Asthma is a very serious illness than can restrain you from enjoying life. That said, the good news is that most asthma symptoms can be brought under control so long as you take the right medication and make the proper lifestyle changes. In this article you can learn some of these strategies.
You should not smoke or be anywhere near smoke if you suffer from asthma. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
Avoid Cleaning Products
Some medications are known to cause asthma symptoms. Some of these include aspirin and NSAIDs. Beta blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease can develop asthma like symptoms. Make sure you consult with your doctor concerning your asthma and possible drug reactions.
If you have been diagnosed with asthma, you should avoid cleaning products. Many of the harsh chemicals inside cleaning products might trigger symptoms or even a full blown asthma attack. While anyone responsible for cleaning their home can’t avoid cleaning products altogether, it’s best to only use natural products.
A leukotriene inhibitor can be helpful if you have asthma. These inhibitors can prevent leukotrienes. Inhibiting this chemical can lead to a decrease in asthma symptoms. The prescription will help to decrease home much leukotriene is in your system and therefore, the number of asthma attacks you have.
You may be unaware that certain medications you might be on could cause asthma symptoms. Among these medications are aspirin and other NSAIDs. Beta blockers can also have this affect, as well as other medications for controlling high blood pressure and heart disease. Make sure you consult with your doctor concerning your asthma and possible drug reactions.
If you suffer from asthma, make sure that you consume enough Vitamin C and Vitamin E. It is thought that these vitamins will help increase lung function and will help control asthma symptoms. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! The vitamins will help improve the immune system, which will help you fight off illnesses that cause asthma.
If you are having an attack that is not severe, push as much air out of the lungs as possible. Exhale quickly and forcefully. Really force that air out of your lungs! Inhale three times with short breaths, and then on the fourth one take a deeper breath so your lungs are full of air but still comfortable. Then breath out as hard as you can again. This method forces you to pay close attention to your breathing and create a steady rhythm. It also helps to push air out from your lungs so new air can come back in. 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.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. To limit the chemicals in the air, look for organic cleaning alternatives.
Smoke Yourself
If you have hay fever or a cold, you will probably need increased treatment of your asthma. These kinds of illness can inflame you asthma to a degree that a treatment increase is necessary. Your doctor may need to add new treatments to your typical asthma regimen until you are well.
Anyone suffering from asthma or asthma-like symptoms needs to stay clear of cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself, or even if you’re breathing secondhand smoke. You should not smoke yourself! Stay away from vapors and all chemical fumes so you are not able to breathe them in. This can trigger an unstoppable asthma attack. If others are smoking and you are nearby, get away from them immediately.
If you are dealing with asthma, a good idea is to use a pillow without feathers. The feathers can make asthma worse and take away from your ability to breathe. The same can be said for bedding, try to get hypoallergenic comforters and sheets.
Consider supplementing your diet with Vitamins E and C when you suffer from asthma. These vitamins are thought to help improve lung function and control asthma symptoms. Many foods have these vitamins in abundance, but you can also use a supplemental pill. Another great benefit of vitamin C is that it will help to strengthen your immune system overall.
When you are traveling, make sure you have a rescue inhaler with you. Traveling adds strain on the body and increases your susceptibility to asthma triggers. The change in environment can also have a negative impact, since it is impossible to control. This can lead to more frequent attacks or attacks with symptoms that are worse than normal.
Be aware that your asthma medication may need to be adjusted if you are suffering from a cold, flu or hay fever. These illnesses have side effects that can cause asthma to flare up and make an increase in medication necessary. Your doctor could add another treatment into your regimen until the illness is better.
Track how often you use your inhaler during each week. 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. 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.
Asthmatic patients should avoid using feather pillows. Feathers may trigger asthma symptoms by irritating your lungs. The same reasoning applies to all bedding – only purchase bed sheets and comforters that are manufactured from hypoallergenic materials.
Use a mop that’s wet to clean your floors instead of a broom. When you sweep, you are stirring up asthma triggers that can cause you to have an asthma attack. When dusting, use a damp cloth, as feather dusters just move dust around.
There is good reason to make sure you have your rescue medicine for asthma in a convenient, easy to reach place. Travel adds stress on your physical body, and it might increase your chances of falling prey to asthma triggers. While on the road, it is also hard to control the environment you are in, which also makes an attack more likely.
Go to several doctors. Your primary physician should always be your first stop when dealing with asthma, but you may find it helpful to add a specialist’s knowledge. Think about going to a pulmonologist, an allergist or even a nutritionist, depending on what is triggering your attacks.
