Asthma can be serious to have and may cause a lot of negative problems in your life. Controlling asthma is much easier when it’s done before it becomes an attack. This article provides many tips and approaches to help deal with your asthma.
If you suffer from asthma, stay away from the fumes of household cleaning products. Cleaning products may contain chemicals which can trigger an asthmatic episode, such as ammonia. If you must do the cleaning in your home, opt for natural products with lower chemical content.
Always use your inhaler in the proper manner. Locate a quiet place, and follow the label to a tee. The medicine in the inhaler only works if it actually makes it to your lungs. Inhale air while spraying the necessary amount of medication into your mouth. Holding your breath for a minimum of 10 seconds gives the medicinal mist from the inhaler time to spread itself throughout your lungs.
If you’re a sufferer of asthma, stay away from cigarette smoke. This cannot be emphasized enough: Stay away from cigarette smoke! Avoid breathing chemical fumes and vapors. These can trigger a severe asthma attack that can be difficult to get under control. If you see people smoking in your vicinity, you should get away from them as soon as possible.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. Social workers are often able to locate a hospital or clinic that can offer free or low cost options to make sure you can fill your medication prescriptions.
Try a leukotriene inhibitor if you have asthma. A leukotriene inhibitor works by preventing leukotrienes. Leukotriene, a chemical released by the body in response to an allergen, is responsible for inducing many of the symptoms of an asthma attack. The inhibitor can prevent them and decrease your asthma attacks.
Asthma sufferers should take Vitamins E and C. Both vitamins improve lung function, helping you to better resist asthma attacks and other negative symptoms. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! These vitamins will also help prevent illnesses by boosting your body’s immune system.
Talk to a social worker if you do not have health insurance and need medication for your asthma. Affording asthma medication is important for handling the illness, and social workers can find places the offer the medicine at low costs.
If you are an asthma patient, be sure to stay away from people who smoke, even if you are not a smoker yourself. If you inhale the smoke, it will harm your lungs and increase the possibility of an asthma attack. Always be mindful of this, especially in small spaces that do not have very much air flowing.
Make sure that everyone in your family, including you, gets annual flu shots. If you have asthma, try to avoid getting respiratory infections if you can. It is important to do things like hand washing and receiving proper vaccinations.
Make sure to examine what it is that causes your asthma attacks in order to best avoid having to deal with them. There are some quite common triggers that can invoke an attack in asthma sufferers, for example cigarette smoke, pollen, or pet hair and dander. Whenever you can, just steer clear of these triggers when you know what they would result in.
If you are an asthma sufferer, be sure to get the recommended daily dose of Vitamins C and E. It is thought that these vitamins will help increase lung function and will help control asthma symptoms. It is possible to acquire the necessary amounts by eating foods or by taking dietary supplements. These vitamins will also help prevent illnesses by boosting your body’s immune system.
If you suffer from asthma, you might want to use a pillow that doesn’t contain feathers. The feathers contained in the pillow could trigger the symptoms related to asthma and it could prevent your lungs from functioning efficiently. This extends to the rest of your bedding, as well. There are hypoallergenic comforters and sheets you can use to limit asthma symptoms.
If you have asthma, you may wish to consider installing a dehumidifier in your home. Dust mites are a major source of asthma attacks, and dehumidifiers are great at getting rid of the little buggers. Use a dehumidifier, and the air you breath will be much less likely to cause your asthma to flare up.
Even if you have not had any recent breathing problems, you should nonetheless schedule regular checkups. You never know when you might suffer another flare-up, or when your doctor might have a better or safer medication to prescribe for your symptoms.
Hay fever and colds can worsen asthma symptoms so prepare to need increased treatments. Adjusting your medication may be necessary to manage the symptoms of these and other illnesses. It is also possible that your physician will add an additional treatment to your routine until you recover from your illness.
Asthma Attacks
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. Common triggers among asthma sufferers are smoke, pollen, or pet dander. Try to avoid the things that make your asthma flare up.
In the winter, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf or shawl to prevent asthma attacks. This will keep you from breathing cold air. Breathing cold air triggers your asthma attacks, particularly in young kids with bad asthma.
A lot of times asthma will develop over time, and has symptoms that aren’t always obvious. Some people have even died from having an asthma attack, and they didn’t even know they had asthma. If you often have difficulty breathing or a persistent cough, it would be wise to make an appointment with your physician, so he or she can confirm whether you have asthma. If you do, your doctor can then prescribe medications to manage or treat it.
Understand how to properly use your own asthma medication, particularly the rescue medication. Asthma is a condition traditionally treated with a combination of a regular medicine and an emergency medicinal inhaler. Asthma is an illness that is chronic in nature, so it is imperative to take the management medicine as directed and only using the rescue inhaler when necessary.
Monitor how often, per week, you find it necessary to use your inhaler. If you find that you are relying on it more than two times a week, your asthma is possibly not being well-controlled. If you have to use your inhaler a lot, you will know that you should more closely monitor your surroundings.
Bed linens are a magnet for nasty allergens and asthma triggers, including dust and pollen. Use fresh linens to make up your bed on a regular basis. Clean bed linens that are washed frequently will help you breathe easier every time your head hits the pillow.
Asthma sufferers should avoid close contact with all animals. Even if they are not allergic to the animals, the pollen and dust that animals attract can trigger an asthma attack.
Get a second opinion. The first place to consider visiting is your main doctor, but they might also be able to recommend a specialist. Asthma centers, allergists, pulmonologists, and nutritionists can all help ensure you are attacking your asthma on all fronts.
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. You will find that having fresh linens will make your breathing while sleeping much easier.
During times that pollen counts are high, asthma sufferers should try to stay indoors. Asthma itself may not be an allergy, many of the same things that affect allergy sufferers also affect those with asthma. Since data on air quality is now widely published, those with asthma have the ability to avoid being outside when concentrations of irritants are high.
If you tend to suffer from any allergies or asthmatic conditions, always clean vaporizers very thoroughly, as well humidifiers and any associated apparatus. Bacteria will breed rapidly due to the moisture in the machine. If you continue to use one without cleaning it correctly, you will be pushing allergens around the home, instead of the soothing humidity that you are hoping for.
If you are using a vaporizer or humidifier, you should thoroughly clean it prior to use. If the vaporizer or humidifier has not been thoroughly cleaned there could be bacteria growing inside of it. When you turn it on it will pump allergens that you will inevitably breath in.
If you experience an asthma attack, stay calm. You should immediately use your inhaler and use the inhaler again 30 seconds later. If the inhaler does not provide immediate help, get medical help right away. Call an ambulance or have someone present drive you to the nearest hospital. Breathe into a paper bag for assistance in slowing your breathing during the trip to the hospital.
Visit the doctor if you know your symptoms are worsening. More importantly, apply these tips as soon as you can to improve your life and reduce these symptoms.
If you use an inhaler more than 2 times a week, talk to your doctor about a new medication potentially. This means your inhaler isn’t working right. Having to restock your inhaler more frequently than once every six months is also a concern.