Asthma is a very serious medical condition that can make life harder to live. Read on to learn more about strategies for asthmatics.
There are medications that can unknowingly cause asthma-like symptoms. Aspirin and other NSAIDs are known to be asthma triggers. Some medications for blood pressure and heart disease – those referred to as beta blockers – can also exacerbate asthma problems. If you have any of these conditions along with your asthma, make sure you tell your doctor.
If you have been diagnosed with asthma and you are a smoker, you absolutely must not subject yourself to any form of cigarette smoke. Smoking is not recommended for anyone, but patients that suffer from asthma are negatively affected by smoke as it cuts the oxygen supply off and induces an asthma attack.
Any type of smoke can bring on a serious asthma attack. Do not smoke yourself, either! Do not breathe in the vapors or any other chemical fumes. Inhaling these substances may trigger an unstoppable asthma attack. If others are smoking nearby, leave that area as quickly as you can.
It is important that you do your best to avoid cleaning chemicals if you have asthma. A lot of the cleaning products have certain chemicals in them which can trigger asthma attack or aggravate other symptoms. If you must do the cleaning in your home, there natural product solutions which are safe for you to use.
If you find that you are in a dusty room, do not put on any type of fan. This will move all the dust around, and can easily trigger an asthma attack. If you need airflow, simply opening a window would be better.
Asthma Attacks
Talk to a social worker if you have asthma and no health insurance. Affording asthma medication is important for handling the illness, and social workers can find places the offer the medicine at low costs.
Keep away from any and everything that you know to be a trigger for your asthma attacks. For many, it may be related to allergies, can trigger their attacks.Others may have asthma attacks that are triggered by physical activity. Try and figure out when your asthma started so you know what to avoid.
Make certain that you and your loved ones receive annual flu shots. It is a good idea to avoid all respiratory infections when you have asthma. Precautions include washing your hands and staying current with vaccinations.
There are some medications out there that may contribute to asthma symptoms. Aspirin and some other NSAIDs are known to be asthma triggers.
If you suffer from asthma, taking enough Vitamin E and C can help you. Both vitamins improve lung function, helping you to better resist asthma attacks and other negative symptoms. You can get both of these vitamins from eating certain foods, or by taking the vitamins in supplement form. Getting enough vitamins is also a good way to prevent asthma attacks by boosting your immune system.
Cigarette smoke and asthma worse.Avoid all fumes and vapors of any kind. This can set off an Asthma attack you can’t stop. If you see people smoking in your vicinity, get away from them immediately.
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.
A leukotriene inhibitor can be helpful if you to deal with asthma. These medications prevent the formation of leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are inflammation-causing chemicals that cause the tracheal muscles to contract; having too many leukotrienes makes asthma attacks more likely.
If you have asthma, it is imperative that you stay away from smokers. 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.
Learn how to use your inhaler.The inhaler will only useful if the medication within it actually gets to your lungs. Inhale air while spraying the correct amount of medication into your mouth. You should keep your breath 10 seconds so the medicated mist is able to fill up your lungs.
If you’re suffering from a cold or allergies, you should talk to your doctor about taking additional asthma medication. The effects of an illness can cause the severity of your asthma to temporarily increase, which necessitates a change in treatment. Your physician might also work an additional treatment into your therapy until such time as you are healthier.
These vitamins have been known to improve the function of the lungs and control asthma symptoms. It doesn’t matter if you get the vitamins for food or by taking dietary supplements. These vitamins can also boost the immune system to prevent asthma triggers.
Know what causes your asthma attacks, as this will enable you to work around them or prepare to treat the asthma attacks that result. Most asthma sufferers have a few common triggers such as smoke, pet dander or pollen. When possible, stay away from these triggers that cause symptoms or ultimately, full-blown attacks.
Avoid a lot of these infections by making sure your and your child’s vaccines are up to date.
If you are an asthma patient, you may want to sleep with a pillow that does not contain feathers. People are often allergic to these natural products that can affect breathing and bring on asthma symptoms. This applies to bedding, as well, so it’s best to make sure that everything on your bed is hypoallergenic.
Make sure to examine what it is that causes your asthma attacks in order to best avoid it or prepare properly. The majority of individuals afflicted with asthma know there are common irritants like pollen, including allergens or cigarette smoke. Avoid your asthma triggers as much as you can to breathe easier.
Travel with your rescue medication on your person at all times. Traveling tends to put extra stain on the body, and you’re more susceptible to your asthma triggers under these conditions. While on the road, it is also hard to control the environment you are in, which also makes an attack more likely.
Asthma can be severe enough to keep you from participating in life the way you want to.
A support group can offer empathy and information about new treatments and medication. Asthma can be devastating and lead to lethargy and withdrawal from normal life – especially if it is quite severe. As science marches on, new medications and treatments for asthma become available, and you can keep abreast of this progress through a good support group.
Your home is where most asthma and its triggers.These include mold, spores and mold. Cleaning your house on a regular basis will also help prevent the buildup of these hazardous substances.
Asthma generally develops over a period of time, and the symptoms are not always obvious. There are known cases where someone has actually died from a single asthma attack, because they were unaware that they had the disease. Discuss with your doctor if you are having problems trying to catch your breath or have had a persistent cough for a while. There is the possibility that you have developed asthma, and if so, your doctor can tell you what the best method to treat it would be.
