You should treat asthma as a serious condition that can impact your life negatively. Education and practice are necessary to keep your asthma under control. This article can help you deal with your asthma better.
What type of asthma are you having to deal with? Knowing as much as possible about your specific type of asthma will go an incredibly long way in helping you combat the day-to-day effects it has on you. People who suffer from exercise-induced asthma should consider carrying an emergency inhaler in their bag. Knowing your asthma symptom patterns will help keep you safe.
When you have asthma, you need to be careful around chemical cleaning products. Many chemicals that are in these products can cause the triggering of asthma attacks. Use natural cleaners instead of chemical cleaners to reduce your chances of asthma attacks after cleaning.
Avoid anything that can trigger your asthma. This could be something you’re allergic to like pollen or dust. It could also be some type of strenuous exercise. Do your best to understand and figure what exactly triggers your asthma so that you know what you need to avoid.
As a chronic disease, asthma must be managed continuously. Take the proper medications for controlling your asthma daily, and keep quick relief medication somewhere on you just in case you have a sudden attack. See your doctor or allergist to find out which treatment plan is best for your situation.
Asthma sufferers should avoid smoking cigarettes and any place that has cigarette smoke. Do not smoke yourself, either! Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. These irritants can be a trigger for a severe asthma attack. When you see people smoking in your area avoid them and move away.
When you suffer a medium-intensity attack, try and forcefully exhale all air from your lungs. Force air out of your lungs with quick, powerful exhalations. This will force the air from your lungs. Take three short breaths, then one last deep breath to ensure your lungs have enough air, then forcefully breath out. Not only will you breathe in rhythm, but you’ll focus more intently on how you are breathing and become aware of breathing problems. Expelling the air from your lungs in this fashion also allows you to breathe in deeper. You might start coughing, and some sputum may come up, but this is no problem and your focus is to get back into a relaxed, rythmic breathing pattern again.
Consider getting injections of medications to treat your asthma if you are prone to attacks induced by allergy symptoms. Your allergist may recommend a variety of medications to control your reactions and the onset of asthma.
If you have been diagnosed with asthma, you must avoid cigarette smoke at all costs. Do not smoke! Avoid breathing chemical fumes and vapors. This can set off an Asthma attack that you might not be able to stop. If you find that you have people smoking around you, get yourself out of that area rather quickly.
Ask everyone in your family to get a flu shot every year. Make sure you do your best in avoiding respiratory infections at all costs if you have asthma. This means you should also be sure to wash your hands frequently and get vaccinated.
If you have asthma and cannot afford health insurance or have no eligibility, bring up your situation with a social worker. Affording asthma medication is important for handling the illness, and social workers can find places the offer the medicine at low costs.
The use of multiple (more than four) household cleansers can cause an increase in asthma attacks. Organic cleaners are also a safer choice since they contain fewer chemical irritants.
Cleaning Products
You need to know what the asthma triggers are so that they can be avoided or treated promptly. The majority of individuals afflicted with asthma know there are common irritants like pollen, pet dander and smoke. Try to avoid these items as much as humanly possible so as to not trigger a full attack.
Using over four kinds of cleaning products in the home can trigger asthma attacks. Organic cleaning products should be selected due to their lack of irritating chemicals.
Make it a habit to always have some rescue medication available when you travel. You may find that the stress of traveling makes an asthma attack more likely. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Even if you have not had any recent breathing problems, you should nonetheless schedule regular checkups. Medical science is constantly evolving, so the doctor might know about a new treatment for you. Besides, you can never be sure when another attack might come on, so it’s better to be checked out.
If traveling by plane with your asthma equipment or medications, always carry your written prescription with you to avoid problems. If you have the proof that this is a medical necessity, it can cause less hassles during the security check.
Look into becoming a part of a support group. There are many to choose from both online and offline. Asthma, especially severe asthma, can be a debilitating condition and prevent you from participating fully in daily life. Also, other asthma sufferers can help keep you aware of new medications or other medical treatments.
Make sure you count how many times, within a week, you have to use your inhaler. When you find you are depending on it more than thrice during a week’s period on an ongoing basis it is a sign your asthma is not under proper control and could lead to serious attacks if not addressed. You are able to judge how the environment around you effects your body by how many times you need to use your inhaler.
When you need to take your asthma supplies on an airplane, it is a good idea to bring your doctor’s prescription with you. Having proof that it belongs to you and is medically necessary will make the security check easier.
When housecleaning, it is better to clean your floors with a damp mop than sweeping them with a broom. Sweeping sends dust and dander back into the air and could trigger an asthma attack. Dusting can actually just move the dust around, sending particles into the air, and into your lungs triggering an asthma attack, so try wiping things down with a damp cloth to minimize the amount of allergens you are exposed to.
For a deeper and more thorough cleaning, mop your floors instead of simply sweeping them. Sweeping stirs up irritants that can trigger an asthma attack. 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.
Allergens, pollen, dust and some other asthma aggravators can collect in 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. Fresh bed linens, washed regularly, will ensure that you can breathe a little easier while you sleep.
Bed Linens
You should have a team of medical professionals to help you craft your asthma treatment. You may use your primary physician for most things, but a specialist can be very helpful as well. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, allergists or even nutritionists will be able to work with you, make certain that you check out all outlets offering treatment.
Bed linens tend to collect asthma triggers like pollen, dust and other allergens. If you put your pillowcases and sheets in hot water weekly, these inducers will be reduced or completely eliminated. Fresh bed linens, laundered on a regular basis, will keep you breathing clearly and easily at night while you slumber.
Avoid smoking. Pretty much everyone is aware that smoking is dangerous, but for people suffering with asthma, it can have devastating effects. Smoking is very bad for people who suffer from asthma, be sure not to smoke, but not to be around people that smoke.
Consider using more than just one doctor. Your family doctor will be in charge of your asthma treatment, but seeing a specialist can provide you with invaluable help. Certain specialists, such as pulmonologists and allergists, can provide extra treatment options for your asthma.
Always try your best to remain calm if you begin having an asthma attack. Grab your inhaler and use it, then wait to see if it helps. If not, then use it again in thirty seconds. If the attack gets worse, then seek help immediately. Have someone call emergency services or drive you to the nearest hospital. To calm yourself on the drive, bring a paper bag and breathe into it, as this will slow your breathing.
The only way that you should use a vaporizer or humidifier when you have asthma or allergies is if it has been cleaned thoroughly. The moist environment of a humidifier can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which can irritate allergies or trigger an asthma attack.
When planning on painting an interior area of your home, make sure that you purchase a mask to protect your respiratory tract from the paint’s fumes. Paint fumes are especially dangerous for asthmatic people, but a mask will prevent asthma attacks efficiently. Stay away from any chemicals or substance that could worsen your condition.
Visit your doctor if you think your symptoms are getting worse. You can live a healthier and happier life by using the common sense advice in the article above.
Asthma is sometimes caused by genetics, and sometimes by environmental causes. If anyone else in your family suffers from asthma, keep watch for any asthma symptoms in your children or yourself. Many environmental factors like smoke, pollution, dust and mold spores are known to cause asthma; it is best to avoid these hazards when possible.