Living with asthma is a burden, and asthma attacks are downright frightening. However, if you know how to deal with the asthma, you can improve your quality of life drastically. Keep reading for new, and old, ideas on handling your asthma.
Avoid harsh cleaning chemicals if you are an asthma sufferer. Many chemicals contained in common cleaning products can aggravate your asthma, triggering an attack. If you clean the home, there are many natural products that are safe to use.
Do you know the type of asthma that you suffer with? Being fully informed about the specific type of asthma you have is very important. For example, if your asthma is often triggered by workouts, your inhaler should always be on hand when you exercise. You can actually start preventing asthma attacks if you are aware and mindful of any patterns that your symptoms present.
When suffering a mild or even moderate asthma attack, attempt to push all air from your lungs. Force air out of your lungs with quick, powerful exhalations. Truly pump all air from your lungs! Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. This will make your breathing rhythmic and help you pay more attention to it. It also keeps air flowing out of the lung,s so that you can refill them. This breathing technique may cause some coughing or sputum, but it can help regulate your breathing and reduce the attack.
If you have any children who suffer from asthma, avoid smoking around them at all costs. One of the biggest reasons people have asthma is secondhand smoke. Make sure you keep your child away from other people who are smoking, too.
If the room that you’re in is dusty, do not turn on a fan. A fan will spread dust and debris all over. This can very easily aggravate your asthma, and cause serious symptoms. If you wish to have a breeze, open a window instead of running a fan.
You should stay away from anything you might believe which can trigger an asthma attack. For many, allergens like dust and pollen, can trigger their attacks. For others, certain physical activities may be the trigger. You should know what causes asthma, so you can stay away from these things.
Consider getting allergy shots if you have asthma that is caused by allergies that aren’t under control. An antibody medicine known as omalizumab is very effective at countering asthma attacks related to allergies. Ask your allergist about it.
Cigarette smoke will make your asthma worse. Smoking is off limits. Avoid fumes and vapors of any kind. This may cause an asthma attack you can’t stop. Avoid secondhand smoke by leaving physical distance between yourself and the smoker.
Make sure that everyone in your family gets their flu shot. Respiratory infections can seriously hurt those who suffer from asthma, so take measures to avoid contracting them. This means taking every precaution possible, do things like getting vaccinated to prevent sickness to hand washing on a regular basis.
Should you wind up inside a really dusty room, don’t activate any fans. This can move the dust around and can trigger an attack easily. On smog-free, low pollen days, open your windows to improve airflow in the house.
Think about getting a home dehumidifier if you have asthma. When you use a dehumidifier, it will reduce the amount of dust mites. This will reduce asthma attacks. Try running a dehumidifier to dry up the air in your home.
Consider getting allergy shots if you have asthma that is caused by allergies that aren’t under control. One antibody medication available is called Omalizumab and can be prescribed by your doctor or allergist.
To cut the risk of an asthma attack, keep your house as clean as you can, particularly the bedroom of the person with asthma. Food should only be eaten in the kitchen area, and whatever you do, please don’t smoke. After you clean, let the house air out completely, and stay away from using any harsh chemicals (especially bleach) inside.
Social Worker
An annual flu shot is crucial if you have asthma or have an asthmatic child. Prevent these infections from occurring by going to get vaccinated each year.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. Asthma medications are never cheap, but it’s vital that you receive them and that is the social worker’s goal. He or she will deal with the clinics directly in efforts to remedy the situation.
Make sure that your rescue medication is at hand at all times during your travels. 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. Traveling can make asthma symptoms worse, and it is difficult, nearly impossible to control environmental triggers during travel.
You and your loved ones need to get a flu vaccination every year. If you have asthma, it’s important to prevent all respiratory infections, if at all possible. You can start by taking simple precautions, such as washing your hands and getting proper vaccinations when due.
You must have regular asthma reviews, even if you are not having any problems. You don’t know when you could have another flare-up, or if there are better or safer medications available.
Unscented products are the safest option for those who suffer from asthma. Scented products should be avoided, such as air fresheners, perfume, and incense. These can increase the amount of air pollution in the home and even trigger an attack. Fresh paint and new carpeting also give off odors that may aggravate the airways. Try to see that the air inside your home remains as fresh as possible.
Be sure you understand how to use your asthma medication, especially emergency medication. Asthma is a condition traditionally treated with a combination of a regular medicine and an emergency medicinal inhaler. Managing your medicine properly is important because asthma is a chronic health problem.
Your asthma medication may need to be adjusted if you become ill. The effects of an illness can cause the severity of your asthma to temporarily increase, which necessitates a change in treatment. It is also possible that your physician will add an additional treatment to your routine until you recover from your illness.
Asthma develops gradually, and its symptoms may not be very noticeable. There have been a few cases where a person dies from their first attack, because they didn’t know they suffered from the condition. Because of this, persistent respiratory problems need to be checked out by a doctor, who may prescribe medication to treat existing symptoms or prevent new ones from appearing.
If you have asthma, or if your children have asthma, it is vital that you receive the flu shot yearly. Regular vaccinations will help you and your children to avoid lung infections.
Keep an asthma diary and record how often, each week, you must use a rescue inhaler. If you find that you are relying on it more than two times a week, your asthma is possibly not being well-controlled. The number of times you use your inhaler can serve as a good reminder to monitor your environment and other aspects of your asthma management plan.
Humidity in the home can create an environment that is ideal for mold and mildew to grow. Asthma attacks are easily triggered by these substances. Therefore, you should always strive to maintain a dry home. Using a dehumidifier during cold weather and turning on your air conditioner when the weather gets hot again can help keep humidity out of your home to ensure your asthma is under control.
Allergens and asthma triggers, such as dust and pollen can cling to your bed linens. The easiest way to get rid of these triggering agents is by washing all of your bedding using your washer’s hot setting every Sunday. Fresh bed linens, laundered on a regular basis, will keep you breathing clearly and easily at night while you slumber.
Wear scarves, shawls and mufflers to cover your noise and mouth during colder weather. You can help warm the air with these things before they bring any harm to your lungs. Studies have indicated that asthma attacks are sometimes triggered when cold air is inhaled. This is especially true for young children who have asthma that is moderate to severe.
Always wear a face mask, if you are going to do any painting, in order to protect your airways from the fumes. Paint fumes can be irritating to asthma sufferers, but a mask creates a protective shield. Substances and chemicals which have the power to trigger asthma should be widely avoided.
You should know how to manage and live with asthma. Once you learn how to treat asthma it will not be such a heavy burden to you. Fortunately, medical science has discovered much regarding asthma, and the information here can get you started towards better management and clearer understanding of this affliction.
Closely monitor the frequency of your asthma attacks. If you have more than two asthma attacks in a week, it may be time to change medications. Getting more than two attacks a week is dangerous for your health and you should take action.