Asthma can restrict your daily lifestyle, or even be a threat to your life without the knowledge you need to control it. You should do whatever you can in trying to control this condition. Apply treatments and take medication properly to improve you asthma symptoms.
If you suffer from asthma, you should not smoke or expose yourself to any type of vapors or fumes. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke, and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. This includes all tobacco products, and you also need to be careful if you are going to apply for a job in a factory or where you have the potential to be exposed to vapors and harmful smoke.
To keep your child healthy, make sure they are never around smoke. Secondhand smoke is something that can lead to serious asthma. Also, do not let your child around others who smoke.
Asthma Symptoms
If you suffer with asthma, avoid cleaning products. The complex list of ingredients on many cleaning products makes it difficult know which ones have the chemical compounds that might aggravate asthma symptoms or even initiate an attack. If you’re the one who regularly cleans the house, look for natural cleaning products which are much safer to use.
There are certain medications that cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Not everyone knows this. Some NSAIDs and aspirin might do this. The medication you take for high blood pressure can also cause asthma symptoms. It is important to let your doctor know if you suffer from asthma together with any of these conditions.
Asthma is a chronic condition that is ongoing over time, and as such, will require a continual treatment and management regimen. You need to always take your medications for your everyday symptoms, and keep your quick relief medication with you in case you do have an attack. Talk to your doctor and allergist to see what is the best idea for you.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, stay away from all types of cigarette smoke. You should not smoke yourself! Do not breathe in the vapors or any other chemical fumes. This can trigger an asthma attack, which may be difficult to stop. If you are around others who are smoking, remove yourself.
A leukotriene inhibitor may be an excellent way for you to deal with asthma. This type of inhibitor is designed to prevent leukotrienes. Leukotriene, a chemical substance, can provoke an inflammation that causes an asthma attack. The inhibitor will block leukotrienes from getting into your lungs and lessen the chances of you suffering an asthma attack.
Consider a leokotriene inhibitor if your asthma is not controlled by other methods. Leukotriene inhibitors block the effects of leukotrienes. A leukotrienes is a type of chemical that causes inflammation, which leads to asthma attacks. The inhibitor will keep the leukotrienes from forming, which can reduce the frequency of asthma attacks that you experience.
If you are using a lot of different cleaners around your house you can trigger a asthma attack. Use organic cleaning products since they don’t have irritating chemicals.
If you have hay fever or a cold, you will probably need increased treatment of your asthma. Make sure your doctor prescribes a fast acting inhaler for emergency situations. Your physician might also work an additional treatment into your therapy until such time as you are healthier.
If you are asthmatic, it may be a good idea to use a pillow that is not filled with feathers. Feathers can decrease lung function and cause asthma symptoms. Your other bedding, such as sheets, blankets and comforters, should be hypoallergenic, too.
If you have asthma, you should get a flu shot once per year. Avoid these infections by making sure your and your child’s vaccines are up to date.
If the air in your home is humid, it provides an ideal incubator for mold or mildew. These things can trigger asthma attacks very easily. You should do your best to maintain a dry home. During the cold, winter months, a dehumidifier can help. In the summer, an air conditioner naturally takes out a lot of the humidity in the air.
Don’t miss your appointment for an asthma checkup simply because you aren’t currently having any problems with your condition. Medical science is constantly evolving, so the doctor might know about a new treatment for you. Besides, you can never be sure when another attack might come on, so it’s better to be checked out.
A lot of times asthma will develop over time, and has symptoms that aren’t always obvious. People can even die from their very first asthma attack as they’re not prepared for it! So, if you have difficulty breathing or a cough that doesn’t go away, see a doctor to figure out whether you suffer from asthma and to determine whether you will be needing medication to prevent or treat the condition.
Support Group
If traveling by plane with your asthma equipment or medications, always carry your written prescription with you to avoid problems. Written proof of needing your equipment can help you with any issues you might have in the security line.
Look for a support group, such as an online community or a local group. Asthma, particularly if it is severe, can incapacitate you and keep you from going about your daily activities. By joining a support group, you will be able to discuss new scientific breakthroughs or treatment alternatives with those who are interested.
Try using a inhaler that prevents asthma every day, but you should know that one of the side effects is mouth infections of teeth and gums. Always clean your teeth and rinse your mouth after you use your inhaler.
When the weather starts to turn colder, wear a scarf or shawl that covers your mouth and nose to help prevent asthma attacks. This helps warm the air prior to it entering your lungs. Inhaling cold air can elicit an asthma attack or create other serious respiratory problems.
