Asthma is one of a serious condition that can negatively affect your life. You have to take necessary steps in battling it so that it won’t become severe and out of control. This article provides many tips and approaches to help manage your asthma.
What type of asthma do you suffer from? Learning about your type of asthma will help you manage its impact on your life. If you have exercised-induced asthma, for example, you’ll want to bring your inhaler with you to the gym or other locations where you might be involved in physical activity. Knowing your asthma symptom patterns will help keep you safe.
Avoid those things that trigger your asthma. For some, this is allergy related; things like pollen and dust can start an attack. Others find themselves suffering from attacks when they participate in physical activities. Try and figure out when your asthma began so you know what to avoid.
If you are having an asthma attack (mild or moderate), you need to try to force air out of the lungs. Breathe out quick and forcefully. This will force the air from your lungs. Follow this by breathing in three times quickly, and a fourth time deeply to ensure your lungs are filled to capacity, then exhale again as forcefully as possible. 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. There may be periods of harsh coughing and a substantial generation of sputum, but this is actually what you want in order to get the airways opened and the breathing back on a regular pattern.
Some medications that you may take unknowingly can exacerbate asthma symptoms as a side effect. Aspirin is an example of a widely used medicine that can affect asthma sufferers.
Make sure you use the inhaler in the proper, prescribed method. Find a comfy spot, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Your inhaler will only help if you breathe very deeply. Spray the dosage into the mouth while you inhale air. Don’t exhale for ten seconds so that the medicine can go through your lungs.
These vitamins are thought to help improve the function of the lungs and control asthma symptoms. You can find the vitamins either from food or supplements. These vitamins can improve your immune system and help prevent asthma triggers.
If you have asthma, get a dehumidifier for your home. Though you may not be aware of it, high levels of humidity in indoor spaces can increase dust mites, which then can affect asthma. A dehumidifier works to dry the air by removing moisture.
Using over four kinds of cleaning products in the home can contribute to asthma attacks. Choose instead organic products that will irritate your disease.
If you have been diagnosed with asthma then you should avoid cigarettes and smokers like the plague. When you inhale smoke, especially in close quarters, lung functioning is decreased, and it can trigger an attack.
If you have asthma, be sure to stay away from people who smoke, even if you do not smoke. When you breathe in smoke, especially in close quarters, your lung function can be drastically decreased, which greatly increases the probability of an asthma attack.
If you are dealing with asthma, a good idea is to use a pillow without feathers. Feathers can trigger asthma symptoms and reduce lung function. The same rule holds true for bedding. Choose sheets and a comforter that are constructed from materials known for being hypoallergenic.
You may have to take more asthma medicine if you suffer from hay fever or a cold. Many of these illnesses will worsen your asthma to flare up so badly that you need to have an increase in treatment. Your physician might also work an additional treatment into your therapy until the illness gets better.
Some of the most notorious causes of asthma attacks exist in normal households. Such irritants include mold spores, dust, smoke and chemical fumes. To ensure health and reduce the potential for asthma attacks, have a yearly inspection for the presence and removal of these hazards. If you clean your house regularly, you can minimize the risk of these substances accumulating in your dwelling.
Make sure that your rescue medication available when you travel.You also have little control over your environment when traveling, so it is difficult to avoid potential triggers and to maintain control over your attack.
Mold and mildew will often grow in a humid home. You can get asthma attacks because of these substances. Therefore, it can benefit you to ensure your home stays as dry as possible. During the winter, you can use a dehumidifier to control humidity when using a heater, and an air conditioner during the summer will help keep your home dry.
Asthma is a terrible condition that can be severe enough to keep you away from social activiites.
Be sure to thoroughly understand how to utilize asthma medication correctly, particularly any rescue medication. Typically, asthma is treated using normal medications along with rescue medication, like an inhaler, for emergency situations. Because asthma has no cure, you must treat it carefully by taking your maintenance medication every day and using your emergency medication responsibly.
Avoid Asthma Attacks
If you need to travel with your asthma medication, particularly if you plan on bringing a nebulizer or other large equipment, it can be helpful to obtain a letter from your doctor explaining their use. Without a written prescription stating that the item is medically necessary, you may experience frustration and delays at security checkpoints.
During colder months, avoid asthma attacks by wearing a scarf, muffler or scarf that will cover your nose and mouth to help you avoid asthma attacks. This will warm the air that you breathe before you breathe it into your lungs. Breathing in the cold air has been shown to trigger asthma attacks, particularly in younger children that have moderate or severe asthma.
It’s a very good habit to use your asthma inhaler as a daily preventative, although the drug residue can cause issues for your gums and teeth. To avoid those complications, be sure to brush teeth, gargle, and rinse mouth completely right after you have used the inhaler.
It is important to know the proper way to use asthma medication, particularly rescue inhalers.Asthma treatment is generally two-pronged: Daily asthma treatment and additional emergency medicine which is supplemented with rescue medications like inhalers. Because asthma does not get cured, you must treat it carefully by taking your maintenance medication every day and using your emergency medication responsibly.
Clean your home with a wet mop instead of a broom. Sweeping your floor can kick allergens into the air, triggering an asthma attack. A damp rag should be used when dusting because a feather duster can cause dust to kick up and lead to an asthma attack.
