You’ve just gotten the asthma diagnosis and are panicking. Asthma is known to be a chronic condition, which means there is no known cure. However, a diagnosis of asthma does not mean your life has to be drastically altered. Keep reading to gain insight as to what you can do to keep this serious disease under control.
Do not smoke around your children if they have asthma. One of the primary causes of asthma is secondhand smoke. You also need to be sure that your child isn’t around those that choose to smoke.
If you have asthma, you should definitely avoid smoking or being exposed to any kind of fumes or vapors. Decrease the effects of asthma by wearing a protective mask when pollution levels are especially high.
Know situations and conditions that cause asthma attacks for you, and stay away from them in the future as much as possible. This can vary from person to person, as small particles like dust can cause asthma attacks. For others, certain physical activities may be the trigger. Try to see what cause your asthma so that you can avoid it.
Asthma is an ongoing disease and requires ongoing health management. You need to keep taking your medications to control the asthma symptoms every day, and if an attack should occur, you should have quick relief medication at your disposal. Talk to your doctor and allergist to see what is the best idea for you.
If you’re having an asthma attack, a great way to handle this is to immediately evacuate the air from your lungs. Breathe out quick and forcefully. Forcefully push the air out from your lungs. Then, follow three short intakes of breath with one longer inhalation until your lungs are filled with air, although not uncomfortably so. Finally, expel the air from your lungs with force again. This establishes a regular pattern to your breathing routine, which means you have to pay attention to how you are breathing. This is a good way to empty your lungs and let more air come in. It may cause you to cough or even generate sputum, but that’s fine, you goal is for your breathing to get back to normal.
Social Worker
If you are having trouble preventing asthma attacks, you may find success with a leukotriene inhibitor. A leukotriene inhibitor prevents the formation of leukotrienes. A leukotrienes is a type of chemical that causes inflammation, which leads to asthma attacks. The inhibitor will prevent leukotrienes, which can decrease the amount of asthma attacks that you have.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. A social worker can possibly help you with finding treatment and low-cost medications.
Properly use the inhaler every time you must use it. Find a relaxing spot, and be sure that you follow the directions that the manufacturer provided. You can inhale all you want, but it’s useless if the medication doesn’t make it to your lungs. The dosage that is required should be sprayed into the mouth while you inhale air. Don’t exhale for ten seconds so that the medicine can go through your lungs.
Both Vitamin C and Vitamin E are important if you suffer from asthma. These vitamins help to control asthma symptoms and improve the function of your lungs. You can get both of these vitamins from eating certain foods, or by taking the vitamins in supplement form. These vitamins will also help prevent illnesses by boosting your body’s immune system.
If you are dealing with asthma, you would benefit from buying a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will reduce attacks by taking extra humidity and, by extension, dust mites and other debris out of your air. Dehumidifiers keep your home dry by keeping the humidity out.
If you have asthma, or if your children have asthma, it is vital that you receive the flu shot yearly. Get yearly vaccinations to keep these potential infections at bay.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t expose yourself to secondhand smoke. When tobacco smoke is inhaled, especially in closed-in areas, your lung function can be drastically decreased, which can increase your chances of suffering from an attack.
Make it a habit to always have some rescue medication available when you travel. You may find that the stress of traveling makes an asthma attack more likely. You also have little control over your surroundings as you travel, and this may result in an increase in symptoms or frequency of attacks.
If you have hay fever or a cold, chances are your asthma treatment will be increased. A lot of illnesses can cause your asthma to flare up very badly, resulting in the necessity to increase asthma treatment. It is possible your doctor will want to add additional therapies to your treatment program until you are back on your feet.
If you or a loved one suffers from asthma, a support group may help. You can find support groups online or in your community. Asthma, particularly if it is severe, can incapacitate you and keep you from going about your daily activities. Your peers will be able to provide you with advice and tips that work for them, information about new treatment techniques, and even some home remedies you might not know about.
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.
Asthma Attacks
Look for a support group, such as an online community or a local group. Many people who suffer from asthma are unable to live a full life. On top of that, an asthma support group will keep you apprised of the latest developments in asthma medication and other significant medical breakthroughs.
