Asthma is a very serious medical condition, and your life could have serious affects from it. To prevent your asthma from becoming dangerous, you must learn how to properly care for your condition. This article contains much-needed advice on different strategies to help you manage your asthma.
Figure out what type of asthma you are suffering 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. Asthma caused by exercise can be treated easily if you carry an inhaler when you go to the gym. Learn what activities trigger your symptoms, and prepare accordingly so that you’re never caught without your inhaler during an asthma attack.
If you have any children who suffer from asthma, avoid smoking around them at all costs. As far as triggers that cause asthma attacks or causes of the condition in general, secondhand cigarette smoke ranks right up there. Make sure you keep your child away from other people who are smoking, too.
There are certain medications that cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Not everyone knows this. Among these medications are aspirin and other NSAIDs. You can also use medications that can control high blood pressure and heart disease, things like beta blockers. If you have any of these conditions along with your asthma, make sure you tell your doctor.
If you suffer from asthma, stay away from the fumes of household cleaning products. A lot of these products contain harsh chemicals such as ammonia. These chemicals wreak havoc on you and can trigger an attack. If you must do the cleaning in your home, opt for natural products with lower chemical content.
Unfortunately, asthma sufferers must realize that their condition is chronic which requires ongoing treatment. Be sure you are practicing proper self-care, and make sure you have your inhaler ready to go in case you suffer a full-blown attack. Discuss your best options with your allergist and doctor.
You may want to consider purchasing a dehumidifier for your home if you suffer from asthma. When your home has less humidity, there are less dust mites, and that minimizes the chances of an asthma flare-up. Dehumidifiers reduce attacks in your home by making the air cleaner and drier.
If you are having an asthma attack (mild or moderate), you need to try to force air out of the lungs. Exhale as fast and hard as you can. Really force that air out of your lungs! Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. This establishes a regular pattern to your breathing routine, which means you have to pay attention to how you are breathing. It also allows you to take in more air by completely emptying your lungs. This breathing technique may cause some coughing or sputum, but it can help regulate your breathing and reduce the attack.
Cleaning Products
Dust will make you have an attack, so keep the air calm in dirty rooms. If you do, the dust will move around, and you can trigger your asthma. Open a window to bring clean, cool air inside instead.
It has been shown that if you use multiple varieties of cleaning products around your house, it will increase the chance of an asthma attack. Use organic cleaning products since they don’t have irritating chemicals.
If you have asthma and suffer persistent attacks caused by allergy symptoms, an injectable medicine can be administered for extended relief. There are antibody medications used to control allergic reactions that come recommended by allergists.
People who have asthma should avoid using scented household products. Scented products such as air fresheners, incense and perfume heighten the degree of indoor air impurities and may possibly contribute to an attack. In addition, paint that is fresh or carpet that is new release odors that can cause breathing irritations that lead to an asthma attack. Keep the air inside your house as fresh as you can.
Make proper use of your inhaler. Find a spot that is out of the way, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. The inhaler only helps if the medication reaches your lungs. Inhale air while spraying the necessary amount of medication into your mouth. Hold your breath at least ten seconds, so that the medicated mist can fill your lungs.
You should be ready to increase asthma treatments if you suffer from hay fever or a cold. Many illnesses have side effects which can cause your asthma to get much worse, leading your doctor to increase treatment. You might even get a new treatment added onto our existing program until the illness subsides.
If you use more than four types of chemical cleaning agents in your house the risk of your child having an asthma attack increases. Consider purchasing and using organic cleaning products since they are void of irritating chemicals.
Most of the triggers for attacks, and causes of asthma, are found inside the home. These can include dust, mold and spores. Have an inspector who focuses on allergens and irritants come into your home once a year to help you detect what you have and learn how to remove it. Cleaning the house on a regular basis will also help prevent the buildup of these hazardous substances.
It is best to use products that are unscented in the home with someone who is asthmatic. Use of scented products, such as perfume, air fresheners and incense, increase the levels of indoor air pollution and can trigger an attack. Freshly painted walls and brand-new carpet can also give off odors that cause irritation to airways. Keep the air inside your home clean and fresh, and free of any asthma triggers.