During the colder months, wear a shawl, muffler or a scarf that covers both your mouth and nose. This helps warm the air before you bring it into your lungs. Breathing in the cold air has been shown to trigger asthma attacks, especially with younger children that have severe or moderate asthma.
Smoke should always be avoided when you suffer from asthma. Smoke is one of the primary triggers of asthma. Make sure to stay away from chemical fumes and cigarette smoke whenever possible. Your asthma symptoms will be exacerbated by these things. Ask people around you not to smoke in your presence. Don’t be rude about it, but don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.
Most people know that smoking is dangerous, but the consequences are even worse for someone who has asthma. Smoke is an irritant to sensitive lungs, so take care not to smoke or be around others who are.
Your bed linens are where pollen, dust and other allergens like to collect. You may cut down on these potential inducers of an asthma attack by cleaning your sheets and pillows in hot water each week. If you are sleeping on freshly laundered linens, you will sleep much easier.
If you have allergies and asthma, don’t use a vaporizer or humidifier if it has not been completely cleaned.
If you suffer from asthma and allergies, make sure you clean your humidifier before using it. Permitting bacteria to grow inside the appliance will result in irritants being dispersed into the air you breathe.
If the attack gets worse, get help quickly. Have someone phone an ambulance or take you to the hospital. Breathing into a paper bag on the way will help by slowing your breathing.
Knowing how to appropriately and safely use your inhaler is essential if you are afflicted with asthma. Simply spraying it into your mouth with just a light inhale will not get the job done. Every time you spray the inhaler, be sure to breathe the mist in deeply and hold it for a a few moments. Proper techniques with your inhaler will keep your symptoms from increasing out of control.
Educate yourself about the asthma. The greater your knowledge base regarding asthma, the more proactive a treatment you can devise for yourself. Keep yourself up on what the most effective treatments are and find a good doctor. The only way you can do this is to learn about your condition and your treatment knowledge.
If you’re finding that you need to use your inhaler 3 or more times a week, it’s best to talk to your doctor about switching medications. Frequent need of an inhaler is an indication that the medication prescribed is not the right strength. This is also true if you are refilling your rescue inhaler prescription more than twice a year.
If you decide to paint a room in your house, buy a mask in advance to protect you from breathing in fumes. Paint can aggravate asthma, but a mask will prevent asthma attacks efficiently. Avoid specific substances and chemicals which can worsen your asthma.
Once you know what sets your asthma off, you can keep attacks from happening as frequently. Keeping a journal will help you and your doctor develop a plan to combat some of the triggers. Once you know your triggers, do what you can to eliminate them from where you are, as much as possible.
Environmental Factors
If you do not have your inhaler or medication present when you have an asthma attack, find some caffeine. It’s best to use a fast acting inhaler to end your asthma attack but caffeine can relieve asthma symptoms until you are able to get to your inhaler. Caffeine works because it constricts blood vessels and opens up the airways.
Asthma can be the result of genetics, including both genetic and environmental factors. If your family has a history of asthma, beware of any symptoms that are suggestive of asthma in you or your children. Environmental factors such as pollution, extra dust, pollution and smoke may cause asthma, so make sure to keep yourself and little ones away from these hazards.
You should always play close attention to the food that your children eat, specifically for signals that may indicate a serious food allergy. Some symptoms of food allergy can be extremely dangerous, and you should immediately get your child medical attention. These allergies are such as those that cause breathing difficulties, or those that cause noticeable swelling. If you suspect your child has a food allergy, have your child tested. You may develop asthma down the line if you have these allergies.
Try to maintain a clean and well-swept floors. Also, wash sheets, blankets and sheets often. When you do this, you prevent the buildup of dusts and dust mites, which can both trigger your asthma attacks.
If your child is younger than five and has asthma, always watch to see if an attack will require that you take them to the ER. This includes: gasping, difficulty speaking and sucking in air beneath the ribcage in an effort to breathe freely. If your child is showing any of these signs, they need urgent medical attention.
Coffee, chocolate, and even chocolate can all help lessen the symptoms associated with an asthma attack. Caffeine works because it constricts blood vessels so that your airways can open.
Replace your bed pillows as often as possible. Try using pillows and towels that are made of pure cotton, as dust mites are more likely to be harbored in other materials. Avoid dust mites to help decrease the chance of aggravating your asthma and triggering an attack.
Immediate Medical
A dehumidifier is a great thing to have in the home if you suffer from asthma. This device removes the humidity in the air and makes the environment more dry. Wet and humid homes are more likely to trigger an asthma attack. Thus, a dehumidifier will help to greatly reduce asthma symptoms.
If your child is younger than five and has asthma, you must carefully monitor for attacks that may require immediate medical intervention. Some symptoms to watch for include: an inability to inhale adequate air, difficulty speaking due to lacking air, extreme concavity of the abdomen while inhaling and gasping for breath. Any of these signs means that your child requires immediate medical attention.
Again, asthma isn’t to be taken lightly. If you ignore your symptoms, you could end up in the hospital or even die. Aim to protect yourself from sudden asthma attacks by avoiding areas of high pollution or allergens and keeping a rescue inhaler with you at all times. Put these tips to use, and free yourself from the constant fear of having an asthma attack.