During cold months, you could avoid asthma attacks by constantly wearing a shawl, muffler or a scarf that covers both your mouth and nose. This allows you to warm air before it enters your lungs. Breathing in cold air tends to start asthma attacks, especially with younger children that have severe or moderate asthma.
If you have asthma consider staying away from pets or animals. An allergy to an animal will worsen asthma symptoms, and an animal can carry enough dust or pollen to trigger an attack.
If you’re flying with asthma medications, be sure you get a prescription from your physician. Carrying your prescriptions along with written proof that they are medically necessary, will cut down on potential problems at the airport checkpoints.
Have more than one medical professional look at your asthma problems. Your family doctor will be in charge of your asthma treatment, but seeing a specialist can provide you with invaluable help. 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.
When you clean house, it is recommended that you clean your floor with a wet mop instead of sweeping it. Sweeping can trigger an asthma attack due to the copious clouds of minute asthma-triggering particles it kicks up. Dusting with a damp cloth rather than a feather duster can be a considerable help in reducing the amount of dust and other things that might start an attack.
When pollen counts begin to rise, then anyone who suffers from asthma should just stay inside as much as they can. Asthma symptoms are not the same as allergic reactions, but allergies and asthma attacks have many common triggers. Information about local air quality is available in many areas so that those with asthma can reduce their outdoor exposure if irritants are within the air.
Bed Linens
If you have asthma and allergies and use a humidifier, make sure it is thoroughly cleaned as often as necessary. If the vaporizer or humidifier has not been thoroughly cleaned there could be bacteria growing inside of it. When you turn it on it will pump allergens that you will inevitably breath in.
Allergens, pollen, dust and some other asthma aggravators can collect in your bed linens. You can avoid this by making sure to wash your bed linens in hot water at least once a week. If there are always fresh linens on your bed, you are much more likely to sleep restfully without unexpected asthma attacks.
Learn as much as you can about asthma. When you’re knowledgeable about your condition, you’ll be able to advocate for yourself and seek out the best possible treatment. Look into cutting-edge treatments, and seek the best medical care you can find. The only way to know this is to learn about your condition and your treatment options.
If the pollen count is rising, stay indoors when possible. The same pollens and other irritants that cause trouble for allergy sufferers are also concerns for asthma sufferers, even though the two are quite distinct conditions. The same air quality reports available in the local news for allergy problems can also help those with asthma issues stay indoors on particularly hazardous days.
Always use an appropriately-designed mask when painting to guard against breathing paint fumes. Paint can trigger asthma-related issues, but wearing a mask will provide a protective barrier to circumvent these issues. In fact, you should stay vigilant here and avoid any and all chemicals that may trigger an asthma attack.
Always try your best to remain calm if you begin having an asthma attack. Wait half a minute and try the inhaler one more time. If your attack continues to worsen, seek help. Ask a family member or friend to call for ambulatory help or to drive you to the emergency room. Breathing in and out of a paper bag on the way will help slow down your breathing.
Keep track of how often allergies trigger asthma attacks. If you experience two or more asthma attacks a week after taking allergy medicine, switch to a different allergy medication. Doctors agree that having more than two attacks a week can be dangerous.
If you find you need your inhaler too often, more than two times a week, talk to your doctor about changing your prescription. Having to use your inhaler multiple times means the medicine you’re receiving isn’t working well enough and needs to be changed. Also, if you refill the inhaler more than 2 times each year, there is the same result, which means making an appointment with your doctor.
Work to strengthen your body and gradually increase your lungs’ capacity. Never induce an asthma attack by attempting a workout when you aren’t sure if you will be able to complete it because of your asthma.
As the above article has demonstrated, it’s vital that you’re as prepared as possible in regards to managing asthma. Educating yourself on your particular asthma challenges and requirements will keep you healthy and minimize the risks you have to live with. This article can help you build some knowledge to fight it.
The following symptoms can signify a serious attack worthy of emergency room attention. If your child is experiencing a serious asthma attack, you will see: increased use of medication with little or no effect, gray or bluish fingernails and/or lips. Children in the midst of a serious asthma attack may have trouble communicating their condition.