Dealing with asthma presents a number of challenges, but it does not have to reduce your quality of life. There are a variety of methods you can utilize to maintain and stop asthma from taking over your life. Read this article to find out how you can manage your condition more easily.
What kind of asthma do you have? Gaining as much knowledge as you can about the type of asthma you have can make your day-to-day activities a little easier. An example would be to bring in your gym bag an inhaler if you happen to have exercise-induced asthma. Knowing symptom patterns will help you prevent emergencies.
It is vital that neither you, nor anyone else, smoke around a child with asthma. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of asthma, and it can also trigger an asthma attack. Never allow anyone to smoke around your child, and teach them not to smoke as an adult themselves.
You need to avoid all of the asthma triggers that you know. Asthma triggers will vary greatly between individuals. If you have allergy related asthma, you will want to avoid pollen and dust. For others, attacks can be caused by physical activities. Try to determine your asthma triggers, so you can avoid them and prevent attacks.
Cleaning Products
When you are suffering from an asthma attack, exhale all of the oxygen from your lungs. Exhale as fast and hard as you can. Exhale with maximum force! Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. This gives your breathing a rhythm, which makes you aware of how many breaths you take. It also will push all of your air out of the lungs so that you can get more air in. Do not be alarmed if you cough or generate excess mucous; this is perfectly normal. Your only concern is to return your breathing to normal.
It is important that you try to stay clear of cleaning products if you have asthma. It is very possible that one might bring on an asthma attack with some chemicals used for cleaning. If you’re the one who regularly cleans the house, look for natural cleaning products which are much safer to use.
Injections are available to people who suffer from asthma related to allergies, to help give them some long term relief. Your allergist might recommend Omalizumab, which is an antibody type medicine that can regulate your symptoms of allergic reactions.
Avoid anything that could trigger your asthma. Some people have allergies that cause asthma, and allergens such as dust and pollen can cause an attack. Some people get attacks after being physically active. It is important to determine what triggers your asthma attacks so you can try to avoid those things.
Make sure you are using your inhaler properly. Try to locate a calming location, and be certain to adhere to any directions given by the inhaler’s maker. The only way the inhaler will work is if your lungs get the proper amount of medication. Spray the dosage into the mouth while you inhale air. After inhaling, it’s important that you hold the medication in by holding your breath for 10 seconds at the least.
You may be unaware that certain medications you might be on could cause asthma symptoms. Aspirin and some other NSAIDs may do this. Also, beta blockers, such as medicines used to control heart disease and high blood pressure. If you have any of these conditions along with your asthma, make sure you tell your doctor.
If you have asthma and cannot afford health insurance or have no eligibility, bring up your situation with a social worker. A social worker can possibly help you with finding treatment and low-cost medications.
If you find yourself having a mild asthma attack, force the air from your lungs until they are empty. Exhale in a hard and fast manner. Truly pump all air from your lungs! Then take three quick breaths, next a deeper breath till your lungs fill with air, then repeat the forceful exhalation again. Doing this means breathing in a conscious rhythm that makes you mindful of your breathing. When air is forcefully exhaled, it allows a fresh intake of air to fill your lungs. It may cause you to cough or even generate sputum, but that’s fine, you goal is for your breathing to get back to normal.
Figure out your asthma triggers. Once you know what they are, you can change your lifestyle to prevent asthma attacks. If you can’t avoid a trigger, you can pack your inhaler, take allergy pills or engage in other preventive measures so you don’t have an attack. Some common asthma triggers include pet dander, pollen, and cigarette smoke. Make a special effort to avoid agents that bring on even minor asthma symptoms, much less a major attack.
Be sure to avoid cigarette smoke if you have asthma. Asthma creates breathing problems by constricting airways, and cigarette smoking only exacerbates the problem. Don’t breathe vapor or chemical fumes. These irritants can be a trigger for a severe asthma attack. If others are smoking and you are nearby, get away from them immediately.
If you plan to take a trip, you must always keep your rescue medication with you at all times. Traveling causes extra strain on your already stressed body, which makes your body more susceptible to bothersome asthma triggers. It is also difficult to control your environment while traveling, making it more likely that you may experience an attack or worsening symptoms.
If you’re in a dustier room, avoid turning on a fan. All this does is circulate the dust, which is an invitation to triggering an otherwise avoidable asthma attack. If you wish to have a breeze, open a window instead of running a fan.
Attend your regular asthma checkups, even if things seem to be going well. 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.
Leukotriene inhibitors can help control the symptoms of asthma. There are modern medicines that are highly effective at blocking leukotrienes. Leukotriene are chemicals that may cause your lungs to get inflamed which can lead to an asthma attack. Using an inhibitor will counteract the negative effects of leukotriene, thereby decreasing the occurrence of asthma attacks.
Mold and mildew can grow in your home where there is humidity. Both of these substances are known to trigger asthma attacks. To halt the growth of mold and mildew keep your home’s humidity low. You can maintain a dry home by using a dehumidifier and heater in the colder months, and air conditioning when it is warm.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to 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.
When cleaning your house, clean floors with a wet mop instead of a broom. Sweeping sends dust and dander back into the air and could trigger an asthma attack. Use damp rags instead of a dry feather duster so triggers won’t be filling the air.
An annual flu vaccination is highly recommended for yourself and your family. If you have asthma, try to avoid getting respiratory infections if you can. This means taking every precaution possible, do things like getting vaccinated to prevent sickness to hand washing on a regular basis.
Anyone with asthma should stay far away from smoke. Smoke is a major cause of asthma attacks. Stay away from cigarettes, chemicals, and anything else that may emit smoke. Your asthma symptoms will be exacerbated by these things. If there’s smoke around you, ask politely for the person to stop smoking.
If you are using a lot of different cleaners around your house you can trigger a asthma attack. Choose instead organic products that are not filled with harmful chemicals.
Those with asthma should minimize time with pets and animals. While an allergy to animal hair or dander is a possible asthma complication, even those sufferers free of such allergies can experience an asthma attack caused by the dust and pollen all animals tend to carry along with them.
It is best to use products that are unscented in the home with someone who is asthmatic. Scented products should be avoided, such as air fresheners, perfume, and incense. These can increase the amount of air pollution in the home and even trigger an attack. You should also avoid fresh paints or new carpets, as they give off fumes that can irritate the airway. Aim to keep the air as fresh as possible indoors.
Bed linens often trap allergens, dust, pollen and other things that can aggravate asthma. You can get rid of these by washing your sheets and other linens in very hot water each week. Fresh linens, washed regularly, can ensure you breathe better as you sleep.
As you have read, there are many options available to you that can help control your asthma. Having asthma does not mean that your life has ended; if you develop a strategy on how to cope with it, you will live a much more satisfying life.
Make sure you are going to different doctors. Your family doctor or primary care physician can be the person you go to regularly for asthma symptoms, but also talk to a few specialists. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, nutritionists and allergists can all work with you, making sure you are getting all the treatment you need.