Healthy lungs are vital to a healthy body. For asthma sufferers, however, it can be very difficult to maintain good lung health. However, you can still lead a regular normal life as an asthma sufferer. Heed the excellent advice laid out here, so it is possible to cope well with asthma.
You need to make sure that you do not smoke and that you stay away from a lot of fumes and vapors if you suffer from asthma. That means you have to avoid all tobacco, and seriously consider think about what jobs you take; for example, factories are probably not a healthy place for you because of all the vapors and smoke.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke or expose yourself to smoke, fumes or vapors. Because of this, you should avoid any kind of tobacco smoke and take any job that you want to apply for into consideration; factories could expose you to a variety of smoke, vapors and dust.
If your child or another loved one suffers from asthma, you should be sure to never smoke cigarettes when you’re near them. As far as triggers that cause asthma attacks or causes of the condition in general, secondhand cigarette smoke ranks right up there. Always ensure your child is in a smoke-free area.
If you’re in a dustier room, avoid turning on a fan. Otherwise, the dust will fly into the air and could give you an attack. If you wish to have a breeze, open a window instead of running a fan.
Always be very mindful of the type of medications you’re taking. Some meds out there might just trigger an asthma attack. Some over the counter medications can irritate your asthma. Common medications used for controlling high blood pressure often times contain beta blockers, which asthmatics may be more sensitive to. Let your doctor know about your asthma and what prescriptions you’re taking.
Know how to use your inhaler properly! 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. You need to inhale air while spraying the requisite dosage in your mouth. Hold in your breath for 10 seconds so the medicine works properly.
If you are having an asthma attack (mild or moderate), you need to try to force air out of the lungs. Exhale hard and fast. Expel the air in your lungs with great force! Inhale three times with short breaths, and then on the fourth one take a deeper breath so your lungs are full of air but still comfortable. Then breath out as hard as you can again. Doing this means breathing in a conscious rhythm that makes you mindful of your breathing. This is a good way to empty your lungs and let more air come in. You may generate sputum, but the primary goal is to start breathing regularly again.
If you suffer from asthma, taking enough Vitamin E and C can help you. These vitamins help reduce asthma flare-ups by improving lung function. Vitamin C is available in multiple forms. You can find it in citrus fruits, supplements, and in many other places. Loading up on these vitamins will energize your immune system, aiding your body in preventing the illnesses that worsen or trigger asthma.
If you suffer from asthma and allergy attacks, ask your doctor for a long-lasting allergy injection. Omalizumab can effectively control allergy symptoms you may be experiencing and can be suggested by your local allergist if it fits your needs.
If you have asthma, try to avoid smokers, even if you do not smoke. 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.
Talk to a social worker if you’re not eligible for any health insurance and you’re an asthma sufferer. Social workers are trained to help people find resources for affording health care, particularly on debilitating conditions such as asthma.
If someone in your home has asthma, make sure to keep a clean house, especially their bedroom so that the risk of an attack is reduced. Food should only be eaten in the kitchen area, and whatever you do, please don’t smoke. Don’t use strong cleaners or bleach and air out the house immediately following cleaning.
Ask everyone in your family to get a flu shot every year. If you have asthma, it’s important to prevent all respiratory infections, if at all possible. It is important to do things like hand washing and receiving proper vaccinations.
Make sure that your rescue medication is at hand at all times during your travels. Traveling causes extra strain on your already stressed body, which makes your body more susceptible to bothersome asthma triggers. It is also difficult to control your environment while traveling, making it more likely that you may experience an attack or worsening symptoms.
Consider supplementing your diet with Vitamins E and C when you suffer from asthma. These vitamins make lungs function better and keep symptoms of asthma under control. You can get both of these vitamins from eating certain foods, or by taking the vitamins in supplement form. These vitamins can boost immune systems, which helps you to avoid illnesses that can be a trigger for your asthma.
Support Group
If you use more than four types of chemical cleaning agents in your house the risk of your child having an asthma attack increases. Organic products are preferable to more chemically loaded, commercially produced cleaning products.
You may want to join an online or offline support group. Asthma can be an extremely debilitating health issue and can stop you from participating in life the way you want to. On top of that, an asthma support group will keep you apprised of the latest developments in asthma medication and other significant medical breakthroughs.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t expose yourself to secondhand smoke. Inhaled smoke from tobacco can drastically reduce lung function, increasing your chances of an asthma attack. This is especially true in closed-in areas.
Mold and mildew can grow in your home where there is humidity. These substances are prime triggers for asthma attacks. Therefore, you should always strive to maintain a dry home. When you are using a heater in winter time, you can run a dehumidifier for help controlling humidity. In the summer, running your air conditioner will allow you to keep your humidity down.
When you are suffering from asthma and you have hay fever or a cold, you will most likely need an increase in your treatment. 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 family doctor may recommend adding another treatment or medication to your current regimen until you recover from your illness.
Asthma typically develops over a long time, and sometimes the symptoms aren’t very obvious. In a lot of cases, people die from an asthma attack because they didn’t know they had the condition. If you have any trouble breathing or are coughing a lot, you need to see a doctor to determine what it is and if you need any medication or treatment for asthma prevention.
Keep your medication with you, especially when you are traveling. 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.
When you fly, make sure to take along prescriptions or doctors’ notes for all of your asthma equipment and medications, especially if they are unusual. You’ll speed up the process of going through security if you have written proof that shows that the items are necessary.
Humidity in the home can create an environment that is ideal for mold and mildew to grow. Mold and mildew can have a hand in making you suffer a asthma attack! You should do your best to maintain a dry home. During winter time, use a dehumidifier if necessary to control humidity while running your heater, and use your air conditioner during summer months to keep air dry.
See more than one doctor. Specialists can supplement the asthma treatments your regular doctor provides for you. Nutritionists, allergists, and pulmonologists are just some of the advisers who can change your life for the better.
You can wear warm things like a shawl, muffler or scarf, which can help cover your nose and mouth in the colder months. This allows you to warm air before it enters your lungs. Inhalation of cold air is proven to initiate asthma attacks, and younger kids afflicted with asthma of moderate or severe proportions are especially at risk.
Asthma can be a lifelong fight, but it can also get easier everyday as long as you follow sound advice from your doctor or the tips laid out here. Look into new findings, and perhaps new medications and treatments as research progresses.
If you are flying with your asthma medications, especially a large piece of equipment such as a nebulizer, be sure to bring along a written prescription from your doctor. Carrying your prescriptions along with written proof that they are medically necessary, will cut down on potential problems at the airport checkpoints.