Obviously, being unable to breathe properly because of asthma severely impacts your ability to live normally. It is possible to live a healthy and enjoyable life with asthma. Take the advice below to heart, and you can starting living normally today.
Asthma doesn’t just go away, so you can’t just stop managing it. Your doctor may prescribe medications that must be taken daily. In addition, you will likely have medication to take in the event of an attack. Discuss treatment strategies with both your primary care physician and your allergist.
Stay away from anything that you are aware of that may trigger your asthma. This can vary from person to person, as small particles like dust can cause asthma attacks. For others, attacks can be caused by physical activities. Look for the trigger points in your life, so you can work around them.
If you are experiencing a moderately severe attack, try to first exhale completely. Blow your breath out as hard and fast as you can. Force all the air out of the 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. The breathing rhythm that you create by doing this will cause you to be aware of every breath you take. It also pushes the air out of your lungs, so that more air can come in. If you cough or produce sputum, don’t worry. Just remain focused on your objective, which is to regain a normal rate of breathing.
There are certain medications that cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Not everyone knows this. A couple of common culprits that do this are aspirin and NSAIDs. This can also be caused by beta blockers, like medications that are used in managing high blood pressure or heart problems. Talk to a doctor if you have any of these conditions along with asthma.
If you are prone to asthma attacks, avoid any cigarette or other tobacco smoke. Never smoke yourself! Inhaling the chemical-laden fumes and even the vapors from cigarettes can be extremely harmful. This can aggravate your asthma and it might not stop. If people smoke around you, you should get away form that area.
Asthma is a continuous disease that needs ongoing management. 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. Consult with your physician and allergist to find out what is best for you.
Avoid using a fan in any room that has excessive dust. Otherwise, the dust will fly into the air and could give you an attack. The better way would be to open a window to increase the airflow in the room.
If you’re in a room that has a lot of dust in it, don’t turn on a fan. While it may seem smart to get the air circulating, in reality this will only stir up the dust, making it easier to inhale and trigger an attack. It is much better to open a window when you are in need of some air flow.
When you are having a difficult time with asthma, you might want to use a leukotriene inhibitor. These medications prevent the production of leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are inflammation-causing chemicals that can bring on asthma attacks. Using an inhibitor will counteract the negative effects of leukotriene, thereby decreasing the occurrence of asthma attacks.
If you have asthma, it might be helpful for you to buy a dehumidifier. Not only will a dehumidifier decrease humidity, but it will also be helpful in controlling the dust mite population. Both are causative factors in asthma attacks. Dehumidifiers reduce humidity and keep the air in your home dry.
Talk to a social worker if you have asthma and no health insurance. Social workers are trained to help people find resources for affording health care, particularly on debilitating conditions such as asthma.
Cleaning Products
Consider supplementing your diet with Vitamins E and C when you suffer from asthma. It is widely believed that these vitamins can help control asthma symptoms by improving lung function. Either find a good vitamin supplement to take, or change your diet to include more foods rich in Vitamins E and C. Loading up on these vitamins will energize your immune system, aiding your body in preventing the illnesses that worsen or trigger asthma.
It has been shown that use of four or more different kinds of cleaning products can raise the risk of asthma attacks. Organic cleaning products should be selected due to their lack of irritating chemicals.
Think about buying a dehumidifier if your asthma symptoms are bad. When your home has less humidity, there are less dust mites, and that minimizes the chances of an asthma flare-up. Air is kept dry by dehumidifiers by sucking the humidity out of it.
Keep your home meticulously clean to reduce attack potential if there is an asthma sufferer living there, especially the bedroom. Food should only be eaten in the kitchen area, and whatever you do, please don’t smoke. Air the house out thoroughly after cleaning and avoid the use of bleach and other harsh chemicals indoors.
To lower the chances of an asthma attack, keep your house as clean as can be, especially the bedroom. Avoid smoking inside, and only let people eat in the kitchen. Harsh chemicals, like bleach and ammonia, can trigger asthma.
Try joining an in-person or virtual asthma support group. Asthma, particularly if it is severe, can incapacitate you and keep you from going about your daily activities. On top of that, an asthma support group will keep you apprised of the latest developments in asthma medication and other significant medical breakthroughs.
If you suffer from asthma, it’s best to avoid pillows full of feathers. The feathers can make asthma worse and take away from your ability to breathe. The same reasoning applies to all bedding – only purchase bed sheets and comforters that are manufactured from hypoallergenic materials.