Keep track of the number of times per week you use your inhaler each week. If your records start to show you need the inhaler more than two times weekly, your asthma is possibly not being well-controlled. How often you use your rescue inhaler is used can help to monitor the environment.
Have more than one medical professional look at your asthma problems. Your PCP can be the person you go to for help with asthma, but it’s also a good idea to talk to a specialist. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, allergists or even nutritionists will be able to work with you, make certain that you check out all outlets offering treatment.
When housecleaning, clean floors with a wet mop instead of a broom. Sweeping the floor kicks up dust and other things that can set off an attack of your asthma. A damp rag should be used when dusting because a feather duster is the best choice for an asthma attack.
Asthmatics should avoid smoking tobacco products whenever possible. Most people know that smoking is unhealthy, but the consequences are even worse for someone who has asthma. Smoke irritates the lungs of an asthma sufferer, so avoid the presence of people who smoke if you have asthma.
Asthma Attacks
Those with asthma should remain inside as much as they can when the pollen count rises. Asthma itself may not be an allergy, many of the same things that affect allergy sufferers also affect those with asthma. 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.
Avoid smoke if you want to prevent asthma and asthma attacks.Smoke can seriously affect the lungs and chemicals have been known to trigger asthma attacks. Stay away from chemical fumes, chemicals, and vapors as much as you can. These can exacerbate your asthma symptoms to greatly increase. If you live with or near a smoker, remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible.
Make sure that you protect yourself if you’re planning on doing anything like painting your home. You should purchase a protective mask to cut back on fume inhalation. A proper breathing mask will help to protect asthma sufferers from paint fumes. Do not go use certain chemicals that will make your asthma worse.
Asthma sufferers should minimize their contact with all animals.
Eat foods high in vitamin B6. Recent research has shown that vitamin B6 , widely known as pyridoxine, is effective at reducing the occurrence of asthma attacks. Pyridoxine is essential because it produces certain substances that relax bronchial tissues. Bananas are a great source of Vitamin B6.
Bed linens can collect dust, such as pollen, all of which can further aggravate asthma. You can reduce or eliminate these by washing your sheets and other linens in hot water each week.
Genetics and/or environmental factors can cause asthma. If anyone in your family suffers from asthma, beware of any symptoms that are suggestive of asthma in you or your children. Environmental conditions like mold spores, extra dust, pollution and smoke may cause asthma, so protect yourself and your kids from these hazards.
You should get a team of medical professionals to help you craft your asthma treatment.Your family doctor or primary care physician can be the person you go to regularly for asthma symptoms, but seeing a specialist can provide you with invaluable help. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, pulmonologists, making sure you are getting all the treatment you need.
Make sure your space is clean. Washing sheets, blankets or pillows regularly can also help. By doing this, you get rid of dust and dust mites. Both of these things can trigger an asthma attack. When you have a build-up of dust in the air, your lungs will suffer and that can set off an attack.
Most people know that smoking is dangerous, but the consequences are even worse for someone who has asthma. Smoke is extremely irritating to the already sensitive asthmatic lungs, if you do suffer from asthma, someone with asthma should avoid people that are smoking.
Keep track of any allergy symptoms you suffer and talk to your doctor if you have more than 2 attacks in any given week. Doctors agree that having more than two attacks a week can be dangerous.
This means that the inhaler is not working for you. This also applies to anyone who needs to refill their inhaler prescription more than twice in a calendar year.
Know what symptoms indicate a serious asthma attack that requires immediate medical intervention is occurring. These symptoms include a bluish tint to the lips or fingernails and unresponsiveness to medication. Speech may also become difficult.
Educate Yourself
Look for signs of an allergic reaction to food in your children. If you notice any kinds of hives or breathing problems after they have eaten a particular food, you are going to want to have them tested for the allergy at the doctor. Food allergies are often a sign that a child may develop asthma.
Educate yourself about the asthma. The more you know, the more effective you’ll be in taking steps to manage your asthma. Keep current with the latest asthma news and research so that you’re getting the best possible care. The best way to ensure this is to know as much as you can do is educate yourself about asthma and your options for treatment.
Don’t exercise in cold, dry air if you have asthma. When the bronchial airways become cold and dry, you’re much more likely to experience an asthma attack. Therefore, you should always make sure it is a little warm and humid before doing any strenuous exercise outdoors.
Make sure you are annually vaccinated yearly for the flu. Even if you do not get sick often, you should still get your flu vaccination just in case. If you are asthma attack prone, getting the flu will cause further respiratory issues, particularly those that are flu-related.
The pillows you use most often should be frequently replaced. For daily needs, use pillowcases and towels that are made from 100 percent cotton, because dust mites can penetrate other materials. The number one environmental trigger of asthma attacks is the dust mite.
If your toddler has asthma, watch for signs of an asthmatic attack which would require an immediate visit to the emergency room. Some symptoms to watch for include: an inability to inhale adequate air, difficulty making sounds and speaking, etc. Any one of these signs means that your child requires immediate medical attention.
If you suffer from asthma, open the window when cooking meals that release a large amount of smoke. Even a small amount of smoke can quickly make it difficult for an asthma sufferer to breath. If an open window does not help, it may be necessary to leave the building.
Talk to your physician if you feel your symptoms aren’t improving. Apply the advice you have read in this article to help you get around the symptoms.