Living with asthma, both daily and during an attack, can be frightening and draining. On the other hand, if you have some good ideas on managing your asthma, you can really increase the quality and conditions of your life. Read further to learn some helpful ways to cope with asthma.
People afflicted by asthma should make it a priority to always avoid exposure to smoke, vapors and fumes. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
As a chronic disease, asthma must be managed continuously. Make sure that your daily routine includes taking appropriate medication to keep you free of asthma symptoms, along with additional medication to treat you for any sudden asthma attacks. To find which treatment options are the best for you and your condition, make sure you speak with a doctor and allergist.
When suffering from asthma, there are vitamins that can help, including E and C. It is widely believed that these vitamins can help control asthma symptoms by improving lung function. It is possible to acquire the necessary amounts by eating foods or by taking dietary supplements. Getting enough vitamins is also a good way to prevent asthma attacks by boosting your immune system.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, stay away from all types of cigarette smoke. You should not smoke! Avoid exposure to chemical fumes or vapors. Doing so can cause an asthma attack you might not have the ability to stop. If you are around people who smoke, leave the area very fast.
Keep your home clean. By keeping a clean environment, especially in a bedroom, you can lower your risk of asthma attacks. Don’t smoke indoors, or allow any junk food in your home. Bypass chemicals when cleaning your home if at all possible, and be sure to open doors and windows afterwards.
Never use a fan in a dirty, dust-filled room. This can move the dust around and can trigger an attack easily. Encourage air to flow throughout the room by just opening a nearby window or door.
Take notes of what can trigger your asthma attacks so that you can be prepared for a future attack or learn how to avoid them all together. Most with asthma share common triggers, like pet dander, pollen or smoke. Try to avoid these items as much as humanly possible so as to not trigger a full attack.
When struggling with asthma, consider using a leukotriene inhibitor. This type of inhibitor is designed to prevent leukotrienes. Leukotriene, a chemical released by the body in response to an allergen, is responsible for inducing many of the symptoms of an asthma attack. Leukotriene is an oral therapy for the treatment of asthma, but it is not as effective as inhaled corticosteroids.
Bundle up during winter weather if you have asthma. Covering your nose and mouth with a scarf or muffler helps prevent asthma attacks. 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.
Learn how to properly use your inhaler. Find a spot that is out of the way, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. Proper use delivers the medication to your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. It is then necessary to hold the breath for about ten seconds to give the medication time to work in your lungs.
While using an inhaler can potentially cause mouth or gum sores, it is still important to use it daily if you suffer from severe asthma. Always clean your teeth and rinse your mouth after you use your inhaler.
Social Worker
Track how often you use your inhaler during each week. If you are utilizing your inhaler more than two times per day, you might not be controlling asthma as well as you think you are! Focusing on how often you need your inhaler makes you aware of when you need to make changes to your plan for keeping asthma under control.
Consider consulting a social worker if your asthma medication is not covered by an insurance policy. A social worker can possibly help you with finding treatment and low-cost medications.
If you’d like to avoid asthma attacks, avoid cigarette smoke as much as possible. Inhaling smoke can trigger an asthma attack. Make sure to stay away from chemical fumes and cigarette smoke whenever possible. Exposure to these substances can worsen your asthma considerably. If you know someone who smokes, politely ask that they do not smoke in your presence.
Be sure not to smoke as well as stay away from any smokers in general, this can be very harmful for you if you have asthma. When you breathe in smoke, especially in small spaces, it diminishes breathing ability, which greatly increases the probability of an asthma attack.
Asthma sufferers should minimize their contact with animals and pets. Asthmatics can be affected by the dander or pollen that comes from the animals, even if they have no allergies to them. This can be a very risky situation to put yourself in and should be avoided.
For asthma sufferers, the unscented option is always the best choice among different products. Products with a strong smell such as air fresheners, incense or perfume can trigger asthma attacks. New carpeting and even a fresh coat of paint can aggravate the airway and lungs as well. Clean your indoor air and keep it as fresh as you can.
Bed linens are a magnet for nasty allergens and asthma triggers, including dust and pollen. These threats can be reduced or even eliminated by keeping your bed linens laundered every week using hot water. Clean bed linens that are washed frequently will help you breathe easier every time your head hits the pillow.