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! If you have to use your inhaler a lot, you will know that you should more closely monitor your surroundings.
Mold and mildew will often grow in a humid home. Both mold and mildew are associated with asthma attacks. Therefore, you should always strive to maintain a dry home. In the winter, use a dehumidifier along with your heater, and in the summer months, you can use your air conditioner to help control the amount of water in the air within your home.
Stop smoking. Most people know how dangerous smoking is, but for someone afflicted with asthma, the dangers are ten times more serious. Asthmatic lungs are extremely sensitive, and should not be exposed to smoke. Someone who has asthma should not only avoid smoking, but should also try to avoid being exposed to people smoking in their vicinity.
Making mouth and nose coverings such as mufflers, shawls or scarves a routine part of your winter wardrobe can help you ward off asthma attacks. Bundling up puts heat between the air and your lungs, which can help lessen your risk of an asthma attack. Breathing in air that’s cold can trigger an attack, particularly in younger children that have moderate or severe asthma.
Asthma Sufferers
Asthma usually takes an extended interval of time to fully develop, and the warning signs are rarely obvious. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! 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.
When pollen counts begin to rise, then anyone who suffers from asthma should just stay inside as much as they can. Although asthma is not an allergy, many of the same irritants that trouble allergy sufferers affect asthma sufferers too. Now that local air quality information is available in most areas, asthma sufferers can minimize their outdoor exposure when potential irritants are in the air.
Use a mop that’s wet to clean your floors instead of a broom. When you are sweeping with a broom, you stir up triggers like dirt and dust mites that can cause you to go into an asthma attack. When you dust, try dampening a rag, instead of a feather duster, to avoid spreading things that can trigger your asthma.
When you suffer from an asthma attack, be sure to remain calm. Use the inhaler, pause for 30 seconds then use it again. Seek help if your attack gets worse. Get somebody to phone for EMS or even transport you themselves to the nearest emergency medical facility. Grab a paper bag and breathe inside it, as that can help to slow down your breathing.
Someone suffering from asthma should avoid animals. Animals carry pollen and dust with them and can trigger serious asthma attacks.
If you need to use your inhaler more often than twice each week, this means your asthma isn’t adequately controlled and a medication change is required. Using your inhaler this frequently means your prescription is not effectively treating your asthma. This same advice also goes for those who must refill their inhalers more frequently than every six months.
If asthma does strike, don’t lose your cool. You should immediately use your inhaler and use the inhaler again 30 seconds later. Don’t suffer in silence or wait it out if your breathing gets worse instead of better after using your inhaler. You need immediate medical attention if this happens. Go to the hospital. If the attack is particularly bad, have a friend take you or call 911. Breathing in and out of a paper bag on the way will help slow down your breathing.
Educate yourself as much as you can about the asthma. The more you know, the more proactive you’ll be in your own treatment. Look into cutting-edge treatments, and seek the best medical care you can find. To know these things, you must keep learning about your disease and the options available for treatment.
You shouldn’t have to take inhaled medication on a frequent basis. Talk to your doctor about changing medicines if you have asthma attacks two or more times per week. Frequent use of the rescue inhaler means that your management medicine is not working as it should. Another sign is needing refills 3 or more times per year on your rescue inhaler prescription.
Vitamin B6.
Find out as much as possible about your condition. When you’re educated about your asthma, you can be proactive with the treatment. Look into cutting-edge treatments, and seek the best medical care you can find. You can only achieve this by researching your condition, as well as, the treatment options available to you.
Eat foods high in vitamin B6. Research has shown that pyridoxine, commonly referred to as vitamin B6, can lower the number of asthma events and lessen their intensity. It does this by producing molecules to relax your bronchial tissue. Bananas are a great source of Vitamin B6.
In order to ward off asthma attacks, it is crucial that you pinpoint your triggers. If you aren’t sure what causes your asthma to act up, keep a journal. Write down what you were doing and where you were just prior to each attack. Bring your journal to your doctor’s office during each appointment so that she can help you figure out your asthma triggers. After you identify your triggers, make every effort to stay away from them.
While asthma is condition that lasts a lifetime, it can be made easier to manage by following the advice from your doctor and articles such as this one. There are always breakthroughs in medicines and methods so soon, there will be an easy treatment for asthma.
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. Both doctors and nurses claim having a larger number than two attacks each week can be very hazardous. This can be easily prevented.