Asthma is a very serious medical problem that can greatly impact your life. To prevent your asthma from becoming dangerous, you must learn how to properly care for your condition. This article has many tips on managing your asthma.
When you have asthma, you need to be careful around chemical cleaning products. Many chemicals contained in common cleaning products can aggravate your asthma, triggering an attack. It is advisable to consider using products that have an organic base when cleaning.
What triggers your asthma? Before you can develop a self-care plan for your asthma symptoms, you need to know the specific cause of your symptoms. For example, if your asthma is induced by exercise, it might be wise to always have an inhaler in your gym bag. If you are familiar with your symptoms and their patterns, you will be better able to avoid emergencies.
Avoid anything that can trigger your asthma. For some people, it may be related to allergies, such as a reaction to dust or pollen. Others have asthma attacks when they participate in physical activities. You should know what causes asthma, so you can stay away from these things.
If asthma is something that you are afflicted with, then don’t smoke or immediately quit. Smoking is detrimental to anyone’s health, but those with asthma suffer especially because cigarettes lessen the oxygen supply that is crucial for the lungs to function properly and prevent an asthma attack.
Talk to a social worker if you do not have health insurance and need medication for your asthma. It is important that you are able to afford your asthma medications, so a social worker may be able to find you a clinic or hospital that offers your medication at little to no cost.
The symptoms of asthma might not always be apparent, but for those that suffer from the disease, the condition never goes away entirely. 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. Discuss treatment strategies with both your primary care physician and your allergist.
Be sure you and your family members get a yearly flu vaccination. Try to avoid getting any respiratory infections if you have asthma. This means taking every precaution possible, do things like getting vaccinated to prevent sickness to hand washing on a regular basis.
During an attack that isn’t severe, force all air from your lungs. Breathe out hard and fast. Force all the air out of the lungs! Then take three quick breaths, next a deeper breath till your lungs fill with air, then repeat the forceful exhalation again. This gives your breathing a rhythm, which makes you aware of how many breaths you take. Expelling the air from your lungs in this fashion also allows you to breathe in deeper. You may generate sputum or cough but that is alright, since your main objective is getting you to breathe normally again.
Be sure to take plenty of Vitamins C and E if you have asthma. These vitamins aid in improving the function of the lungs and controlling the symptoms of asthma. It doesn’t matter if you get the vitamins for food or a supplement; just get them. These vitamins also help boost your immune system, which helps to prevent illnesses that trigger asthma.
If the room that you’re in is dusty, do not turn on a fan. When you turn on the fans they will move the dust in the room around and this can trigger your asthma very easily. Open a window instead to get the air flowing.
If you deal with asthma in your life, always choose products that are free of scents. Scented products, like air fresheners, incense and perfume, raise indoor pollution levels and can trigger asthma attacks. Certain things around the home, such as newly installed carpet or fresh paint, can also release chemical irritants. Try to make it your goal to keep the indoor air as fresh and allergen free as possible.
If you suffer from asthma and allergy attacks, ask your doctor for a long-lasting allergy injection. It is called omalizumab, and it is an antibody medicine used to control allergic reaction symptoms. You will need to speak to your allergist to find out if this would be helpful to you.
Whenever you travel, always keep your rescue inhaler or other fast-acting medication by your side at all times. It’s easy to get thrown off your regular eating and sleeping routine while traveling, which strains your body and increases your vulnerability to asthma attack triggers. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Asthma Attacks
To stay out in front of your asthma, make sure that you see the doctor to receive regular checkups. You cannot be certain when you will next have an issue with your asthma, or when there may be a better medication available to utilize for your condition.
A leukotriene inhibitor may be an excellent way for you to deal with asthma. This type of inhibitor is designed to prevent leukotrienes. A leukotrienes is a type of chemical that causes inflammation, which leads to asthma attacks. Get the inhibitor to prevent the leukotrienes, and your asthma attacks may drop in number.
Mold and mildew will often grow in a humid home. Protect yourself against allergens, dust mites and fungus to avoid exacerbating your asthma symptoms. Therefore, you should always strive to maintain a dry home. Whenever you use a heater, you should use a dehumidifier, and air conditioning will help in the summer.
Use the inhaler properly. Move to a quiet area, and then simply follow manufacturer’s instructions. The inhaler can only help you if the medication actually reaches the lungs. Inhale deeply and spray the correct dose into your mouth. Hold in your breath for 10 seconds so the medicine works properly.
Avoid smoke, if you don’t want to have an asthma attack. Smoke can cause you to have an asthma attack. Vapors, cigarette smoke, and chemical fumes should be avoided. Exposing yourself to these pollutants can have a significant effect on your asthma symptoms. If you live with or near a smoker, find a way to politely ask that they not smoke around you or your living spaces.
A dehumidifier is an excellent investment for asthma sufferers. When your home has less humidity, there are less dust mites, and that minimizes the chances of an asthma flare-up. Dehumidifiers cause the air in your home to become dry, which means less humidity.
If you have asthma consider staying away from pets or animals. Even people that do not have allergies are prone to suffer an asthma attack from the pollen and dust on animals.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. Consider purchasing and using organic cleaning products since they are void of irritating chemicals.
If you are suffering from asthma, you should learn how to utilize your inhaler the right way. You can’t just spray into your mouth and softly inhale. You must breathe deeply for at least a few seconds when using your inhaler. Properly using your asthma inhaler is one of the most important ways you, as a person with asthma, can protect your health.
If you suffer from asthma, avoid smokers, even if you do not smoke yourself. When you inhale tobacco smoke, particularly in small areas without much ventilation, lung function may be severely impacted, and you have a higher chance of having an attack.
If you use your inhaler over two times a week, talk to your doctor about changing your medicine. This means that the medication in your inhaler is not working well enough. If you must refill your inhaler over two times a year, then it’s time to inquire with your doctor about a medication switch as well.
Make it a habit to always have some rescue medication available when you travel. Traveling can put additional strain on your body, making you more susceptible to asthma triggers. You also have less control of your surroundings while you are away from home, so it is difficult to avoid potential triggers and to maintain control over your attack.
Learn everything you can about your condition. The more you understand about the condition, the more effective you’ll be in taking steps to manage your asthma. Keep up with trends and new treatment methods, and ensure that the medical professionals on your team are working hard to help you. You can easily know this information by further developing your knowledge about your condition, as well as, discovering treatment options.
Do not allow mold or mildew to grow in your home, because they can be extremely dangerous for asthma sufferers. Mold and mildew can easily cause severe asthma attacks. It is best if you keep the air in your home as dry as possible. In the winter months, use a dehumidifier in order to get rid of moisture. Your air conditioner will keep it dry in the summer.
If you are going to paint your home, purchase a mask beforehand so that you will not breath the fumes. Not surprisingly, paint fumes are a known irritant for asthma. Specially designed masks can filter out these fumes. Stay away from any chemicals or substance that could worsen your condition.
If you feel like your symptoms are taking over your life, speak with your doctor. As much as possible, take steps to use these tips to manage your symptoms, and improve life quality.
Make sure you consume more foods with vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 — also called pyridoxine– can reduce the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks. Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is instrumental in the production of specific molecules which help the bronchial tissue to relax. People who need additional vitamin B6 should eat bananas.