Support Group
Watch the pollen counts and adjust your activity accordingly to protect yourself from seasonal asthma issues. While asthma isn’t an allergy, many allergy irritants can affect it. The same air quality reports available in the local news for allergy problems can also help those with asthma issues stay indoors on particularly hazardous days.
Look for a support group, such as an online community or a local group. Asthma can be severe enough to keep you away from social activiites. By joining a support group, you will be able to discuss new scientific breakthroughs or treatment alternatives with those who are interested.
When you suffer from an asthma attack, be sure to remain calm. Use your rescue inhaler, rest for a half to one minute, then use the inhaler again. If this doesn’t start to control your attack, get assistance right away. Go to the hospital immediately or call 911. Try putting a paper bag up to your mouth and breathing into it to help slow your breaths.
During colder months, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler to avoid asthma. This will keep you from breathing cold air. Inhaling cold air can elicit an asthma attack or create other serious respiratory problems.
If you are dealing with asthma it is critical you understand how to properly use an inhaler. Spraying it into your mouth and then inhaling doesn’t work. With each spray, you have to take a deep breath so that the medication gets into your lungs. Failing to do so will mean that the medicine will not be able to help open up your breathing.
It is important to use your maintenance inhaler daily as prescribed. However, understand that most types of inhalers contain ingredients which may make your mouth more susceptible to infections. Immediately brush your teeth followed by a quick gargle after using your inhaler. This is a great way to prevent any kind of complications in your mouth.
If you use an inhaler more than 2 times a week, talk to your doctor about a new medication potentially. Frequent need of an inhaler is an indication that the medication prescribed is not the right strength. Another sign is needing refills 3 or more times per year on your rescue inhaler prescription.
See how many times a week you typically use the rescue inhaler. 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.
Talking to other asthma sufferers, or attending a formal support group, can be a very effective way to cope with asthma. They will provide tips on how to deal with asthma, or what to do in certain situations that may be new to you. Support given by those around you who are also afflicted with asthma can really make all the difference.
You should have a team of medical professionals to help you craft your asthma treatment. Specialists can supplement the asthma treatments your regular doctor provides for you. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, allergists or even nutritionists will be able to work with you, make certain that you check out all outlets offering treatment.
Eat a lot of foods that have vitamin B6. Research has shown that by increasing the amount of vitamin B6, sometimes referred to as pyridoxine, individuals can reduce how often they suffer asthma attacks. At minimum, it can help lower the intensity of attacks. Vitamin B6 helps your body to produce molecules that work to relax your bronchial tissues. One common source of vitamin B6 are bananas.
The mere act of discussing your asthma condition with other people can have a soothing and positive effect. Other asthma sufferers often have the best tricks for dealing with dangerous situations, and fighting the battle against asthma. Support from those you are around is crucial.
Be mindful of any allergy attacks that you suffer. If you experience these attacks more than twice each week, you need to switch medications. Having an asthma attack twice a week is a danger to your health, and that frequency can be prevented.
If you are prone to asthma attacks, you need to find out what triggers them. Keeping a journal will help you and your doctor develop a plan to combat some of the triggers. Once they are identified, you should make every attempt to avoid the triggers and remove them from the environment that you live in when at all possible.
If someone you live with has asthma, make sure you do not smoke in the house or the car. People who smoke need to do it away from the vicinity of the house, and especially away from a person with asthma. Heavy smokers may trigger an asthma attack just by carrying the scent of smoke on their clothing.
If you or anyone in your house suffers from asthma, you need to ban smoking from inside your home, car, or anywhere near the asthma sufferer. Just be sure to keep any smoke away from someone who suffers from asthma as this can harm them significantly. Just the smell of smoke on someone’s clothing can be the trigger for an asthma attack.
Be sure to get the flu vaccine every year. Even if you’re not affected by flu seasons, you should still get a vaccine. It is easy for an asthma sufferer to develop a sinus or respiratory illness, which can create serious complications.
As previously noted, the dangers of asthma loom heavy over anyone who suffers from this condition and cannot get it under control. To always protect yourself, make sure you have an emergency inhaler on you at all times, and watch for allergens or excessive air pollution. Take the tips you have read here and apply them to your own condition so you can conquer your asthma, and prevent it from diminishing your freedom.
When the air is dry and cold outside, someone with asthma should not attempt to do physical exercise. Cold and dry air can cause your bronchial airways to constrict, causing an asthma attack. Therefore, any strenuous exercise that you do outdoors should be in a somewhat warm, slight humid climate.