During the week, you should take note each time your rescue inhaler is used. If you have to use your inhaler more than twice, then our asthma is not being controlled effectively, and you may need to see your doctor for a way to get it under control again. Counting how many times you reach for your inhaler can be a good aid to remind you of what environments you need to control and what else you may need to manage.
When taking asthma medications on a plane trip, bring written medical prescriptions provided by your doctor. You’ll speed up the process of going through security if you have written proof that shows that the items are necessary.
Avoid smoke to prevent asthma and asthma attacks. Smoke and chemicals have been known to trigger asthma attacks. You should avoid cigarette smoke, vapors, and chemical fumes as much as possible. These can aggravate your asthma symptoms. If there are smokers around you, you may want to ask them if they will smoke in another area.
Keep track of the number of times per week you use your 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! Counting how many times you reach for your inhaler can be a good aid to remind you of what environments you need to control and what else you may need to manage.
If you have asthma, visit your doctor every three or four months so that they can help you monitor your health. This will allow your doctor to stay updated on your condition as it improves or weakens, and make the necessary changes to your treatments. You need to stay on top of scheduling doctor visits. Otherwise, your condition might deteriorate suddenly.
Bed Linens
In order to ward off asthma attacks, it is crucial that you pinpoint your triggers. You may even want to keep an asthma trigger journal so you can discuss this with your doctor. After you figure out what your triggers are, do everything in your power to avoid exposure to them.
Dust and other allergens often accumulate in bed sheets. It is important to wash your bed linens at least once per week in very hot water if you want to reduce or eliminate the potential aggravators. Clean bed linens will help you breathe better while you sleep.
If you are having more than a couple of asthma attacks per week, you should go to your doctor and eliminate triggers. The medical community holds two opinions about asthma attacks occurring more than twice a week: first, they are dangerous, and secondly, they are preventable.
Any time that pollen counts go up, anyone suffering from asthma would be wise to keep their outdoors time to a minimum. Asthma is not considered an allergy, but elements that cause allergies usually trigger asthma attacks too. Technology has brought with it real-time air quality reports that can be consulted before exposure to outdoor air that may cause irritation to asthmatics.
If you’re having asthma attacks without control medications at hand, get a shot of something caffeinated. Strong black tea, coffee or chocolate can aid in mitigating asthma attack symptoms. Caffeine is a stimulant that dilates your airways, giving you temporary relief from asthma symptoms.
You need to be educated in properly using your inhaler if you suffer from asthma. Spraying it inside your mouth and inhaling is not all it takes. Whenever you spray your inhaler, inhale deeply for multiple seconds. Failure to properly use your inhaler can lead to deadly effect.
The cleaner your home is, the less asthma attacks you’re likely to have there. You also need to make the air in your home as dry as possible. Use a dehumidifier to control your home’s moisture. You can reduce the number of asthma attacks you suffer in the summer by controlling the humidity levels and keeping them steady.
Add more vitamin B6 to your diet. In many studies, it has been shown that vitamin B6 (which is also called pyridoxine) decreases the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks. How does this work? Pyridoxine is a chemical that reduces constriction in the bronchial tubes. This constriction is what brings on asthma attacks. People who need additional vitamin B6 should eat bananas.
Asthma sufferers should take care to warm up before doing and strenuous exercise and cool down well afterwards. Avoid asthma problems by incorporating both into your exercise regime.
The cause of asthma can be hereditary or it can be induced by environmental factors. Sometimes both factors have a role in the disease. If a loved one in your household suffers from asthma, be mindful of any signs in others. Environmental conditions like mold spores, extra dust, pollution and smoke may cause asthma, so protect yourself and your kids from these hazards.
You can properly deal with asthma attacks by coming up with a plan on how to handle them once one starts. This is important because as long as you are prepared, then you are in a much better situation to deal with asthma.
Try to keep your living space clean and swept. Also, make sure to wash your pillows, blankets and sheets often. This will eradicate dust mites, which can cause asthma attacks. Built up dust makes the air irritating and increases the chances of an asthma attack.
If you or a family member suffers from asthma, open the windows to let fresh air into your home as often as possible. Open doors and windows when possible to allow circulation of air. If your home is well-ventilated you have 200% less allergen levels than a home that is insulated. Clear the air regularly by ventilating your home.
Many people underestimate asthma, or at least think that they can’t do anything about it since it is an incurable disease. However, you’ll be amazed at how much difference you can make simply by following these simple steps to try and relieve symptoms and reduce the sources of asthma attacks.
Open up your windows, if there is smoke from cooking so that you don’t trigger any asthma attacks in those around you. Asthma can be easily set off by this smoke, so it is best to avoid it. If opening windows and doors in not sufficient in reducing smoke levels, then take a break and place yourself in the open air.