If you have been afflicted with asthma, it can be extremely terrifying. Know all that you can about your asthma so that you know what to expect in all situations. You can have a good idea what will happen and when it will do so, and the advice in the following paragraphs can assist you.
Avoid those things that you know can trigger your asthma. For many, allergens like dust and pollen, can trigger their attacks. For others, attacks can be caused by physical activities. Try to figure out when your asthma began so it can be avoided.
If you have an asthmatic child, do not allow anyone to smoke around him. It has been medically proven that smoking can cause asthma or make existing symptoms worse. You should also make sure your child is never in an environment where other people are smoking.
Asthma is a continuous disease that needs ongoing management. You need to keep taking your medications to control the asthma symptoms every day, and if an attack should occur, you should have quick relief medication at your disposal. Discuss treatment strategies with both your primary care physician and your allergist.
If you are suffering from a moderate or mild attack, do your best to force as much air out of the lungs as possible. Exhale quickly and forcefully. It can’t be said too strongly: you must force the air out! Then take three quick breaths, next a deeper breath till your lungs fill with air, then repeat the forceful exhalation again. This technique develops a breathing rhythm, allowing you to notice the breaths that you take in. It also helps to push air out from your lungs so new air can come back in. You may cough or generate sputum, this is okay, your main goal is to get your breathing back on track again.
If you are experiencing a moderately severe attack, try to first exhale completely. Force air out of your lungs with quick, powerful exhalations. It can’t be said too strongly: you must force the air out! Take three breaths in succession. These breaths don’t have to be deep, just breathe a little. Then take a deep breath, pulling as much air as possible into your lungs. When your lungs are as full as you can stand, force the air out. Pay attention to what you are doing and follow a regular rhythm. It pushes air from your lungs so you can breathe more in. If you cough or produce sputum, don’t worry. Just remain focused on your objective, which is to regain a normal rate of breathing.
Smoke Yourself
Be sure to avoid cigarette smoke if you have asthma. Refrain from smoking! Do not breathe in the vapors or any other chemical fumes. This may cause an asthma attack you can’t stop. Do everything you can to avoid cigarette smoke, air pollution, allergens and harsh chemical fumes to keep your asthma symptoms under control.
Anyone suffering from asthma or asthma-like symptoms needs to stay clear of cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself, or even if you’re breathing secondhand smoke. Do not smoke yourself, either! It is also a good idea to stay away from the fumes or vapors from harsh chemicals, such as those used in cleaning. These irritants can be a trigger for a severe asthma attack. Never visit a home or establishment where people will be smoking, and if people start to smoke, walk out.
If allergies lead to constant attacks from your asthma, there has been a recent solution that is administered via injection that provides long term care! An antibody medicine under the name Omalizumab can be used to reduce these symptoms caused by allergies and might be prescribed by your allergist.
If you’re in a dustier room, avoid turning on a fan. This will move all the dust around, and can easily trigger an asthma attack. It’s better to open the window if you’re in need of fresh air.
Consider supplementing your diet with Vitamins E and C when you suffer from asthma. They help to increase the function of the lungs and control the overall symptoms of asthma. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! These vitamins also help boost your immune system, which helps to prevent illnesses that trigger asthma.
If you suffer from asthma, and have many attacks that are related to your allergy symptoms, there is a medication that is injected and provides long term effects. Known as Omalizumab, this antibody medicine can control the body’s allergic senses and lower the symptoms or reactions that asthma patients suffer.
Be sure not to smoke as well as stay away from any smokers in general, this can be very harmful for you if you have asthma. 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.
Get annual flu vaccinations for your entire family. It is a good idea to avoid all respiratory infections when you have asthma. It’s important to take the standard precautions against these illnesses, such as hand washing and vaccinations.
If you have asthma, use a pillow that doesn’t have feathers in it. The feathers from a pillow can cause asthma symptoms and decrease your lung function. This also goes for bedding; use sheets, comforters and blankets that are crafted from hypoallergenic materials.
Both Vitamin C and Vitamin E are important if you suffer from asthma. It is thought that these vitamins will help increase lung function and will help control asthma symptoms. Many foods have these vitamins in abundance, but you can also use a supplemental pill. These vitamins can improve your immune system to prevent asthma triggers.
If you or a loved one suffers from asthma, a support group may help. You can find support groups online or in your community. Left untreated, asthma can be very debilitating and prevent you from enjoying your normal activities. Also, communicating with other people with asthma will keep you in the know about changes in how the condition is understood and treated.
