Healthy lungs are vital to a healthy body. For asthma sufferers, however, it can be very difficult to maintain good lung health. However, asthma doesn’t mean you have to give up on being healthy or having fun. There are many ways asthmatics can stay healthy and live a normal life. With this advice, a life with asthma won’t be so much of a burden.
What type of asthma are you having to deal with? Being aware of your particular asthma condition can help you to effectively treat it on a daily basis. If your asthma is triggered by exercise, throw an inhaler into your gym bag. Knowing when an asthma attack is likely to strike can help you avert disaster.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke or expose yourself to smoke, fumes or vapors. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
If you have asthma, you should keep away from any smoke from cigarettes. Never smoke yourself! Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. This could trigger a serious asthma attack, and you may have trouble preventing it from happening. If you find that you have people smoking around you, get yourself out of that area rather quickly.
Cleaning products should be avoided when you have asthma. Cleaning products are often full of chemicals, and breathing those chemicals in can irritate your lungs. If you are responsible for cleaning your residence, think about purchasing natural products, which are less likely to set off your asthma.
Consider a leokotriene inhibitor if your asthma is not controlled by other methods. There are modern medicines that are highly effective at blocking leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are molecules that cause the tracheal muscles to contract; having too many leukotrienes makes asthma attacks more likely. Leukotriene is an oral therapy for the treatment of asthma, but it is not as effective as inhaled corticosteroids.
Cigarette smoke and asthma do not mix. Asthma creates breathing problems by constricting airways, and cigarette smoking only exacerbates the problem. Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. This can cause an asthma attack, and you may be unable to bring it under control. Never visit a home or establishment where people will be smoking, and if people start to smoke, walk out.
Utilize the inhaler correctly. Find a spot that is peaceful, and then follow the instructions given by the manufacturer. The inhaler will only reduce symptoms if the medication can get to your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. Holding your breath for a minimum of 10 seconds gives the medicinal mist from the inhaler time to spread itself throughout your lungs.
Social Worker
Always choose unscented products for your home if you have asthma. If you are using scented products like perfume, incense, or air fresheners you should up the level of air pollution in your home. An asthma sufferer’s airways can feel irritated by odors such as fresh paint or new carpeting. As much as possible, try to keep your home filled with fresh, pure air.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. If you cannot afford medicine for asthma, your social worker can help you locate someone that can help.
Keep dust and dirt to a minimum in any bedroom where an asthma sufferer sleeps. Food should be eaten only in the kitchen or dining room, and cigarettes are best relegated to outdoor smoking areas. Air the house out thoroughly after cleaning and avoid the use of bleach and other harsh chemicals indoors.
Vitamins E and C are beneficial to anyone with asthma. They are believed to aid respiratory function and to be instrumental in keeping your asthma in check. Get these nutrients through supplements or food. Vitamins C and E are necessary for a healthy immune system. If your immune system isn’t healthy, it won’t be able to fight off illnesses that cause asthma attacks.
Allergens, the common cold and influenza can increase your asthma symptoms. Some illnesses create issues that make it necessary to increase medication temporarily. Your physician might also add more treatments to your regimen until your asthma is under control again.
A dehumidifier is an excellent investment for asthma sufferers. Cutting down the humidity in the house will lower the amount dust mites in the air, and that will mean fewer asthma flare-ups. Air is kept dry by dehumidifiers by sucking the humidity out of it.
Make sure you get a flu shot once a year if you suffer from asthma. Stave off as many of these infections as possible by getting vaccinated every year.
Asthma Attacks
Sleep with a feather-less pillow if you have asthma. Pillow feathers are known to worsen asthma and affect the lungs. Your other bedding, such as sheets, blankets and comforters, should be hypoallergenic, too.
Know what causes your asthma attacks, as this will enable you to work around them or prepare to treat the asthma attacks that result. Most asthma sufferers have a few common triggers such as smoke, pet dander or pollen. If at all possible, strive to avoid substances and locations that trigger your asthma symptoms or attacks.
If you are taking your prescriptions with you on a flight, make sure to take your prescription. Carrying your prescriptions along with written proof that they are medically necessary, will cut down on potential problems at the airport checkpoints.
Think about signing up for a support group locally or online. Since severe asthma can be quite debilitating, it can have a huge impact on your everyday life. By getting involved in a support group you will also be speaking with other sufferers who may know of new scientific discoveries and treatment plans you may not be aware of.
