Asthma can be a very hard ailment to live with. It diminishes your capacity for normal activities, like taking a simple walk. But, to make matters worse, there is no cure and its symptoms are hard to manage. That said, there ARE tips and techniques which can make managing your asthma and returning to a full life possible, and we’ve included many in this article. Read on!
If you suffer from asthma, you should avoid cleaning products that have strong odors. A lot of agents in cleaners tend to trigger asthma attacks and symptoms. If you must do the cleaning in your home, opt for natural products with lower chemical content.
Do you know the type of asthma that you suffer with? If you identify your specific causes, you can be prepared to treat the symptoms when they appear during your daily routines. Those whose asthma is exacerbated by exercise will know to always have an inhaler on hand. Knowing symptom patterns will help you prevent emergencies.
Avoid those things that you know can trigger your asthma. This can vary from person to person, as small particles like dust can cause asthma attacks. Others may need to avoid certain physical activities to keep from suffering an attack. Keep a journal of your attacks so that you can start to learn what your triggers are so that you can prevent flareups before they begin.
If you have been diagnosed with asthma and you are a smoker, it is time to quit. Smoking is unhealthy for everyone, however it is especially bad for asthmatics. Your lungs are already compromised from the asthma and adding smoke to that will cut off the vital oxygen supply your lungs need to breathe.
If you are suffering from asthma, stay away from any type of cigarette smoke. Don’t smoke! Avoid vapors and chemical fumes from cigarettes. These irritants can be a trigger for a severe asthma attack. If you are around people who smoke, leave the area very fast.
During an attack that isn’t severe, force all air from your lungs. Breathe out aggressively, as hard as you can. Push that air from your lungs with all that you’ve got! Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. Breathing in this rhythmic manner helps you to concentrate on the breaths you’re taking. It pushes air from your lungs so you can breathe more 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.
Proper knowledge of how to use your inhaler is necessary if you have asthma. Discover a location that is peaceful, and ensure you follow all the instructions that are given by the manufacturer. The inhaler can only help you if the medication actually reaches the lungs. While inhaling air, spray the proper amount of inhalant into your mouth. Make sure you hold your breath for 10 seconds or more to get the medications into your lungs.
Consider a leokotriene inhibitor if your asthma is not controlled by other methods. Leukotriene inhibitors block the effects of leukotrienes. A leukotriene will cause inflammation in the respiratory system, causing an asthma attack. Taking an inhibitor blocks the receptors that leukotrienes normally interact with and leaves your throat less inflamed and attack-prone.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. Use organic cleaning products since they don’t have irritating chemicals.
When you travel, your rescue medication should be with you all the time. Traveling to different places might expose you to unexpected triggers, as your body is put under more strain when you travel. It is also difficult to control your environment while traveling, making it more likely that you may experience an attack or worsening symptoms.
Unscented products are best for asthma sufferers. Using scented products, like air fresheners and perfume, will increase the level of air pollution and is likely to trigger an attack. Many things in the home release chemicals that irritate the lungs, such as newly installed carpet or fresh paint. Try to maintain the air in your house as free from possible asthma triggers as possible.
Even if you are feeling great, never skip your regular asthma checkup. You don’t know when another flare-up will happen, or when your physician can offer you safer or superior medicine for your symptoms.
Keep your home meticulously clean to reduce attack potential if there is an asthma sufferer living there, especially the bedroom. Never allow anyone to smoke in the home of an asthmatic, and consider using plastic to cover your mattress and pillows. After cleaning around the house, open windows and allow fresh air into the house. This can reduce the smell and pervasiveness of household cleaners like bleach.
It is essential that you learn the proper ways to use all of your asthma medications, especially those used in rescue situations. A treatment made up of a daily medication plus a rescue inhaler can help to keep asthma under control. Asthma lasts a lifetime, so you must manage your treatment and lifestyle to ensure you’re taking the best care of yourself.
Asthmatic patients should avoid using feather pillows. Feathers can decrease lung function and cause asthma symptoms. It is also advisable to use hypoallergenic sheets and comforters for the same reason.
Treatment Plan
In the winter, prevent attacks by wearing shawls, mufflers and scarves that cover the nose and mouth. You can inhale warmer air into your body with these. Inhalation of cold air is proven to initiate asthma attacks, and younger kids afflicted with asthma of moderate or severe proportions are especially at risk.
It is important to track how often you use your fast-acting inhaler each week. If you use it three or more times each week, your treatment plan may not be working effectively or else an atypical situation may be triggering an increased number of attacks. You can use your frequency of inhaler use to gauge the effectiveness of your asthma treatment plan and make modifications when necessary.
When you are cleaning your home, it is always better to use a wet mop rather than sweeping your floors. Sweeping stirs up dust and other things that can trigger your asthma. Dust will adhere to a wet towel instead of being loose in the air like feather dusters do where it can aggravate your asthma.
When you clean your floors, do so with a wet mop instead of a broom. Sweeping stirs up irritants that can trigger an asthma attack. In the same vein, choose a damp rag as opposed to a feather duster when dusting, as this prevents dust from flying about.
Get a second opinion. 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. Nutritionists, allergists, pulmonologists and asthma centers can all help you, so make sure that you are using all of the different treatment avenues that you can.
Have more than one medical professional look at your asthma problems. You want to see your primary doctor for asthma help, though you should also see some specialists. A pulmonologist, allergist, nutritionist and the staff at asthma centers can discuss a variety of treatments with you, to help you be sure you are following up on every possible good treatment available.
Try to avoid the seasonal pollen that may trigger an asthma attack. While asthma is different than allergies, often the same types of things that bother those with allergies trigger irritation in asthmatics as well. Asthma suffers can now minimize exposure to outdoor pollutants and irritants by checking online for current air quality in their areas.
As was mentioned before in this article, asthma is a very severe medical condition and you should never take it lightly. Find out what symptoms may be specific to you, and begin learning how you can manage it every step of the way. Use these suggestions to reduce your symptoms so you can avoid having asthma control your life.
If you have asthma and allergies, do not use a vaporizer or humidifier unless you make sure that it has been cleaned thoroughly. If you allow bacteria to breed in the moist environment of the machine, you will just be pumping allergens into the air that you are trying to humidify.