Living with asthma has definite challenges, but it’s possible to manage it and find solutions to help you live an active and healthy life. There are numerous approaches in controlling or keeping asthma from adversely affecting your life. The following hints and tips can help you maximize your enjoyment of life, while minimizing the effects of your asthma.
You should avoid smoking at all costs and being exposed to vapors and perfumes if you suffer from asthma. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
An important tip to help protect your asthma-afflicted children is to always refrain from smoking around them. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of asthma. You also need to be sure that your child isn’t around those that choose to smoke.
If your child or another loved one suffers from asthma, you should be sure to never smoke cigarettes when you’re near them. One of the primary causes of asthma is secondhand smoke. Keep your child away from any area where people are smoking.
Common Medications
If allergy symptoms cause you to have moderate to severe asthma attacks, there is a medication available that can help for extended periods of time. An excellent antibody medication that works well to control asthma symptoms, brought on by allergic reactions is called Omalizumab, and can be administered by your allergist.
There are some common medications that you could be using that will cause asthma symptoms. Some of these include aspirin and NSAIDs. Common medications used for controlling high blood pressure often times contain beta blockers, which asthmatics may be more sensitive to. It is important to let your doctor know if you suffer from asthma together with any of these conditions.
Contact a social worker if you have asthma but do not meet the eligibility requirements for health insurance. You must have the ability to afford your medication, so a social worker might be able to locate a hospital or clinic that can offer them at little cost or free.
Asthma is a disease that is ongoing and must be attended to every day. Make sure you are taking the right medications to control your everyday asthma symptoms, and have a quick relief medication on hand if you have an attack. A variety of options are available for the treatment of asthmatic attacks. Consult your doctor and an allergist.
If you suffer from asthma, it is best to buy unscented products. 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 can also irritate the airway. As much as possible, try to keep your home filled with fresh, pure air.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, stay away from all types of cigarette smoke. Smoking is off limits. Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. This may cause an asthma attack you can’t stop. If you find that you have people smoking around you, get yourself out of that area rather quickly.
If you suffer with asthma, get a flu shot each year. A yearly vaccination will help minimize the number of infections your children have to deal with.
Asthma Attacks
If you suffer from asthma, it’s best to avoid pillows full of feathers. The feathers contained in the pillow could trigger the symptoms related to asthma and it could prevent your lungs from functioning efficiently. Patients should also buy hypoallergenic bedding.
If you are having trouble preventing asthma attacks, you may find success with a leukotriene inhibitor. A leukotriene inhibitor prevents the formation of leukotrienes. Leukotriene is a substance that may cause inflammation. This can make a person have an asthma attack. If you use an inhibitor, you may find that the your asthma attacks significantly decrease.
You may want to join an online or offline support group. Since severe asthma can be quite debilitating, it can have a huge impact on your everyday life. The individuals in this group could also provide you with new insights about medications that are out there, as well as other advice in dealing with asthma.
Use the inhaler properly. Get to a place out of the way, and read the directions before starting. The only way the inhaler can help is if the medication can reach your lungs. While inhaling air, spray required dosage in your mouth. You should keep your breath held for 10 seconds at a minimum to let the medicated mist fill up your lungs.
Mold and mildew grow in a home due to the humidity that creates a friendly environment for them. Both of these substances are known to trigger asthma attacks. Therefore, try and keep the home dry. You can maintain a dry home by using a dehumidifier and heater in the colder months, and air conditioning when it is warm.
Social Worker
If you are going to be flying and are bringing your asthma medicine with you, take written prescriptions from your physician with you, especially if you will be taking large equipment like a nebulizer. Having written documentation supporting this medically necessary item will eliminate any hassles when going through the security check point.
Talk to a social worker if you have asthma and no health insurance. Having the financial ability to purchase your asthma medications is essential, and a social worker can help you locate a hospital or clinic that can provide you with these medications for free or at a significantly reduced rate.
