Asthma can be a frightening thing to go through, whether you are suffering from it or it is someone you love. Know what asthma may do, what the condition is, and how to manage it properly. You need to be prepared for what could occur and when it could occur when you have asthma. The following information could be very useful to you.
Use your inhaler as directed. Find a spot that is out of the way, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. You can inhale all you want, but it’s useless if the medication doesn’t make it to your lungs. Spray the required dosage into your mouth while inhaling air. You should hold your breath 10 seconds so the medicated mist is able to fill up your lungs.
An important tip to help protect your asthma-afflicted children is to always refrain from smoking around them. Second-hand cigarette smoke is a leading cause of asthma. It’s best to also keep your child away from places in which others will be smoking.
People who have asthma should stick to using unscented products. Using scented products, like air fresheners and perfume, will increase the level of air pollution and is likely to trigger an attack. Fresh paint and new carpeting also give off odors that may aggravate the airways. Keep the air inside your home clean and fresh, and free of any asthma triggers.
Asthma Problems
To lower the chances of an asthma attack, keep your house as clean as can be, especially the bedroom. Only allow food in the kitchen, and never smoke indoors. Don’t use strong cleaners or bleach and air out the house immediately following cleaning.
Be aware of certain medications that can lead to asthma problems. Aspirin and some other NSAIDs may do this. Some medications for blood pressure and heart disease – those referred to as beta blockers – can also exacerbate asthma problems. Let your doctor know about your asthma and what prescriptions you’re taking.
Figure out your asthma triggers. Once you know what they are, you can change your lifestyle to prevent asthma attacks. If you can’t avoid a trigger, you can pack your inhaler, take allergy pills or engage in other preventive measures so you don’t have an attack. If you have asthma, it’s most likely triggered by things such as being around animals or pollen. Most asthmatics also can’t tolerate smoke. Try to avoid the things that make your asthma flare up.
Dust will make you have an attack, so keep the air calm in dirty rooms. While it may seem smart to get the air circulating, in reality this will only stir up the dust, making it easier to inhale and trigger an attack. It is much better to open a window when you are in need of some air flow.
Asthmatic patients should avoid using feather pillows. Feather can decrease lung function and trigger asthma symptoms. Also, make sure your other bedding is made with hypoallergenic materials.
Asthma patients without health insurance can get help by asking a social worker and getting access to programs with the resources asthma patients need. If you cannot afford medicine for asthma, your social worker can help you locate someone that can help.
Have your rescue inhaler with you at all times, especially when on vacation. Traveling can put additional strain on your body, making you more susceptible to asthma triggers. It is often hard to maintain the right kind of environment when you are traveling, and this may heighten the risk of an asthma attack or worsening symptoms.
When suffering from asthma, there are vitamins that can help, including E and C. They help to increase the function of the lungs and control the overall symptoms of asthma. Either find a good vitamin supplement to take, or change your diet to include more foods rich in Vitamins E and C. These vitamins are great for your immune system, and a strong immune system wards off illnesses that can trigger asthma attacks.
Be sure you understand how to use your asthma medication, especially emergency medication. Typically, asthma is treated using normal medications along with rescue medication, like an inhaler, for emergency situations. Asthma is a serious, chronic health condition, and it’s vital that you take medicine to manage the disease properly and use the rescue medications as directed.
Keep dust and dirt to a minimum in any bedroom where an asthma sufferer sleeps. Keep food consumption to the kitchen and the dining room, and never allow anyone to smoke in the house. Harsh chemicals, like bleach and ammonia, can trigger asthma.
Asthma is a condition that typically will develop over a long period of time, with symptoms that are not very obvious. A few people have even died from an asthma attack without knowing they even had this dangerous condition. Because of this, if you notice that you have trouble breathing or are constantly coughing, you may want to visit your doctor. They can tell you if you have asthma and if there is a medication that you should be taking. Your doctor can also tell you if there is something you can do to prevent asthma from developing.
Asthma treatment dosages will need to be increased if you are sick with a cold or are dealing with hay fever. Many illnesses have side effects that could cause your asthma to flare up so badly that you need to have an increase in treatment. Your doctor may need to add new treatments to your typical asthma regimen until you are well.
You can use the preventative inhaler daily, but know that it can cause mouth infections near your gums and teeth. You can prevent these side effects with proper tooth brushing and gargling after you use your inhaler.
Pay attention to your symptom triggers. The more aware of your triggers you become, the easier it will be to avoid them and reduce the number of attacks you suffer. Generally, it is found that items such as smoke and pollen can trigger attacks in those that suffer with asthma. Whenever you can, stay away from these agents that can trigger symptoms or cause full-blown asthma attacks.
When you are making an effort to control asthma, do not smoke. Smoke can induce an asthma attack. So do whatever you can to stay away from vapors, chemical fumes and smoke from cigarettes. All of these will increase your asthma symptoms. If you live with or near a smoker, find a way to politely ask that they not smoke around you or your living spaces.
Try joining an in-person or virtual asthma support group. Asthma, especially the more severe forms, cause many problems that interfere with the quality of life and present many challenges. Also, other asthma sufferers can alert you to scientific breakthroughs and changes, such as new medications.