Rescue Medication
Your home can be full of the major triggers leading to an asthma attack. These generally include dust, mold and spores. To reduce asthma attacks and stay healthy, have an inspector remove any harmful agents yearly. If you clean your house regularly, you can minimize the risk of these substances accumulating in your dwelling.
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 not curable, so it is very important that you take your medication properly and only use your rescue medication if you need it.
Mold and mildew thrive in homes with high humidity levels. These can very easily cause an attack. Keeping a home dry and mold-free is important. 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.
The development of asthma symptoms can occur over time and they can be difficult to pinpoint and diagnose. There are known cases where someone has actually died from a single asthma attack, because they were unaware that they had the disease. If you have any trouble catching your breath or a cough that won’t go away, consider talking to your doctor to make sure that you aren’t afflicted with asthma. If you are, you’ll need to keep an inhaler with you at all times and possible take other medications.
Asthma develops gradually, and its symptoms may not be very noticeable. People can even die from their very first asthma attack as they’re not prepared for it! 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.
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. Carrying written prescription information will help you to avoid security hassles, and you won’t have to worry about your medication being confiscated.
Use your maintenance or preventative inhaler every day. However, you should know that the drug may cause mouth infections near your gums and teeth. To best method to prevent these side effects and complications is by brushing your teeth, then gargling directly after using the inhaler.
Pay attention to how often you reach for your asthma inhaler each week. When you find you are depending on it more than thrice during a week’s period on an ongoing basis it is a sign your asthma is not under proper control and could lead to serious attacks if not addressed. If you have to use your inhaler a lot, you will know that you should more closely monitor your surroundings.
See how many times a week you typically use the rescue inhaler. If you use it very often, you may not have it under control. How frequently you need to use the inhaler can help you recognize any environmental changes you need to make.
Consider Visiting
Asthmatics should avoid smoking tobacco products whenever possible. Most people are educated about how dangerous smoking is, but it is much more harmful for people who have asthma. Smoke greatly irritates the sensitive lungs of the person with asthma, so in addition to not smoking, someone with asthma should avoid people that are smoking.
You should get a second opinion. Even though your primary care doctor can assist you in the basic care for your asthma, consider visiting a specialist also. Some specialists to consider visiting are those who deal directly with allergies or nutrition. This is a great way to attack asthma from all angles.
If you suffer from asthma attacks, familiarize yourself with how to properly use your inhaler. It is not as simple as spraying a little into your mouth and inhaling. You must breathe deeply in conjunction with the spray. Failing to do so will mean that the medicine will not be able to help open up your breathing.
Smoking cigarettes is not a choice that should be made. The dangers surrounding smoking are well documented, but for asthma sufferers the issues can be much more serious. A person with asthma has sensitive lungs that can react adversely to smoke, causing an asthmatic attack. So an asthmatic should not even be in a room where other people are smoking.
If repainting a room is in your future, purchase a quality mask first to protect your lungs from paint fumes. The fumes from the pain can irritate your asthma. By using a mask, you will keep yourself from inhaling the majority of these fumes. Refrain from using any substance or chemical that aggravate your asthma.
Knowing how to appropriately and safely use your inhaler is essential if you are afflicted with asthma. When you spray the inhaler into your mouth, you cannot just lightly inhale. You must breathe deeply for at least a few seconds when using your inhaler. Failure to properly use your inhaler can lead to deadly effect.
Don’t skimp on vitamin B6. This vitamin, with the chemical name pyridoxine, can be helpful in controlling asthma attacks. Studies have shown attacks are less intense and less frequent when pyridoxine is added to the diet. Pyridoxine is crucial in making molecules, which can relax bronchial tissue. Bananas contain B6, as do many other delicious foods.
If you want to paint something, get a mask to protect yourself from the fumes. The fumes from paint are very irritating to the lungs of asthma sufferers, but a mask goes a long way towards filtering out these irritants. Substances and chemicals which have the power to trigger asthma should be widely avoided.
Make sure that smoking does not ever occur near an asthma sufferer. If there is a smoker present, they should be directed to smoke outside or away from asthma sufferers. Heavy smokers can cause an asthma attack by carrying the smoke smell on their clothes.
As suggested before, asthma can be broken down into numerous sub-topics. This article is just a sample of the hints that are useful in managing asthma, or helping a loved one manage asthma. Together, you can minimize the impact that asthma has in your life.
A yearly vaccination for the flu virus is a wise idea. Even if you don’t tend to get hit by the flu, it’s better to be safe than sorry by taking the time to get vaccinated. It is easy for an asthma sufferer to develop a sinus or respiratory illness, which can create serious complications.