Monitor how often, per week, you find it necessary to use your inhaler. Using it two times or may may mean that your asthma is not as controlled as you may think it is. It could also mean that something else is bringing on these frequent attacks. Remembering the times you use the inhaler provides a good way to keep checking your environment, as well as other things in your plan to manage your asthma.
Mold and mildew thrive in homes with high humidity levels. These are harmful substances that can trigger asthma attacks. So try your best to make your home as dry as possible. Whenever you use a heater, you should use a dehumidifier, and air conditioning will help in the summer.
Avoid smoke if you want to prevent asthma. Smoke can seriously affect the lungs and is a common asthma trigger. You should stay far away from smoke of any kind, chemicals and vapors. Any inhalant, which is irritating, can trigger an asthma attack! If there is someone who always smokes around you, you should politely ask this person to smoke when you aren’t present.
It is important to know the proper way to use asthma medication, especially the medication that is used in an emergency. When you have asthma, you should be on a maintenance medication and have an emergency medicine for asthma attacks. Usually this is in the form of an inhaler. It’s crucial that medication for management of asthma is taken regularly, and that rescue medication is also used when appropriate.
Bed linens can collect dust, pollen and other allergens, all of which can further aggravate asthma. You can cut down on these irritants or eliminate them altogether by washing your bedding and pillow cases in very hot water once a week. Clean bed linens that are washed frequently will help you breathe easier every time your head hits the pillow.
Asthma typically develops over a long time, and sometimes the symptoms aren’t very obvious. There have been a few cases where a person dies from their first attack, because they didn’t know they suffered from the condition. That is why it is important to check regularly with your doctor and always point out if you are having any kind of breathing problems or related symptoms. With the proper medical attention, you can prevent attacks and keep asthma under control.
Be sure you know exactly how to properly use your inhaler if you do have asthma. It is not as simple as spraying a little into your mouth and inhaling. Make sure when you spray your inhaler that you take in deep breaths for short periods of time. Neglecting to learn how to use your inhaler correctly will cause your symptoms to worsen significantly.
If you are taking your prescriptions with you on a flight, make sure to take your prescription. The written prescription will help you get through security without difficulty, because it establishes that your nebulizer and supplies are medically necessary.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. Your doctor will evaluate your condition and make any changes as they see fit. It is your responsibility to make sure you make these appointments with your doctor so that he can follow up with you and keep you healthy.
For a deeper and more thorough cleaning, mop your floors instead of simply sweeping them. Those particles that can trigger asthma attacks are stirred up when you sweep. Use a dampened rag when dusting, instead of a feather duster, so as to prevent stirring up loose dust particles and other asthma triggers.
If you are planning on painting a room in your house, buy a mask in advance to protect you from breathing in fumes. The fumes from paint can easily cause your asthma to flare up. Having a mask will help you to prevent this. Learn what type of chemicals trigger your asthma and try to stay away from them.
Smoke should always be avoided when you suffer from asthma. Smoke can cause you to have an asthma attack. Make sure to stay away from chemical fumes and cigarette smoke whenever possible. These are all common triggers and can aggravate asthma symptoms. When anyone lights up a cigarette or cigar in your presence, politely inform them that you have asthma and ask them not to smoke beside you.
Vitamin B6 intake should be increased in order to help control asthma. Getting increased amounts of B6, also called pyridoxine, has been scientifically shown to make asthma attacks less frequent. Pyridoxine is instrumental in producing certain molecules that help to relax bronchial tissue. A banana is a great food that is rich in vitamin B6.
Go to several doctors. You want to see your primary doctor for asthma help, though you should also see some specialists. There are a number of different approaches used to treat asthma. See what a pulmonololist, an allergist or a nutritionist has to say about your asthma problems.
Know what your triggers are to safeguard yourself against asthma. A daily journal can be a powerful tool to help you pinpoint frequent triggers and it can also help your doctor to prescribe the treatment that is right for you. After you identify substances that trigger your asthma symptoms, you can avoid those substances in your environment or ask your doctor whether there is a medication that will allow you to go into an environment with those triggers and remain free of asthma symptoms.
Using the great ideas found in this article, you and your doctor can make an effective plan that will make the day to day management of asthma easier. Because of a constantly evolving set of treatments, asthma and the suffering related thereto will soon be a thing of the past.
Closely monitor the frequency of your asthma attacks. If you have more than two asthma attacks in a week, it may be time to change medications. Most health professionals agree that having attacks more than twice a week is both dangerous and avoidable.