Contact with pets and other animals should be minimized for the asthma sufferer. While allergies to dander or animal hair can possibly complicate your asthma, even those with no such allergies can have asthma attacks by inhaling the pollen and dust animals usually carry about with them.
Be sure to thoroughly understand how to utilize asthma medication correctly, particularly any rescue medication. Typical asthma treatment includes regular medicine supplemented by a rescue inhaler. Because asthma has no cure, you must treat it carefully by taking your maintenance medication every day and using your emergency medication responsibly.
Allergens and asthma triggers, such as dust and pollen can cling to your bed linens. Clean your linen and pillow case every week to prevent asthma attacks. Fresh linens, washed regularly, can ensure you breathe better as you sleep.
Asthma often takes time to develop, the symptoms appearing slowly. There are known cases where someone has actually died from a single asthma attack, because they were unaware that they had the disease. So, if you are having trouble coughing and breathing, talk to a doctor to see if you need treatment. You might receive a prescription to treat or prevent asthma.
Do not make the decision to smoke. While smoking is a dangerous habit in general, it is far more damaging to those who have asthma. Smoke can severely irritate an asthma sufferer’s lungs; so, if you do suffer from asthma, stay away from both smoking and being around smoke in general.
If you are traveling by plane and taking along your asthma medications, make sure to have with you any written doctors prescriptions, especially when carrying some large asthma equipment like a nebulizer. Written proof of needing your equipment can help you with any issues you might have in the security line.
If you have asthma and allergies, don’t use a vaporizer or humidifier if it has not been completely cleaned. If you allow bacteria to breed in the moist environment of the machine, you will just be pumping allergens into the air that you are trying to humidify.
You can use the preventative inhaler daily, but know that it can cause mouth infections near your gums and teeth. To prevent these issues, brush and use mouthwash immediately after inhaler usage.
You have to know the proper way to use an inhaler if you suffer from asthma. You cannot just spray it in your mouth and lightly inhale. When you spray the inhaler, be sure to breathe in as deeply as you can for two to three seconds. Neglecting to learn how to use your inhaler correctly will cause your symptoms to worsen significantly.
Asthma Sufferers
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. Your doctor should be recording your current state as a benchmark, and making necessary changes to improve your situation if needed. Taking on the responsibility of scheduling these regular appointments will help your doctor help you to stay healthy.
Asthma sufferers should stay indoors as much as possible when pollen counts rise. Asthma symptoms are not the same as allergic reactions, but allergies and asthma attacks have many common triggers. Now that local air quality information is available in most areas, asthma sufferers can minimize their outdoor exposure when potential irritants are in the air.
Eat more foods that are rich in B6 vitamins. Research has shown that by increasing the amount of vitamin B6, sometimes referred to as pyridoxine, individuals can reduce how often they suffer asthma attacks. At minimum, it can help lower the intensity of attacks. Vitamin B6 is essential for producing chemicals that cause lung tissue to relax. You can find good reserves of vitamin B6 in bananas.
If you have asthma and allergies, don’t use a vaporizer or humidifier if it has not been completely cleaned. If the machine stays wet, it can breed bacteria and you’ll end up pumping harmful allergens out into the air.
Know what your triggers are to safeguard yourself against asthma. A daily journal can be a powerful tool to help you pinpoint frequent triggers and it can also help your doctor to prescribe the treatment that is right for you. Once you know the causes of your asthma, do all you can to stay away from the triggers, and try, if possible, to remove them from your surroundings.
Remain calm in the event of an asthma attack. Immediately use your asthma inhaler, rest for 30 seconds, then use it once more. If your attack continues to worsen, seek help. Ask someone to drive you to the closest hospital or call an ambulance. Breathe into a paper bag for assistance in slowing your breathing during the trip to the hospital.
The causative factors in asthma range from environmental factors to genetic factors. Most of the time, both environment and genetics play a role in determining whether you will be impacted by this disease. If someone closely related has asthma, you need to pay special attention to asthma-like symptoms your or your children have. All sorts of environmental factors can cause asthma, and they include smoke, pollution, excess dust and mold spores. It is best to avoid these hazardous situations, especially if there are children present.
If you have asthma, you must know how to use your inhaler properly. In order for the inhaler to work, you must carefully follow the directions. Every time you spray the inhaler, deeply inhale for a couple seconds. Proper techniques with your inhaler will keep your symptoms from increasing out of control.
Being in clean and dry conditions will aid in reducing the number of asthma attacks in the home. A dehumidifier can be very useful to keep the moisture at acceptable levels if used on a daily basis. If you keep humidity steady, you will be able to lessen the number of attacks that occur seasonally.
You should learn as much as you can about asthma. The article above is a starting point in helping you or someone you love deal with asthma. You can limit the impact of asthma in your life.
If you suffer from asthma, a great piece of advice is to always ensure that you do your warm-ups prior to a strenuous exercise and your cool-downs immediately following the exercise. If you do both of these, you will be preventing an asthma attack from happening while you are exercising or shortly afterwards.