Asthma generally takes a long time to develop, and the symptoms may be vague at first, making it difficult to diagnose the problem. In a lot of cases, people die from an asthma attack because they didn’t know they had the condition. Therefore, if you have trouble breathing or a constant cough, you may want to seek a medical professional to determine if you have asthma. Your physician can also determine whether you need medication for either asthma prevention or asthma treatment.
Many of the biggest triggers for asthma can, and do, exist in your home. Some triggers include spores, dust and mold. Having your house inspected yearly is a good way to reduce the presence of these asthma triggers. In addition, cleaning the house regularly can greatly contribute to keeping these substances from building up.
Allergens and asthma triggers, such as dust and pollen can cling to your bed linens. You can reduce or eliminate these potential asthma attack inducers by laundering your sheets and pillowcases in hot water every week. You will breathe easier at night when you have freshly washed and clean bed linens.
You can wear warm things like a shawl, muffler or scarf, which can help cover your nose and mouth in the colder months. This will warm the air before it gets in your lungs. Cool air has been known to trigger an asthma attack, particularly in very young children who have severe or moderate asthma.
To make sure all of your medical needs are being met, you will need to consult at least two doctors. While your primary care physician should be your go-to source for asthma help, consider making an appointment with a specialist or two. You’ll want to visit an asthma center, or consult with a pulmonologist to get additional help improving your lung function. In addition, you should get tested for allergies so that you can avoid allergic reactions that trigger asthma attacks.
Take the time to understand the proper usage of your asthma medication, particularly any that is labelled as rescue medication. Asthma is usually treated by using a regular medicine supplemented with a rescue medicine, like an inhaler. Asthma is a lifelong condition; you should correctly take your regular medication and use your rescue medication only as needed.
Any time that pollen counts go up, anyone suffering from asthma would be wise to keep their outdoors time to a minimum. A lot of the same things that can bother people with allergies will bother people with asthma as well. Now there’s information on local air quality available so you can monitor whether you’re going to be exposed to hard to breath air.
It’s a very good habit to use your asthma inhaler as a daily preventative, although the drug residue can cause issues for your gums and teeth. Brushing or gargling immediately after use can help reduce the risk of infection and other problems.
When you suffer from an asthma attack, be sure to remain calm. You should immediately use your inhaler and use the inhaler again 30 seconds later. If this procedure does not stop your attack, seek immediate treatment from a healthcare professional. Ask someone to drive you to the closest hospital or call an ambulance. Try putting a paper bag up to your mouth and breathing into it to help slow your breaths.
Keep in mind that mopping your floors with a wet mop will cause less asthma problems than sweeping will. Those particles that can trigger asthma attacks are stirred up when you sweep. 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.
Learn everything you can about your condition. Knowledge is power, and enlightened proactive steps yield immeasurable dividends in your treatment and management regimen. Make sure you are learning the newest information about treatments and get the best doctor to help you with it. The best possible way to really understand your condition and treatment options is to educate yourself.
Contact with animals and pets should be avoided for asthma sufferers. Even if they are not allergic to the animals, the pollen and dust that animals attract can trigger an asthma attack.
Have your asthma situation checked out by a doctor every so often, so that you are not blindsided by changes in your condition. Your physician needs to evaluate how you are right now, and decide if any changes need to be made. You have to take it upon yourself to make and keep these crucial appointments so that your doctor can assist you in managing your condition as effectively as possible.
Bed linens often collect asthma aggravators, such as pollen, dust and allergens. These threats can be reduced or even eliminated by keeping your bed linens laundered every week using hot water. Fresh, laundered bedding will help you sleep that much easier at night.
Asthmatics should always wear a mask when dealing with the harsh chemicals in fresh paint. Not surprisingly, paint fumes are a known irritant for asthma. Specially designed masks can filter out these fumes. Avoid specific substances and chemicals that will worsen your asthma.
Consult with more than one physician. 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. Certain specialists, such as pulmonologists and allergists, can provide extra treatment options for your asthma.
If you believe that your symptoms are becoming much worse, make sure you see your doctor. Try using the tips in the article so that you can reduce the frequency of attacks and keep your symptoms in check, and possibly enjoy life more.
If the pollen count is rising, stay indoors when possible. While asthma isn’t an allergy, many allergy irritants can affect it. Since data on air quality is now widely published, those with asthma have the ability to avoid being outside when concentrations of irritants are high.