You should definitely use your preventative inhaler on a daily basis. However, you should be warned that the drug can also cause infections in your mouth, particularly near your teeth and gums. To prevent these issues, brush and use mouthwash immediately after inhaler usage.
Using four or more cleaners in your home can contribute to asthma attacks. Use organic products as often as possible, as these contain fewer harsh chemicals.
Make sure you count how many times, within a week, you have to use your inhaler. Using it two times or may may mean that your asthma is not as controlled as you may think it is. It could also mean that something else is bringing on these frequent attacks. If you have to use your inhaler a lot, you will know that you should more closely monitor your surroundings.
People who have asthma should stick to using unscented products. If you are using scented products like perfume, incense, or air fresheners you should up the level of air pollution in your home. You should also avoid fresh paints or new carpets, as they give off fumes that can irritate the airway. Aim to make the air inside your home allergen free, and as fresh and clean as possible.
Avoid all types of smoke, including cigarette smoke, if you have asthma. The inhalation of smoke can easily trigger an asthma attack. You should attempt to minimize your contact with cigarette smoke, chemical fumes, and noxious vapors. They can easily increase your asthma symptoms. Ask any smokers not to smoke in your presence.
Keep dust and dirt to a minimum in any bedroom where an asthma sufferer sleeps. Food should be eaten only in the kitchen or dining room, and cigarettes are best relegated to outdoor smoking areas. When cleaning your home, try not to use products that contain harsh chemicals, such as bleach. You should also allow fresh air to thoroughly circulate throughout your home after you’re done cleaning it.
Your bed linens are where pollen, dust and other allergens like to collect. If you put your pillowcases and sheets in hot water weekly, these inducers will be reduced or completely eliminated. Fresh bed linens, washed regularly, will ensure that you can breathe a little easier while you sleep.
If your child or yourself are asthma sufferers it is very important that you get the flu shot every single year. Regular vaccinations will help you and your children to avoid lung infections.
Smoking is particularly bad for people with asthma. Most people are educated about how dangerous smoking is, but it is much more harmful for people who have asthma. Sensitive asthmatic lungs are easily irritated by smoke, so they need to avoid smoking and to avoid situations where there are people who smoke.
Avoid feather pillows if you suffer from asthma. The feathers from a pillow can cause asthma symptoms and decrease your lung function. You should also look into hypoallergenic materials when buying sheets and a comforter.
If you have asthma, visit your doctor every three or four months so that they can help you monitor your health. Your physician must check you out regularly to see if you need to do anything differently with your treatment. Although your doctor is there to help you stay healthy and manage your asthma, your health is your responsibility. Make and keep regular doctor’s appointments so that you can keep asthma under control.
Regardless of whether your asthma has been flaring up, don’t neglect routine checkups. Your health care provider may have new prescriptions that could benefit you in case the need arises.
Eat a lot of foods that have vitamin B6. Vitamin B6, known as pyridoxine, reduces the risks of getting an asthma attack. Pyridoxine is essential because it produces certain substances that relax bronchial tissues. Bananas are a great source of Vitamin B6.
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, especially severe asthma, can be a debilitating condition and prevent you from participating fully in daily life. Others who suffer from asthma can give you immeasurable amounts of support and advice, and help you keep up with new medical developments.
Asthma is a lung disease that is caused by environmental or genetic factors. If a loved one in your household suffers from asthma, be mindful of any signs in others. Protect your children and yourself from the many common pollutants in the air, such as mold, dust and pollen to prevent or reduce asthma symptoms.
In conclusion, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent asthma from disturbing your life. Having asthma does not mean that your life has ended; if you develop a strategy on how to cope with it, you will live a much more satisfying life.
If you are having more than a couple of asthma attacks per week, you should go to your doctor and eliminate triggers. Doctors and nurses alike are in agreement that if you suffer from two or more attacks per week, you are at unnecessary risk.