attack. First thing first, use your inhaler, then wait 30 seconds and begin to use it again. If you do this and you notice that your attack is worsening then you need to get help. Go to the hospital immediately or call 911. Breathing into a paper bag on the way can sometimes help by slowing your breathing rate.
Make sure you are going to different doctors. Your PCP can be the person you go to for help with asthma, but it’s also a good idea to talk to a specialist. Allergists, asthma centers, pulmonologists, and even nutritionists can work with you to make sure you are taking advantage of all avenues of treatment.
If you suffer from asthma and have to use your inhaler in excess of two or three times per week, you should see a doctor and ask about changing your medication. It means the medication used to calm acute attacks is either ineffective or not effective enough. This is also true if you find yourself refilling the inhaler prescription more than twice in a calendar year.
During spring or other high-pollen times, don’t go outside unless you have to so that you can avoid a pollen-triggered asthma attack. Asthma itself may not be an allergy, many of the same things that affect allergy sufferers also affect those with asthma. Given the widespread availability of air quality indices for local communities, anyone who is afflicted with asthma can easily avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure when the atmosphere has likely exacerbants floating around.
Always consult with your primary care physician if your symptoms worsen. To manage asthma and get more out of life, you should use these tips.
If you are an asthma sufferer, it is crucial that you are using your inhaler the proper way. Simply spraying it into your mouth with just a light inhale will not get the job done. Whenever you spray your inhaler, inhale deeply for multiple seconds. A rescue inhaler will not help you if you aren’t breathing it in correctly.