Stand ready for a boost to your asthma treatment should you suffer from illnesses like colds or hay fever. Many of these illnesses will worsen your asthma symptoms bad enough to require more treatments than you typically need. It is possible that your doctor will decide to modify your treatment, or even add additional treatments, until you are back on your feet.
You want to make certain you visit more than just one doctor. 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. The allergists, pulmonologists and nutritionists in asthma centers can help you take full advantage of all treatments available.
If you suffer with asthma, get a flu shot each year. Get vaccinated every flu season to avoid a high number of infections.
Try to avoid the seasonal pollen that may trigger an asthma attack. Even though asthma is not technically an allergy, those who suffer from allergies often find their condition is exacerbated by the same irritants and triggers that those afflicted with asthma are affected by 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.
Keep your medication with you, especially when you are traveling. Traveling can put additional strain on your body, making you more susceptible to asthma triggers. Traveling can make asthma symptoms worse, and it is difficult, nearly impossible to control environmental triggers during travel.
It is important to become as knowledgeable as possible about asthma. Knowledge is power, and enlightened proactive steps yield immeasurable dividends in your treatment and management regimen. Keep up with the latest asthma news and see to it that you’re getting the best possible care. There is no other way to get the best care possible than educating yourself on asthma, and staying informed about your treatment options.
Even if you are feeling great, never skip your regular asthma checkup. A flare-up can occur at any time, and your physician may have learned of a prescription medication that can treat your symptoms more safely and effectively.
Make sure your doctor sees you every two or three months for a check up to see how you are managing with your asthma condition. This person needs to have the ability to look at your current situation so that they can make any changes as necessary. You are responsible to schedule these appointments so you can stay healthy.
Humidity is a problem in the home, because it creates conditions that are perfect for mildew and mold growth. These things can trigger asthma attacks very easily. You will benefit greatly from keeping the moisture out of your home’s air. Use a dehumidifier during the winter time so that you can keep humidity in control when you use a heater. You can use the air conditioning in your household during summer time to get the same affect.
Make sure that you protect yourself if you’re planning on doing anything like painting your home. You should purchase a protective mask to cut back on fume inhalation. Paint can irritate asthma a great deal, so a mask will create a protective shield to combat this issue. Avoid chemicals, substances and scents that aggravate your asthma.
Breathing Cold
Support groups or talking with others who have asthma, can help you learn to live with your asthma. Other sufferers can help you learn how to manage and live with your asthma, by offering tips and advice. Gaining the support of those around you is crucial.
During the months that are colder, wear a shawl, muffler or scarf that will cover your nose and mouth to help you avoid asthma attacks. This will keep you from breathing cold air. Breathing cold air can set off an asthma attack, particularly in small children who have have somewhat severe asthma.
Keep an eye out for any symptoms or signs of a severe asthma attack setting in so you can decide appropriately if you need to get your kid to the ER. If your kid is having an attack, you’ll see discolored lips and fingernails and increased medication use. During these severe attacks, it may be difficult for your child to speak.
Asthma is a condition that typically will develop over a long period of time, with symptoms that are not very obvious. In a lot of cases, people die from an asthma attack because they didn’t know they had the condition. Given that fact, if you have any kind of consistent cough or respiratory ailments, consulting a physician for testing is a good idea, since you want to know if you are suffering from asthma and if so, what to do about it.
Be on the lookout for symptoms of allergic reactions to food in your kids. Breathing problems or hives after eating a particular food can be be a sign and should be looked into. Allergies can exacerbate asthma symptoms, and can cause asthma attacks. Allergic asthma is a type of asthma where attacks are brought on by allergies.
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. To prevent complications from using a preventative inhaler, brush your teeth immediately after using it and use mouthwash as well.
You should get the flu vaccine annually. Even if the flu or cold seasons do not affect you, it is still better to get vaccinated against them. If you are asthma attack prone, you are also more likely to have suffer from any sinus or respiratory infection, particularly those that are flu-related.
You should know how to live with asthma if you suffer from it. Once you learn how to treat asthma it will not be such a heavy burden to you. Luckily, we have gained some knowledge about asthma. The advice in this article will help you to have a better life.
If your toddler has asthma, be sure to be vigilant of symptoms that may necessitate professional emergency care. These symptoms include: gasping for air, sucking the abdomen in under the ribcage while trying to breath, and difficulty in speaking due to an inability to draw in enough air. These symptoms, even one of them, could indicate an urgent need for medical care.